Equine Services - Vet in Villa Ridge | Homestead Veterinary Hospital

A Better Life

For your pleasure or performance horse

Digital Radiography

Homestead Veterinary Hospital has invested in computerized radiology to better serve our patients. Digital radiographs have several benefits including the ability to alter the image once it is obtained to better visualize bone or soft tissue lesions. With portable radiology units, our veterinarians are able to obtain images of the limb including the stifle, the neck, and the skull.

Digital Ultrasonography

Homestead Veterinary Hospital has three ultrasound units with several probes which allow us to visualize tendons and ligaments, abdominal and thoracic organs and assist in reproductive work. Digital ultrasound has enabled our veterinarians to obtain even sharper images of limbs and joints to establish more specific diagnoses.

Endoscopy

Endoscopy allows our veterinarians to visualize the upper respiratory tract and lower urinary tract of horses. The endoscope also allows the doctors to collect Trans-Tracheal Washes for outside laboratory testing.

Equine Dentistry

We understand and value the benefit that high quality dental services can provide for equine athletes and companions. The foundation of any dental procedure is an oral examination using a full mouth speculum to provide excellent visualization of the entire mouth. Following the examination, a float is generally performed to correct any problems paying careful attention to the balance of the mouth. Our veterinarians use both Power-Floats and traditional hand floats depending on what is appropriate for each individual patient. In addition to examination and routine floating we also perform other procedures including extractions, diastema widening, and pulp capping.

Equine Regenerative Medicine

Pro-Stride Injection- Pro-Stride will reduce pain associated with arthritis and deliver naturally occurring anti-inflammatory proteins. Pro-Stride Injection is capable of slowing cartilage degradation and improving mobility. It can provide pain relief for up to one year following a single injection. The treatment can be done in the field and processed within 20 minutes.

IRAP (Interleukin Receptor Antagonist Protein) - Interleukin-1 is a protein present in the body that is suspected to be the major cause of inflammation in the joint. By blocking the attachment of Interleukin-1 to the joint capsule in the horse, we can reduce the amount of inflammatory activity in the joint and promote healing.

Blood is drawn from the horse and is processed over the next 24 hours to obtain multiple doses for injection. This is a very safe treatment using the horse's own body to heal itself without using artificial aids.

Stem Cell Therapy - Stem cells have the unique ability to develop into new tissues and stimulate healing. These cells are present throughout our bodies and that of our equine friends. The highest concentrations are found in the umbilical cord tissue in newborn foals and in the bone marrow of adults.

Our veterinarians can harvest stem cells from your own horse and either concentrate them for immediate injection, or send a sample for expansion to obtain greater numbers of cells and multiple injections.

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) - PRP is harvested from your own horse and processed into an injectable form. A simple blood draw is necessary to obtain the plasma which is then centrifuged to separate the "buffy coat" rich in platelets and other healing agents.

This sample is high in growth factors which are credited with stimulation stem cell activation and general healing.

Fecal Egg Count

More than 150 internal parasites exist that can harm your horse in varying ways. Parasites migrate through the horse's system causing damage to both tissues and vital organs including major blood vessels, intestines, lungs, stomach, and liver. Because parasites can develop resistance to chemicals designed to stop them, we recommend varying treatment techniques in an effort to outline a deworming regimen personalized to protect your horse.

Laboratory Services

We offer in house blood-work- CBC's, Chemistry Panels, and Fribrogen testing as well as in-house Coggins EIA testing, with a standard turn around time of 12-48 hours but if necessary we have the ability to provide our clients with a 1 hour Stat Coggins testing. For more information on EIA, Equine Infectious Anemia follow the link.

Lameness Evaluation

Diagnosing lameness is a challenging but rewarding part of equine veterinary practice. Our veterinarians are dedicated to keeping equine athletes performing at their highest level. Generally, lameness examinations will include observing the horse moving under a variety of conditions, flexion tests, and diagnostic nerve or joint blocks.

Laminitis / Founder Care

Treatment of laminitis has been a major focus of our practice for over 20 years. We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of laminitis. Regardless of the initial cause of laminitis we feel that it is important to treat the whole horse, not just the feet.

Mesotherapy

Mesotherapy is a treatment developed in France in 1952, by Dr. M. Pistor, commonly used in human patients around the world and introduced to the equine community by French veterinarian Dr. Jeane Marie Denoix.

