DULUTH, Ga. – With a dwindling number of veterinarians entering equine practice and existing practitioners leaving the industry altogether or shifting to small animal practice, many are concerned about a looming shortage of equine veterinarians. To help identify the specific issues facing this group, Boehringer Ingelheim conducted an anonymous survey of more than 100 equine veterinarians. The pain points identified by respondents fell into the following categories:

Personal Wellness

By far the leading area of concern was personal wellness with nearly 50% citing it as a challenge. Dealing with owners, colleagues, running a business, performing euthanasias and being on call takes a toll on equine veterinarians. And with fewer entering the profession, the pressure is increasing on those that remain. The toll is both physical and mental exhaustion.

Work/Life Balance

“Being able to take time off” and “being able to find relief vets with equine knowledge” were both cited as contributors to an undesirable work/life balance. Working long days and then being on call is particularly challenging for the equine veterinary professional. “It’s hard to say no,” said one respondent.

Marginal Wages  

Upon graduation from veterinary school, the average amount of student debt is $183,000. Often, after earning their four-year degree, new veterinarians go on to internships or residencies, deferring debt repayment and thereby accruing even more interest. Once they do start earning wages, the average starting associate salary, according to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, is $89,000, making the debt-to-income ratio an uncomfortable range.

“The pay rate isn’t very desirable for the economy we are in,” noted one respondent.

Difficult Clients

While most respondents cited good client relationships as a plus to working in equine veterinary medicine, some indicated challenges related to their clientele, including collecting payments in a timely manner, unrealistic expectations and lack of respect. One respondent noted, “Some clients have very selfish attitudes and think they should dictate to the doctor what they want done.”

The Silver Lining

While the survey sought to better understand the challenges facing equine veterinarians, there were also some positive comments from respondents who remain upbeat about their career choice.

“I love feeling valued. Being able to go out and help people and their animals makes me feel like I do some good in the world.”

How Boehringer Ingelheim is Helping

Results of this survey are being used to help inform the development of a wellness initiative from Boehringer Ingelheim called The Stable Life, which is a wellness initiative dedicated to transforming the future of equine medicine and helping veterinarians thrive. Multiple Stable Life webinars and in-person presentations have already taken place, covering such topics as conflict management, practice growth and establishing boundaries. And more are on the way as well as financial and volunteer support of other groups and initiatives with a similar goal.

“We are doing a much better job as an industry of recognizing there is a problem in the equine veterinary profession,” says Sarah Reuss, VMD, DACVIM, technical manager, Boehringer Ingelheim Equine Health. “Part of the solution is to offer resources that will help veterinarians better manage their practices, their client relationships and their workload so their career is sustainable. While the survey results are certainly sobering, we plan to use them to better inform and guide the support we offer to veterinarians through The Stable Life.”

For more information about The Stable Life initiatives, talk to your Boehringer Ingelheim sales representative or professional services veterinarian.

— Edited Press Release

About Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is working on first-class innovation for the prediction, prevention, and treatment of diseases in animals. For veterinarians, pet owners, producers, and governments in more than 150 countries, they offer a large and innovative portfolio of products and services to improve the health and well-being of companion animals and livestock.

Learn more about Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA.

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Seeing the full picture of a horse’s body from the inside began not with a hoof, but with a woman’s hand. The accidental discovery of the radiograph in 1895 by the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen transformed the human medical landscape. Still another century passed before advancements in equine diagnostic imaging revolutionized veterinary medicine.

Accurate, safe, and comprehensive imaging, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear scintigraphy (bone scan), and the emerging positron emission tomography (PET) scan may redefine horse health today, but it has only accelerated at a rapid rate during the past 25 years.

X-Rays and Ultrasound

Early radiographs (X-rays), while groundbreaking for both human and equine medicine, rendered complications. The analog film required wet processing and often lacked sufficient image detail and quality. Delays between image development and delivery to medical professionals impeded swift diagnoses. However, with the advent of portable digital machines, equine practitioners can now capture high-quality images of bone at a horse’s stall rather than in a veterinary clinic.

Later, ultrasound technology came onto the scene, employing high-frequency sound waves to produce high-resolution, two-dimensional images of tendons and ligaments. With the ultrasound, veterinarians can assess soft-tissue injuries, colic, pregnancy, and suspicious masses, such as abscesses and tumors. Advanced speed and the accuracy of high-resolution, two-dimensional images improve physical exams.

