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Equine Hospital Helps a Most Popular Pony Return to Her Kids

As one of the foundation horses in the lesson program at Gargot Farms, 13-year-old Welsh cob pony Peekaboo has a very important job – to teach young children responsibility, respect and, of course, the basics of horsemanship.

“In teaching riding, we teach a depth of feeling and a sense of community,” says Margot Nacey, lifelong equestrian, licensed psychologist, and owner of Gargot Farms. “Peekaboo is a key part of that mission and she loves her job.”

So in January 2007 when Peekaboo broke her pastern bone after slipping on some ice, Margot and the entire Gargot Farms family were heartbroken.

“We were very scared,” recalled Molly Brame, head riding instructor at the farm. Margot made up her mind to do everything she could to save this horse.

Peekaboo’s regular veterinarian, Dr. Allen Landes of Equine Medical Service and

graduate of Colorado State Uni-versity’s Professional Veterinary Medical Program, came out to the farm and stabilized her leg so that she could be transported to the Equine Hospital at Colorado State’s James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

When they arrived at the hospital, X-rays indeed revealed that Peekaboo had a com-minuted, bi-articular fracture of the second phalanx (P2). The short pastern bone was in multiple pieces and the fracture affected both the pastern and the coffin joints.

“The prognosis was guarded to poor for return to performance because the

fractures extended into the coffin joint,” said Dr. Gary Baxter, Equine Hospital Section Chief and surgeon in charge of Peekaboo’s case. “This usually results in arthritis in the coffin joint unless the joint surface can be properly aligned. These horses can often be comfortable for breeding or walking around but are often lame when ridden.”

Even with the difficult road ahead for Peekaboo, Margot and the equine surgery team were eager to do what they could to help this very special horse.

“The surgery itself was a fairly straight-forward fix for what is an unfortunate, but common break,” said Dr. Baxter. “We did a CT scan on the fracture prior to surgery to confirm the exact location of the fracture lines and the size of the pieces. It helped significantly with the repair of the fractures by showing exactly where to place the screws and plates, particularly at the coffin

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Equine Hospital Newsletter Veterinary Medical Center James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Winter 2008/2009

Volume 3, Edition 2

IndexWelcome ...........................................2Equine Hospital Collaborates with Cancer Center Specialists ...........2Stem Cell Therapy Helps Eventer ...3Dr. Dean Hendrickson Appointed Director .....................4Equine Hospital Welcomes Dr. Jeremy Hubert .......................4Dr. Fausto Bellezzo Joins Equine Hospital Staff ...................................4Wish List ...........................................5Hoof Notes .......................................6

The Equine Hospital

For appointments call (970) 297-4471

For off-hour emergencies call (970) 221-4535

FAX: (970) 297-1205

www.csuvets.colostate.edu/equinehospital/

Editor: Krista Dickinson, CVT

comments4equinehospital@colostate.edu

Peekaboo’s caregivers Susan, Margot, and Molly

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WelcomeDear friends, clients, referring veterinarians:

This is our “Holiday” issue of the Equine Hospital newsletter for 2008. We want to wish everyone a happy holiday season. This is the time of the year we should reflect and thank those people that are important to us and

especially our families for their support during the year. So if you have not done this yet, please put this on your holiday “to do” list, and follow

through before the end of the year.There have been a few changes

at the hospital recently, with more to come. Dr. Dean Hendrickson, a fellow equine surgeon, was recently appointed the director of the hospital. We feel he will help keep the hospital moving forward and wish him well. Dr. Jeremy Hubert, an ACVS board-certified equine surgeon, has been hired as an interim clinical replacement. We are fortunate to have his expertise during this transition. Finally, I will begin a six-month sabbatical leave in January 2009. Dr. Chris Kawcak, a fellow equine surgeon and clinical faculty member, will take over as the head of the equine section while I am gone. I leave the section in good hands.

So following my lead of the first paragraph, I wish to thank all of you for your support to the Equine Hospi-tal during 2008. Our hospital is open to everyone and we offer a complete menu of services. For more informa-tion you can visit our website at: www.csuvets.colostate.edu/equinehospital.

