Farm Services

• Dentistry

Routine dental care is essential to your horse's health. Periodic exams, corrections and regular maintenance are especially necessary for a number of reasons. Proper dental care will make your horse more comfortable, utilize feed more efficiently, may perform better, and even longer. We make it easy by mailing you a reminder to schedule your horse’s upcoming dental checkup.

Common dental problems include sharp enamel points causing ulceration of the cheek and tongue and discomfort, abnormal wear of the arcades causing excessive growth of certain teeth (formation of hooks, ramps), lost or broken teeth, and periodontal disease among others.

Signs of dental problems or disease may include loss of feed from the mouth while eating, difficulty chewing, excessive salivation, or undigested feed is noticed in the manure. Owners may also notice a loss of body condition or behavioral changes such as head tossing, fighting the bit, head tilting or abnormal behavior under saddle. More severe signs of dental disease may include a foul odor from the mouth or nostrils or swelling of the face, mouth or jaw tissues. Any of the signs above are reasons to schedule a dental examination even if the animal has been examined on a regular basis.

Routine dental care involves a thorough examination of the oral cavity under sedation with the help of an oral speculum in place. This inspection should be done visually as well as by feel and is recommended on a yearly basis or every 6 months based on your horse's age and dental history. Maintenance and corrections are performed with dental floats (power assisted or hand floats) as well as a variety of other tools designed for specific needs.

Dental care should be performed by licensed veterinarians as it irreversibly changes your horse's mouth most of the time. Your veterinarian will advise you on other diagnostic or therapeutic procedures and/or treatments that may be recommended based on the examination such as feeding changes, radiographs, dental extractions, antibiotic therapy, or work up for related conditions such as sinus infections, etc… Your veterinarian will also develop a program and schedule for future examinations and care based for each individual horse.

At Tryon Equine Hospital, we are equipped to handle all of your equine dental needs- from routine examination and care, to more advanced procedures. Please contact us if you would like any additional information on equine dentistry or to schedule an appointment for an evaluation.

• Digital Radiology

Tryon Equine is equipped with six Digital Radiology units, five for use on the farm and one for use in the hospital. Digital radiology is used to view images of bone, joints and occasionally soft tissue. The ability to see current and previous bone and joint injuries makes it an invaluable tool in both lameness evaluations and pre-purchase exams. Digital radiographs provide a much higher degree of detail and clarity than traditional x-rays. The images are processed instantaneously and can be viewed and manipulated by our doctors stall-side. This allows our doctors to reach an immediate diagnosis, so we can get your equine friend on the road to recovery.

• Digital Ultrasound

At Tryon Equine we believe speed and accuracy in equine diagnostics is key. Digital ultrasound allows us to diagnose and monitor soft tissues, such as tendons and ligaments. This allows you to get started on a rehabilitation schedule sooner and on your way to returning to your horse’s intended use. It uses high frequency sound waves to noninvasively image soft tissue, and is more sensitive to soft tissue abnormalities than X-rays. In addition to imaging tendons and ligaments, we can also image joints, bone surfaces, cartilage, sacro-iliac ligaments, cervical facets for arthritis injuries, and as a guide for therapeutic injections. The abdomen and thorax may be assessed for early and late-term pregnancies and conditions including pneumonia, colic and other gastrointestinal abnormalities, and umbilical infections in foals. Both hospital and ambulatory veterinarians are equipped with digital ultrasound machines.

• Reproductive Services

The doctors and staff at Tryon Equine Hospital offer a multitude of reproductive services. With our knowledgeable staff and state-of-the-art equipment we can provide any on the farm or in the hospital breeding services your farm requires including:

• 24-Hour Emergency Care
• Breeding Soundness Examinations
• Reproductive Ultrasound Evaluation
• Pregnancy Progress Evaluations
• Hormone Analysis
• Artificial Insemination via Fresh, Cooled or Frozen Semen
• Infertility Evaluation and Diagnostics
• Estrous Synchronization
• Dystocia & Foaling Management
• Neonatal Medicine
• Vaginal Speculum Examination
• Vaginal Endoscopy

• Shockwave

ESWT – Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is used to promote healing in horses with musculoskeletal problems, bone injuries and soft tissue injuries. The shockwaves generated through shockwave therapy are pressure waves that can be focused on the skin surface or to a specific tissue depth. ESWT has been proven to increase blood flow, relieve pain, increase tissue regeneration and promotes new blood vessel development. Shockwave therapy was originally used in human medicine and is now used to treat many equine musculoskeletal disorders including: tendon injuries, splints, navicular syndrome, suspensory ligament injuries, sesamoid and carpal fractures, back pain, and fibrotic myopathies.

• Endoscopy

Video endoscopy is used to diagnose diseases of the head and respiratory tract. An endoscopic exam is indicated for horses exhibiting nasal discharge, epistaxis (bleeding from the nose), coughing, head shaking, respiratory noise when exercising, and exercise intolerance. The endoscope is also used to visualize the urinary system and the reproductive system. Biopsies may also be collected via endoscopy.

• Gastroscopy

Gastroscopy utilizes an endoscope that is three meters in length to examine the entire equine esophagus and stomach. Gastroscopy is the gold standard to diagnose EGUS, or equine gastric ulcer syndrome, which is extremely common in performance horses. Gastric ulcers can cause weight loss, poor performance, and colic symptoms. Keep in mind that horses need to be taken off of feed 24 hours before being scoped for the best results. Contact us with any questions or to schedule.