CT and MRI

Equine diagnostic imaging rocketed to the next chapter with the introduction of CT and MRI in the 1990s, according to Katherine Garrett, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, director of diagnostic imaging at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky.

“The most significant change in equine diagnostic imaging is the widespread adoption of cross-sectional imaging modalities,” she says. “Their introduction allows us to make much more specific diagnoses than we could previously and understand different diseases more thoroughly.”

The difference between the traditional X-ray and a CT scanner lies in the type of image. A CT scanner examines slices of bone and soft-tissue structures on multiple planes from multiple angles and is beneficial for diagnosing cases of lameness and sinus, dental, and neurological issues.

Traditional CT scans performed on a fully anesthetized and recumbent horse presented its share of risks. The standing CT scans lower legs and images the head and neck. Because the horse only requires mild sedation, fewer complications and threats to the horse and the clinician occur.

Sarah Puchalski, DVM, Dipl. ACVR, head of Diagnostic Imaging at Palm Beach Equine Clinic in Wellington, Fla., cautions horse owners to understand how different types of image qualities vary between scanners.

“There is a difference in image quality for CT scanners, and what can and cannot be scanned,” she says. “CT is used for dentition in the skull and fracture evaluation. Soft tissue detail isn’t as good as the MRI, but the bone detail is superior.”

Soft-tissue injuries present a puzzle, especially in cases of lameness. MRI, first performed on horses in the late 1990s, benefitted from early clinical use but shot to the top of imaging modalities in the past five years. Today, MRI is considered the gold standard of diagnostic imaging for soft tissue and orthopedic injuries by using magnetic fields and radiofrequency pulses to generate images.

Puchalski notes that the particular benefit of the MRI rests in diagnosing the source of lameness.

“For example, inside the hoof capsule, you cannot evaluate tendons and ligaments,” she says. “MRI opened the door for a whole range of new injury diagnoses allowing specific target therapies.” Garrett concurs.

“With the MRI, we obtain detailed information about an entire region,” she explains. “Deep digital flexor tendon tears, navicular bone inflammation, bone bruising, and coffin joint arthritis have different treatments and prognoses. We can diagnose and treat each more specifically and hopefully have better outcomes.”

Bone Scans and PET Scans

Nuclear scintigraphy (bone scan) employs radioactive isotopes, which, when injected, emit radioactive gamma rays. A special camera documents two-dimensional images of skeletal anatomy, showing areas with increased metabolic activity.

Reactive sites light up as “hot spots” to identify sources of lameness or other injuries. Evaluating a tissue’s physiology or what is occurring inside the tissue distinguishes the bone scan from other methods.

Scintigraphy, according to Puchalski, allows a clinician not only to identify sites that may not be clinically evident but provides an opportunity to use disease-modifying agents earlier.

“Hock arthritis shows up on scintigraphy early,” she says. “Scintigraphy also allows us to evaluate the neck, back and pelvis. A higher degree of radioactivity in an area means more active bone turnover, inflammation or injury.”

Mathieu Spriet, DVM, M.S., Dipl. ACVR, Dipl. ECVDI, Dipl. ACVR-EDI, associate professor of Diagnostic Imaging at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, recalls the trajectory of equine imaging during his lifetime.

“When I was in graduate school in France, the only imaging modalities we had were X-ray and ultrasound,” he recalls. “In the last 25 years, we’ve had digital radiographs, CT and MRI. I’m excited to contribute another piece by bringing the PET to the table.”

PET scans add a new chapter to nuclear medicine imaging. A radioactive tracer injected in the horse shows activity in the bones and soft tissues at a molecular level by detecting “hot spots” that illuminate injury, functional change, or inflammation on images.

The defining concept of the PET scan is the distinction between functional versus structural imaging.

“With most imaging, you are looking at the size and shape of structures,” says Spriet. “When the bone looks abnormal, it’s sometimes difficult to know if it’s abnormal because something is happening right now or if there is an old injury that is not currently active.”