Best Regards,Dr. Gary Baxter Chief, Equine Hospital Section

Equine Hospital Collaborates with Animal Cancer Center Specialists

Owners and veterinarians are seeking more options for treating cancer in horses. Whether due to increased longevity of our horse population or owner commitment and awareness, the number of horses with cancer that are being treated is up. “We are committed to doing all we can to make the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in our equine patients as successful as possible,” says Dr. Gabriele Landolt, Assistant Professor of Equine Internal Medicine. Equine Medicine clinicians Dr. Lutz Goehring and Dr. Ann Davidson echo those sentiments.

“Even though a cancer diagnosis in equines may be rare, some of the most prevalent cancers we see develop in horses are sarcoids, melanomas in gray horses, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, gastric squamous cell carcinomas, followed by systemic tumors such as lymphoma, adenocarcinoma, and hemangiosarcoma,” says Goehring.

The Animal Cancer Center (ACC) at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital has provided cancer treatment for animal patients of all species, particularly dogs and cats, since the mid-1980s. Led by Dr. Steve Withrow, director of the ACC, their work has involved many important breakthroughs benefiting humans and ani-mals alike. As part of the only center of its kind, the oncologists of the ACC contribute significantly to the clinicians of the Equine Hospital in the diagnosis and treatment of

equine cancer patients, both on the Front Range and around the country.

One of the key members of this cancer-fighting team, who regularly lends his expertise to help equine patients, is Dr. Douglas Thamm, Assistant Professor of Oncology. He helps equine veterinarians better understand the biology of tumors in each specific case.

“Dr. Thamm is on the cutting-edge of medical oncology, which makes his input invaluable to positive patient outcomes,”

says Landolt.She and

Thamm began their collabora-tion as veteri-nary residents at the University of Wisconsin and have been work-ing together ever since.

“I’ve always had an inter-est in equine medicine,” says Thamm. “I grew up around horses, and I was always looking

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Veterinary Medical Oncologist Dr. Doug Thamm

Sarcoid (left); Sarcoid post surgery and interlesional chemotherapy (right)

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Pedal to the Metal: Stem Cell Therapy Helps Eventer Return to the Cross-Country Course

As Calyn Allen warmed up for the final cross-country phase of her combined train-ing event aboard Halo, her thirteen-year-old bay thoroughbred gelding, she could tell that something wasn’t quite right. The on-grounds vet agreed and just moments before Calyn and Halo were set to gallop across the course, Calyn decided to pull out of the competition.

It turned out to be a good thing that her rider’s intuition kicked in at that very moment. A week later, Halo presented with lameness in his left front limb, and Calyn turned to the Equine Hospital.

“At the time of Halo’s injury I was a student in the Equine Sciences program at Colorado State, and I knew that the Equine Hospital was one of the best in the nation,” noted Calyn, now a graduate of Colorado State University and an assistant barn manager at Somerset Farms, a large training facility in Longmont, Colo.

Having had numerous horses with career-ending injuries, Calyn feared her dreams of eventing Halo were dissolving before her eyes.

“If I was going to take him somewhere, I wanted to take him to the best.”

Indeed an ultrasound of Halo’s left front limb revealed a 60-percent tear in the medial branch of his suspensory ligament near the connection with his sesamoid bone.

Dr. Laurie Goodrich, Assistant Profes-sor of Equine Surgery and the surgery and lameness clinician managing Halo’s case, carefully laid out Calyn’s treatment options. Ideally, this would include using a relatively new therapy of injecting stem cells, derived from Halo’s own bone marrow, into the injury site to help heal his wound.

“In the past, these kinds of injuries were often career-ending,” said Dr. Goodrich. “Be-

cause ligaments have a poor blood supply and the suspensory is under high tension and supports a significant amount of weight, it is difficult to get the tissue to heal properly. With the use of stem cell therapy, the prognosis for returning to work goes from 20 percent to nearly 80 percent.”

