Managing gastric ulcersAugust 27, 2019In the late 1980s, a rash of publications stated horses were prone to gastric ulcers. It was a bit curious, actually. Prior to that time, gastric ulceration was essentially unknown. Then, almost suddenly, gastric ulcers were being blamed for a whole host of problems, such as colic, loss of appetite, poor performance, anxiety, poor hair coat… you name it. It was perhaps also curious that, before all the published reports, no one had really noticed some mystery syndrome wreaking havoc on horses. Nevertheless, there it was in print: horses get ulcers. After the initial studies, there was further published research showing an alarming number of adult horses—the majority of them, actually—had gastric ulcers, especially racehorses and various show horses. Of course, adult horses do get gastric ulcers, as do foals, although the presentation can be somewhat different. This article focuses on gastric ulcers in adult horses. Gastric ulcer causes There are many possible reasons why horses develop gastric ulcers. Most of them are related to how people manage their horses. Here are a few: Diet: Those that are high in grain tend to give horses ulcers. While horses were meant to eat forage, many performance horses are fed diets …
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UF College of Veterinary Medicine to open equine acupuncture centerAugust 23, 2018The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine will open a new acupuncture center early next month for horses in the Ocala/Marion County area, which is home to several Kentucky Derby winners and is often referred to as the "horse capital of the world." The UF Equine Acupuncture Center will consist of a 6,240-sf barn, which includes 12 stalls and a treatment area, and a 12,500-sf arena. The center will function as a clinic through which Huisheng Xie, BSc,VM, PhD, a clinical professor in the integrative medicine service at the UF Veterinary Hospitals, will provide acupuncture therapy to aid in treatment of a variety of conditions affecting horses. Dr. Xie founded The Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine in 1998. The new center will be located adjacent to the Chi Institute, about two miles west of Interstate 75 in Reddick. "Acupuncture has been practiced in both animals and humans for thousands of years in China," he said. "The benefits of acupuncture have been documented in an increasing number of clinical trials, and, as a result, we have a better understanding of acupuncture's method of action. Our patients can benefit greatly from these new developments." Acupuncture involves the use of …
Why equine acupuncture is gaining groundFebruary 7, 2017National Geographic released a minidocumentary, “Treating Animals with Acupuncture,”1 in early 2016. The video highlighted veterinarians learning acupuncture from one of the long-term equine practitioners in the field, Dr. Kevin May.
