Bellwether Magazine Volume 1 Number 6 Winter 1983 Article 1 Winter 1983 Bellwether 6, Winter 1983 Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/bellwether Part of the Veterinary Medicine Commons Recommended Citation (1983) "Bellwether 6, Winter 1983," Bellwether Magazine: Vol. 1 : No. 6 , Article 1. Available at: https://repository.upenn.edu/bellwether/vol1/iss6/1 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/bellwether/vol1/iss6/1 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Newsmagazine of the School of Veterinary Medicine University of Pennsylvania Winter 1983 Sports Medicine For HORSES •••••••••••••••• •••••• ••••••••• •••••••c••eo••• • ••• •• •• ••• ,.,• • A horse is slowly gaited in the parking lot, bark and forth. and then a bit faster at the request of an athletically built man. He is f'asually dre!'sed, shirt sleeves rolled up and has an easy-going, relaxed manner. ••That's enough,"' he calls, ••bring l1im in." The horse is led into a huge examining room. the clip-clop of the hoove!S silenced hy heavy rubher matting . The man in shirt sleeves care­ fully examinc!i the front leg and then orders x-rays. This is William Moyer, D.V.M., at work, doing what he does every weekday-examining and treating horses. He is head of the Equine Out­ patient Clinic at New Bolton Center. '"I am basically involved in Hports medicine for equine athletes," he explain!S. "My patients are rnf'e horses, jumpers, hunter�, and cu.-riage horses. You name a �port a hon�e is engaged in and we have seen its participants. '"The con<'cpt of an outpatient clinic for horses i!l a reasonably ne" one at a large ho!;pital," Dr. Mo)er '4aid. Jiil- patients travel great dil'llance!l. The} are brought from as far away a!l California an� Canada a� wel1 as all the state!! in hetween. The fat·ility at �ew Holton Center is q u ite new. The examining room was fino�t occupied eighteen months ago and is part of the George D. Widener M�m· orial Hospital. It is equipped with facilities for minor surgery and among its equipment (continued on png1• 4) ' , r 2 · 1983· ..•.n· h!l\ 1 Vf'"'TJtt tl lt�,.V r.y Bellwether Emergency Service At No.6 Winter 1983 V H u p • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Bellwether is published We'd like to hear your A couple comes home in the evening and lungs. and digoxin to strengthen the heart quarterly by the School praise, criticisms, or finds that the family pet. a miniature poo­ muscle. Between treatmentl' the dog is of Veterinary Medicine comments. Please dle. has difficulty breathing and appears to returned to the oxygen cage. Later, when it is at the University of address your corres­ be sick. Their regular veterinarian cannot be stable, an EKG and x-rays are taken. These Pen nsylvania, in coop­ pondence to: reached, so they contact the emergency ser­ facilities are available around-the-clock. eration with the Uni­ Or. John Martin. Editor. vice at VHUP. They describe the symptoms An arlimal with congestive heart failure versity of Pennsylvania University of and are told to bring the dog to the hospital. may also he connected to a heart monitor Publications Office. P.ennsylvania, When they arrive at the emergency service wit.h an Ol'lcilloscope to permit close monitor· School of Veterinary waiting room and check in, it is noted that ing of the condition. The service also has Editors: Medicine, 3800Spruce the animal i.; in critical condition. A techni­ t�pecial equipment which monitors an ani­ Or. John E. Martin Street, cian immediately takes the dog to the treat­ mal's body temperature and blood pressure. Sharon McCullough Philadelphia, PA 19104. ment room and a student escorts the (�ouple Later, hloodtcsts are done to determine liver Writers: or Sharon McCullough, to another room to take the case history. and kidney function. The emergency service Marcia Maziarz Editor. University of While this is being done the dog is examined has full laboratory services unt i I 10:00 p.m. Carol Watson Pennsylvania and readied for emergency care. daily. After 10:00 p.m. simple tests can be Helma Weeks Publications Office. "We prefer that owners call before bring­ executed but the more complicated ones are Or. Josephine Deubler 410 Logan Hall, ing their pet in, so we can have things set up held until the laboratory open11 the next (Animal Crackers) Philadelphia, PA 19104 and start treatment at once if necessary," morning. Designer: explained Rebecca Kirby, D.V.M., head of Often u critically ill animal, such as the Two Twelve Associates None of these articles emergency !