Author: pbecadmin
Battling Equine Summer Sores
Summertime is here and along with the summer months in Florida comes humidity and an increase in the fly population. Unfortunately for horse owners, an increase in the fly population creates many problems. One major problem that seems intensify every year is equine summer sores, or medically known as Habronemiasis. Equine summers sores are lesions on the skin caused by worm larvae from the horse’s stomach.
Easy Culprit: Flies
How does the stomach worm larvae end up as a skin lesion? One simple answer is from a fly. The stable fly is a host for these parasites. The worms in the horse’s stomach produce eggs that pass through the digestive tract, which end up in the horse’s manure. After that, the eggs then hatch to develop larvae that attach to the blades of grass.
Chain Reaction
The fly carries the larvae on its extremities and is attracted to mucous membranes or open wounds on the horse. Next, the larvae infect the open wound or a mucous membrane such as the eye or prepuce. This creates a type of allergic reaction within the immune system causing inflammation, discharge, and the production of granulation tissue infected with larvae. One way to tell if you are dealing with a summer sore is the granulation tissue contains small yellow rice like larvae within the skin and a mucopurulent discharge associated with the wound.
Summer Sore Prevention
The best way to avoid equine summer sores is to prevent them. Fly control, proper wound care, and most importantly an effective de-worming program. Habronema species are the source of summer sores. Please call Palm Beach Equine Clinic and discuss with one of our veterinarians a proper de-worming program.
Proper treatment of the lesion is extremely important. Delaying initial treatment may result in an increased cost. Delaying treatment may require surgical excision of the granulation tissue and possible skin grafting. Severe Habronemiasis of the male horse’s sheath may require reconstructive surgery of the prepuce and/or urethra.
Contact Palm Beach Equine Clinic to Treat Equine Summer Sores
At the first sign of an equine summer sore, contact your veterinarian at Palm Beach Equine Clinic at 561-793-1599.
Palm Beach Equine Clinic was proud to be one of the sponsors for the 2014 Pony Derby held at the PBIEC Stadium. In addition to the sponsorship, they donated a day with surgeon Dr. Bob Brusie which raised a record amount of $10,000! Thanks, Dr. Brusie for your support!!
Dr. Brusie graduated from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He completed his surgical residency at the Marion DuPont Scott Equine Center in 1989 and has been in private practice ever since. He became Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1994. Dr. Brusie joined Palm Beach Equine Clinic in 1996 as Head of Surgery.
Dr. Bob Brusie is a board-certified surgeon who is recognized for his expertise in colic surgery, as well as for his skill in arthroscopic surgery. His surgical experience expands the clinic’s progressive care in both emergency and elective procedures. He has published articles on numerous topics, including the equine intestinal tract and septic arthritis in horses. Dr. Brusie is married and has three daughters.
Nelson Pessoa’s Miracle Horse: Artemide d’Ecaussinnes
By Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Owning a horse comes with a degree of uncertainty and worry. If your horse has a traumatic accident, sometimes the very best you can hope for are swift care and an eventual recovery. For show jumping legend Nelson Pessoa, seeing his horse Artemide d’Ecaussinnes with a severe trauma in the ring was a shock. But what came afterward surprised him even more.
Pessoa purchased Artemide d’Ecaussinnes, an eight-year-old BWP gelding, at the beginning of the year. The young horse showed at the FTI WEF with Pessoa’s rider, Stephan Barcha, and another junior rider, Joao Victor Castro. “It’s a horse that shows a lot of promise, to be a nice horse for speed classes or a junior horse. It’s a horse with a wonderful character,” Pessoa said.
Artemide’s trajectory changed in the blink of an eye on Friday, January 31, in the DeNemethy Ring in a 1.40m class. With Castro riding, the pair had a miscommunication at an oxer and landed on the standard. In a freak accident, the wood sheared from the attached metal strip holding the jump cup, which then went into the horse’s stomach. Luckily, horsemen on the side of the ring and the jump crew reacted quickly to be at the horse’s side, and the horse’s groom, Waldeci da Silva ran from the in-gate to help keep Artemide’s organs inside his body. In the gruesome accident, it was the quick thinking of these individuals that helped save his life.
“It was just really bad luck, it wasn’t anybody’s fault,” Pessoa recalled. “The horse was looked after really quickly. The staff from the show grounds was really good. They made the necessary decisions to help him.”
Those helping in the ring had the unenviable job of holding Artemide’s intestines to keep a bad situation from turning worse. Dr. Hilary Clayton was there shortly to start bandaging the horse, and Palm Beach Equine Clinic was quick to react as well, bringing the equine ambulance in immediately to transport Artemide less than a mile away to Palm Beach Equine Clinic (PBEC), where he went into surgery with no delay. All in all, only 30 minutes elapsed from the time of the accident to when Artemide went into emergency surgery.