“I jumped at the chance to use stem cells as part of Halo’s treatment because it seemed that it would give me the best shot of having my horse back,” said Calyn. “When Halo is out on the course, it’s an unbelievable feeling. There is just so much horse underneath you, bursting to run. He just goes pedal to the metal, and it broke my heart to think we wouldn’t be able to do that again. I had to give this a try.”

With an optimistic owner and a willing patient, Dr. Goodrich went to work harvest-ing bone marrow from Halo’s hip. The procedure is minimally invasive and is per-formed as the horse is standing and sedated. Veterinarians inject a long needle into the point of the horse’s hip and extract the bone marrow cells. The stem cells are then grown in a petri dish for two to three weeks.

When the cells are ready, veterinar-ians inject them into the injury site using ultrasound as a guide. Ideally, this should happen within four weeks of the injury to prevent scar tissue from forming where the stem cells need to be placed.

Stem cells are essential in the repair of the injured tissue because they encourage growth factors, an important cellular component of the healing process, and they act as anti-inflammatories, reducing the amount of swelling and scar tissue that would normally form. In many ways, stem cells encourage tissue regeneration so that the ligament tissue is more consistent in shape

and quality to its pre-injury state. In other words, the ligament will be “like new” instead of just healed scar tissue. Stem cell therapy has proven successful in injuries to tendons, ligaments, and some muscles.

“It is important for horse owners to keep in mind that stem cell therapy doesn’t necessarily speed healing. Rather, stem cells enhance the quality of the tissue repair so that the horse has a better chance of returning to work. Rehabilitation is still an important component in successful treatment of these kinds of injuries,” noted Dr. Goodrich.

During the rehabilitation process, careful ultrasound monitoring and strict adherence to exercise protocols are essential to successful outcomes.

After the procedure, Calyn and Halo embarked on this long road of rehabilitation, which began with total stall confinement and only five minutes of hand walking each day. With careful ultrasound monitoring, Dr. Goodrich recommended Calyn slowly increase Halo’s movement until finally Calyn was able to sit once again in the saddle.

Today, a year and a half after injury, Halo has made a great recovery and he and Calyn have returned to flying over fences at just over three feet.

“Working with the Equine Hospital, especially Dr. Goodrich, was a great experience. I felt like Halo was an important priority. And the best part is – I have my horse back.”

Halo and Calyn during competition with the pedal to the metal

Before After

Left: Ultrasound cross section of Halo’s torn ligament; right: After stem cell treatment – ultrasound cross section showing lesions resolved.

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Dr. Dean Hendrickson Appointed Director of the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital

After serving as interim director since June 2008, Dr. Dean Hen-drickson has been named as Director of the James L. Voss Veteri-nary Teaching Hospital.

Dr. Hendrickson is a board-certified equine surgeon who has worked with equine patients, owners, and referring veterinarians throughout the community. A Professor in the Department of Clinical

make the hospital stronger than ever,” said Dr. Lance Perryman, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The hospital is constantly striving to provide the best possible service. If you have suggestions or comments, Dr. Hendrickson can be reached by contacting the director’s office at (970) 297-1269.

Equine Hospital Welcomes Dr. Jeremy Hubert to Lameness and Surgery Service

In November, the Equine Hospital proudly welcomed Dr. Jeremy Hubert as a faculty member and cli-nician, specializing in equine lameness and surgery. A board-certified surgeon, Dr. Hubert will provide expertise in lameness and associated orthopedic surgery, as well as upper respiratory tract diseases and laparoscopy.

Born in Wales, but raised on a family ranch in Zimbabwe (formerly Rho-desia), Dr. Hubert graduated from the University of Zim-babwe, Faculty of Veterinary Science, in 1993. He has practiced veterinary medicine around the world including in Zimbabwe, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 2000, Dr. Hubert completed his master’s degree and an Equine Surgical Residency at Louisiana State University. He joined the faculty at LSU in 2000 as a clinical instruc-tor and later served as an Associate Profes-sor of Equine Surgery through 2007.

Most recently, he has spent some time working on his family ranch in Zimbabwe and assisting in the equine clinic as a

Visiting Professor of Equine Surgery at Ondesterpoort, University of Pretoria, South Africa.

