Week Six in Somerset

It is hard to believe it is already July; time is sure flying by! This week was filled with interesting cases. To start off the week, a mare came in on emergency with a fracture of the first phalanx, or long cannon bone. We took her to surgery and placed three lag screws to draw the fracture line together. The procedure went very smoothly and we put her in a half limb cast. She has been doing well and hopefully she will be able to go home soon. Check out the pictures below.

                      

             Pre-Op, Inta-Op, and Post-Op Radiographs of P1 Fracture

We also had a horse come in with “photo head shaking”, which is an idiopathic condition that presents as various behaviors that seem to worsen in daylight. In this case, the horse began to violently toss its head and run off whenever she put her head down to graze. She did not have the same reaction when she ate grain off the concrete. Dr. Brown’s hypothesis was that her muzzle was hypersensitive and the long grass was causing her pain. Using lidocaine, we numbed her muzzle and she was able to graze on long grass without any abnormal reaction. The owners opted to try constant tactile stimulation over a surgical treatment option. Dr. Brown recommended they put a net-like or leather tassel contraption over the mare’s nose at all times to constantly stimulate and desensitize the nerve endings. If that is not effective, the owners may consider a long-term sedative or surgical treatment.

Another mare presented with dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing. After a neurological work up, Dr. Brown scoped her guttural pouch. Sitting between the internal carotid artery and nerve bundle of CNs IX, X, and XII was a fungal plaque. He put the mare on a systemic antifungal and began flushing the gutteral pouch with a LRS and DMSO solution. Once a topical antifungal suspension arrives, we will begin injecting it into the gutteral pouch through the scope once a day for about a week. If this treatment is not effective, the owners will consider a surgical option.

Fungal plaque sitting between the internal carotid artery and nerve bundle in the gutteral pouch

We also said good-bye to one of the technician, Rachel, with a trip to The Meadows, a Standardbred racetrack. I had a great time socializing with my co-workers and betting on the races. It was pretty cool to see some of the horses we have worked on (and their offspring) race.

Day at the Races