Equine Surgery in Madison, Georgia & Beyond
We offer a large array of surgical services with two equine surgeons on staff.
Emergency Surgeries
Colic surgery/exploratory celiotomy
Colic is a term used to describe abdominal discomfort. That means when horses are acting colicky and not responding to medications or medical management, surgery to evaluate the entire abdomen is needed. The laparotomy is performed on horses in the operating room on an emergency and sometimes elective basis.
Dystocia Assistance & Cesarean Sections
Dystocia occurs when the birthing process poses risks to the mare or foal, assistance is needed to complete delivery, or there are delays in the normal duration of labor stages. We provide assistance and interventions to ensure safe foaling experiences for both the mare and foal. In severe cases of dystocia, such as those involving physical obstructions or complications, we may perform emergency cesarean sections to safely deliver the foal and preserve the health of the mare.
Orthopedic Surgeries
Arthroscopy
Equine osteochondropathy occurs at all ages. The arthroscopic procedure is utilized by creating small incisions in the skin over the joint of interest. A 4mm arthroscope and camera are used to visualize the interior joint structures. This procedure compared to an arthrotomy minimizes recovery time of healing due to the small incisions and provides vital information needed for therapy to either treat internal soft tissue damage or bone/cartilage damage.
Neurectomy
Palmar digital nerves give sensation and pain stimulation to the caudal aspect of the heels of the foot. When all other types of treatment are not able to control the horses’ pain then a salvage procedure is performed to transect the nerves to eliminate the pain and give the horse comfort. Nerves will re-grow over time.
Check Ligament Desmotomy
Flexural deformity surgical corrective procedure. The proximal and distal check ligaments attach to the superficial and deep digital flexor tendons respectively. These structures are surgically transected to allow for club foot or hyperflexion of the metacarpophalangeal joint (fetlock) to relax into a more ideal angle.
Sequestrectomies
Sequestrae are pieces of devitalized bone usually due to a previous trauma to the area and often necessitate removal as they commonly do not heal even with prolonged medical therapy. Most commonly sequestrae occur on the limbs but can happen over any bony area of the body.
Total or partial splint bone removals (ostectomy)
Total or partial splint bone removals are performed to address fractures and resulting sequestrae. The splint bones may need to be removed when they become fractured or develop bony fragments that can impede healing and cause discomfort to the horse.
Fracture Repair
This procedure is performed on a case-by-case basis. To determine the best course of action for your horse, we recommend contacting the office to speak with one of our doctors or requesting an appointment for a thorough examination and radiographic evaluation.
Joint Lavage
This procedure is done to treat contaminated or infected joints and is commonly done in the standing sedated horse with a through and through needle lavage. Occasionally, it must be performed under general anesthesia with the use of an arthroscope, as described above.
Foal/Weanling Conformation Corrective Procedures
Orthopedic procedures such as periosteal stripping, transphyseal screws, amongst others. Application of specific shoes or bandages/wraps to encourage normal musculoskeletal development and conformation may also be attempted.
Kissing Spine Surgery
Two procedures are usually available to correct this issue:
Interspinous Ligament Desmotomy
An interspinous ligament desmotomy entails cutting the ligament in between the affected spinous processes to alleviate pain and inflammation and can usually be done standing. This procedure is reserved for less severe cases.
Cranial Wedge Ostectomy
A cranial wedge ostectomy entails placing the horse under anesthesia and performing a large incision on their back over the affected area and surgically resecting a portion of each of the spinous processes that is overriding or “kissing” and in doing so, creating more space, and removing the source of pain.
Hoof Wall Resection
These are typically performed in the sedated, standing horse under local anesthesia. This is often to treat problems such as advanced white line disease, keratomas, pedal osteomyelitis, and sequestrae of the coffin bone.
Canker Debridement
Canker debridement involves the removal of diseased tissue from the affected area in a horse suffering from canker. This procedure is usually performed on a sedated, standing horse under local anesthesia, as it often requires multiple treatments over time.