His research interests have involved biomechanics and applications of shock-wave therapy. Outside interests include a variety of sports and a special passion for the southern African outdoors and wildlife. Dr. Hubert enjoys instructing senior students in the clinic as well as teaching and mentoring graduate students and residents. He looks forward to serving our equine community.

Client JoLynn Grieves and Dr. Jeremy Hubert with Abe, one of her barrel-racing quarter horses.

Dr. Fausto Bellezzo Joins Equine Hospital Staff

Sciences, he has also served as a mentor and teacher for veterinary students and residents. He had previously led the Equine Hospital section in addition to serving as interim hospital director from December 2006 to July 2007.

“It has been my pleasure to work with the equine community,” said Hendrickson. “Our entire hospital does an outstanding job of providing service to our clients and patients and training the next generation of veterinary medical professionals. I look forward to continuing our tradition of excellence.”

“Under his leadership, the Veterinary Teaching Hospital will continue to make strides as we face the challenges of the com-ing year and look for new opportunities to

Dr. Fausto Bellezzo joined the Equine Hospital staff in August 2008 as a postdoc-toral fellow in Equine Emergency Surgery and Critical Care. He obtained his D.V.M. at the Federal University of Vicosa, Brazil, and upon graduation worked for three years as a racetrack veterinarian in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Dr. Bellezzo came to the United States and completed an Equine Surgery residency at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine then spent two years as an equine emergency clinician at Iowa State University. He finds emergency and critical care work rewarding because he wants to make a dif-ference for his patients and their owners. Dr. Diana Hassel, assistant professor of Equine Emergency Surgery and Critical Care states, “It is a pleasure working with Dr. Bellezzo, he has proven to be a strong asset to the Equine Hospital.” In his limited spare time he is enjoying Colorado, particularly hiking, biking, horseback riding and, most recently, snowboarding. Besides enjoying the out-doors, cooking is his newfound passion.

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Wish List for the Equine HospitalListed below are items both large and

small that will enhance our ability to pro-vide quality care for our equine patients and help instruct our senior veterinary students. If you are interested in making a donation to fund any of this equipment, call Dr. Gary Baxter, Equine Section Head, at (970) 297-0382, e-mail gary.baxter@colostate.edu; or Judea Franck, Associate Director of Development for the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, at (970) 297-4278, e-mail judea.franck@colostate.edu.

Surgical Air DrillFunction: This Compact Air Drill is

needed to complement the new surgical locking plate system the Equine Hospital recently received through our clients’ generous donations. This system will aid in greater efficiency in fracture stabilization.

Estimated cost: $13,750

Cameras for Colic Surgical SuiteFunction: Two surgical cameras and a

viewing screen would provide our clients with the option of being able to watch their horse’s surgery. One camera perspective will show the surgical suite and another camera will capture the incision and document surgical lesions. These imaging services would allow us to invite concerned horse owners, referring veterinarians, and larger groups of veterinary students to participate in the surgical experience. Further, this system would allow for documentation of cases that could be shown to owners not present at the time of surgery or future case rounds for veterinary students.

Equipment: Two Sony pan/tilt/zoom color video cameras, video converters, cables, and flat screen TV.

Estimated cost: $5,000.

Large Animal Rescue Glide Equipment

Function: To assist with the move-ment of horses that are down and cannot get up from neurological disease or trauma. It will help when getting them out of a trailer, to the stall area, or even just rolling them to the opposite side.

Estimated cost: $1,000

Support an Equine ResidentFunction: To educate and train

equine specialists of the future. Dona-tions will be earmarked for equine surgery and medicine residents dur-ing their three-year specialty training program, specifically toward professional development, conference attendance, and off-site visits.

Estimated cost: All donations are accepted.

