Tag: staff
Originally from northern California, Dr. Janet Greenfield Davis grew up competing on the hunter circuit which sparked her interest in equine veterinary medicine. She completed her undergraduate degree at California Polytechnic State University, and went on to complete veterinary school at the University of Glasgow. While in the UK, she became a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
After completing an internship at Palm Beach Equine Clinic in 2010, Dr. Greenfield Davis studied traditional Chinese veterinary medicine at the Chi Institute. In addition to providing western medicine, Dr. Greenfield Davis employs eastern medicine as a certified veterinary acupuncturist and Chinese herbal medicine expert.
When not seeing patients, Dr. Greenfield Davis enjoys cheering on her clients at competitions, swing dancing, and spending time with her husband, fellow Palm Beach Equine Clinic veterinarian Dr. Tyler Davis, and their two daughters. We featured Dr. Greenfield Davis nearly 10 years ago and have caught up with her to see how things have changed in a decade.
1. Our last Q&A with you was in 2015 when your girls were just babies – what’s it like now balancing your veterinary career with older kids that have interests of their own? Are horses part of their lives?
It is certainly different having older children and practicing veterinary medicine. Maisie is now 9 and Zella is 11. They do have interests of their own. Gone are the days of loading everyone in the truck and working through naptime. Now I adjust my workday to accommodate after-school sports and homework. While they sometimes enjoy riding around with me on calls they would prefer to do something else. I try much harder to take my weekends off to spend time with them. I feel like these are the years they will remember the most, and I don’t want those memories to be of their iPads. Instead, it can be of their parents prying their iPads from their little fingers to go clean the turtle tank on a bright Saturday afternoon.
The girls did attempt riding for a while, but it didn’t stick. Their horse time is preferably spent at the clinic where they can watch all their favorite vets perform procedures and then have Dr. Swerdlin make them hot cocoa. There is a secret ingredient but it is not mine to divulge.
2. Is acupuncture still a big part of your practice? How do you see it help horses in day-to-day management?
It is! My acupuncture practice encompasses about 80% of what I do. We use acupuncture for pain relief and management, post-surgical rehabilitation, vices, nervous horses, lameness, and so much more. I also work in Equine Rehabilitation to help strengthen training practices and improve agility.
3. How does working with Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center still hold meaning for you? What are your usual duties there?
I have been the primary veterinarian at Vinceremos for 14 years with aid from my colleagues. It is beneficial work and of course it holds meaning for me. I know many of the clients and after so many years, the Vinceremos horses feel like my own.
4. Are there still other programs outside of PBEC that you work with in the community?
I mainly volunteer at my kids’ school when I can. I have a career day coming up. I eagerly anticipate the questions asked by kindergarten to fifth grade students. They always surprise me, and we usually have a good laugh.
5. Do you work with the internship program at PBEC? What are the benefits of that program for the clinic and for you as a vet?
I do work with the internship program at PBEC, and actually, all our vets do. Our clinic trains new graduates into confident, seasoned veterinarians.
6. Have you had any additional continuing education or certifications since you became a certified equine rehabilitation practitioner?
Nothing new yet. I am currently working to further myself as an FEI delegate.
7. What do you find is most fulfilling still in your career?
The most fulfilling part of veterinary medicine is having a happy client and a happy horse. It doesn’t matter if it is a colic or helping to achieve their competitive goals. The satisfaction is knowing that everyone is healthy and happy.
8. What is something you have seen or heard about that is developing in the veterinary industry that you are excited about?
The veterinary field is constantly changing. New research is done every day. I am excited about it all!
Meet PBEC Intern Valentine Prié DVM
Valentine Prié DVM earned her veterinary degree in Croatia and spent time in several equine clinics in Europe before heading to the United States in 2024 to broaden her knowledge. She’s part of the class of 2024/2025 interns at the Palm Beach Equine Clinic (PBEC) in Wellington, FL.
Where are you from?
I’m from Normandy in the northwest part of France. For the last six years, I have mostly lived in Croatia, where I did both my undergraduate and vet school work. In 2024, I moved to the U.S. and have been an intern at PBEC since July.