To perform the first equine PET scan in 2015, Spriet and his research team partnered with an engineering team from Maryland-based Brain Biosciences, a company specializing in state-of-the-art molecular brain imaging devices. A clinical program employing a modified human scanner imaged over 100 anesthetized horses with lameness issues.

Anesthesia carries its own level of risk to both the horse and the owner’s pocketbook. Four years after introducing the first scanner, a standing PET for a mildly sedated horse advanced this up-and-coming technology. With a standing PET, a clinician positions the horse’s hoof into an open doughnut-shaped ring before closing the apparatus around the leg. The ring’s detectors capture images from the hoof, but it can open automatically if the horse moves.

The radioactive isotope is injected 30-60 minutes prior to bringing the horse in to the room. In less than half an hour, a PET scan can image both feet and fetlocks. With an MRI scan, 45 minutes per foot or fetlock is necessary.

A Game-Changing Future

Kelly Tisher, DVM, a Colorado-based veterinarian and clinic partner at the Littleton Equine Medical Center, envisions future technology to scan a horse’s total circumference. According to Tisher, several companies are actively working to create and improve standing technology, including a robotic CT machine.

“We’ve been hoping there would be an advancement in technology to allow standing CT imaging, especially for a horse’s head and neck,” he says. “Head imaging for sinus, teeth, or other tumors is tricky. With the neck, we have an ultrasound and X-ray. Still, the ability to have 3D imaging and some sectional imaging and transverse imaging to learn about what different pathologies mean and what their clinical relevance is would be amazing.”

Each year, seeing the full picture of a horse’s anatomy to diagnose injury and disease matures. Century-old curiosity ignited a medical revolution, and today, veterinary researchers are casting light on more than a horse’s hoof.

This article about equine diagnostic imaging appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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I was standing near the arena gate with my daughter, Morgan, who was waiting her turn to show Kevin, our American Saddlebred gelding (although he was regularly accused of being an Arabian cross). I’d been hopeful that my large hat and sunglasses would conceal my identity, but my flamboyant horse was a dead giveaway, in case anyone was actually fooled by my outfit.

It is the law of all things veterinarian that should vets appear in public, someone will hit us up for free advice, launch into a long saga about a sick or lame horse, or try to get us to look at a horse or a dog, so we always try to lay low. Unfortunately, with Kevin around, that was not possible. So much for balancing vet life with mom life.

And So It Begins

A horse had been excused from the arena, and the owner poked at him and announced that he was probably “out” in his hips. Her trainer pointed at me, and Morgan sighed in frustration as the woman walked over to us. She was used to people approaching me, but it was the third time today, and it was wearing on her.

“If you could just look inside my horse’s mouth real quick?” said the woman. “We think he might have some sharp points, or he might need his hips put back in. The chiro from Yuma was out last week but didn’t get to my horse, and he knows treatments that vets don’t learn about. Also my friend’s horse had ulcers, so could I get a few tubes of Gastrogard from you?”

She thumped Kevin’s neck. “I had an Arabian-cross once.”

Morgan glared.

“Mom, can you double-check my girth? And I’m thirsty—can I have my water bottle, please?”

I sighed, tightened the girth, and handed over the water bottle, which was filled with Morgan’s favorite blue sports drink. I explained that I was not working today and that I wasn’t handing out prescription drugs for horses that weren’t my patients and told the woman to call Monday for an appointment.

Fun fact: This type of owner almost never calls to schedule an actual appointment with the vet, but you better believe they have the lay-tooth-floater and the internet-certified “back-popper” on speed dial.

I was muttering to myself when the loudspeaker blared, and my blue-lipped daughter tapped my arm anxiously.

Making an Escape

“Mom, we have to go! That was my number!”

I noticed Morgan’s blue mouth and quickly mimed wiping it off, which she did on the inside of her show coat. We headed toward the gate, water bottle tucked under my arm. Morgan trotted confidently into the arena, and I had just started videoing when the woman’s loud voice boomed into my ear again.

“So if you could just look at his teeth real quick then I’ll know if he needs floated and then we can schedule everything on Monday. I’ve got two other horses here that need checked, too. Berty is a little thin, but he gets two cups of senior grain twice a day, and the chiro has him on a mineral supplement. Dixie has sciatica, and the chiro usually fixes her right up, but it could also be her teeth. She’s an old barrel horse, but she’s a decent jumper, and the chiro said the sciatica was from running barrels, but as long as we didn’t run her anymore and just stuck to English, she’d be fine. But Chicken Little really seems like he has something going on, and my thought is teeth or hips, but you’re the vet, so …”

I was focused on filming and didn’t respond. Kevin knocked a rail down but completed the course, and Morgan was beaming when they exited the ring.

