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| State-of-the-art
equine mobile veterinary unit rolls into Fort
Worth for Paint World Show
FORT WORTH-The most modern
mobile equine veterinary unit of its kind will
roll into Fort Worth this week for the start
of the 2001 World Championship Paint Horse Show
at Will Rogers Memorial Center. The American
Paint Horse Association (APHA) expects that
more 2,000 horses will be competing at this
year's World Show, which runs June 24 through
July 7.
A virtual emergency room and treatment center
on wheels, the mobile equine unit is outfitted
with some of the most advanced diagnostic and
therapeutic equipment available for recognizing
and treating horse ailments. Owned and operated
by Colorado State University (CSU), in Fort
Collins, Colo., the unit is being staffed by
the veterinarian who designed it, Dr. Joe Stricklin.
A professor at the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital,
Dr. Stricklin will be assisted by five of his
senior veterinary students at the college.
The unit will be available around the clock
at the World Show, and will provide the following
advanced diagnostic equipment and techniques:
… Ultrasonography-provides images of tendons,
lungs and abdominal areas that can be projected
onto a viewing screen.
… Thermal imaging-the
use of specialized equipment to map surface body
temperature, allowing a veterinarian to detect
specific areas of inflammation.
… X-ray
processor-a machine that is used to make and process
X-rays in minutes.
… Videoendoscope-a
small camera that records images for display on
a television screen. |
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If horse owners would like to get their hometown veterinarians
involved in diagnosis and treatment, Dr. Stricklin and his
students can transmit images over telephone lines and the
Internet. Stricklin will also be available to consult with
other veterinarians by telephone.
In addition, Stricklin and his crew can also record horses'
radiographic and ultrasound images directly on videotape,
which owners can take back to their veterinarians.
When it comes to treatment, the mobile equine veterinary
unit health officials can get to work quickly on a number
of remedies, with the use of the following equipment and procedures:
… Equine AeroMask-a device that allows accurate delivery
of inhalation medication for horses with respiratory problems.
… Theraquine-an electronic stimulation unit that is placed
directly on the site of an injury to promote healing.
… Ice Horse Cold Therapy---technique for reducing inflammation
by cold therapy applied evenly at room temperature.
Stricklin can also quickly set up intravenous units, administer
antibiotics and provide any of a number of other treatments
commonly available for horses at veterinary clinics.
"The quicker you can get to a problem, the better the
chance you have of being able to fix it or minimize it,"
said Stricklin, adding that his crew will be prepared for
all equine medical emergencies that could arise at the show.
Stricklin was raised in Abilene, Texas, and attended veterinary
school at Texas A&M University, College Station. For several
years, he headed up the Abilene Equine Care Veterinary Hospital.
He designed and developed his mobile veterinary unit in 1998,
and sold it to CSU when he accepted his current position at
the university. In addition to serving as a versatile equine
medical unit at horse shows around the country, Stricklin's
mobile unit has become a unique teaching tool for veterinary
students in the field.
More information on the World Championship Paint Horse Show
is available at www.aphaworldshow.com. |
