Heads Up! Ohio State Seminar Updates Vets on an Important Part of All Horses

by Fran Jurga | 22 January 2009 | The Jurga Report at Equisearch.com

This plastinate tissue preservation of a horse's head reminds me of looking under the hood of a high-performance sports car. There are lots of parts, and you know that they all have to be in tune for the apparatus to operate. So it is with the horse: if something in the head is causing discomfort, the horse may change his head carriage, which affects his balance and posture and gait, he may not want to keep a bit in his mouth, and he may shake his head or develop a behavior that will make riding and handling difficult, if not dangerous. (Plastinate image courtesy of HC Biovision, Dr. Christoph von Horst.)

Veterinarian seminars go through cycles. Some years, there are lots of new developments in reproduction, or imaging technology, or colic diagnosis. Fifteen years ago, we had a spatter of meetings on joint disease. Then it was laminitis, which morphed into digital radiography and MRI and clinical applications of diagnostic ultrasound. Pain management and gastric ulcers and EPM have had their meetings.

From what I see and hear and read, horse owners these days are concerned about problems that I have personally not experienced with horses: allergies, sarcoids and gutteral pouch or sinus infections or obstructions. We all know someone who has a head shaker, and doesn't it seem like horses are having more eye problems than ever before?

What was that funny word in there? The gutteral pouches are like the lost cities of the Incas when it comes to equine health. Thanks to fantastic new imaging modalities, we can have more detailed views of this hard-to-get-to region in the horse's head, and track down sinus infections and the masses that seem to affect these strange pockets. More and more horse owners are complaining to me about gutteral pouch infections and the veterinary world is responding with treatments and medications to help horses.

On February 6-8, 2009, the Ohio State University will host a continuing education seminar for veterinarians and technicians who want to update themselves on the latest care and treatment for medical problems in the horse's head. Facial skin tumors, head shaking, eye problems, dentistry, upper airways problems, gutteral pouch problems, sinus infections, and head swelling are all on the agenda, along with reviews of sophisticated surgical and medical treatments and advanced imaging diagnostics. Dr. Mike Lowder of the University of Georgia will join OSU clinicians and surgeons...and all our horses will come out ahead, if you'll pardon the pun.

Click here for conference details.

Plastinate tissue preservation of a horse's eye. (Dr. Christoph von Horst)

World-renowned Neurology Expert to Deliver Milne "State-of-the-Art" Lecture at 2008 Convention

(received via press release from the AAEP)

Stephen M. Reed, DVM, DACVIM, will deliver the prestigious Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture on December 8, 2008 during the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ 54th Annual Convention in San Diego, California. Equine neurology is the focus of this year’s lecture, which is sponsored by AAEP Educational Partner Platinum Performance in conjunction with the AAEP Foundation, Inc.

Dr. Reed is widely recognized for his commitment to the horse, equine veterinarians and the equine industry. A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, he developed an interest in the specialty of equine neurology and became recognized as an expert in this area. He has written and spoken extensively on “wobbler” syndrome, equine protozoal myelitis, head trauma and the neurologic examination.

In addition, Dr. Reed has authored or co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications. He is an editor of Equine Internal Medicine, which is about to enter into its third edition. In 2008 he also co-edited with Dr. Martin Furr another textbook, Equine Neurology. Dr. Reed has received a number of recognitions for his work, including the Schering-Plough Animal Health and World Veterinary Association Award for Applied Research.

Dr. Reed graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1976. In 1983, he joined the faculty at the school as an assistant professor, rising to the title of professor in 1994. In 2003, Dr. Reed was named to the Jenne Professorship in Equine Medicine and Surgery. He received the award for Distinguished University Service in 2002 and The Ohio State University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008.

In 2007, Dr. Reed retired from The Ohio State University as an emeritus professor. At the same time, he chose a new career path away from academia and now practices as an equine specialist at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky. Dr. Reed considers the opportunity to assist in the mentoring of twenty-nine residents, more than twenty interns and hundreds of veterinary students as his most significant contribution to the veterinary profession.

The Frank J. Milne Lecture debuted at the 1997 convention in Phoenix, Ariz. Named for AAEP Past President and Distinguished Life Member Frank J. Milne, the lecture series features “state-of-the-art” information on subjects and techniques considered important to the equine veterinary profession.

Photo links to Ohio State University web site.