The surgery was led by Dr. Robert Brusie and Dr. Weston Davis of PBEC, which has three Board Certified surgeons. Dr. Brusie praised the quick thinking of fellow competitors, the DeNemethy Ring jump crew Rafael Rios, Cesar Morales, and Steven Sarmiento, as well as da Silva.
“I called (horse show manager) David Burton and told him his people did a fantastic job keeping (the horse) quiet. That injury is really painful, with intestines out of his abdomen. The horse was panicky all the way over here until we anesthetized him, with extreme pain. I was really pleased with the way everything worked. We rehearse these kinds of things, (but) we mainly have fractures, ruptured tendons, as injuries. We do have drills before the season with the ambulance driver. It paid off. Nothing was a surprise, and nobody wondered what to do next. It’s being ready and prepared.”
When Dr. Brusie and Dr. Davis performed the surgery, they were pleased to see that while it was a traumatic injury, there were no vital organs pierced and that the horse’s bowel only had a tear in the section outside of the horse’s abdomen. A second incision was made in the horse’s abdomen to help facilitate the surgery.
“We were really fortunate with that guy,” Dr. Brusie remembered. “We ended up taking out about two feet of intestine. He broke a couple of ribs too.”
“It was good luck for us that the (Palm Beach Equine) Clinic is very close,” Pessoa said. “Dr. Brusie did an unbelievable job.”
Artemide’s miraculous recovery is the combination of quick thinking and amazing care at Palm Beach Equine Clinic, but Pessoa believes the horse’s mindset is what solidified his chances of recovery. “One important point is that the horse is an unbelievable patient. Two hours after he was back in the stable, he wanted to eat and he was drinking. We were waiting for an infection or a temperature, but he had no temperature. It was like it was just a little cut. Twenty-four hours after the surgery, the horse was looking like nothing happened with him,” he explained. Dr. Brusie agreed, “It’s a really good temperament horse. It took a lot of courage for him to stand there and not thrash around. He’s a good horse.”
Artemide is currently getting back in shape by walking on a treadmill. Dr. Brusie compared his situation to colic surgery, where after 10 days recovering at PBEC, he went home, and he can be ridden again 30 days after surgery.
Pessoa expressed, “They said it was a miracle. I really want to say for everybody that has a horse here at this horse show, this clinic is something. You hope things like this won’t happen, but for sure with the number of horses and the amount of jumping here, things like that happen sometimes. It’s a great thing to have this support. People don’t always realize this – we realize now because it happened to us. I’m very grateful for them.”
Along with Drs. Brusie and Davis, Pessoa also gave thanks to Dr. Jorge Gomez and Dr. Selena Passante, his treating veterinarians, along with “the staff, the jump crew from the horse show, they saw the situation and helped save the horse.”
“We had no idea whose horse it was; we just had to save his life,” said Dr. Brusie. “This horse was meant to live. I was amazed neither one of those sites had any infection after we were done. It was meant to happen, and he was meant to live. It was a good feeling and a day when it was good to be a veterinarian.”
PBEC Community News
The latest community news for Palm Beach Equine Clinic
Horse Tales Literacy Program
Dr. Janet Greenfield-Davis will do a hands-on presentation for the Horse Tales Literacy Project at Good Earth Farm on January 24th from 10:00am-12: 00 pm. Sixty-five students from Pahokee and Glades Academy will have the opportunity to see, touch, and learn about horses for the first time. Dr. Greenfield-Davis has donated her time to do several educational talks for the Horse Tales Literacy Program.
Winter Equestrian Festival Lunch and Learn
Drs. Weston Davis and Sarah Puchalski will be speaking at the WEF Lunch and Learn on January 30th in the Wellington Club from 12:00pm-1: 00 pm. Dr. Davis will cover the topic, “Advances in Minimally Invasive Surgery” and Dr. Puchalski will speak on “Diagnostic Imaging for the Modern Sport Horse”. There will be an open discussion after the presentations. This event is open to the public free of charge. Palm Beach Equine Clinic would like to thank Zoetis for sponsoring this event.
PBEC Monthly Contest
Each month, Palm Beach Equine Clinic will be hosting a raffle to give our friends a chance to win great prizes. The winner of the contest will be picked on the last day of each month, every month the prize will be different. The January prize is one month of either training classes at Crossfit Wellington or one month of personal training at Evolution Fitness Wellington, you get to choose! The total value of this product is $250.00.
Tour Palm Beach Equine Clinic and Meet the Veterinarians
From December 1st, 2013 through April 1st, 2014, PBEC is pleased to offer tours by appointment. Guests will have a guided tour of the facility and time to talk with the veterinarians on staff. Tours will include the new hospital, Nuclear Scintigraphy room, and Surgery Center.
Palm Beach Equine Clinic welcomes new veterinarian Radiologist, Dr. Sarah Puchalski, and Surgeon, Dr. Weston Davis. Dr. Puchalski is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Radiology. Her specialty includes the interpretation of radiographs in addition to other diagnostic imaging techniques.