-iervice at VHUP. ThiR approach is miniatut·e poodle, is trans·ferred to the Illustrator are to be reproduced in similar to one used in emergent:y rooms ln intensive-care unit of the hospital once 1t i�; Paul Meisel any form without the human hospitals. Indeed. the atmosphere stabilized. Here it is closely watched and any Photographers: permission of the and equipment in the emergent'y room at changes are reported at once to the intern in Diane Feltoon editors of BeJlwether. VHUP are reminiscent of any hospital emer· emergency servi(;e so that decisions regarding Lynne Kressley 1981 geney room. There are examining tables, the animal's treatment can he made quickly. New Bolton liaison: by the Trustees of EKG equipment, IV drip stand11, and trays Should elaborate diagnostics such as an echo­ Catherine Larmore the University of with sterile equipment. There are no bed!!, cardiogram or an angiogram be required, the Pen nsylvania. but a number of cages are available to cardiologist on duty may be consulted at any accommodate the patient�. hour of the night. In the morning, the dog is :!.'1490/11. 7M/I.a3 Many of the emergencic:; are also sim­ transferred to the cardiology service which ilar: heart failures, car and fight injuries, then assumes responsibility for the case. gunshot wounds, broken bones, and a host of "Very frequently such an animal can be proble,ms which can occur in animals and stabilized on heart medication ancl do well at humans alike, while some of the cases home," Dr. Kirby said. treated occur only in animals. The big dif­ This particular dog is just an illustration ference between veterinary and human of one type of caRe seen in the emergency emergencies is that the \'eterinarian deals service. Another caHe of critical nature is with a variety of species and patients that gastric dllitation which requires prompt cannot explain their own problems. The doc­ attention and often surgery H lhe animal is tors at VHUP must rely on the owners to to he saved. ''We have a sixty percent succesH obtain vital background information. rate quoted by the surgeons,'' Dr. Kirby said. "When an animal is brought in, the most Many cases seen involve injuries received important thing is to stabilize it quickly and when an anim:1l has been hit by a car. These to diagnose the problem," Dr. Kirby said. animals are often in shock and htwe to be "We have a specially trained �taff here which stabilized before surgery or elaborate diag· is available around the clock. In addition we nostics can commence. "It is a very intense can consult with any !!pecialist needed." situation, one must make the right decisions The miniature poodle is a 1.ypical case. It quickly and one must know what to do next is ten years old and has conge�tive heart fail· if something doesn't work.," Dr. Kirby ure. Aher the initial examination and diag­ explained. ''We sec patients around-the-clock, nosis it is placed into the OX"ygen cage, a it is a steady stream. The busiest time is piece of equipment large enough to hold a between 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. People come giant dog. Here the amount of oxygen can be home and discover that their pet is ill and carefully regulated making it easier for that their veterinarian is not available. Also, animals with heart problems to breathe. The many animal�:� run free and are injured by cuntrols on the cage also permit the adjust­ cars." During the period of July 1, 1981 to ment of humidity of the air in the cage, a June 30. 1982, the emergency service saw over therapeutic aid for animaltli with respiratory 5.200 cases. Currently, up to thirty cases are problems. seen per day and this can increase to fifty or Once the dog is placed in the cage and is more on weekends and holidays. breathing easie·r, ·1 he intern discusses the Still another categot·y of patients are problem with the owners. "We proceed with those animals referred hy Yetednarians for definitive treatment after we have discussed special treatment or a diagnosis. These ani- Dr. Rebecca Kirhy examhres a the diagnosi!-1 and therapy with the owner radiograph in tlze emergency rovtt and have received authorization to do so," Dr. Kirby said. In this case, treatment includes medication to dilate the air pas­ sages, diuretics to reduce the fluids in the Bellwether 2 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • mals are often too ill to wait for an one of Re,·eral veterinary specialists at an determines treatment. It is an intense leam· appointment in the regulax clinics and are emergency hospitaL She ha� restructured the ing experience for students and the School is admitted to the specialties through the service al VHUP. ••we have three rotating the only one which has a twenty-rour-hour emergency serviee. ""Many veterinarians util­ shifts, twelve hours each, for the three cmergenc:y service.