The treatment and technique of Mesotherapy involves injecting small volumes of therapeutics into the mesoderm which is directly under the skin. At our practice, Mesotherapy is generally used to treat various back conditions.

Pre-Purchase Exams

The decision to purchase a horse involves both financial and emotional investment. The purpose of a pre-purchase examination is to provide a thorough evaluation to provide you with as much information as possible to assist you in the purchase process. Pre-purchase examinations are not pass or fail, but rather they provide you with information regarding the horse and recommendations for additional diagnostics if warranted.

Buyer Form

Seller Form

Reproductive Services

We routinely examine mares for breeding soundness and cycle management as well as perform artificial insemination with fresh, cooled, or frozen semen.

Breeding soundness exams - Breeding soundness exams can be performed as part of a pre-purchase for a broodmare or prospective broodmare. Breeding Soundness Exams can include palpation, ultrasound, culture and cytology, speculum exam and additional tests if necessary.

Artificial Insemination - The process of breeding mares is both exciting and rewarding however it can also be a challenging endeavor. Our veterinarians offer their experience with fresh, chilled and frozen semen in an attempt to impregnate your mare. First, we evaluate the reproductive health of your mare, and then we work with the stallion manager to facilitate the crucial timing of insemination. Frozen semen storage is available.

Foaling Examinations - Eleven months is a long time to wait for a foal! So when your newest addition has arrived, it is imperative that a veterinarian performs a thorough new foal exam to make sure the foal has the best start to their life. New foal exams are important to assess the foal for any birth defects (laxity of limbs, inverted eyelids, hernias, etc), conformational issues, rib fractures from the foaling, and to pull blood to check if the foal received enough immunity in the colostrum (first milk) from the dam. The foal has no immunity other than that aquired from the dam's milk during the first few hours of life. Mares should also be closely examined for adequate milk production and for injuries during foaling. Our facility offers in camera foaling stalls with live, night-vision cameras allowing us 24 hour monitoring of both the new born foal and your mare.

Foals acquire antibodies through colostrum (contained in the mare's milk) and not in utero. The colostrum ingestion must be within a few hours of birth in order to develop an adequate immune system. We recommend foal IgG test which gives fast, accurate results in just minutes—enabling detection of low levels of IgG. Quick and accurate detection of neonate IgG levels is critical. Low levels of IgG can lead to bacterial infections, arthritis, pneumonia and enteritis. Up to 25% of foals may have low levels of IgG1. Foals have only 24 hours after birth to absorb immunoglobulins from the colostrum. Delayed test results necessitate costly intravenous delivery of immunoglobulins. If left untreated, defenseless foals may die.

A foal’s health can decline quickly and Dr. Sawyer has treated numerous cases of dummy foals, joint ill, naval ill, diarrhea, colic, pneumonia, etc on the farm.

Some signs that your foal may not be feeling well:

Not nursing: check your mare’s bag. It should be soft and the teats should be facing downwards. If the bag is so distended that the mare’s teats are facing outwards or milk is dripping, call your veterinarian immediately.
Urine is seen coming from the umbilicus/naval.
Your foal is posturing to urinate or defecate but nothing is coming out.
Your foal has a very distended belly, is rolling, or is standing in a corner for long periods of time.
The foal did not stand to nurse after foaling or is unable to stand due to a conformational defect.
You can see milk coming from the foal’s nostrils after it nurses.

If you foal is exhibiting any of these symptoms please call us immediately.

Foals also require a different vaccination and deworming program than an adult horse. Call us to discuss your foal’s wellness program today!

Shockwave Therapy

Shockwave is a non-invasive safe approach that stimulates healing and blood flow using pressure waves. Using shockwave treatment our veterinarians have the ability to target specific injury locations which assists to promote collagen deposition in tendons/ligaments or bone deposition on bony structures.

Conditions that have been know to respond well to shockwave therapy include breaking up scar tissue, wound healing, treatment of lick granulomas in dogs, treatment of navicular syndrome, suspensory ligament desmitis, and many more.

Vaccination Programs

Routine vaccination for diseases is an important factor in preventative medicine. Many communicable diseases can be prevented by maintaining a solid vaccination program. Our veterinarians will work with you to tailor a program specific to your barn, location, and your horse. Every horse is different and has unique needs. Our goal is to prevent disease before your horse becomes exposed.