New Team Members
With Dr. Puchalski’s addition, Palm Beach Equine Clinic is pleased to be one of few practices in the country with a full-time board certified radiologist.
Dr. Davis is a Board Certified surgeon specializing in equine sports medicine. Dr. Davis joins Dr. Bob Brusie and Dr. Jorge Gomez at Palm Beach Equine Clinic providing exceptional surgical expertise in orthopedic and soft tissue related problems including emergency colic surgery.
Expanded Facilities
In addition to this exciting news comes the announcement of a new expansion to their veterinary hospital. PBEC is located less than one mile from the Winter Equestrian Festival and across the street from the Global Dressage Festival. The expansion includes a new barn containing 11 intensive care stalls capable of providing advanced medical treatment and post-operative care. The added stalls and office space makes Palm Beach Equine Clinic the most progressive, well-equipped facility in the region for equine veterinary care.
Palm Beach Equine Clinic (PBEC) is the one of the select few equine hospitals in the country with three board-certified surgeons. With 24 veterinarians on staff, they are the most complete hospital in the southeast United States, ready to handle any emergency as well as elective surgery and preventative care.
Exceptional Equine Medical Care
Palm Beach Equine Clinic has locations in Wellington, Florida, Long Island, New York and satellite veterinarians throughout the United States. PBEC provides exceptional equine medical care with an unwavering commitment to the horse for more than 30 years. Working with patients that range from the reliable amateur horse to Olympic athletes, PBEC’s mission from day one has been to provide innovative veterinary services that promote health and happiness in horses while extending their performance careers. With this mission in mind, Palm Beach Equine Clinic remains the leading service provider in equine veterinary medicine.
From December 1st, 2013 through April 1st, 2014, PBEC is pleased to offer tours by appointment. After scheduling an appointment, guests can look forward to a tour of the facility and time to talk with veterinarians. Tours will include the new hospital, Nuclear Scintigraphy room, and Surgery Center. Visitors will have an opportunity to ask questions and meet all the new doctors on staff. PBEC is located at 13125 Southfields Road in Wellington, Florida.
Contact PBEC for more information
Palm Beach Equine Clinic is respected throughout the industry. Well known for an unwavering commitment to the horse and their owners, PBEC offers innovative, advanced medical care. Known as leaders in new diagnostics and therapies, PBEC veterinarians have published numerous articles in equine magazines and journals.
Dr. Scott Swerdlin, President of Palm Beach Equine Clinic was asked to judge trainer, Charlie Moorcroft’s annual Halloween Pony Parade and Costume Contest on Sunday afternoon, October 27th. Each contest won a prize for various categories. The final prize given was two $50 gift certificates to Palm Beach Equine Clinic for the Best of Show awards. The winners were Sophie Studd and Eliza Guero. Congratulations kids and have a Happy Halloween!!!
Dr. Bob Brusie Talks About Stem Cell
On May 10, 2013, Dr. Janet Greenfield-Davis participated in career day at Elbridge Elementary School. Elbridge Elementary is one of many schools that Dr. Greenfield-Davis has donated her time and knowledge to educate our young students of today on equine veterinary medicine. Dr. Greenfield-Davis is the official veterinarian for Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, which focuses on equine-related programs for special needs children. Dr. Greenfield-Davis enjoys educating the community while raising awareness of equine health.
“Educating our community and public service is a culture that we emphasize at Palm Beach Equine Clinic”, stated Dr. Scott Swerdlin, President of Palm Beach Equine Clinic.
Dr. Ryan Lukens recently completed an internship at Palm Beach Equine Clinic. Dr. Lukens excelled during his internship and was presented a contract toward a long and successful future with Palm Beach Equine Clinic. In the spirit of our mission statement, Dr. Lukens presented a lecture to 200 first graders concerning the anatomy of the horse with the Horse Tales Literacy Program. This event occurred at Good Earth Farm in Loxahatchee on Friday, May 17th.
“Dr Lukens was wonderful. He was knowledgeable and very patient with the first graders”, said Shelley LaConte, South Florida Director of the Horse Tales Literacy Project. “He had a smile on his face the whole day. It was a pleasure working with him. We were very grateful for his time and glad he is a part of Palm Beach Equine Clinic.” If you or any of your organizations would like a lecture or presenter please call Eques Solutions at 561-227- 1537.
As the leading equine veterinary hospital in the southeast, Palm Beach Equine Clinic is proud to bring our clients videos on specific topics of interest. This video features equine reproduction specialist, Dr. Robert “Bob“ Smith discussing Artificial Insemination for horses.
About Dr. Robert Smith
Dr. Smith is a 1975 graduate of the University of Georgia who lives in Royal Palm Beach and has been practicing for 30 years. Dr. Smith is a renowned veterinarian who specializes in advanced reproductive services. He advises and consults with clients on advanced fertility techniques, such as embryo transfers, and oversees a complete frozen semen program, from collection to storage and worldwide distribution.