What is your background with horses?
I started riding when I was 5 years old. My family were ranchers, and we had a cattle and horse farm, so I was always around horses. I did mostly show jumping.
What brought you to PBEC?
I always wanted to be a vet — it was not even a question. My great-grandfather founded a vet school in France, and my brother is also going to graduate as an equine vet. It’s in the family!
I moved to Croatia shortly after turning 18 and graduated from the University of Zagreb’s vet school. During my fifth year, I spent some time in Austria at the University of Vienna. This year, I completed part of my final rotation at UC Davis in California.
I wanted to explore as many different approaches to equine medicine as possible. Things here in the U.S. are done differently, not just technique, but the approach to patient care and communication and the use of medications. My goal is to have, as much as possible, an open mind to veterinary practice.
When I complete the program at PBEC, I will head to going to Hagyard in Kentucky for a specialized internship.
What is the process of becoming an intern at PBEC?
I came to PBEC two years ago for a summer externship. After staying in touch with some previous interns and employees at the clinic, I applied last winter, had my interview in February, and in March, Dr. Swerdlin started helping me with the visa process. I began the internship in July.
What is the program like?
It’s been busy! I want to see as much as possible and experience all the areas of equine medicine — surgery, internal medicine, and ambulatory as well. It’s a really busy clinic with a high caseload and many veterinarians from various parts of the world, each withdifferent approaches to medicine and slightly different practices. That’s really beneficial for me to compare what can be done. It’s been a great learning experience. I see a lot and try to listen and remember!
What’s a typical day like for you?
Our schedule is organized on rotation, so we do two weeks of anesthesia, two weeks of surgery, two weeks of hospitalization/internal medicine, two weeks of ambulatory, and two weeks of overnight. Depending on which rotation I am on, the day is different.
Usually, you check the patients assigned to you for your rotation — I will do a full physical examination and write notes for every patient. After rounds, we get everything ready; for instance, with surgery, we bring the horse and assist with the surgery and the recovery of our patient. Then we take care of their treatment plan.
What do you do in your free time?
I’m a runner. I’m preparing for the Miami Marathon in February. I did the Toronto Marathon in 2024. And I read! I love all the French classical novels and poetry. I read a lot of equine medicine articles and books, too.
By Lindsay Berreth/Jump Media
Meghan Duncan of Ocala, FL, has worked at the Palm Beach Equine Clinic (PBEC) in Wellington, FL, since 2021. Since 2022, she’s been Dr. Paul Wollenman’s technician, traveling to Wyoming in the summer and based at PBEC in the winter, where she assists clients with polo ponies.
What is your background with horses?
I rode and showed Western pleasure as a kid. As I grew older, I got out of horses and became more involved with school and sports, so horses kind of took a back seat. I always had a love and interest for it, but I just didn’t have the resources and the time to make it happen.
I moved to South Florida in 2008 for college, and around 2020, with COVID going on and big changes happening for a lot of people, I found myself in a position where I was no longer able to work my job in hospitality, which I had been doing since I was 15.
After some personal life events had happened, I needed something to get me out of the house. My mom mentioned an animal rescue that always needed volunteers. The couple who ran the rescue were elderly, so it was difficult for them to take care of the horses. I fell in love with being around the horses again.
What brought you to PBEC?
When I was a kid, I always wanted to be an equine vet. That was my dream. It just never happened, but one night, while I was volunteering at the rescue, one of the horses was colicking. They called me to see if I could help the vet, who was coming without a technician. I got to meet the emergency vet and see how that whole process worked for the first time. I was really intrigued.
The vet came out again the next day to recheck the horse and asked me if I wanted a job. I told him, yeah, that’d be great! He needed help on the weekends. He was a large animal vet, so he did horses, cows, goats, and sheep.
I wanted to work with horses specifically, and PBEC had a job post for a hospital technician, and the rest is history. I was hired in March 2021 by Dr. Kathleen Timmins and Holly Hall.
What does your job involve?
