Newsletters - December 2004

As the 2004 year draws to a close, we have many fond reflections and exciting changes which have taken place. Our Client Information Seminars were very popular this past winter and we are already entertaining topics of client interest for this upcoming winter series. Be sure to call or drop us an email (peneq@yahoo.com) if you have suggestions for ’05 topics. In addition, our 2nd Annual Peninsula Equine Summer CE Symposium for Equine Veterinarians in July was also very well received and attended by both regional veterinarians as well as some from as far away as the East Coast! It provided both in-depth updates and training on such timely topics as Equine Metabolic Disease, Advanced lameness diagnosis, and Digital Radiography and Ultrasound evaluations, as well as continuing education credits for those attending. Looking ahead to ’05 the Staff at PE will continue to offer opportunities for clients and colleagues to gain knowledge and insight into current lameness and health issues for our horses!

New to our staff this year is surgeon, Sandra Bauer, who gained her surgical training through her internship at Chino Valley Equine Hospital in So. Cal followed by a surgery residency at The University of Wisconsin. She hails from Eastern Canada and she looks forward to meeting all of you throughout the year ahead. Our interns this year are Drs. Lucia Mokres and Sinead Devine. While interns are usually graduate veterinarians who choose to undertake an additional optional year of intensive and focused training, both of these doctors are in their second and third years of intensified training respectively, resulting in exceptional care and compassion for our patients. Last years intern, Rachael Harnish, remains on staff as a part-time Associate and Eilidh Wilson used her experience to secure a placement in New York, after a quick return visit to her homeland of Scotland. As a further update, our 2003 intern James Schachtel has been practicing in New York as well and has recently accepted a staff position at Fairfield Equine Center in Connecticut. Elaine Carpenter is happy and healthy, and living & practicing in Phoenix, AZ, and Lisa Atckison is also doing well, living & practicing in the Los Angeles area.

West Nile disease arrived in California quite forcefully in 2004, leaving 228 confirmed equine deaths and 24 (medium age 75.5 yrs) human deaths in its path to date. Fortunately, an intense preventive vaccination program coupled with our geographic location has resulted in very few cases in our client’s horses. The incidence of the disease should be winding down with winter weather, however the 2005 season may be worse than 2004 so we will accumulate the most comprehensive information at the upcoming AAEP meeting and from CDC yearend data and outline an updated West Nile Recommendation list for 2005!

New in 2004 to PE was an updated and state of the art Nuclear Medicine (Scintigraphy) department for bone scans. This is one of 5 such units in California and dramatically enhances a number of aspects of lameness and performance diagnostic capabilities. Bone scans identify areas of inflammation associated with specific and often multiple causes of lameness or poor performance. Our new Mirage® data processing software takes this valuable information and transforms it into more user-friendly images in color or black and white for evaluation. This information is often critical in accurately focusing diagnostic digital radiography or ultrasound evaluations which lead to accurate diagnosis and therapy.

Another exciting area of development for 2004 has been the development of new, more effective methods of treating suspensory ligament and tendon injuries in our sport horses. The surgical use of A-Cell®, autogenous washed platelets injection, and extra corporal shockwave therapy have had dramatic beneficial effects upon treating these injuries and more rapidly and successfully returning these horses to normal work. Soft tissue injuries such as these have been poorly responsive to conventional therapy in the past, and these new modalities will be an exciting and promising area of development in the 2005 year ahead! Visit our website (www.peneq.com) or email (peneq@yahoo.com) us for updates or comments/questions.

With all the excitement of 2004 coming to an end, we look forward to the 2005 year ahead! Our goal remains steadfast – to bring you and your horses the best and most up to date medicine to better their quality of life and competitive abilities. We heartily wish you a joyous holiday season and unite with you to strive to make 2005 a spectacular year of enjoyment and accomplishment!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peninsula Equine Medical Center
(650) 854-3162 | peneq@yahoo.com
100 Ansel Lane, Menlo Park, CA 94028

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