We walked Kevin back to the trailer and the woman followed, still talking.

“Course Berty used to knock rails down but then the dentist did a special neurological-something float, and he’s never done it since, and your horse looks like he needs that, too. You should call my dentist, most vets don’t know about it …”

Electrolyte Bioactivation

I winked at my daughter. Then, turning my back to the woman, I poured some bright blue Gatorade into my hand and applied it to Kevin’s right hoof wall, then opened an app on my phone that turned my screen red, and slowly moved it back and forth over Kevin’s wet foot.

The woman’s mouth hung open.

“What are you doing to him?!”

“Oh, I would never recommend this to a client,” I said sternly. “It’s complete nonsense, and it hasn’t been researched or proven to do a thing. Some say that the iPhone 11 and 12 may have a Delta Nu red light spectrum that could improve performance, mental function and wellness. I’ve been trying it out on my own horses. The blue Gatorade on the hoof supposedly catalyzes the purple spectrum electrolyte bioactivation.”

Morgan was enthusiastic.

“Mom, today we could jump almost anything! It’s really helping Kevin!”

I gave her The Stare that mothers everywhere have perfected for when their kids are overdoing it, but the owner was studying her battered iPhone 8 glumly and hadn’t noticed. Morgan and I untacked Kevin and sponged him down, and when I looked up, the woman was gone.

When I’d snort-laughed for the fourth time in a row, Morgan looked at me.

“Mama, does the light really work?”

I sat next to her.

“The reason Kevin is doing better is because of the hard work you’ve put in! And I haven’t put Gatorade on his foot and waved my phone at it before today, I promise.”

“Did you do that because the lady was bothering us?”

“Yes, but I made it up and it seems to have backfired, because now you think that Gatorade and the iPhone 11 and 12 heals horses.”

My daughter smiled.

“Well, I guess we’ll find out next time I ride, won’t we?”

This installment of Dr. Diehl’s Vet Adventures about balancing vet life with mom life appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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I had only seen two cases of equine botulism in my career, and they were both horrifying. Horses are exquisitely sensitive to the toxin—it takes more to kill a mouse than a horse, so even a few mouthfuls of contaminated feed can be deadly.

The clinicians at the hospital stressed that while the source was most likely his hay, there was no way to be sure. And they still couldn’t fully rule out rabies, so everyone who had handled Hans had to be considered exposed.

In the Thick of Equine Botulism

Hans remained stable over the next few days, although he wasn’t producing much manure, and his intestines were still very sluggish. His risk of aspiration pneumonia was high, so he received regular fluids and feedings through a stomach tube. An IV drip containing essential electrolytes ran around the clock.

The clinicians reported that he’d lay down about every 20 minutes to rest, but the important thing was that Hans always got up. Every time I spoke to a member of Hans’ team, it was the first thing they’d describe—the big horse’s remarkable ability to always get to his feet.

Progress was slow over the next week, and the team worried that Hans was not getting enough calories, so they increased his feedings. The bill increased by the day.

Cathy wasn’t made of money, but she was determined to save her horse, and if the hospital recommended something, she approved it without question. Because of the COVID pandemic, she couldn’t even visit Hans, and the kind clinicians often made video calls from Hans’ stall so Cathy could see and talk to her beloved horse.

The entire hospital seemed to be involved in Hans’ case, and he was quickly developing a fan club. Vet students would stop by throughout the day to check on him and groom him, and there was always a technician nearby watching his fluids, administering medications and recording his patterns of laying down and getting to his feet.

Hans never once faltered. When he wanted to stand, bedding would fly around as he bravely lurched to his feet, his IV fluid bags swinging wildly from their overhead hook. But he always got up.

Turning a Corner in Surviving Equine Botulism

When an equine botulism case goes down and can’t rise, the outlook is grave, even with intensive care. The horse must be maintained on a special airbed and turned from side to side and supported in sternal position periodically.

