The treatment of any diagnosed condition is what interests and excites most Vets. Having the medicines or techniques available to ‘make a difference’ is what we strive for. Particularly in the world of equine orthopaedics, new treatments often come to market (and often leave) and it’s my job to keep up to date with the treatments, understand the science and be able to offer the patient the best treatments, based on the latest information available and my own experience.
Farriery
Having been an examiner for the Worshipful Company of Farriers for 10 years, I have a very strong grasp of what ‘good farriery’ looks like and how simple tweaks in farriery can benefit the horse significantly. My job is to work with the farrier for the best outcome for the horse. I have worked alongside a number of emanant farriers and we have had great results.
Joint medication
A rapidly developing field in pharmacy and technique, and some might say, the main stay of an orthopaedic vet. Medicating the joints of an equine athlete is not without its risks, and the welfare of the patient is always my first consideration. Choosing what treatments to use, and when to treat is based on a number of factors that must be carefully considered for each horse. This is where I feel I have a huge depth of experience to be able to make the best decisions for the horse. The technique of joint medication with or without ultrasound guidance is something I pride myself on to make the process as accurate, efficient, and as painless for the horse as possible.
**NEW** Regenerative medicine - Orthobiological therapies
Using harvests from a patient’s own blood or bone marrow, carefully processed extracts are used to reduce inflammation and promote the repair response of diseased or injured tissue.
Using the very latest regenerative medicine system from the USA, I now have the APEX Biologix system available at any yard for every patient. This simple, unified process can quickly create the following high concentration therapies:
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
Treated conditions – Suspensory, check ligament and superficial digital flexor tendon injuries
Protein Concentrate (Alpha-2-Macroglobulin – A2M and Interlukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein - IRAP / IL-1RA)
Treated conditions – all joint injuries and inflammation. To be used alternative to steroid joint therapy. No withdrawal for competition horses, no laminitis risk for ponies and older horses.
Stem Cell Therapy (BMAC)
Treated conditions – Superficial digital flexor tendon strains, joint injuries with soft tissue / cartilage damage. Tendon sheath injuries.
- PRP injections
Platelet rich plasma therapy has been clinically proven to treat pain and stimulate healing in the body. The mobile APEX Biologix system can quickly extract plasma that has concentrations of platelets 4-6 times that of baseline. These platelets are loaded with growth factors that have been shown to accelerate tissue repair, enhance healing, and reduce inflammation when injected directly into the lesion. - Stem Cell Therapy BMAC – (Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate)
With a simple and safe extraction of bone marrow from the horse’s ileal wing (wing of pelvis) the APEX Biologix system allows concentration of the extract to obtain a high dose of mesenchymal stem cells and other growth factors. This extract can then be re-injected into specific injury sites to ‘jump start’ the healing process by reducing inflammation and promoting optimal healing.
- Protein Concentrate
This contains the Alpha-2-Macroglobulin (A2M) and Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein (IRAP). Protein concentrate injection therapy uses the body’s own proteins to successfully treat joint disease at its source.
Alpha-2-Macroglobulin is a broad-spectrum multi-purpose protease inhibitor that captures and inactivates the three major chemicals that lead to joint breakdown and cartilage
IRAP blocks the Interleukin-1 led inflammatory cascade within joints responsible for Osteoarthritis, Synovitis and other inflammatory pathologies.
Shockwave therapy
also known as extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), is a treatment that uses high-energy shockwaves to stimulate healing, attenuate the inflammatory process and reduce pain for a number of musculoskeletal conditions. I personally have found it very useful in helping horses come back into work more comfortably, as well as to help manage athletic soreness in the competition season.
**NEW** Laser Treatment for Tendons, Ligaments and wounds
The Class IV K-laser is a non-invasive treatment, that delivers therapeutic laser energy to tissues stimulating a number of biological effects. These effects have been shown to help speed up healing and improve outcomes of injuries to tendon, ligaments and wounds as well as a variety of other acute and chronic conditions, for example:
- Injuries and strains to Superficial digital flexor tendon
- Suspensory apparatus injuries
- Deep flexor tendon and tendon sheath strains
- Check ligament injuries
- Post surgical incisions
- Open acute and chronic wounds
The biological effects of the K-laser:
- Anti-inflammatory - K-LASER produces an anti-oedema effect: it causes vasodilation and activates the lymphatic drainage system. Thus, reducing swelling caused by traumas and/or local inflammation.
- Analgesic - K-LASER therapy positively affects pain receptors, increasing pain threshold while reducing the transmission of pain stimuli to the brain. Pain is also reduced thanks to the local anti- inflammatory and anti-oedema effect. Over the central spine nerves, K-Laser therapy triggers endorphins production and altering nerve pathways; in addition, it can be used to stimulate acupuncture points.
- Improved vascular activity - K-LASER therapy significantly increases tissue perfusion and the formation of new capillaries, thus accelerating the healing process of damaged tissues. The increased blood supply to the injured tissues facilitates the healing process and reduces pain.
- Improvement of soft tissues wounds - K-LASER therapy stimulates wounds, ulcers and mucositis to heal faster, and recruits white blood cells resulting in better quality healing and less scarring, better wound healing.
- Metabolic activity - K-LASER therapy increases the efficiency of cellular metabolic enzymes, increases tissue oxygen levels, and perfusion, thus facilitating the repair and the regeneration of damaged cells.
Treatment regimes can be tailored to the injury and your circumstances. For example, with an acute strain, I would recommend 2 treatments per week, for 3 weeks at £60 per session (excluding VAT).
Sarcoid Removal
K-Laser Surgery Mode for Sarcoid removal and minor surgical procedures:
Sarcoids are common skin tumours in horses. They are often unpredictable in their growth and difficult to treat, due to a high recurrence rate. Surgical removal of sarcoid masses with the K-Laser has significant advantages over scalpel-surgical removal and topical creams.
The K-laser vaporises tissue as it cuts:
- this kills any cancerous cells at the wound margins that could be contaminating the remaining tissue after the sarcoid is removed.
- this immediately seals small blood vessels thus minimising bleeding.
In most cases, K-laser sarcoid surgery can be performed at home, with standing sedation and a low recurrence rate.
- Reduced Bleeding
- Accurate, Simple Surgery
- Contact and Non-Contact modes
- Faster, Improved Healing
- Enhanced Pain Management
- Portable for use in the Field
For more information on sarcoid removal and a competitive quote, please do not hesitate to contact me.