In 2022, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Paul Wollenman, who founded the clinic in 1981. He worked in Florida in the winter and traveled to Wyoming in the summer to continue practicing. It sounded like a dream. I really wanted to take the opportunity to start traveling again.
We go to Big Horn, WY, in the summer and come back to Florida for the winter and spring. We work on polo ponies 99% of the time. There are some clients in Wyoming who have rodeo or ranch horses we work on.
Day to day, we see a lot of lamenesses and small wounds on the polo ponies — we do a lot of ultrasounding and regenerative therapy like PRP or stem cell injections. My job is to jog the horse, to keep the horse as still and quiet as possible while being treated, and I’ll help with scrubbing joints for joint injections, bandaging, keeping the inventory up to date, keeping the truck clean and stocked, uploading information to patient files, and handling some client communications.
What’s the most interesting thing about your job?
I like any kind of emergency care just because it’s something different. You don’t know what you’re going to walk into. It’s unpredictable, and you have to think on your feet.
What do you do in your free time?
When I’m in Wyoming, I love to go trail riding with a couple of friends or hiking with my dog. Our schedule is kind of crazy in Florida, but I like to spend time with my dog, go on long adventure walks, and find somewhere to hike or trail. I also like to go to the gym, work out, and do Crossfit.
By Alice Collins / Jump Media
Hailing from Minnesota, Allison Schatzley has been an avid horse lover since she was small and has worked in the industry since she graduated from the University of Wisconsin. She joined the Palm Beach Equine Clinic (PBEC) team in the fall of 2023.
Where are you from?
I’m originally from Minnesota and completed my undergraduate degree in animal science equine management with an emphasis on animal nutrition at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
What is your background with horses?
I’ve been riding since I can remember, and I worked at barns cleaning stalls through high school and college. After I graduated, I pursued a career in equine nutrition, helping owners feed their horses according to their goals, such as performance, weight loss, and weight gain.
What brought you to PBEC?
A little over a year ago, I decided I needed a change. I missed being directly involved with equine care and searched for a job that could fulfill that. I found PBEC and thought I could utilize my background augment the patient care.
What does your job involve?
A typical day involves assessing the patients I’ve been assigned for the day, performing treatments at their scheduled times, such as administering medications, changing standing wraps, grooming, and helping doctors with their procedures on the hospital patients. When we get an emergency in, I’ll pull blood for lab work, place the catheter, hang the fluids, or prep them for surgery if need be.
What aspects of equine medicine interest you most?
It’s been pretty interesting to be able to tie my nutrition background to certain instances, including my favorites, the horses with laminitis. It allows me to better understand some cases.
What cases that you’ve worked on stand out?
We recently had a burn victim from a barn fire. He was the sweetest horse, and it was so rewarding when he got to return home!
What’s the best thing about your job?
My favorite part of the job is being able to spend my time taking care of the horses and making sure I’ve done all I can to ensure they are feeling the best they possibly can in their current situation and condition. At PBEC, we have a great crew for the upcoming season, and I’m excited about what this winter will bring.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I love to bake! I make anything from cakes and cupcakes to pastries and breads. I bring in my creations most of the time, and I love sharing them with my coworkers. I go to the gym quite often, lifting weights and running. I also love spending time with my boyfriend and our critters at home.
To learn more about the full range of services offered at Palm Beach Equine Clinic, call 561-793-1599 or visit https://equineclinic.com/.
By Alice Collins / Jump Media
Originally from Virginia, Mackenzie Harmon completed her undergraduate degree at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL, in May of 2023. Later that year, she joined the Palm Beach Equine Clinic (PBEC) team as a veterinary technician for Dr. Tyler Davis.
What is your background with horses?
I have a big background with horses. My dad bought a farm in 2007, got a few horses, and had my sister and I start riding. I was seven at the time, and I’ve been riding ever since. I always took every opportunity I could to watch and learn as much as I could, whether that was from a vet, a farrier, or a barn manager. In 2020, I worked as a barn manager for a few weeks and really enjoyed that.
When and why did you decide you wanted to become a vet tech?
