Equine Ambulatory News New Year Brings Staff Changes, Enhanced
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Equine Ambulatory News Spring 2010 • Volume Six - Issue One New Year Brings Staff Changes, Enhanced Services We hope that you all had a wonder- ful holiday season and are moving into a bright New Year. We are excited to announce that we now offer digital Coggins. The first time we -per INSIDE form the Coggins test with this new system THIS ISSUE we will take three photographs of your horse and these photos will then be in our system Meet the Team Having three children and a full-time job for years to come. The Coggins papers are in Page 2 can bring many challenges to the table, so color and will display the digital images. We I feel fortunate to have a job that I truly offer digital health certificates as well. Deadly Protozoa enjoy with an extensive and necessary sup- Returns We also would like to announce that port system, both at home and at work. Page 3 Dr. Martha Rasch has joined our service As many of you are aware, veterinary as a full-time clinical instructor. Dr. Rasch The Case of the medicine has been shifting from a male brings with her an interest in three-day Purloined Persimmons dominated profession to one that is female eventing, internal medicine and mules. Page 4 dominated. The veterinary applicant pool Many of you already know Dr. Rasch is heavily weighted toward women these Lameness: A as she spent her intern year with us. For days and this has carried over into equine Debilitating and those of you not familiar with her, you will practice. With this shift has come a need Costly Condition quickly realize what a wonderful addition to adjust to a new way of practice in order Page 6 to the practice she is. to accommodate differing needs. I feel for- Colic: A Dr. Dawna Voelkl is working with the tunate to be a part of the MU Veterinary Quick Response is theriogenology service (reproduction) and Medical Teaching Hospital where I can Demanded will continue to provide assisted reproduc- help to mentor the many women com- Page 8 tive technology for our equine patients. ing through, not just on matters related to the science of managing equine disease, For my own part, I am happy to an- Deworming but also to help them work through the nounce I completed the credentialing pro- Strategies struggles associated with finding balance Page 12 cess for the American Board of Veterinary in their lives. Practitioners, certified in Equine Practice. Alison LaCarrubba, DVM, ABVP My husband and I welcomed our new- (Equine Practice) est daughter, Sophia, to our family in July. College of Veterinary Medicine • University of Missouri Meet the University of Missouri Equine Ambulatory Team Dr. Alison LaCarrubba, originally from New York, graduated PUBLISHED from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine ANNUALLY BY in 2001. Alison stayed on at the University to complete an THE EQUINE internship in equine medicine and surgery. After the internship, AMBULATORY she spent a year working in an equine exclusive private practice SECTION with a special interest in reproduction. Alison returned to the OF THE University in July 2003. Although the majority of her time is UNIVERSITY OF spent in the ambulatory truck, she also devotes time to working MISSOURI with the medicine department in the teaching hospital. Alison Dr. Alison LaCarrubba COLLEGE OF recently completed the requirements for certification by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Equine Practice. VETERINARY MEDICINE Dr. Martha Rasch is a clinical instructor at the MU College of VETERINARY Veterinary Medicine and focuses on the equine ambulatory prac- MEDICAL tice. Martha was born in Chicago, Ill., and grew up riding hunt- TEACHING ers and jumpers in St. Louis, Mo. She began to ride in three-day HOSPITAL events in college. After earning a DVM at MU, she completed a rotating equine internship at the University. She then continued on to work as a clinical instructor for the equine ambulatory service. Rasch spends the majority of her time instructing senior veterinary students while traveling to work on horses within the Columbia MISSION STATEMENT area. She is particularly interested in wound management as well as Dr. Martha Rasch The mission of our equine critical care in the ambulatory setting. Rasch works closely with the ambulatory service is to pro- vide the highest standard of referral clinicians in the MU Equine Clinic to provide superior care to horses. medical and surgical care to our patients while training Our interns have a special interest in working with horses, and potentially going on the next generation of vet- erinarians. We feel we are to complete a residency, specializing in either equine medicine or equine surgery. Ev- truly attaining this goal by ery June we welcome a new crop of interns. This year our interns include Drs. Karen working together as a team. Bolton, Brittany Hager and Crystal