Soft-Tissue Surgeries
Urogenital Surgery
Penile trauma or tumors, bladder stones, ovarian tumors, and vaginal/rectovaginal fistulas are amongst some of the most common pathologies involving the reproductive and urinary tract. Some cases may require surgical treatment (Partial phallectomy or segmental posthetomy, cystotomy or perineal urethrostomy, ovariectomies and fistula repair) after medical management fails to resolve these problems.
Cystotomy
Cystotomy refers to the surgical procedure aimed at removing bladder or urethral stones in horses. This intervention is crucial when stones obstruct the urinary tract, leading to discomfort, pain, and potential complications for the animal.
Perineal Surgeries
Rectovaginal tear repair – A surgical procedure often required in mares during parturition. This condition occurs when there is a tear between the rectum and vagina, which can lead to discomfort and complications if left untreated.
Urethral extension – A surgical procedure performed on mares experiencing urine pooling in the vulva due to poor conformation. This is commonly an issue when trying to breed these mares.
Penile Surgeries
Penile surgeries are performed to address various conditions affecting the reproductive health and function of stallions. These surgeries may target issues such as penile injuries, abnormalities, or paralysis that can impact breeding performance.
Castrations
Routine Castration
This procedure is to remove two scrotal descended testicles from a stallion or colt. This procedure can be performed in the field or at the clinic. The closed vs open approaches to removing the testicles is defined by the tissue layers that are transected during the surgical procedures. These surgical incisions are often left to heal by second intention healing.
Cryptorchid castration
This procedure is performed under gas anesthesia to remove an intra-abdominal or inguinal undescended testicle. This procedure is different than a routine castration procedure because of the potential involvement of the testicle within the abdomen. This surgery is best performed in a clean operating room. The recovery after surgery is more intensive than a routine castration.
Herniorrhaphy
Herniorrhaphies involve the surgical repair of various types of hernias in horses, including umbilical, incisional, traumatic, and inguinal hernias. These hernias can occur due to factors such as trauma, abdominal weakness, or congenital defects.
Mass Removals
Mass removals involve the surgical excision of abnormal growths or tumors from various parts of the horse’s body. These masses can range from benign to malignant and may cause discomfort, interfere with movement, or pose health risks.
Wound Repairs
Wound repair involves the treatment and closure of injuries sustained by horses, ranging from minor cuts and abrasions to more severe lacerations and puncture wounds. Prompt and proper wound management is important to prevent infection, promote healing, and minimize scarring.
Skin Grafts
Often used to address non-healing wounds in horses, skin grafting involves transplanting healthy skin tissue onto the wound site to promote healing and tissue regeneration. This technique is particularly beneficial for wounds that are slow to heal or have failed to respond to conventional treatments.
Upper Airway Surgery
Decreased performance, abnormal respiratory sounds, and respiratory distress are common clinical signs that may be noticed in horses with upper respiratory issues. Usually determined through upper airway endoscopy, different pathologies such as dorsal displacement of the soft palate, laryngeal hemiplegia, arytenoid chondritis, and epiglottic entrapment, amongst others, require surgical procedures to be resolved such as Tie-forward/Llewelyn procedure, Tie-back, arytenoidectomy, and transection of the aryepiglottic fold respectively.
Paranasal Sinus Surgery
Sinusitis is a common upper airway problem which can be primary or secondary in most cases, usually due to tooth root infections, fractured cheek teeth, ethmoid hematomas (along with epistaxis or nose bleeds) or other pathologies within the paranasal sinuses. Small trephine holes over the paranasal bones or bone flaps (in more severe cases) can be created to properly gain access to the sinuses and remove the source of infection or establish appropriate drainage. These procedures can be done standing or under anesthesia depending on severity and in most cases, it also involves an oral cavity exam.
Sinusitis has a high recurrence rate when the source of the issue is not properly investigated and addressed.
Anesthesia
An in-house pre-anesthetic bloodwork and a thorough physical exam is performed on all anesthesia candidates.
Intensive monitoring is performed on all anesthetized patients. The following parameters are monitored by a veterinarian during the surgical procedure: blood pressure (indirect with a cuff and direct with an arterial line), pulse oximetry, EKG, end-tidal CO2 and other vital parameters.
Assisted induction and recovery.