When I finished school, I was torn between going to nursing school and being an ER nurse, a scrub nurse in the OR, or becoming a vet. I looked for a job as a nurse for months and was unsuccessful, so I decided to apply to an equine hospital and see if I would get a position. When I got the job at the equine clinic, I figured it would help me decide whether I loved working with animals and wanted to become a vet, or if I hated it and wanted to become a nurse.
Originally, I didn’t think I had enough experience to be a vet tech so I applied to just be a vet tech assistant, cleaning stalls and helping hold horses if the techs were too busy. After doing that for a few weeks, I realized I was over-qualified and should have just been a tech. I worked as a vet tech assistant at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, and after being there for a few months I got a job offer from Palm Beach Equine Clinic to be a hospital technician. As soon as I started I realized it was way more up my alley.
What does a typical day look like for you at Palm Beach Equine Clinic?
I currently work as an ambulatory technician, so my days are spent in the car traveling to different farms to treat horses. My boss, Dr. Davis, specializes in dentistry so we float a lot of teeth. During the winter season, it’s pretty much non-stop and we generally put in 10-hour days or more. The summertime slows down a little bit, but there are still some days when we go non-stop. If we aren’t doing dentals, you can find us doing sports medicine work, such as injecting joints and taking x-rays.
What aspects of equine medicine interest you most, and what types of cases do you find most rewarding?
Even though I’ve been working with vets for about a year, I’m still not sure what aspect interests me most. I find surgery really cool, but I also enjoy the sports medicine side of things. I find every case rewarding in its own way because we are always there to help the horses feel better and perform their best.
What is one of the most interesting cases you have worked on?
There was a horse who kept coming to the clinic due to not eating. We started by scoping him for ulcers and then treating him for ulcers. Several weeks later the same horse came back because he still wasn’t eating, so we pulled out all of his incisor teeth. After doing that, the horse has been thriving and is now eating like crazy.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
It’s hard to pick just one part. I am such an animal lover, so I just enjoy being with the horses. I also love it when we’re able to fix a problem that a horse might be having and then seeing them thrive later on.
When not at PBEC, what do you enjoy doing?
When I am not working, you can find me at my own barn riding my horse, or at Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, helping staff with lessons, teaching lessons myself, or schooling their horses.
To learn more about the full range of services on offer at Palm Beach Equine Clinic, call 561-793-1599 or visit https://equineclinic.com/.
Meet The Team: Dr. Laura Hutton
Dr. Laura Hutton grew up immersed in equestrian culture in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. She can’t recall a time when she wasn’t dreamily gazing at horses in a field or fantasizing about the day when she would pilot a show jumper in the competition ring. She knew at an early age that she wanted to be an equine veterinarian, and she stuck to that goal.
When not caring for horses, Dr. Hutton can be spotted competing in the adult jumper ranks on her jet-black Dutch Warmblood mare, Brimara. She even competes against one of her mentors, Dr. Jorge Gomez.
Dr. Hutton is currently spending her summer in New York with ambitions to compete at HITS Saugerties and Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in Traverse City, MI.
What brought you to the U.S. and then to Florida?
After I completed high school, I took a year off and was a working student at a show jumping yard in Ireland. When I went back to school, I studied at the University College Dublin’s School of Veterinary Medicine. The day after I graduated from veterinary school, I moved to the USA and completed a surgery internship at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, KY.
In 2016, I headed south and accepted a position at Palm Beach Equine Clinic and have been there ever since. I love Ireland, but I found so many opportunities here in the States that I could not pass up. For example, after completing an acupuncture course, I now work with some of the most successful show jumping horses in the world right in my backyard in Wellington. I always wanted to work with sport horses and I really couldn’t be in a better place to do that; the volume and quality of horses that come through the clinic is incredible. The Florida sunshine is pretty sweet, too.
What are your day-to-day responsibilities at Palm Beach Equine Clinic and what branch of equine medicine do you consider to be your specialty?
Palm Beach Equine Clinic handles all kinds of treatments and I am an ambulatory vet, which means that my cases vary from lameness issues, medical cases, emergencies, and everything in between. I see so many unique cases, but the best ones are those that end with a pleased client. I remember I had a horse come in with a severe laceration that took six months to heal. When that horse was fully recovered, the owner was extremely grateful and that’s the best outcome we can hope for.
