Has your horse’s performance changed lately, or have you noticed problems such as your horse breathing more loudly during exercise? If you have noticed any changes, please contact us for a sports medicine examination.
Horses can develop problems such as degenerative joint disease (e.g., arthritis), heart abnormalities, and airway changes, causing the horse to make a loud noise while breathing.
These changes can lead to exercise intolerance and are especially prominent when the horse is working at a high level of performance.
These changes often occur slowly over time, and you may notice that your horse is more sluggish and/or not reaching previous levels during exercise or competition.
Our veterinarians use a variety of diagnostic techniques (e.g., physical and lameness examinations, radiography, ultrasonography, upper airway endoscopy) to diagnose conditions that cause poor performance. Many of these diagnostic techniques can be performed on an outpatient basis, which does not require hospitalization.
Once the cause of poor performance has been determined, we will customize a course of therapy and a follow-up evaluation.