Pressure sores develop, and colic and pneumonia are ever-present risks. It’s a long waiting game to see if the patient can rebuild the damaged nerve connections to the muscles. Full recovery can take months.

But Hans never went down completely. I admired how cool and collected Cathy was. So many owners would have been upset about the growing bill, but Cathy was always grateful and kind.

Hans was eventually able to take in a slurry of grain and water on his own, although he still couldn’t chew normally. The staff began to take him for short walks to the end of the aisle and back, an army of supporters flanking him neatly in case he lost his balance. Hans tired quickly, and after the walks he always lay down and slept deeply, but true to form, would get to his feet when he woke.

On day 26, the clinicians thought that Hans was finally strong enough to go home. It was a ceremonious occasion, and there were dozens of socially distanced hospital staff, doctors and vet students hugging Hans goodbye and wiping their eyes.

His thickly bedded trailer waited in the parking lot. Cathy had bought Hans a beautiful new blanket and matching shipping boots. He was buckled into his finery, and the staff cheered as he boarded the trailer and they drove off. Cathy was still waving as they rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

With Gratitude

It’s always bittersweet to clean the stall after a longtime patient has gone home. Hans’ thermometer, stethoscope and charts hung from the door, and his empty fluid bags and coiled IV line dangled from the overhead hook. A trash can full of exam gloves and plastic gowns sat in the aisle, and a bleach foot bath was nearby.

There was a bucket of brushes with Hans’ tail hairs tangled through the bristles, his half-eaten grain slurry still in the feeder. The technicians and barn crew sadly stripped his stall and scrubbed and disinfected the floor and walls, and soon there was no sign that he’d been there at all.

Hans moved into a small pen with a large stall and continued his recovery. It was a year before he was cleared to ride, and even then, Cathy kept him to a walk on easy trails.

When she paid the enormous bill, she enclosed a note to the hospital staff.

“I’ve battled depression for the past year, and it was at its worst when I thought we were going to lose Hans to equine botulism. But every time you gave me encouraging news and told me what a fighter he was, I fought harder, too. Every time you told me that Hans always got to his feet, it encouraged me to get up too, and we’re both out of the woods now, thanks to you and your staff of angels. Love forever, Cathy and Hans.”

This Vet Adventures column about equine botulism appeared in the June 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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George still hadn’t quite gotten used to talking on cell phones, and I winced as he answered his phone at his usual volume. It increased twofold when he realized it was me.

“WELL, HOWDY COURTNEY, WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!”

I held the phone away from my ear.

“Hey, George! if you’re not busy, I have a quest—”

“IT’S SUNNY HERE RIGHT NOW, BUT I SEE CLOUDS MOVING IN, AND DANG IT, I’VE GOT COLTS TO GELD!”

“GEORGE, I NEED TO ASK YOU A MARE QUESTION,” I bellowed.

Once in a while, George remembered to put his hearing aids in, but today was not one of those days. I explained the situation at the top of my lungs and asked if it was safe to allow the pregnancy to continue.

“THAT FOAL WILL GROW TO THE SIZE OF THE UTERUS. IT’LL BE BORN NORMALLY, AND THEN WHEN IT HITS THE GROUND, IT’LL REALLY GROW!” George boomed. “AND TELL LONNIE TO QUIT FEEDING THAT MARE ALL THOSE DANG SUPPLEMENTS—ONLY THING THOSE’LL DO IS MAKE HER FAT!”

George knew that Lonnie was an indiscriminate user of feed supplements, and her barn shelves were lined with every possible product, powder, granule, additive and oil. He made his opinions clear to Lonnie, and he liked to joke that she probably used a supplement dartboard to guide her protocols.

Incessant Calls about the Pregnant Pony

Lonnie was still worried about her pregnant pony, although she was grateful for George’s advice, and the waiting game began. We had an estimated four months to go, plus or minus.

Looking back, I think it might have been the longest foal watch of my career. Lonnie made sure the pregnant pony stayed on my radar with many helpful evening and late-night calls informing me that the mare had lain down twice and groaned several times, or that her udder wasn’t tender yet, or that she hadn’t finished her alfalfa hay in the same time frame that she’d finished it the night before.