Please return this form with your gift to:

Veterinary Medical Center, James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, c/o CSU Foundation, P.O. Box 1870, Fort Collins, Colorado 80522-1870

57383/V0911

Enclosed is my/our check for a gift of $ _________________ (Payable to Colorado State University Foundation – Equine Hospital)This gift is from: q me q my spouse & me q my partner & me

Name ___________________________________________________

Spouse’s/Partner’s Full Name __________________________________

Address __________________________________________________

City __________________________ State _______ ZIP ___________

Home Phone ( _______ ) _____________________________________

E-Mail ____________________________________ q Home q Work

q A matching gift form is enclosed.

q My contribution is in memory of:

_____________________________________________________

q Please charge this gift in the amount of $ ___________ to my/our:q Visa q MasterCard q American Express

____________________________________________________Print name as it appears on your card.

______________________________ ______ /______ (mm/yy)Card Number Exp. Date

____________________________________________________Signature

Please apply this gift to: q Advances in Equine Health Fund # 57383 q Equine Medicine Clinic Services and Research Fund #53943

Colorado State University – The Equine HospitalGifts to the Equine Hospital at Colorado State University’s

Veterinary Teaching Hospital are used to support clinical care through equipment purchases, enhance the Professional Veterinary Medical Program for our students, provide funding for clinical research programs, and provide discretionary funds to the Equine Hospital section head that are used where most needed. If you would like to make a donation in support of the Equine Hospital’s

needs and goals, please complete the form below and return with your gift. If you have any questions on making a donation to the Equine Hospital, please contact Judea Franck, Associate Director of Development for the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedi-cal Sciences at judea.franck@colostate.edu or at (970) 297-4278. Online giving also is available at https:/advancing.colostate.edu/EquineHospital/give.

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Expanded PositionDr. Ann

Davidson will now work with the Equine Field Service and the in-hospital Equine Medicine group. Dr. David-son received her D.V.M., followed by an internship at Louisiana State University. She then completed her Equine Medicine residency at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Upon board certification she worked in a private equine specialty practice in Loui-siana until taking the Equine Field service position last July, bringing her back to Colorado. When asked about her expanded position, Dr. Davidson responded, “I love the diversity of managing cases both on the farm and in the hospital.”

Surgery ResidentDr. Katie

Amend entered the combined master’s program and equine surgery and lame-ness residency at Colorado State University in July 2008.

Born and raised in Kalispell, Mont., Dr. Amend grew up with horses and cattle. She began riding at an early age and competed in 4-H and then moved into hunter/jumpers and eventing.

Prior to joining us, Dr. Amend obtained a B.S. in zoology, as well as her D.V.M., from Washington State University. She then completed a one-year internship at Pioneer Equine Hospital in Oakdale, Calif. Although she enjoys all aspects of equine surgery, her primary clinical interests are in

lameness, orthopedics, and sports medi-cine/surgery.

Dr. Amend’s hobbies include snow skiing, horseback riding, fly-fishing, and backpacking.

ReceptionistSuzanne

Holly joined the Colorado State University Veterinary Teach-ing Hospital in October 2007. Her capable skills took her from medical records to the business office and finally to the large animal reception desk where her excellent attention to detail has been a great addition. She enjoys the challenges of working in a fast-paced environment and particularly her interaction with horse owners. Ms. Holly has become an impor-tant member of our equine team. When she is not working, she enjoys the outdoors with friends and family playing golf, biking, hiking, scuba diving, and traveling.

GoodbyeWe say

goodbye to Dr. Jennifer MacLeay, who accepted a position with Hill’s Pet Nutri-tion Inc. and will be leaving in December. Dr. MacLeay has been a part of the hos-pital since 1999, not only with the Equine Medicine group but also the Small Rumi-nant Comparative Orthopedic Laboratory and the Integrative Livestock Management Team. We wish her all the best in her new position.

Purina Equine Specialist Partners with the Equine HospitalTaylor Moss grew up in Birmingham, Ala.,

and started showing hunters at an early age. Her strong interest in horses led her to Middle Tennessee State University where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science while being very active with the Judging and Equestrian teams. She continued her educa-tion at West Texas A&M University, earning a master’s in Animal Science and is currently finishing her Ph.D. related to equine nutrition. Ms. Moss has also been active with the American Quarter Horse Association. She showed and was a member of several different teaching teams, which traveled abroad for summer horseman-ship clinics. Taylor joined Purina Mills in July 2007 as an Equine Specialist. She services the Front Range of Colorado and parts of Wyoming. She currently owns a Trakehner gelding and resides in Loveland, Colo., with her husband. “Partnering with the Equine section at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital combines all my interests: teaching people about equine nutrition and helping clinicians design special diets for their hospital patients,” states Ms. Moss.