I love the variety of ambulatory work, but I enjoy diagnosing and treating lameness the most. It’s like solving a puzzle, with the end goal being that I am able to help an equine athlete perform to the best of its ability.
What do you enjoy most about treating horses and being a part of the Palm Beach Equine Clinic Team?
The best part about being an equine veterinarian, for me, is being around the horses all day. They’re amazing animals and it’s a very rewarding responsibility to have a sick or lame horse in your care, treat it, watch it recover, and then see it doing well in the future.
Palm Beach Equine Clinic is made up of a really talented group of people with years of experience. I am able to consult with veterinarians who have decades of experience in the industry – like Palm Beach Equine Clinic board-certified surgeon Dr. Jorge Gomez – and learn so much from them. Also, we are lucky to have the latest and most advanced treatments, technology, and medications right at our fingertips at Palm Beach Equine Clinic.
What can we find you doing when you are not working?
Photo courtesy of Laura Hutton.
You can still find me riding and competing, but it’s never enough. Other than horses, I am always trying to stay fit and I have run in a couple marathons. But mostly, I enjoy being here in Florida with friends, having the craic!
5 Questions for Dr. Jordan Lewis
Dr. Jordan Lewis is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and has dedicated her professional career to serving her home state. Dr. Lewis grew up with horses and completed an internship in equine medicine and surgery at the Equine Medical Center in Ocala.
Get to know Dr. Lewis:
1. What is your background with horses?
I moved from New York City to Fort Lauderdale, FL, when I was eight years old. My dad grew up loving horses, and when I was two, he bought a horse. We would travel from our home in New York City to visit him in the Pocono Mountains every weekend to ride. My first experience on a horse was riding double with my dad through cornfields. When I was eight years old, we moved to Florida and I was lucky enough to get my own pony. I got totally hooked on horses and I competed on the Arabian circuit as a teenager.
2. What inspired you to pursue veterinary medicine?
As a child, I participated in local 4-H programs and had the experience of touring an equine surgical and rehabilitation facility. I realized early that this was exactly what I wanted to do as my career.
3. When did you join Palm Beach Equine Clinic and what is your specialty?
I joined the team at Palm Beach Equine Clinic in June of 2005. I love the fact that we have such a dynamic team of veterinarians to work with and consult on difficult cases. I wouldn’t say I have a main focus as I am able to do everything from sports medicine and lameness exams to reproduction work thanks to the clinic’s wide range of cases and capabilities.
4. What advice would you give someone who wants to become an equine vet?
I would tell them that a career in large animal veterinary care is not just a job, it is a lifestyle. If it is what you are meant to do, you will love every minute of this lifestyle. I get to be outside and around horses all day. For me, this is the greatest profession.
5. What is one of the most interesting cases you have worked on?
The most interesting case I have worked on was a pericardial effusion. The condition is caused by excess fluid between the heart and the sac surrounding the heart, known as the pericardium. To remove the fluid, I performed a pericardiocentesis, which involved placing a drain within the sac around the heart to drain the excess fluid and relieve pressure on the heart. That is not something you get to do every day!
Interns at Palm Beach Equine Clinic are a vital part of keeping the day-to-day operations running smoothly, whether assisting the veterinarians, caring for the horses in the hospital, or attending farm calls. Hailing from Lake Worth, FL, Sidney Chanutin, 26, is a Florida Atlantic University alumni and recent graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and joined Palm Beach Equine Clinic as an intern this year.
Learn more about Sidney:
How did you first get involved with horses?
I have always had a passion for horses. I remember as a kid, I was always bugging my parents for riding lessons and to buy my sister and me a pony. I got my first horse when I was eight years old and have been hooked ever since.
What led you to study equine veterinary medicine?
Since before I can remember, my goal has always been to become an equine veterinarian. As a South Florida native, being able to watch the vets at Palm Beach Equine Clinic take such great care of my own horses played a big role in my desire to practice equine veterinary medicine.