I liked Lonnie, but I started letting the calls go to voicemail after a while, as having my dinner interrupted to be told that the mare was scratching her butt on the fence was getting old. When Lonnie couldn’t reach me on the phone, eventually she started paging me.

“Lonnie, what is it this time?” I asked wearily after my pager had gone off three times in a row.

“You need to come right out, Doc! I think she’s bleeding from her birth canal!”

That got my attention.

“How much blood? When did it start?”

Lonnie wasn’t sure, and when I arrived, she was holding a towel to the pony’s backside.

The towel was black, so I couldn’t tell how much blood there might have been.

I gently removed the towel and inspected the little mare. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Lonnie had a chair ready for me, and we watched the pony for about 20 minutes, but there was no sign of any bleeding or leaking fluids.

“Well, she was wet back there, and it seemed red,” said Lonnie defensively. “But the towel was so dark I couldn’t really tell.”

I stared at her. “Lonnie, I’m going to say this once. The pregnancy is progressing normally, and you need to leave her be and get some rest. Don’t call me again unless she’s showing actual signs of labor!”

The Wait is Over for a Pregnant Pony

My phone was quiet for the next few weeks. Finally, early one morning I finally got the call that I was waiting for. The pregnant pony had given birth during the night. Her foal was nursing well and the mare was up and eating. I didn’t see any reason to cancel my morning calls, and I told Lonnie I’d be along in a few hours.

Her number popped up on my cell a few times, but I was busy and didn’t answer. Then my pager went off.

“Where are you?!” Lonnie demanded. “The baby’s down, and she’s twitching!”

“Lonnie, she’s sleeping!” I said in exasperation. “I told you, I’ll be along when I finish my calls. Don’t page me again!”

Lonnie was sulky when I finally arrived, but she cheered up when I examined the mare and her huge foal and pronounced them perfect. The filly had the largest knees I’d ever seen, the mare was bright, and she hadn’t even torn during the delivery. I was charmed by the big filly with her whiskery, milky muzzle, and Lonnie was beaming when I drove off.

Growing Like a Weed

When the foal was a week old, her back was level with her mother’s hip bone, and by one month of age, she had to squat down to nurse. It was comical to see the pony with her huge gangly baby, and soon the filly was taller than her mother. Lonnie was much calmer now that the pregnancy was over, and my phone stayed fairly quiet.

One day, Lonnie announced that she was still hoping to find her driving team and was planning a trip to the horse sale.

I stared at her. “No more auction mares, Lonnie!”

She grinned. “Oh, don’t worry, doc! I’ve got my hands full with this elephant out in the field, and I’m sorry to have been such a pain about the whole thing.”

We gazed out at the enormous filly, now six months old and dwarfing her mother. Lonnie winked at me.

“Doc, make sure to ask Dr. Platt what supplements he recommends for the filly to get her ready for weaning.”

If you missed the first part of this story, click to read it now.

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Best Vet Finalist: Dr. Kristi Gran

This past year, as a 38-year-old rider in the saddle since age 10, I was finally blessed with the opportunity to own my own horse, an off-track Thoroughbred, Cambridge Gray. My standards were high when selecting a veterinarian to do the prepurchase exam on my dear Cambridge. Dr. Kristi Gran, a Purdue University veterinarian board certified in internal medicine, quickly passed the test and approved Cambridge with flying colors.

We had a wonderful winter. He jumped, gave pony rides to my four kids, and participated in horse shows where he won grand champion. We had big plans and bigger dreams. Then came summer. In May, Cambridge grew a shaggy coat and started sweating in patchy places. Dr. Gran came to the rescue and started blood work, trial treatments, and a myriad of medications. As the summer wore on, Cambridge shut down. Through many tests, hours at his side, and treatment trials, Dr. Gran concluded the impossible: Cambridge was diagnosed with anhidrosis, a condition causing his sweat glands to shut down one by one.

She gave us all that she had, trying every treatment possible and consulting with specialists all over the country, but tragically, Cambridge eventually suffocated from the inside out, passing on a sad summer day with Dr. Gran by his side. Dr. Gran was with us for every question, every treatment, every joy, and every heartbreak. She worked well beyond any expectation of any veterinarian. She is truly the very best.