Lee. Dr. Karen Bolten, intern in equine surgery, medicine and com- munity practice, recently graduated from the Ohio State Univer- sity College of Veterinary Medicine. She grew up in Ohio, com- petitively riding saddleseat on saddlebreds, Arabians, and national show horses. Her medical interests include neurologic, muscle, respiratory, and gastrointestinal diseases in horses. Bolten is con- sidering pursuing a residency in equine internal medicine. Continued on page 3 900 East Campus Drive Veterinary Medical Dr. Karen Bolton Teaching Hospital University of Missouri Columbia, MO 65211 Equine Ambulatory News • Spring 2010 Page 2 Equine Piroplasmosis Found in Missouri Piroplasmosis is an infectious,tick- borne disease that is caused by the protozoa Babesia caballi or Babesia equi. These parasites infect the ani- mal’s red blood cell resulting in the characteristic clinical signs of fever, anemia, weight loss, jaundice and po- tentially death. The United States has screened all imported horses for piroplasmosis for nearly 30 years. The disease was considered eradicated in 1988. In the last year horses in 11 states, includ- ing Missouri, have tested positive for the protozoa. In June 2008, Missouri Animal Research is being conducted to de- In August 2008 officials from the Health officials announced a con- termine the types of ticks that carry Florida Department of Agriculture firmed case of piroplasmosis. After the disease. further testing, another five horses and Consumer Services announced All suspect horses are quarantined were euthanized. In September the they had found a positive animal. The until a diagnosis can be confirmed. Missouri outbreak was considered Florida officials quarantined 25 prem- The only treatment for Piroplasmosis “resolved.” ises and tested more than 200 horses. is a potent chemotherapeutic agent In the end, 20 horses from seven dif- Piroplasmosis has been confirmed that can have serious side effects for ferent premises were euthanized. in 288 horses from a Texas ranch. the individual. Interns continued from page 2 Dr. Brittany Hager, intern in equine surgery, medicine and community practice, grew up in the St. Louis, Mo., area. She has trained extensively with hunter/jumper trainers locally and nationally and shown her own horses starting with pony hunters and advancing up to high amateur owner jumpers. She graduated from the University of Missouri Veterinary School. After her internship, Brittany plans to obtain specialized training as a radiology resident at a university with advanced imaging modalities for equine athletes. Her ultimate career goal is to work in a sport horse practice that specializes in lameness. Dr. Crystal Lee, intern in equine surgery, medicine and community prac- tice, grew up near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and has always been in- volved in the breeding and training of miniature horses, as well as showing Dr. Brittany Hager miniature horses at the international level. She did her undergraduate coursework at the Univer- sity of Alberta, and graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Lee hopes to pursue a residency in equine surgery before returning to private practice in western Canada. Dr. Crystal Lee College of Veterinary Medicine • University of Missouri Page 3 Case Study: Persimmons Can Cause Gastric Impaction Maddy, a 20-year old mixed breed pony, presented to the equine ambula- tory service in the fall of 2008 for signs of colic. Maddy’s owner noticed a problem at feeding time. The pony did not come in from the pasture with the other horses as he usually does and was not interested in eating his grain. Un- derstanding that colic can quickly be- come a very serious problem, Maddy’s owner called the equine ambulatory service as soon as he realized Maddy was acting abnormally. When the ambulatory service ini- tially evaluated Maddy they found that he was laying down, sweating and Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital turbations in various electrolytes and had an elevated heart rate, which was to pursue further treatment. signs of dehydration and inflamma- 60 beats per minute (normal is 28-40 tion. An ultrasonographic examina- bpm). The pony’s mucous membranes Upon arrival, the pony was paw- tion confirmed distension of the small (gums) were pale pink and tacky with ing and sweating and his heart rate intestine and decreased motility. an increased capillary refill time, indi- remained elevated at 60 bpm. A na- cations of dehydration. sogastric tube was passed again and Maddy was then taken to a stall and this time eight liters of reflux were intravenous fluids were started and he A nasogastric tube was passed and obtained. The rectal examination was lightly sedated in an effort to keep approximately four liters of reflux were confirmed mildly distended small him comfortable while the fluids had obtained so nothing was administered intestine. An abdominal tap was per- time to take effect.