Equine Aftercare

05/15/2025

04/08/2025

🩻 Straight From the Start: Understanding Angular Limb Deformities in Foals

There’s something truly magical about watching a newborn foal take its first steps—wobbly, curious, and full of promise. But as those legs begin to carry them farther into their future, early attention to conformation is key to ensuring a sound, athletic life.

One of the most common orthopedic concerns in young foals is angular limb deformities (ALDs)—a condition where a limb deviates outward or inward from its normal axis. While it may sound alarming, with timely observation and intervention, most ALDs can be corrected without long-term consequences.

👀 What Are Angular Limb Deformities?

ALDs are categorized by the direction and location of the deviation:

• Valgus deformities angle outward (e.g., knock-kneed)
• Varus deformities angle inward (e.g., bow-legged)

These deformities most often affect the knee (carpus) or fetlock, and they can be congenital (present at birth) or acquired as the foal grows. They may be influenced by genetics, nutrition, rapid growth, trauma, or uneven weight-bearing due to pain elsewhere in the limb.

💕 Why Early Intervention Matters

The clock is ticking when it comes to foal development. Growth plates begin to close within the first few months of life—especially in the lower limbs—so the earlier the deformity is identified, the better the outcome.

Mild cases may resolve on their own with controlled exercise and balanced nutrition. But moderate to severe deviations require a team approach, often including a veterinarian and a skilled farrier. Diagnostic imaging can assess joint alignment, while corrective trimming, therapeutic shoeing, splinting, or—in more extreme cases—surgery may be recommended.

Ignoring the issue or hoping the foal will “grow out of it” can set the stage for long-term unsoundness, joint stress, and future orthopedic problems that could end a performance career before it begins.

🦄 The Role of the Farrier: A Critical Piece of the Puzzle

Regular, skilled farrier care is essential in monitoring and managing limb development in foals. A farrier trained in young horse development can:

• Adjust hoof balance to encourage proper limb loading
• Provide trimming or light rasping to correct mild deviations
• Monitor changes over time to inform decisions about further treatment

A well-timed trim during a growth spurt can be the difference between a thriving young athlete and a lifetime of lameness.

✅ Final Thoughts

Every foal deserves the best chance to grow up sound and strong. Regular handling, careful observation, and a proactive care team—including your vet and farrier—set the stage for healthy development. When it comes to angular limb deformities, early action saves soundness.

Watch closely, ask questions, and never underestimate the power of good farrier work. Because those wobbly first steps? They’re just the beginning of the journey.

Read more blogs at: www.WzEquine.com

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A veterinarian dispels four common rumors that often sway an owner's decision to pursue surgery for a colicking horse.

06/16/2022

10 things veterinarians want horse owners to know about Banamine.
1)Banamine is a brand name. Flunixin meglumine is the drug name but many people refer to it by the popular brand name “Banamine” made by Merck. This medication is available in injectable liquid and oral paste formulations.
2)Flunixin is classified as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug which can be shortened to “NSAID.” NSAIDs reduce inflammation, pain, and fever by decreasing certain biochemical reactions in the body. Other drugs that are also classified as NSAIDs include phenylbutazone (Bute), firocoxib (Equioxx®, Previcoxx®).
3)Flunixin treats pain. By far the most common implication for the use of flunixin in horses is analgesia, or pain control. Flunixin provides good pain control for visceral (in the belly) and ocular (eye) pain. It is often used in cases of colic (abdominal pain) to make the horse more comfortable which reduces the risk of harm to the horse and handlers. It is important to note that flunixin does not cure the cause of colic; it temporarily relieves signs by providing pain relief.
4)Flunixin can reduce fever. A normal horse’s temperature is between 98.5 and 100.9°F. Like humans, horses can develop a fever secondary to an infection or illness. Many febrile horses will not eat or drink well when they have a fever but their appetite improves once the fever decreases. Flunixin can be used to reduce the horse's temperature often making them feel better. On a cautionary note, we often recommend owners take a temperature BEFORE giving flunixin as this can also a mask a fever.
5)Flunixin lasts 12 hours in the horse’s body. Some owners with a sick horse give a full dose of flunixin and then redose the horse a few hours later when he/she became uncomfortable again. This practice is not recommended for two reasons. First, overdosing can increase the risk of adverse effects including kidney damage and gastric ulcers. Second, if a horse's clinical signs do not resolve with a full dose, an examination by your veterinarian is likely warranted sooner rather than later and administering a second dose may delay treatment.
6)Flunixin can cause gastrointestinal and kidney damage. The same pathways that are down-regulated by flunixin to reduce pain and inflammation also partially protect the kidneys and stomach. At a normal dose the risk of these side effects is reduced. However, patients treated with an overdose or long term dosing are at an increased risk for renal (kidney) damage, gastric ulcers, and hind gut (colon) ulcers .
7)“Stacking” NSAIDs is not recommended. As previously stated, other drugs commonly used in horses that are also classified as NSAIDs include bute, Equioxx and Previcoxx). It is important to note that giving either of these medications together or in combination with flunixin can cause the same adverse effects as overdosing. For this reason,we do not recommend “stacking” NSAIDs or administering two of these drugs together. Many geriatric patients receive Equioxx or Previcoxx daily for pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. If this is the case, we recommend discontinuing that medication before starting another NSAID an allowing enough time for the body to clear the first drug completely.
8)Flunixin does not cause sedation or cure colic. Although we often use flunixin in colic cases, it is for the purpose of pain control. Alleviating the signs of colic by controlling pain is safer for the horse and handler when a horse is being treated and gives the horse’s body time to respond to treatment (ie oral fluids, IV fluids, motility agents). We often recommend removing hay/grain from a horse that has been administered flunixin for signs of colic until he/she can be examined by a veterinarian. In some cases, once the horse FEELS better he/she will try to continue eating and make the colic worse. If you think your horse may be colicking, we recommend calling your regular veterinarian and following her/his recommendations on medications and feeding.
9)Flunixin should NOT be given in the muscle (IM). Oddly enough, Banamine is still labeled for IM use in horses on the bottle but I strongly recommend against this practice. In rare cases, IM administration of flunixin (or phenylbutazone) has been known to cause a secondary condition called “Clostridial myositis” which can be fatal. The medication irritates the surrounding muscle tissue and bacterial spores can take advantage of the inflamed environment and cause a massive release of toxins. This disease is extremely painful and the treatment can be quite gruesome but horses that are not diagnosed and treated promptly may die from toxic overload. For this reason, we recommend only injecting flunixin in the vein (IV) or squirting the injectable fluid or paste in the mouth.
10)Flunixin injectable solution can be administered by mouth. The injectable formulation of flunixin can be administered by mouth at the same dose as IV use. Oral administration (either injectable solution or paste) takes about 20-30 min to reach full effect compared to 5-10 min with an IV injection. Oral administration does not take significantly longer than IM injection to reach peak absorption and is much safer for the horse.
Lastly always call your veterinarian if you suspect your horse appears off in any way before administering any medication.