ABJ Services

 

Ambulatory Service and 24 Hour Emergency Care
Our regular office hours are 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday but we offer 24 hour emergency care, 7 days a week.  Our affiliation with Helen Woodward Animal Center allows us to admit your horse to their hospital for round the clock care. 

Lameness Diagnosis and Treatment
Our primary specialty at ABJ Equine is the diagnosis and treatment of lameness.  Our diagnostic approach consists of a progressive evaluation that includes palpation, joint flexion, nerve and joint blocks. We also offer digital radiographs and ultrasound for more complex cases.  There are several new and exciting treatments for lameness that include: routine Legend and Adequan shots, shockwave therapy, intra-articular joint injections, and stem cell therapy. 

Digital Radiology
We offer digital radiographs, the newest and best method of obtaining x-rays in the horse.  The primary advantage of DR is that it allows us to immediately view and verify the radiographs at the time of the exam.   We can then confer with you onsite and immediately choose a course of action to treat your horse’s lameness.

Also, Digital Radiographs have better resolution and can be modified to change the contrast and magnification of the image.  We can visualize abnormalities that might otherwise be overlooked with traditional radiology.  We can also burn you a cd of your images or send them to a specialist for review if needed.  The benefit of DR is that it reduces the overall exam time and increases accuracy of diagnosis, thereby reducing the cost to you!

Diagnostic Ultrasound
We are proud to offer diagnostic ultrasound, the “gold standard” in the evaluation of tendon and ligament injuries in the horse.  It is most helpful in imaging soft tissues and fluid filled structures where radiographs cannot produce a conclusive diagnosis.  It can also be used to diagnose pregnancy in mares and internal medicine problems by imaging organs and soft tissues in the body cavity. 

Ultrasound works by emitting sound waves that are focused on the injured site and bounce off of structures in that area to produce and image.  Some of the conditions for which we commonly ultrasound are:

• Tendon and ligament injuries
• Abdominal review (heart, liver, etc.)
• Breeding and reproductive imaging (diagnosing pregnancy and artificial  insemination)
• Lung imaging

Lithotripsy or “Shockwave” Treatments
One of our most effective treatments for chronic lameness is shockwave therapy.  It is a cutting edge treatment in the horse industry that is used to treat various conditions causing lameness.  Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive treatment that does not require general anesthesia.  There are few, if any, known side effects.  The regimen usually consists of a series of 3 treatments each lasting about 10-20 minutes. 

Shockwave therapy works by emitting high energy sound waves that are transmitted to the injured site where they stimulate immune competent cells in that area.  This in turn triggers the body’s natural repair mechanisms to promote long term healing and produce analgesia.  Shockwave therapy is useful for several conditions causing lameness including:

• Suspensory ligament injury and disease
• Bowed tendons
• Hock arthritis
• Ringbone
• Bone Spavin
• Soft tissue calcification
• Splints
• Fractured split bones
• Back pain (muscle pain, sacro-iliac pain, kissing spines)
• Navicular syndrome
• Delayed and non-union fractures

Vet-Stem
We now offer veterinary medicine’s newest technology in treating lameness, Vet-Stem.  Stem cells can be used to treat many chronic conditions that do not respond well to traditional treatments.  Stem cells work by adhering to injured tissue and stimulating local signaling factors to promote healing in the injured site.  Typically stem cells are used to treat:

• Osteoarthritis and Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD)
• Suspensory ligament and tendon injuries
• OCD and subchondral bone cysts
• Cartilage damage
• Fracture repair

(Photo Courtesy of Vet-Stem)

Stem cells are harvested from the adipose tissue of your horse, processed and injected into the injured site within 48-72 hours.  Once injected, clinical improvement is generally seen within 14 days from the initial treatment.  Often one treatment is enough and the results are dramatic.  If you think your horse may be a candidate for stem cell therapy, check out the Vet-Stem website to learn more.

Visco Supplementation
Visco therapy is the supplementation of gel-like substances into the body that acts to lubricate articular joint cartilage.  These serve to decrease friction, reduce pain, and thus improve overall mobility of the horse.  Injections consist of cartilage precursors like hyaluronic acid (Legend) and poly-sulfated glycosaminoglycans (Adequan) that can be administered intravenously or intramuscularly.   Inter-articular joint injections with Hylartin are a step up from these maintenance injections.  They are minimally invasive option that dramatically improves lameness.

Pre-purchase Exam
We offer pre-purchase exams for all prospective horse buyers.  Our comprehensive exam includes a physical exam, soundness evaluation, and blood draw.  Any necessary blood tests will be run and a sample will be stored for one month in the event that a drug test is requested.  Digital Radiographs are taken upon request.  After the exam we will provide you with a summary of our findings. 

Pfizer Preventicare Program

ABJ Equine works with Pfizer to provide you with a preventicare program.  Under this plan with Pfizer Animal Health, makers of Strongid C2X, if your horse colics while enrolled in the program and requires surgery, Pfizer will reimburse you for the cost of the surgery plus the price of 3 days aftercare for up to $5,000.  This colic assistance is provided at no additional charge when you enroll in and comply with the terms of the program. 

To qualify the patient must receive the following services from ABJ Equine:

• Annual physical exam
• Annual dental exam and float
• Compliance with the recommended vaccination regimen (VEWT, Flu/rhino, West Nile, and Strangles vaccines)
• Daily administration of Strongid C2X (must be purchase from ABJ Equine)
• Biannual deworming with Ivermection

In addition, there are 3 disqualifications for the Preventicare Program.  These horses are not eligible for reimbursement on colic surgery.

• Any horse that has had prior colic surgery.
• Any horse that has experienced colic in the past 12 months/ has a history of chronic colic.
• Any horse that is under 5 months of age and not fully weaned from its mother, or any horse over 20 years old.

For more information on the Pfizer Preventicare program go to http://www.equinepreventicare.com

Equine Health and Breeding
We provide services to meet all your horse’s general health and reproductive needs.  At ABJ Equine we emphasize preventative health measures to keep your horse at peak health.  This includes general deworming and vaccinations and other routine healthcare procedures.  In addition to Digital Radiology and Ultrasound, we offer a variety of other diagnostics to monitor your horse’s health.  The most commonly performed tests include complete blood work up (including specific viral and metabolic panels) endocrine and allergy profiles, biopsy, histopathology, and pathogen culture. 

We also offer pre-breeding consults, uterine cultures and biopsies, artificial insemination, reproductive ultrasound, pregnancy exams, and post-natal care for your mare and her foal. 

If you are traveling across state lines with your horse, we can provide you with the proper documentation.  Simply schedule a vet exam to obtain your Health Certificate and Coggins Test.

Dentistry
At ABJ Equine, we believe proper dentistry is essential to your horse’s general health.  Routine dental floats every six months to a year will greatly improve your horse’s quality of life and longevity.  We work closely with dental specialists from Long and Heers Advanced Equine Dentistry, to provide our clients with the best possible dental care.  The practice is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada but they make regular trips to our area. 
For more information or to make an appointment call Joy at (702) 768-7309.

Long and Heers Advanced Equine Dentistry
P.O. Box 777001
Henderson NV 89077
(702) 768-7309