The Charles and Julie Wharton Large Animal Hospital at UT

03/06/2026

One of our very own is stepping up to do her part to help the horses! 🐴 Please show your support for Dr. Sarah Templeton! 💃
https://horsehaventn.org/news-events/event-calendar.html/event-form/registration-form/111142/tickets

02/26/2026

Spring only a few weeks away! 🙌 It’s not too early to start thinking about a deworming plan for your horses.

If deworming is something you’ve been doing the same way for as long as you can remember, this year we encourage you to break tradition and work with your veterinarian instead. Thanks to tools like the f***l egg count, your horse doctor can help you devise a treatment tailored to the needs of your equine friend plus monitor the efficacy of the dewormer used last.

Before you dismiss this notion because you’ve been “doing it for years,” you should know that the old-school approach to deworming is quickly becoming outdated. Not only is it a waste of money, but it also builds drug resistance in the parasitic fauna of equines, which means we are running out of drugs that can effectively help us control parasite infections.

For more information, the AAEP Parasite Control Guidelines can be found on our website: https://aaep.org/resource/internal-parasite-control-guidelines/

Key take-home messages from these Internal Parasite Disease Control Guidelines include:

• Perform f***l egg count reduction tests (FECRT) annually to ensure that you are using effective dewormers in every herd or barn.

• Recognize that no anthelmintic will eliminate all parasitic stages from a horse.

• Continue using f***l egg counts (FEC) once or twice a year to stratify horses into low, medium, and high shedders to reduce pasture contamination.

• Deworm all horses at a baseline rate (once or twice a year) and target selected horses more often based on FEC (strongyle high shedders).

• Do not use FEC to diagnose disease in horses; there is no correlation between FEC and disease-causing parasite life stages.

• Discontinue deworming all horses with fixed intervals year-round (e.g., every 2 months), and stop blindly rotating anthelmintic classes.

As always, consult your equine veterinarian to learn more and for questions specific to your horses!

02/09/2026

Know before you show. Tips from our state veterinarian.

Tennessee State Veterinarian Dr. Samantha Batey joined us with the latest on biosecurity efforts and the state’s new “Know Before You Show” initiative.

02/07/2026

Dr. Colla presenting today at the 2026 Horse Owner Conference 🐎

02/05/2026

Meet Dr. Sandro Colla, an equine veterinarian with 20+ years of experience in clinical practice, academia, and research. A DVM graduate of Paulista State University (Brazil), he also holds a master’s in equine biomechanics and has even worked with the Brazilian Olympic Veterinary Team. After moving to the U.S. in 2017, he completed advanced training in equine imaging, sports medicine, and rehabilitation, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Colorado State University. His research focuses on wearable sensors and AI for equine lameness detection, rehabilitation, and injury prevention. He is passionate about teaching, performance optimization, and evidence-based care. You will see him in our EPRC unit and in the field too assessing lameness. Welcome to UTCVM!🧡🤍

02/02/2026

Check out Dr. Kady Powell as she performs mesotherapy!
Mesotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment used to manage pain and inflammation—especially in the back, neck, and other musculoskeletal areas. By injecting small amounts of therapeutic medications just under the skin, it targets pain pathways directly, helping improve comfort, circulation, and flexibility.
Often used in sport and performance horses, mesotherapy can support healing and enhance performance as part of a comprehensive rehab plan.

02/01/2026

The UT Veterinary Medical Center and Diagnostic Labs will operate on regular schedules Monday, February 2. https://vetmed.tennessee.edu/weather-related-operating-updates/

01/31/2026

Dr. Mulon: large animal surgeon AND master chain-on-tire put’er on’er. Many thanks to anesthesiology expert Dr. Bussières for the photos!

01/30/2026

Dr. Melissa Hines and two Class of 2026 students (Justin Sailors and Holly Evans) teamed up with Dr. Hal Schott from Michigan State, along with two universities in Mexico, for an Equitarian trip to Mexico.
Veterinary students had the opportunity to expand clinical skills while making a real impact—improving the health and welfare of working horses, donkeys, and mules in underserved communities. They even learned surgical skills from Dr. Jim Schumacher, retired UTCVM faculty!
This is hands-on learning at its best: service, collaboration, and compassionate care in action. 🧡🤍

01/27/2026

We are open for appointments tomorrow.

Updated January 26, 2026: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will continue virtual classes Tuesday, January 27, 2026. However, the UT Veterinary Medica ...

01/23/2026

Dr. Meggan Graves discusses ways to keep livestock and horses safe in winter weather.