Aside from my passion for horses and general happiness when I am around them, I love being able to work outside. The thought of working a nine-to-five job in the same office every day did not suit me. I love being able to travel from farm to farm and see new people every day.
What are your day-to-day responsibilities at Palm Beach Equine Clinic?
As an intern, I am responsible for looking after inpatients, running anesthesia for surgeries, assisting in emergencies, and helping senior doctors with various exams and procedures.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the Palm Beach Equine Clinic team?
The Palm Beach Equine Clinic team is just that, a team. It is amazing to me how all of these people from so many different backgrounds all come together with a common goal—to help horses. That is one of the reasons I chose to do my internship here. Everyone looks out for one another, whether it’s just lending a helping hand or giving advice on a difficult case. I am blessed to have the opportunity to learn from each member of the Palm Beach Equine Clinic staff.
Do you have any stand-out cases that you have really enjoyed working on while at Palm Beach Equine Clinic?
It is hard for me to pick any one case, but I would say that working with the more intensive care patients, such as surgical colics, has been the most rewarding for me. These patients are very sick and require around-the-clock care, so it becomes hard not to become emotionally invested. That being said, having a strong emotional connection to the patients makes the cases where we have good outcomes that much more rewarding. There is no one in the world who gets more excited about bowel movements than a veterinarian who is caring for a patient with colic!
What branch of equine medicine do you enjoy the most?
I am very interested in both sports medicine and rehabilitation as well as ophthalmology.
What can we find you doing when you are not working?
I have two Quarter Horses, “Bolo” and “Ruby,” that I love to take on trail rides. I love spending my time outdoors, so when I’m not riding or taking care of my horses, you can find me fishing with my fiancé.
Palm Beach Equine Clinic’s surgical team leader, Dr. Robert Brusie, is a nationally renowned board-certified surgeon whose surgical specialties include orthopedic, arthroscopic, and emergency cases. Dr. Brusie has been the head surgeon with Palm Beach Equine Clinic for the last 20 years and is a beloved part of the team.
Dr. Brusie graduated from Michigan State University (MSU) College of Veterinary Medicine. He completed his surgical residency at the Marion DuPont Scott Equine Center in Virginia in 1989 and has been in private practice ever since. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1994. Dr. Brusie joined the Palm Beach Equine Clinic team in 1996.
Board-certified surgeon, Dr. Brusie 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. Read on to find out more about Dr. Brusie!
What is your background with horses?
I grew up on a farm in Michigan. We had usually between 200 and 600 head of cattle and always between four to six horses. Our horses were cow ponies or driving horses. My dad loved horses and had to have them around. My family has owned our farm for six generations and it pretty much occupied all of our time besides sports and school. Needless to say, we didn’t have much time to show horses.
When and why did you decide to become a veterinarian? Did you know you wanted to be a surgeon from the start?
I decided to become a veterinarian at an early age. I think I was seven or eight years old when I pulled my first calf. One of my dad’s hired men called me “Doc” when I was about that age. When I went to college, my plan was to become a large animal veterinarian and live in my hometown and continue to farm part-time with my three brothers. All of that changed when I was in veterinary school at MSU. Dr. Ed Scott was one of the five surgeons there; he was a gifted surgeon and a great teacher. He steered me into an equine internship at Auburn University. It was one of those things that the more you did, the more you wanted to do to improve yourself. I operated on my first colic by myself when I was three weeks out of vet school (32 years ago).
How did you first start working at Palm Beach Equine Clinic?
I was a surgeon at a clinic in Atlanta, and in 1996 I had performed a surgery for a client of Dr. Paul Wollenman’s. He had started this practice in 1975 and asked me if I needed a job. I was planning on staying in Atlanta for the rest of my career. I received phone calls from the other two partners over the next nine months, and eventually with encouragement from my fiancé, now wife, Melissa, I took the job.
What do you love most about working at Palm Beach Equine Clinic?
