Ask Your Veterinarian

QUESTION: “I’ve got a horse in training with shelly feet. How much can I reasonably improve his hoof quality with a change in feed or supplements?” DR. CRAIG LESSER: When approaching a horse with shelly feet it is important to consider a variety of factors including environment, workload, conformation, poor shoeing/shallow nailing and overall health […]

QUESTION: I’ve heard there are cases where tie-back surgeries fail after some time. Why might this happen? ANSWER: A tieback (prosthetic laryngoplasty) is considered the treatment of choice for racehorses that have laryngeal hemiplegia (arytenoid paralysis or “roaring”). The post-operative success rate in improving racing performance in Thoroughbreds is highly variable. Horses with a paralyzed arytenoid […]

Q: Veterinarians have been getting the word out for a while about the importance of rotating deworming products and focusing on high shedders. Can you explain why, and do we know yet whether this strategy is reducing drug resistance? A: For years, veterinarians and horse owners have correlated rotational deworming of horses with any number […]

Q: We’ve heard a lot about how this year’s human flu shot doesn’t seem to be as effective as it has been in years past.  Do equine vaccines also get modified from year to year, and if so, how concerned should managers be that a vaccinated horse could get an infectious disease? A: The short […]

Veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital answer your questions about sales and healthcare of Thoroughbred auction yearlings, weanlings, 2-year-olds and breeding stock. Email us at [email protected] if you have a question for a veterinarian. QUESTION: “I’ve got a weanling who’s got a mild to moderate conformation issue in the knees or ankles. How do I decide whether […]

Veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital answer your questions about sales and healthcare of Thoroughbred auction yearlings, weanlings, 2-year-olds and breeding stock. Email us at [email protected] if you have a question for a veterinarian. QUESTION: What does a breeding soundness exam entail for a mare? DR. JEFF COOK: The breeding soundness exam is a […]

As part of our ongoing Ask A Veterinarian series in the Paulick Report Special, we pose another question to the veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.  When it comes to concerns over conformation, we hear a lot about pasterns, especially whether they’re too long or too upright. What types of issues can occur as […]

In conjunction with Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, “Ask Your Veterinarian” is a regular feature in the PR Special newsletter distributed online and at Thoroughbred sales. Veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital answer your questions about sales and healthcare of Thoroughbred auction yearlings, weanlings, 2-year-olds and breeding stock. Email us at [email protected] if you […]

QUESTION: Speaking from a buyer’s perspective, when (if ever) does it make sense to have your veterinarian shoot their own X-rays in the course of doing a pre-sale work-up on a horse? DR. BART BARBER: Any time that your veterinarian has a question and would like to either repeat a specific joint or get additional […]

The Paulick Report continues the Ask Your Veterinarian series this week, asking veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital your questions about sales and healthcare of racing prospects and breeding stock. QUESTION: Do you recommend a buyer get his or her own veterinarian to interpret repository images? DR. BART BARBER: I feel very strongly that […]