Fall Clinics 2016

High Desert Veterinary Service

Chrysann Collatos VMD,PhD,DipACVIMLA

775-969-3495 (Office)           742-2823 (Cell)

hidvet@gmail.com      HighDesertEquine.com

Building Healthy Partners

Fall 2016 News & Notes:

Clinic Schedule

Smoke and your Horse

 Healing with Honey

Hello everyone,

                We all recognize this reality living in the dry high desert. I took this picture standing next to the horse trailer, preparing to evacuate horses from a client’s property. In the aftermath of emergency evacuation, a microchip can play a crucial role in reuniting horses and owners. Pease consider microchipping your horse this fall, and read more below about caring for your horse when faced with environmental heat and smoke challenges.

               

I am here to serve you and your equine companions, with over 25 years experience, and a profound commitment to building healthy partners,

Dr. Chrysann 

Fall Clinic Schedule

Routine Fall exams include flu/rhino vaccination plus deworming or fecal examination, an oral exam, and sheath cleaning.  Also consider Microchipping!

To reserve an appointment, call 775 969 3495 with:

• Your Name, Phone # and Clinic Date
• Number of Animals, and Services requested.

We will return your call three days before your clinic with an estimated time of arrival at your address.  Please be sure horses are caught and haltered 30 minutes beforehand!

Location                                                    Date

Rancho Haven/Sierra Ranchos1       Sat Sept 10 

Rancho Haven/Sierra Ranchos2       Fri Sept 16

Red Rock North/Silver Knolls 1         Fri Sept 9

Red Rock North/Silver Knolls 2         Sun Sept 18

Span Springs/Palomino Valley 1        Sat Sep 17

Span Springs/Palomino Valley 2        Fri Sept 23

Antelope/Golden/Lemmon Valley 1   Sun Sept 11

Antelope/Golden/Lemmon Valley 2   Fri Sept 30  

South & West Reno 1                        Mon  Sept 19

South & West Reno                         Sat Sept 24

Discounted prices ONLY AVAILABLE Clinic Day

Farm Call                                    $ 9.00

Wellness Exam (mandatory)      $14.00

West Nile                                     $32.00

FluRhino                                      $27.00

Rabies                                          $21.00

Tetanus/ Encephalitis                   $18.00

Ivermectin Deworm                        $14.00

Coggins Test                                  $27.00

Sheath Clean w/sedation               $45.00

Fecal parasite exam                       $18.00

Pre-registered microchip             $39.00

Healing with Honey

Wounds, especially those located below the  knee or hock, are notorious sources of frustration for horse owners and veterinarians alike. Understanding how wounds heal is the first step in designing an appropriate wound management plan; choosing a wound dressing that supports the body’s healing mechanisms is second.

1)       Immediately after a wound occurs, the body begins its own clean up process.  White blood cells migrate into the wound to eliminate foreign material, dead tissue and infectious agents. These cells exit the wound as pus.  PUS IS A NORMAL, HEALTHY RESPONSE TO A WOUND IN THE FIRST FEW DAYS.  It is important to keep the wound environment moist in this early healing period.

2)       Once the wound environment is clean, and dead tissue has been removed, the next healing phase involves rebuilding tissue.  The body builds a scaffold of collagen, and delicate new skin cells and blood vessels climb along this framework, repairing the wound defect.  During this phase, the wound should be protected from invasion by secondary bacteria, and inflammation should be minimized.

3)       Finally, the body spends a long time (months in severe wounds) strengthening and remodeling the fragile young tissue that has filled the wound.  Now it is important to keep the tissue pliable and soft with emollient substances like lanolin.

Our job is to enhance the cleaning and restructuring phases to decrease time to wound closure, improve cosmetic outcome, and avoid problems with exuberant granulation tissue (proud flesh) and wound infection.  This is where honey can be uniquely useful.  Honey is a biologic wound dressing; while each of its beneficial properties can be found individually in pharmaceutical products, only in honey are they all present together working in cooperation to enhance healing while maintaining a moist wound environment.

How does honey work? The high sugar content of honey draws water out of wounds and reduces edema (fluid swelling).  Honey is slightly acidic, which inhibits bacterial growth and acts with the high sugar content to pull water out of bacterial cells. Honey from Manuka trees in New Zealand has additional unique properties. Researchers at the University of Sydney studying the efficacy of Manuka honey in equine wound healing reported that Manuka honey treated wounds had healthier tissue regrowth, which they believe is related not only to its unique antibacterial effects of the honey, but also to Manuka honey’s positive influence on the horse’s immune system.

All types of honey possess beneficial wound healing qualities. The antibacterial activity of most honey’s is due to the presence of hydrogen peroxide, which can be inactivated by enzymes normally present in the healing wound. In contrast, the antibacterial component of manuka honey is a small water-soluble molecule, methylglyoxal, that diffuses easily through the wound environment, and is resistant to enzymatic degradation. This compound also penetrates the biofilm which forms in wounds, protecting bacteria from the action of many systemic and topical antimicrobial agents. Finally, Manuka honey is available in sterile, medical grade preparations. Non-medical grade honey often harbors bacteria that are not dangerous when used for food consumpution, but which can colonize wounds causing secondary bacterial infections.  For all of these reasons, medical grade Manuka honey products are the safest, most effective choice for wound treatment.

We recently used Manuka honey on this chronically infected hoof following a hoof wall resection. The healing of the disrupted coronary band was rapid and the integrity of the coronary band was completely restored.

Smoke and Your Horse

Smoke is an unhealthy combination of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, soot, hydrocarbons, and other organic substances. Smoke particulates can irritate horses’ eyes and respiratory tracts, and hamper their breathing.

The simplest thing you can do to limit the damaging effects of smoke on your horse’s airway is to limit your horse’s activity when smoke is visible.   Increased airflow and turbulence that accompany athletic activity can significantly increase the inflammation and damage to delicate cells lining the respiratory tract. In addition, if possible, misters and fans can be used to improve air quality in your horse’s environment.

Human air quality advisements can be applied to your horse as well.  If your eyes are burning and you smell and taste smoke, then assume that your horse is feeling as uncomfortable as you are.

Most importantly, when smoke has been particularly heavy, remember that it takes time for airways to recover fully. Four to six weeks can be required for airways to recuperate from severe smoke exposure, and early return to exercise can delay healing and increase the risk of long term airway damage.

The best way to combat heat and smoke is through hydration. You can:

1. Provide clean, fresh water at all times
2. Water your horse’s hay and feed grain as wet mashes
3. Put sprinklers out in turn outs to reduce dust and smoke and increase moisture in the air

Call us today to schedule your  

Fall Clinic appointment and join us

Building Healthy Partners.

I believe that education is the key to evolution. I believe that animals are the key to compassion. I believe the learning never stops.