Equine Veterinary Services & Emergency Care

Procedures & Treatments

Our equine trained vets at Argyle Veterinary Hospital provide a comprehensive range of services and treatments for hard working horses and their proud owners including:

• Equine Wellness Exams

  During your horse's wellness exam your Argyle equine vet will ask you about the animal's past and recent medical history and whether you have any concerns about your horse's overall health.

  Equine nutrition will be discussed and a casual evaluation of your horse's weight and diet.

  Finally, any vaccinations or deworming required will be given 

• Surgery

  Below are some of the most common equine surgeries that our vets at Argyle Veterinary Hospital perform.

  • Soft Tissue Surgery
  • Emergency Colic Treatment
  • Surgery to Treat Lacerations
  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Hernia Repair
• Equine Internal Medicine

  There are a range of conditions that fall under the umbrella of equine internal medicine including GI tract issues, blood and lymphatic system problems, respiratory conditions, infectious diseases, and care of newborn foals.

  Internal medicine conditions could also affect the animal's liver, muscles, kidneys, bladder, or neurologic system. 

• Sports Medicine for Horses

  If you have noticed that your horse is displaying signs of pain or discomfort such as bucking, pinning ears back, or a reluctance to do activities they used to enjoy, a sports medicine evaluation and treatment could benefit your equine partner.

  Our Argyle vets use a number of tools to help us evaluate your horse’s health and overall condition. As well as a complete physical examination, we may use diagnostic nerve blocks, digital radiographs, ultrasound, and/or endoscopy as part of the evaluation process.

  Following a full examination of your horse and taking into consideration your performance goals, our vets will determine the best therapy for your animal.

  Some of the equine sports medicine treatments we may recommend include systemic therapies, joint injections, and regenerative therapies such as shockwave therapy and PRP treatment. 

  If your horse requires surgery to treat their health issue we will discuss the equine surgeries that we regularly perform or refer you to a Board Certified Equine Surgeon in or around the Argyle area.

• Extracorporeal Shock Wave Technology (ESWT)

  Shock wave treatments help to relieve pain, speed healing, and improve the quality of your horse's healing. This form of therapy can help to accelerate the healing process for tendon issues, ligament injuries and bone problems, as well as back and poll soreness, and recurrent wounds.

  ESWT provides a high-energy, focused pressure wave which leads to a biological change in the tissues being targeted. Equine shock wave treatments stimulate the release of proteins associated with the healing process, as well as regulate inflammation.

  In most cases treatment results are noticeable after 1 – 3 treatments. 

  Shock wave treatments can be used alone or to supplement other treatments, such as PRP or steroids, to help increase the efficacy of your horse's treatments.

  To ensure your horse's comfort during treatment a mild sedative may be given prior to starting. 

• Regenerative Laser Therapy for Horses

  The therapeutic use of Class IV lasers is the most advanced laser therapy available to horses promoting faster and better injury repair and performance recovery. 

  Benefits of laser therapy for equine injuries include:

  • Faster healing of ligament and tendon lesions 
  • Reduced amounts of scar tissue within and around injury sites
  • Improved long-term healing and return to normal function
  • Utilization of the highest energy penetration allowing for treatment within the hoof capsule (unlike other available lasers)
  • Increased blood supply to the injury site for quicker recovery so that your horse is more comfortable in the show ring
• Equine Dentistry

  Our equine friends can suffer from many dental disorders which can affect feed utilization, performance, and general well-being.

  Annual equine dental visits from your vet, including a thorough oral health examination and tooth floating (if necessary), help to ensure optimal dental health for your horse.

  Our Argyle vets are equipped to offer routine oral health care in addition to the following equine dental services:

  • Dental X-rays to identify infected and diseased teeth, retained wolf tooth fragments, sinus diseases, and tumors
  • Extractions
  • Geriatric and miniature horse dentistry
  • Performance dentistry including bit seats
  • Corrective floating on abnormal and deformed mouths with problems like parrot mouths, waves and sheared incisors
• IRAP Therapy for Horses

  Veterinary IRAP for horses is most commonly used to treat arthritic joints and tendon/ligament injuries.

  In the case of joint disease, IRAP is a good choice for horses with lameness problems that have not responded well to other treatments.

  Our focus with ligament injuries is to reduce pain and inflammation without slowing the healing process.

  IRAP treatment involves a series of three injections, one every two weeks, with a follow-up injection several months later.

• Ultrasound Guided Injections

  Advanced therapies for lameness can involve the diagnosis of problems in areas that are located deep within the horse's body. These structures are almost impossible to accurately inject without some kind of imaging technology.

  Our vets at Argyle Veterinary Hospital use ultrasound technology to monitor the placement of the needle, ensuring the medications are delivered to the exact area where the medication is required.

  Using our imaging equipment, our vets are able to treat a range of painful conditions that could not be easily treated using traditional blind injection techniques.

• Spinal Manipulative Therapy (VSMT)

  Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy (VSMT) is much like chiropractic care for horses. This treatment involves skilled motion palpation to detect hypermobile regions in your horse's body.

  Hypomobilities can result from muscle spasms, scarring, or masses, and may lead to pain, decreased performance, and compromised health.

  VSMT also involves careful assessment of the nervous system and its function. Our VSMT trained vet will use specialized techniques to improve motion and function of the animal's body.

  Your horse's veterinarian may also recommend specific exercises or therapies to further benefit your animal's health and mobility.

• Reproduction Services

  Our team of veterinary professionals at Argyle Veterinary Hospital provides all of the equine reproductive services local horse owners need.

  We provide our clients with the most current and innovative techniques using state-of-the-art equine reproductive equipment. Our reproductive services are performed on-site at our Argyle animal hospital.

  • 24-hour emergency service
  • Breeding health examination
  • Reproductive ultrasound exam
  • Hormone analysis and manipulation
  • Estrous synchronization
  • Instruction on requirements regarding the importation of semen
  • Infertility diagnostics (uterine culture/sensitivity, cytology, and endometrial biopsy)
  • Treatment for infertile and subfertile mares
  • Vaginal speculum examination and endoscopy
  • Fresh, cooled and deep horn artificial insemination
  • Pregnancy evaluation
  • Guidance for maintenance of pregnancy
  • Acupuncture for pregnancy
  • Pre-foaling preventative health care and broodmare medicine
  • Foaling assistance/Dystocia management
  • Post-foaling emergency and preventative care
  • Treatment and management of post-breeding endometritis

Diagnostic Testing

Following a thorough examination, diagnostic procedures may also be necessary to help your vet isolate the specific location and cause of your horse's lameness.

Lameness is more effectively treated with a specific diagnosis, pinpointing the precise location of your animal's problem.

If your veterinarian has cause for concern based on initial examination, they may recommend further tests such as diagnostic nerve or joint blocks, radiographs, ultrasound, arthroscopy or examination of blood, synovial fluid and tissue samples.

Diagnostic Imaging

If your horse is suffering from an injury or lameness issue your vet may recommend an ultrasound and/or digital radiograph to help them get a clear view of the issue in order to form an accurate diagnosis.

At our Argyle equine animal hospital our vets use top-of-the-line equipment in order to get the best possible image of your horse's skeletal or soft tissue issues.