Cornell University Veterinary Medicine

Equine Hospital

Approximately 2,500 horses receive health care each year in our Equine Hospital. An additional 2,000 horses are cared for each year by our ambulatory service.

Primary Care
We offer routine health care such as physical examinations, dentistry, and farrier, as well as around-the-clock emergency medicine, critical care, neonatal intensive care, and specialty medicine. In addition to the treatment of individual patients, the Equine Hospital also investigates herd outbreaks to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease.

Specialty Services
Many of the patients at the Equine Hospital have been referred by veterinarians throughout the Northeast for evaluation by our faculty specialists for complicated medical or surgical problems. Our specialty services include:

• Anesthesiology
  General anesthesia for diagnostic procedures and surgery; pain management.
• Behavioral Medicine
  Diagnosis and treatment of problems such as vices, stall problems, destructiveness, and foal rejection. Techniques include animal learning, behavior modification, and medication.
• Cardiology
  State-of-the-art diagnosis of cardiac abnormalities such as arrhythmias, assessment of cardiac function using echocardiography and state of the art treatment such electro conversion of atrial fibrillation.
• Dentistry
  Providing a full range of equine dental care from prophylaxis (“float”) and corrective adjustments to advanced procedures involved intraoral and surgical extraction, periodontal therapy, endodontic, dental restoration, orthodontic movement, fracture repair, and sinus management.  New approaches to surgical dental extraction have been developed at Cornell to allow for safe removal of severely damaged teeth.
• Dermatology
  Diagnosis, therapy, and follow-up care for animals with skin disease or skin problems that are commonly caused by allergies, parasites, infections, or hormonal imbalances.  
• Diagnostic Imaging
  Advanced diagnostic procedures, including radiographs of even the densest parts of large animals - chest, spine, and pelvis. Image intensification systems with digital imaging capability, used for intra-operative interventional surgery. Ultrasound equipment for laryngeal assessment, abdominal studies, and musculoskeletal studies. Computed tomography (CT) for anatomy studies in three-dimensional detail, to help in surgical planning for complicated fractures or diseases affecting the limbs or head and neck area. Magnetic resonance (MR) for special in-depth assessment of bone and soft tissues involving the head and limbs. Nuclear imaging for bone and soft tissue scans of the musculoskeletal system to help detect incomplete and stress fractures.
• Equine Performance Testing Clinic/Sport Medicine Clinic
  Diagnosis of poor performance in race horses: orthopedic problems, and other problems unique to the equine athlete; identification of respiratory obstruction or abnormal upper airway sound in all performance horses, using high-speed treadmill with video endoscopy and wireless endoscopy. In addition for a more broad assessment of poor performance, other diagnostic modality in concert with internal medicine and cardiology are used such as electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, airway ultrasound, and determination of oxygen saturation.
• Farrier Services
  The farrier provides foot care for horses. Services include general examination of hooves, trimming, and therapeutic shoeing.
• Internal Medicine
  Diagnosis and treatment of serious health problems such as pulmonary, digestive, neurological problems, and infectious disease. Causes of poor performance for respiratory testing; nutritional services and parenteral nutrition.
• Ophthalmology
  Diagnosis and treatment of problems of the eye, including state-of-the-art cataract removals.
• Soft-tissue Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery
  General surgery including abdominal surgery for life-threatening colic, laparoscopic surgery, respiratory and urogenital surgery. Orthopedic surgery including arthroscopic surgery, fracture repair, cartilage transplants and neurosurgery (brain and spine); treatment of various respiratory diseases, state-of-the-art surgical equipment and techniques such as arthroscopy, laparoscopy. Head and neck surgery for treatment of diseases of the sinuses, skulls, and airways.
• Theriogenology
  All aspects of reproductive health, including obstetrics, breeding soundness exams, infertility, artificial insemination, embryo transfer, semen freezing, and reproductive surgery.