We have an exceptional group of veterinarians and staff here. The depth and scope of our veterinarians is amazing due to the large caseload. On any individual case, there may be two to three doctors that have input on the case to ensure no stone is left unturned. Additionally, we are so privileged to work on some of the best show, race, and polo horses in the world. It is truly an honor.
What sets the surgical services at Palm Beach Equine Clinic apart?
Between Dr. Jorge Gomez, Dr. Weston Davis, and myself, we perform just about every type of soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries that are done in our field. Personally, my greatest sense of success is when I see a horse back after surgery going as well or better than it was prior to surgery.
What are the biggest changes you have seen in sport horse medicine over the years?
Currently, the most exciting thing we see going on in medicine is regenerative therapy. Twelve to 15 years ago, we were harvesting bone marrow from the sternum and injecting it into lesions in tendons and ligaments. Now we manipulate the bone marrow or other sources of stem cells to promote more rapid and more functional healing of some of these injuries. I can assure you that in 10 to 20 years what we are doing now will seem stone-aged by then. There are some very clever minds performing some serious research in this field.
How do you stay up-to-date on new medical advances?
Every veterinarian at Palm Beach Equine Clinic tries to attend as many meetings as time allows. We also do a weekly journal club at our clinic to discuss recently published papers in veterinary and human medicine and surgery.
What is the most interesting or challenging surgery that you have done?
Dr. Gomez and I had a three-year-old racehorse that had split his P1 (long pastern bone) and cannon bone in the same leg in a race. We were able to piece together both bones perfectly and the horse recovered brilliantly. He probably could have returned to racing, however, the owners elected to retire him to life as a breeding stallion.
What is something interesting that people may not know about you?
I have three daughters who I am very proud of and tend to brag on maybe a little too much.
How else is the family involved in horses?
My wife [Melissa] and youngest daughter [Kayla] are horse nuts in the true sense of the word. Anything to do with horses, especially show hunters, they are dialed in. Melissa loves riding, and Kayla shows in hunters and equitation.
What makes Palm Beach Equine Clinic a special place for you?
I am blessed to have three good men as business partners. They are my good friends and great people. We are very lucky to have 20-plus veterinarians working with us who are very knowledgeable and caring individuals. We feel like a little practice, but with a lot of people who just get the job done.
Dr. Bryan Dubynsky joined the team of veterinarians at Palm Beach Equine Clinic in 2009 and specializes in treating sport horses, working to return them to top performance after injury or complication. Get to know Dr. Dubynsky:
1. Where did you grow up and what is your background with horses?
I grew up in Northern Indiana on a horse farm. I was fortunate enough to breed horses, show on the Midwestern circuit, and train our horses. My father is a physician and I’ve always grown up with an interest in medicine. Choosing to become a veterinarian seemed to be a natural fit that combined my love for horses and medicine.
2. Who has been the biggest influence in your life or career? What did they teach you?
I spent my entire childhood from eight to 18 years old with a third-generation horse trainer from Kentucky. He taught me horsemanship and patience, two crucial parts of a good foundation for successfully working around horses every day. If I could give advice to anyone thinking about becoming a veterinarian, it would be to seek out the top people in the industry and work with them. Learn as much as you possibly can from the people who have been practicing for a long time.
3. What is your specialty/main focus as a vet?
My main focus and interest is sport horse medicine. I love focusing on improving athletic performance and treating sports-related injuries to help clients get their equine partners back to the top!
4. What do you love about your job?
I love working at Palm Beach Equine Clinic for the exceptional medical and surgical capabilities and experiences available. I also love the camaraderie of all the employees; we really work as a team! Teamwork is paramount for making the clinic successful. I love the opportunities to travel throughout North America and Europe to see really cool places through work with my clients. I love working with the competition horses and being a part of the atmosphere of high-level competition, as well as caring for the sweet trail horses at home.
5. What is one of the most interesting cases you have worked on?
My own horse, Batman. He was an abandoned polo pony suffering from West Nile Virus. He was paralyzed for three days and no one wanted to treat him. We treated him with intensive care for three days and used a tractor as a last-ditch effort to get him to stand. He has since made a full recovery and is currently playing polo.