— Kathryn Sharer, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Best Vet Finalist: Dr. Chris Weber

After sending us for diagnostics at Tufts, my horse was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease of the small intestine. Dr. Chris Weber worked with me and my boarding barn owner to treat my horse and get him back on track. After six months of constant vet visits and multiple phone calls, my horse was back to normal.

I am lucky enough to call Dr. Weber my vet and my boss. I have been Dr. Weber’s technician at Salmon Brook Veterinary Hospital for nine years now. The care and compassion he showed me and my horse is the same he shows to all of his clients.

Dr. Weber is a strong believer in educating our youth. He has volunteered his time on numerous occasions at schools, after-school programs, and community events, teaching kids about veterinary medicine and basic care of their horse.

— Ashley Sharpe, Enfield, Conn.

Best Vet Finalist: Dr. Megan Fine

When we had exhausted all possible treatment for our elderly mare, Maja, and it was apparent that she was tired, Dr. Megan Fine of Cranberry Creek Equine Veterinary Services took the time to speak with me and my daughter, explaining the process and telling us what to expect when we were deciding to make the appointment.

We sat on my front lawn and chatted for a long while. She caringly answered every single question, sometimes more than once. And again, on the day of the appointment, Dr. Fine’s “bedside” manner was exceptional, as was the care she administered to Maja. She talked us through every step and made sure that Dakota (my other horse, and Maja’s companion of 10 years) was reacting as well as could be expected.

She is an excellent teacher, as well! My daughter is considering becoming a veterinarian, and Dr. Fine offered for my daughter to shadow her for a summer. She exercised patience, understanding and proudly displayed her passion for helping the patients she tended to. Thanks to Dr. Fine, my daughter followed her example and started in the vet tech program at our local college.

— Chantale Tremblay, Ontario, Canada

Best Vet Finalist: Dr. Eric Bohl

As a 10-year 4-H member during childhood, I learned about horse care. As an adult, I read books and Horse Illustrated and learned from a previous boarding facility about horse care. But watching my 27” Miniature therapy horse, Bugle, colic on my farm left me wide-eyed and helpless. I knew colic would be an expensive surgery or death sentence if not caught in time.

My first panicked phone call to Dr. Eric Bohl was met with a soothing voice. “I’m on a farm call now; I’ll be done soon.” Twenty minutes later he called back to check how things were going. He would be at my place in 15 minutes. He told me to keep walking Bugle but to let him rest if he wants.

I had only met Dr. Bohl once, when I found his name on the internet as an equine vet in the rural area I had just moved to. He had given my horses their shots that spring. We hadn’t built a relationship yet, but the night I called in a panic because my baby could die, he acted like an old friend with all the right words. He stayed 90+ minutes administering meds, assuring me that “Bugle’s vitals are stable; he’ll be fine. It’s colic caused by dehydration. You knew the signs and caught it early.”

While administering mineral oil and water, he asked about my horses. We talked about my profession as a teacher and the therapy visits Bugle and I had made to local nursing homes and to a youth homeless shelter.

Dr. Bohl put his family dinner on hold to tend to Bugle. Before leaving he said, “Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything. I can come back or talk you through it.” He reassured me that because I checked in on my horses after my dinner, it was caught in time. He melted my anxiety and reassured me I’m a great horse mom. That’s Best Vet material!

— Darla Ramberg, Roberts, Wisc.

Best Vet Finalist: Dr. DeAnn Hughes

Eleven years ago, I moved to a very rural area in Central Kentucky with few veterinarians, much less equine specialists. Fortunately, about 10 years ago Dr. Hughes, who grew up raising, riding and showing horses, started her practice as an equine specialist.

She has gone the extra mile to stay current in her knowledge and (pre-COVID) to provide her customers with free seminars to make sure our horses and mules get the benefit of the most recent veterinary recommendations. With COVID, she has changed her practice from at her farm to providing all routine, dental and emergency care at your barn with blood and fecal specimens processed on her equipment rather than sending them off.

She is personable and open to calls asking about routine problems, like wound treatment and hoof soreness. If you have an emergency, she listens, asks questions, gives you options, and explains the abnormal in understandable terms.

— Geri Guerin, Horse Cave, Ky.

Best Vet Finalist: Dr. James Tilley

Dr. James Tilley has been our vet for over 20 years, caring for and often saving the lives of our equine family members. Over the years I have found him to be a man of great skill and great compassion, not just for horses, but compassion for owners as well.

