Large Animal

Long-time equestrian Deborah Steele was trailering her 18-year-old Paint mare Daisy Mae to a chiropractor appointment. When she opened the trailer upon arrival, Steele saw Daisy Mae—whom she has owned since birth after breeding her dam—hung up on the metal bar divider of the trailer stalls.

“Case of the Month” – May 2025

In late February, Amanda Johnson awoke to find a frightening scene in her barn. The jaw of her 5-day-old foal Quincy was bloody and hanging out of place, appearing broken on both sides. She immediately called her veterinarian.

“She was out of town but took the time to discuss the situation with me,” said Johnson. “She suggested I take Quincy to UC Davis. They would have the latest techniques to fix the jaw and give Quincy the best outlook for her future as a performance horse.”

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is pleased to welcome Dr. Heidi Reesink as a Professor of Veterinary Orthopedics. A board-certified surgeon, Dr. Reesink will have a clinical appointment with the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital’s (VMTH) Equine Surgery and Lameness Service, as well as a research laboratory within the school’s J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Laboratory.

The Equine Surgical Emergency and Critical Care Service at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital recently welcomed Dr. Sandra Valdez as a Clinical Professor. Dr. Valdez brings a wealth of experience from around the world as an equine veterinarian and surgeon for the past 30 years.

Dr. Carter Judy has joined the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital’s Equine Surgery and Lameness Service as a Clinical Professor. A renowned and well-respected equine surgeon, Dr. Judy has spent the past 22 years as a surgeon at Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos, California. 

The nearly 200 participants at the UC Davis Equine Health Symposium clearly agreed on one thing – they learned a lot. For the second year, the event featured tracks in English and Spanish covering topics ranging from equine reproduction to preventive care. It brought equine enthusiasts representing a wide range of age groups and experience levels together for lectures and hands-on learning opportunities.

Los casi 200 participantes en el Simposio de Salud Equina de UC Davis coincidieron claramente en una cosa: aprendieron mucho. Por segundo año, el evento contó con charlas en inglés y en español que abarcaron temas variados desde la reproducción equina hasta el cuidado preventivo. Reunió a entusiastas equinos que representaban grupos diverso de diferentes edades y niveles de experiencia. Este Simposio contó con charlas y demostraciones prácticas interactivas.

Pasteurization is the only widely recognized method of killing H5N1, the virus that causes bird flu, in milk. However, pasteurization can be expensive and fewer than 50% of large dairy farms pasteurize waste milk.

Waste milk includes colostrum, the first milk after calving; milk from cows treated with antibiotics or other drugs; or any other factor that can make milk unsuitable and unsellable for human consumption. On farms, raw waste milk poses a potential risk of spreading avian flu, which so far has been confirmed in dairy cattle in 16 states.  

Lance Yohe, CJF, is the new farrier for the UC Davis veterinary hospital’s Large Animal Clinic. Yohe has been a farrier for more than 30 years. He completed his farrier education at the Eastern School of Farriery in 1993 and became a Certified Farrier (2014) and a Certified Journeyman Farrier (2015) through the American Farrier’s Association (AFA).

An active member of AFA since 2008, Yohe served as the regional director from 2017-23 and on the executive board from 2017-22. He also served as director and vice president of the Western States Farrier Association from 2008-16.

Dr. Nicola Pusterla recently won the Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Advancement in Equine Research Award, given at the American Association of Equine Practitioners annual meeting.

The Boehringer Advancement in Equine Research Award was launched in 2011 to support veterinary research that results in practical applications for insights into important equine infectious and noninfectious diseases.