Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a potentially fatal viral disease, transmitted by blood via biting insects. EIA causes severe anemia and fevers and has no cure. The incidence of EIA has been greatly reduced by surveillance through testing (Coggins Test).
 
A "Coggins" is a blood test that detects antibodies to the Equine Infectious Anemia disease. For your horse to travel across state lines and internationally, a negative Coggins Test is required. Requirements may vary depending on where you are traveling. International travel often requires a horse to have a negative Coggins within 30 days. Most states require proof that a horse has tested negative for EIA within the 12 months prior to travel. However, some states require that horses test EIA negative 60 days prior to entering the state. If you are crossing state lines, with your horse, you will also need a health certificate.
 
To perform a Coggins Test, a Starwood veterinarian will obtain a blood sample and send it to a USDA accredited laboratory. The sample is submitted with a form which identifies your horse through markings and digital photographs.

The only way to definitively diagnose ulcers is through gastroscopy, which involves placing an endoscope into the stomach and looking at its surface. To allow this, the stomach must be empty, so most horses are held off feed for 12 to 24 hours and not allowed to drink water for two to three hours. With light sedation the endoscope is passed through the nostril and down the esophagus into the stomach. The light and camera on the end of the endoscope allow the veterinarian to observe the stomach lining.

See Full Article on Ulcers from AAEP

The patient was placed on a regimen of omeprazole and sucralfate and was rechecked 42 days later. The follow up scoping revealed that the ulcers were improving with the prescribed antacid therapy. Below is a screen shot of the healing polyps found on the antrum after treatment. 

The treatment doses were tapered following the second scoping. We are happy to report that the patient is much improved since treatment. 

Starwood Equine Veterinary Services is happy to answer any additional questions about how to help you and your horse better prepare for winter!. ​

Starwood Equine believes in the use of both traditional and integrative medical approaches, and feels there is a place for both western and eastern medicine in our equine patients. Dr. Jillian Mills graduated from the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and is a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. The following article is intended to introduce you to the use of mesotherapy in the horse, and explain the science behind this treatment method. 

What does the mesotherapy treatment entail?

• Treatment entails multiple intradermal injections spaced approximately 1cm apart using a 27 gauge 4mm in length needle. A small amount of solution is injected at each site to stimulate the skin. Injection results in multiple small strategically placed bumps that will disappear within 24-48 hours following treatment.
• Treatment is often performed with saline, however a combination of medications such as a local anesthetic or a short acting corticosteroid may be used depending on your horse’s condition.
• Depending on the size and location of the region being treated, your horse may be sedated prior to the procedure. 

​How does it feel?

• The size of the needle is similar to that of an acupuncture needle.
• The intradermal sensation is synonymous to what is felt during a tuberculosis or skin allergy test, which is performed in the same manner. 

​Starwood Equine believes in the use of both traditional and integrative medical approaches, and feels there is a place for both western and eastern medicine in our equine patients. Dr. Jillian Mills graduated from the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and is a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. The following article is intended to introduce you to the use of acupuncture in the horse, and explain the science behind this therapeutic modality. 

Starwood Equine has a new tool for diagnosing infection and inflammation! The StableLab Test monitors levels of Serum Amyloid A, also known as SAA, which is a protein produced by the liver in response to inflammation. Running this simple 10-minute stall-side blood test for this biomarker protein enables Starwood doctors to have real time information regarding the severity of an infection. ​

Starwood Equine is excited to offer Pro-Stride Therapy, a drug-free advanced form of regenerative medicine for inflammatory joint treatment. In Equine Sports Medicine “regenerative medicine” is a term often used to reference clinical therapies that focus on utilizing the horse’s own body to promote self-healing. The Pro-Stride Therapy system accomplishes this self-healing by using the horse’s biological components (cells, platelets, plasma, etc.). 

​The procedure starts by taking a sample of the equine patient’s blood and processing the sample stall-side.  The processed Pro-Stride sample contains Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein (IRAP). PRP contains both the signals and the matrix proteins to “jump-start” the regeneration process. IRAP inhibits damaging inflammatory molecules in the joint.  In chronic injury such as osteoarthritis, healing becomes stuck in the initial inflammatory phase. Before healing can begin in earnest, the inflammatory signals must be silenced and replaced with signals which promote tissue regeneration. This is accomplished by using PRP and IRAP to work synergistically to promote joint healing. This concentrated solution is then injected into the affected joint. 

Benefits of Pro-Stride Therapy include:

• <20-minute blood processing
• Single visit/injection
• Clinically demonstrated to provide pain relief up to one year from a single treatment, with the potential for disease-modifying effects.*
• Natural (drug-free) therapy
• There are no drug withholding times for those competing at the FEI and USEF levels
• Excellent alternative for overweight or metabolically challenged patients to avoid steroid use. 

​Pro-Stride Injection will reduce pain associated with arthritis and deliver naturally occurring anti-inflammatory proteins. Pro-Stride Injection is capable of slowing cartilage degradation and improving mobility. This treatment has longer duration of efficacy when compared to traditional joint injections using steroids and hyaluronic acid.  It is also a great option for horses that initially respond to a steroid injection but have recurrence within just a few months.   Please contact Starwood Equine if you are interested in Pro-Stride Therapy for your horse.
 
*A. Bertone, Am J Vet Res 2014;75:141–1