I have seen him in the dead of night, like last week when we had a severe colic, and he came out at 9 p.m. and worked on our mare until almost 11 p.m. after a day of being on the road and caring for horses all over central Arkansas. We live in south Arkansas and yet he came and saved her.

One of the best things about having James Tilley as our vet is the fact that he teaches the humans as he treats the horses. He shows up at your place and you will have education for yourself as well as healing for your horse. He is incredibly patient and understanding and a huge source of comfort when my horse is injured or ill.

I have been a professional horsewoman for the better part of 50 years and have had the privilege of working with many really good vets, but I haven’t met any who can come close to this one. He has treated everything from lacerations to a bear attack. He has seen our horses through births and deaths and everything in between.

He is the very best marriage of the classic old-timey vet and the one with cutting-edge skills and equipment who will step in and save your beloved horse. He will do it reasonably, he will do it cheerfully, he will do it skillfully. “Best vet”? Not nearly high enough praise.

— Judith Vandermeer, Bismarck, Ark.

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Being in vet school is crazy enough without cameras following you around. Morgan Taylor was one of the vet students at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine selected to be on Animal Planet’s show, “Life at Vet U.” We talked to Morgan about her journey to become an equine vet and what it was like being on the show. Read on for Morgan Taylor’s interview:

YR: Why did you choose to focuses on equine veterinary medicine instead of other animals?

MT: I grew up riding hunter/jumpers and Intercollegiate Horse Show Association in college. I found that I liked medicine, I liked people, but I really liked working with horses. During my sophomore year of college, I pieced together that I had to be an equine veterinarian so that I could do all three of those things.

YR: How did you balance school with horses?

MT: I balanced my horse life pretty well through vet school. I usually rode once or twice a week and always made sure to spend time with horses outside of the hospital.

However, I have not ridden a single day since I’ve been at my internship. I’ve picked up some other hobbies that are a little less expensive; I’ve started Latin dancing and line dancing and I do a little bit of karaoke.

YR: How did your past experience with horses help in vet school?

MT: I came into vet school being pretty comfortable around horses. I knew the horse terms and lingo already so I didn’t need to look up the weird and obscure terminology. But I think that you can be a horse vet even if you don’t have experience in the horse world. It’s the desire to put yourself out there. That being said, I had an advantage [by knowing horses], but I don’t want to discourage anyone because it is doable. I found that many of my friends who had no horse background ended up loving them.

One of the most common problems non-horse people run into is reading horse body language. Is the horse trying to bite me or is he just really curious and looking for treats in my pockets?

YR: Did the horses react to the cameras while filming?

MT: Horses by nature are very curious. Having six people running behind them with a microphone and camera and lights made most horses a little apprehensive and spooky at first, but usually once they realized that we weren’t after them, they settled down.

YR: Did being on “Life at Vet U” give you a different perspective on vet school?

MT: It gave me a totally different perspective. My instructors took extra time to explain details and broke it down to “normal people terms,” and not always medical terms. So I feel like I lucked out, and there was extra learning for me.

YR: What was the hardest thing about being on the show?

MT: I think the hardest thing for me was having my personal life shown. That was very unnerving.

YR: What was one of the most fun parts about being on the show?

MT: One time in Arizona I was wrestling some sheep, and the guys loved it. I thought it was totally normal, but they were getting a laugh out of it. So that was pretty awesome.

YR: What are your future plans as a vet?

MT: I am hoping to work at a racetrack. I like Thoroughbreds and racing in general.

YR: What advice do you have for kids interested in going into horse health care?

MT: Go for it! It will enhance your horse background all around. If you become a horse technician, vet, or farrier you’ll have a better appreciation of the body and how it works. When you go to ride your horse, you’ll know more about how he moves and what you can do to enhance his performance.

YR: What can kids do now to help prepare for an equine veterinary career?

MT: Volunteer! Get out there and work with horses other than your own. When I was 13, I worked at a farm that did equine therapy with autistic children. I think that was a big help getting into vet school. They loved hearing about my volunteer experience, and that’s something I started at a young age. Be proactive and volunteer.

This article about Life at Vet U originally appeared in the January/February 2017 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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