Dr. Ramey

I thought we’d start off 2023 talking about a product for osteoarthritis in horses, pentosan polysulfate sodium (we’ll just call it pentosan from now on). A new, FDA-approved formulation has just been released in the United States, although it’s been available in Australia and a few other places since the 1990s. NOTE: You might have […]

Colic is the most common medical problem affecting horses – in fact, something along the lines of 50% of the medical problems of the horse are described as “colic” (the “whys” of that would probably make a good article, in fact). Colic has been recognized in horses for a long, long time, but it’s only […]

It’s kind of cool, being a veterinarian. Most people have a general appreciation for what you do. I mean, taking care of animals (in my case horses) really is a pretty great thing, and most people seem to appreciate you for it. However, most people don’t know much about veterinary medicine – and particularly horse […]

Vaccination is certainly one of the most important interventions in health (human, animal, fish, etc.) that has ever been invented. But not all vaccines for horses are equally effective. Before the time comes for spring shots, I thought I’d give you some information about individual vaccines, and how well they are likely to work.*  And […]

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but when it comes to dietary supplements for hoof growth, you have a whole bunch of choices (I can be a master of understatement). In fact, it seems like every day or two there’s a new product out there to “support” or “improve” or do something otherwise wonderful for […]

OK, here’s the full question – “A couple friends and I were talking about all the horses we’ve trained and ridden throughout the years and comparing their characteristics and personality traits, etc. We were wondering if horses can develop mental illness similar to what humans exhibit. For example, one of my horses, many years ago, […]

I will readily admit that I have not studied the religions and philosophies of India. Nevertheless, I find myself drawn to a quote that is attributed to Sai Baba, an Indian guru and yogi who lived in western India, and who died in 1918 (he’s buried in the town of Shirdi). Sai Baba is considered […]

If you want to elicit fear in someone who owns a horse, tell that person that you think that his or her horse has “navicular.” The story of the horse’s navicular bone is a curious and instructional tale that speaks to how diagnoses and therapies come into vogue, and how hard they can be to […]

Being a horse doctor is wonderful. Just about every day I get up, knowing that I’m going to be outside, working with what I think is one of the most wonderful creatures on the planet. So strong, so patient, so willing to trust, so willing to do the most amazing things for people, asking nothing […]

In my view, sometimes it’s OK to not know exactly what a horse’s problem is. In addition, sometimes it’s OK to try a treatment without knowing the mechanism of action. Honestly, it happens more often than we’d like to admit. However, in my view, when that happens, you shouldn’t lie about it or make stuff […]