MEDICAL SERVICES
Digital Radiography
With digital radiography, Walkerton Equine Clinic is able to get visual images of your horse immediately, on our computer screen. Digital x-rays allow us to enhance or enlarge areas of concern, for a closer view of your horse’s issues.
Digital radiographs, or digital X-rays, capture images digitally on a special plate using a regular X-ray machine. The plates save the images and transfer them to a computer where they are stored and can be viewed immediately.
The speed, ease and accuracy has greatly enahanced our lameness diagnostics and pre purchase exam options.
We can even email your horse’s xrays to a surgeon, if needed.
View images of our state of the art digital radiography equipment -
Limb Ultrasound
Limb ultrasound can assist with the diagnosis and prognosis of soft tissue injuries.
Ultrasound is non invasive, and provides real time images. Ultra- sonography is particularly useful for tendons and ligaments, showing the structure and degree of injury / healing.
Ultrasound can also be used to help with some of the newer treatments available for severe tendon injuries, such as PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injections, which stimulate tissue repair.
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy, also known as ESWT, is a non invasive treatment option for many soft tissue injuries, including navicular syndrome.
It is a non-invasive procedure with an average treatment time of 20-30 minutes.
Shockwave therapy can be used for many things including tendon and ligament injuries, sesamoiditis, back or neck pain, and navicular syndrome.
PRP INJECTIONS
Walkerton Equine Veterinary Clinic offers Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections. Platelets are known for their role in clotting.
Platelets also release substances that promote tissue repair and influence the reactivity of vascular and other blood cells in the formation of new vessels and in inflammation. Once activated, the platelets release their storage pool of powerful growth factors.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections were first used in human medicine for tennis elbow and plantar fasciitis. 93% of patients treated reported a reduction in pain without undergoing surgery. It has also been used in human dental patients to reduce healing times and minimize dental visits.
Platelets also release substances that promote tissue repair and influence the reactivity of vascular and other blood cells in the formation of new vessels and in inflammation. Once activated, the platelets release their storage pool of powerful growth factors.
PRP can be used to jump-start the healing cascade and accelerate tissue regeneration in skin, soft tissue, and bone. PRP has been used in horses to treat ligament and tendon injuries, eye ulcers, and skin wounds. It is particularly beneficial in treating injuries in areas of limited vascularization, or blood flow. These growth factors have been shown to stimulate tendon and ligament healing. The enhanced healing response on a cellular and molecular level may ultimately improve the quality of repair, improve the prognosis for return to performance, and decrease the incidence of re-injury.
Platelet-derived Growth Factors:
- Mediate inflammation
- Affect tissue growth
- Stimulate cell regeneration
- Reduce scar tissue formation
- Have an analgesic (pain relief) effect
Laboratory Services
We offer in house laboratory services for all your horse’s Veterinary needs. Our in house laboratory enables us to perform most lab work at our Walkerton Clinic.
Our capabilities include: hematology, biochemistry, cytology, electrolyte analysis, and parasitology.