The Horse Doctor

We seem to have had a run on laryngeal disease over the last month so I thought i would post a quick tutorial. Horses can get a variety of Laryngeal diseases, including arytenoid paralysis, ulcers, neoplasia, epiglottic displacement, epiglottic entrapment and sub-epiglottic cysts. Image 1- This is a normal view through a fiber optic endoscope. What you see is epiglottis in the foreground that looks like a pointed tongue. behind this are the arytenoids that work like curtains covering the opening to the trachea. Image 2- In this horse you can see the left arytenoid is hanging down into the airway. This is an example of Laryngeal paralysis. Frequently this is caused by damage to the left recurrent laryngeal nerve. It can also be related to damage to the arytenoid itself such as infection of the cartilage. This is what typically is known as roaring, when the horse makes a respiratory noise (usually on inspiration) while working. Image 3- This is a picture of an arytenoid ulcer. It is act...

While I confess to being a proud southerner with all rights and privileges thereto appertaining.....I really get aggravated by commercials or TV shows that make us look stupid. I also don't like those that make guys in general look stupid or those that make surfers look stupid. Now as a member of all three categories I have to complain about the antics of some of my fellow brethren...."Fellas this ain't helpin the cause" .....but it sure looks like fun.

I'm sure everyone knows that the price of keeping a horse has gone up substantially over the last year. If you look at rising fuel costs, increased feed costs and a poor hay harvest this year you can see the problem. Now you must add the increased cost of shavings. According to a report from " The Horse .com " the downturn in the housing market has caused a subsequent shortage in shavings and increased the cost. "The cost of shavings has increased by 70% in the past two years," noted halter horse trainer Ted Turner of Turner Ranch in Aubrey, Texas. He said he has been forced to pass the increased cost on to his clients. Since shavings are bulky they are expensive to ship so you need to live close to where the lumber industry is. Other things impacting the cost of keeping a horse are also going up. With the increased interest in ethanol fuel a lot of the corn production has been shifted to that use causing a large increase in feed costs. The rise in gas prices ...

American politics and our News Media have really turned me off as of late. To say they spend money like drunken sailors is an insult to drunken sailors. I read a great deal of history and I really wish we had statesmen like those that sacrificed everything in the founding of this country. With a Presidential campaign in full swing I can't tell the TV anchors from the candidates. That is why I was surprised to see this video on you tube. Is Fred just an actor or is he for real? He's definitely not great looking and how long has it been since we elected a bald President? (Not that theres anything wrong with that). It's a bit long, about 15 minutes but it was really refreshing, made me feel good about a politician...I can't believe I wrote that. How it all works out...I don't know, but I think I'll give him a close look. If you plan on voting or even if you can't stomach it any more......it might be worth you're time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VblJ...

I think I could really increase my "gross" income if I can get into this project. This from Purdue University " here ". "WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Some college students will do anything for extra cash, even if it means sniffing livestock excrement.Students at Purdue University in Indiana can earn $30 per session to inhale and then rate whiffs of air collected from barns filled with hogs, cows and chickens. It's a science experiment conducted by a professor of agricultural and biological engineering.He's searching for ways to improve methods for estimating a given livestock farm's odor emissions." They are going to sniff different barns trying to determine how far away you need to be so you don't smell it. It is supposed to help determine how far away you should build housing developments. I think I can lend some expertise here.....don't Mooooooove to where the cows are, simple enough. It's like the people that buy a house next to the...

This week the Dept of Health in Massachusetts reported that 4 human cases (including 2 deaths and 1 miscarriage) of Listeria infection over the last 6 mos. were linked by 'DNA fingerprinting' to retail milk samples obtained from a local dairy farm (Whittier Farms, Sutton MA). Listeria Monocytogenes is a gram positive bacteria that can cause septicemia GI disease and spread to the Nervous system. Listeria is a common soil organism that can cause disease when ingested, especially in pregnant women, children and people with weakened immune systems. I have seen several cases of menengitis/encephalitis in animals and I can only imagine how devastating this can be in people. From the Milford Daily News " The Department of Public Health (DPH) has issued a warning to consumers not to drink any milk products from Whittier Farms in Shrewsbury because of listeria bacteria contamination, which has contributed to the death of two people. Four cases of listeriosis infection have b...