“I call them my Geriatric Club,” joked horse owner Laura Croyle, referring to her three horses – Big Chief and Little Cloud, both 20-year-old miniatures, and Dex, a 30-year-old mustang.
The three “brothers” have been herd mates for 10 years and are inseparable. So, it’s understandable when Dex and Little Cloud put up a fuss when Big Chief was taken to UC Davis for five days. The miniature gelding developed a case of colic and was writhing in pain when Laura and her husband Warren found him one morning four months ago.
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.
UC Davis veterinary surgeons repaired a badly broken jaw of a 5-day-old foal. Just one day after surgery, she was able to begin nursing again and is now fully recovered.
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.
Equine surgery resident Dr. Tom Bergstrom was recently awarded the 2023 American Association of Veterinary Clinicians (AAVC) Resident Achievement Award.
When Bella, a 7-year-old Thoroughbred maiden mare, went into labor last month, her owners Tom and Nicole Bachman were excited and sprang into action. But they soon realized something was terribly wrong.
Georgia, an 18-year-old warmblood mare, was brought to the UC Davis veterinary hospital after a recent change of ownership. The previous owners disclosed she had been treated medically for chronic endometritis (inflammation of the uterine lining) over the past several years without resolution of the condition.
Following a normal morning feeding, Easy, a 19-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter gelding, was found down and rolling in his pasture (a sign of a potential colic problem). Having been clients of the UC Davis veterinary hospital for more than 30 years, owners Meredith Reinhart and Mark McLean knew exactly who to call. They made arrangements for veterinarians and students from the nearby UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine to come see Easy. The school quickly dispatched its Equine Field Service, who examined Easy and administered medication to relieve pain and abdominal cramping. But when Field Service had to return three hours later because Easy continued to be painful, they weren’t taking any chances and made arrangements to have Easy transported back to the veterinary hospital.