Taylor and Moon

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Popular Pony, continued from Page 1

for an opportunity to continue to work with them.”

Cancer treatments in any species often begin with surgery, which is when Dr. Lau-rie Goodrich, Assistant Professor of Equine Surgery, is able to bring her expertise to the team. The first goal is complete removal of a mass. However, when tumors are large and invasive, Goodrich often turns to laser surgery to remove tumors in a process known as debulking.

After surgery, veterinarians are able to use a variety of chemotherapy protocols, which is where Thamm again lends his expertise, recommending which drugs are the most effective when tumors have been debulked. Treatments will often include localized or intralesional chemotherapy, a procedure that involves placing drugs directly into the tumor site to kill any diseased cells that could not be removed during surgery.

“Interestingly enough, we’ve found that chemotherapy drugs don’t generally have detrimental effects on wound healing; wounds heal well and scarring is often minimal,” says Goodrich. The before and after photographs of an extremity sarcoid demonstrate a recent case where Goodrich performed laser surgery and followed up with localized chemotherapy treatments. The patient was able to return to his normal quality of life with literally no visual trace of his cancer.

“We’ve had success with localized treatments of tumors that are close to the surface,” says Landolt. “More systemic chemotherapy protocols are still in their infancy.”

Not only is this collaboration among veterinarians at the hospital helping to heal equine patients, it may also help veterinar-ians and doctors understand more about human cancers.

“Oncology is an area that is developing in equine medicine,” says Landolt, “and it is a real benefit to have oncology experts like Dr. Thamm to consult with.”

“If I could offer one lesson for horse owners,” says Thamm, “it is to get a diagno-sis as early as possible. That is going to be key for treatment and, hopefully, a cure.”

Cancer Center Specialists, continued from Page 2

Peekaboo’s fractures of the short pastern (left), and 13 months post repair; fractures and pastern joint fused (right)

Peekaboo back to teaching after injury

“Dr. Wallis stayed in daily contact with us and was always there to answer our questions,” said Margot.

“Not only do we provide great care for our patients, we also train the next generation of veterinarians and boarded special-

ists. They make a real impact while they are here training,” added Baxter.

Peekaboo’s positive outcome was also aided by the incredible patience Margot and other Gargot Farms associates had with her recovery. When Peekaboo finally went home, she had a long road of rehabilitation ahead of her, starting with total stall rest and then to short hand walks.

Although the original prognosis predicted that she would be only pasture sound, Peekaboo beat the odds. Today, she is back working hard at her job of teaching young children the love and art involved with riding and horse care.

“All in all, it was a great partnership that helped Boo come back from her injury. The Equine Hospital staff did an excel-lent job and also worked with our farrier for supportive shoeing. Susan and Molly handled Boo’s rehab and her students sent lots of love. “I am so thankful for everyone,” noted Margot.

joint, which is most important.” The pastern joint was arthrodesed (surgically fused) and the fractures were repaired using two 4.5 mm plates.

After surgery, Peekaboo was hospital-ized for nearly three months.

“Despite the awful circumstances, it was absolutely wonderful working with the Equine Hospital,” said Nacey. “I was very impressed with the care and interest that they took in Peekaboo. The nursing staff was especially phenomenal in doing everything I asked for to help Peekaboo cope with being in a strange facility.”

Margot, Molly, Susan Hanneman (Gar-got Farms barn manager), and Peekaboo’s students regularly visited her at the hospital. Many of Peekaboo’s students also drew “get well” pictures that the Hospital staff hung around her stall.

Equine Surgery resident Dr. Ty Wallis was also instrumental in the case.

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James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital Equine HospitalCollege of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences1620 Campus DeliveryFort Collins, CO 80523-1620

Happy Holidays from the Equine Section!