PBEC Success Story: An Injury With More Than Meets the Eye

As every horse owner knows, even in the most calculated situations, accidents can happen. As accomplished dressage professionals based at their Stoney Lake Equestrian in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada, and in Wellington, Florida, for the winter, Jaimey and Tina Irwin are well versed in horse care on the good days and the bad ones. Tina is a Canadian Pan American Games team gold and individual silver medalist, while Jaimey has also represented Canada at the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final. Despite their decades of experience, they were still surprised when a training accident became a more serious issue. 

One of the horses in the Irwins’ stables is Feininger, known as “Feine” in the barn. The Irwins purchased the Oldenburg gelding in Germany as a coming three-year-old in March 2021 with the hope of developing him into a future dressage star. However, during the 2023 winter season in Florida, he suffered a setback.

“Our assistant was lunging Feine when a palm frond fell and it spooked him, causing him to fall on the lunge line,” explained Tina. “He seemed okay after the fall initially, but later in the day he had some swelling on his hip. He had a temperature, and his respiration rate was quite high, so we had the vet out right away.”

When the Irwins’ regular veterinarian arrived, they checked Feine’s blood levels and discovered the kidney values were elevated. At that point, it became apparent something more was going on than a typical lameness, and Feine was referred to Palm Beach Equine Clinic (PBEC), where Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Fernando J. Marqués, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM, Diplomate ACVSMR, took over the case.

“I ran more specific blood work, a complete urinalysis, and I did a thorough ultrasonographic examination,” said Dr. Marqués of his diagnostic investigation. “When I performed the ultrasound, I saw that the horse had a hematoma on the pole of the kidney on the side that he fell. My other tests revealed that the horse was in acute renal failure, further supporting the finding on ultrasound. In sports medicine, we commonly talk about tendons, joints, and muscles, and sometimes we forget that horses have internal organs that can also fail. Just because you cannot see it doesn’t mean that everything is fine.”

Feine was admitted to PBEC for a few days so he could be properly treated for Acute Kidney Injury. Because the kidneys are such pivotal organs in maintaining the body’s balance, called homeostasis, the injury compromised Feine’s body’s ability to regulate the degree of acidity in the blood, electrolyte and water levels, and other substance concentrations.

“When the kidneys are under stress and are therefore failing to do their job properly, what you need to do as an internal medicine specialist is provide the body with what is needed to reestablish that optimum equilibrium,” shared Dr. Marqués. “By doing this, you help the body to balance all the things that cannot be balanced by the kidneys until the kidneys heal.”

While at PBEC, staff worked to give Feine’s body the support it needed. He was hooked up to a catheter and given continuous intravenous isotonic polyionic fluids. Under the direction of Dr. Marqués, Feine’s blood and urine were checked regularly to ensure the fluid solution given had the correct components and was administered at the optimal rate. Pain management can be an important part of injury treatment, but in this case, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could not be used because they can induce more damage to the kidneys.

“There are many types of fluids you can give to a horse,” noted Dr. Marqués. “The compositions vary depending on what the horse needs in each specific case to reestablish a delicate and precise concentration of substances in the blood and other body compartments. For example, if you see from testing that there is one electrolyte that is pretty low, then you provide a fluid with more of that electrolyte.”

Having a horse in the clinic can be nerve-wracking for any horse owner, even if it’s just for a few days. With the right veterinary support and clear discourse, it becomes much easier to be involved in the recovery and achieve the best possible outcome. 

“The communication with Dr. Marqués was exceptional,” commented Tina. “He would call and text us throughout the day and update us on Feine and his health. We went to visit him as well, and the entire experience was very positive.”

After a few days of treatment, Feine regained renal function and was able to return home. Though he was on the right track, it was still important to be sure his body continued to heal. 

“Dr. Marqués continued to check in on Feine to see how he was doing after he was discharged from the Clinic,” recalled Jaimey. “He came to our farm in Wellington to check him personally.”

It was soon time for the Irwins to return to Canada. In the lead-up to the trip, Tina and Jaimey discussed with their regular veterinarian and Dr. Marqués the best plan to get Feine home safely. Everyone wanted to be as cautious as possible to prevent dehydration or any additional stress that travel could pose to Feine’s body, so all transportation options and logistics were considered. Fortunately, by the time the trip came, Feine had clinically returned to normal and he shipped smoothly, arriving safely up north.

“We kept in close communication throughout the entire process,” said Dr. Marqués of Feine’s treatment and recovery. “Good communication is so important between referring veterinarians, veterinarians in the clinic, and clients. This is a good example of if you were to wait too long, maybe it’s too late to solve the problem. The Irwins were really keen to do whatever was needed, so we were successful.”

Feine went on to compete throughout the 2023 summer season with Jaimey in the irons, notching several first-place finishes, including impressive scores of 75.172% and 78.846% in training level competition. He’s back on track toward the exciting dressage career he was meant to have.If you or your veterinarian would like to learn more about Palm Beach Equine Clinic’s and how it can help your horse, make an appointment at 561-793-1599 or learn more at www.EquineClinic.com.