Surgery | My Site 1

Surgery

Arizona Equine provides an array of surgical services for our equine patients. We currently have two board certified equine surgeons as a part of our AZ Equine team: Dr. Rick Howard and Dr. Jocelyn Steadman. Both of our surgeons completed multiple equine internships and then a rigorous 3-year equine surgical residency after veterinary school. Dr. Howard also completed a PhD in Clinical Sciences. We are very fortunate here at AZ Equine to have two talented equine surgeons as part of our team.

Surgical services provided at Arizona Equine include:

Colic Surgery

Many cases of colic can be managed medically, but our surgery team is always ready if a case needs surgical intervention. Our surgical suite is equipped with intensive monitoring equipment to ensure a safe plane of anesthesia for all patients, especially critical colics. Our surgeons work together with our surgery team to safely and quickly correct both large and small intestinal causes of colic.

Advancements in modern surgical techniques mean that survival and recovery rates for simple colics are much higher than they have been historically. Many horses spend only 4-5 days in our hospital post-surgery, and most return to full work 2-3 months after surgery.

Other types of colics require more intensive management, which we are well-equipped to provide with 24-hour staff and multiple on-call veterinarians.

Colic surgery can be scary, but we are here to ensure that your horse receives the best chance at recovery.

Arthroscopic Surgery

Arthroscopy refers to minimally invasive evaluation and treatment of synovial structures (joints, tendon sheath). Arthroscopy involves inserting a small camera into a joint or tendon sheath in order to evaluate the health of the synovial tissue and/or locate bone chips or foreign material. Additional incisions are then made into the joint or tendon sheath - a variety of instruments can then be inserted into the synovial structure and used to perform many different treatments. Some applications of arthroscopy we commonly perform here at Arizona Equine include:

Bone chip removal
Treatment of osteoarthritis and associated bone changes
Treatment of OCD
Cactus spine removal
Aggressive debridement of septic synovial structures.

Laparoscopic Surgery

Laparoscopy refers to minimally invasive evaluation and treatment of disorders occurring within the abdominal cavity. Laparoscopy can be performed on a standing, sedated horse or on an anesthetized patient. Much like arthroscopy, laparoscopy is performed by making multiple small incisions into the abdominal cavity, then inserting a camera in order to visualize the organs. Some common applications of laparoscopy we perform here at Arizona Equine include:

Ovariectomy (spay)
Removal of undescended testicles – cryptorchid
Exploratory surgeries to locate and remove tumors/other abnormalities

Recovery from laparoscopic surgery is much shorter than traditional abdominal surgery, and horses return to work much faster.

Laser Surgery

Arizona Equine currently has a diode laser to assist in surgical procedures. Our veterinarians utilize this laser in upper airway surgeries involving the nasal passages, sinuses, and nasopharynx/throat. In a majority of these procedures, the horse is sedated but remains standing, and a video-endoscope is used to provide visualization of the surgical site. Some of the procedures involving the nasal passages would not be possible without the use of a laser.

Orthopedic Surgery

Our surgeons here at Arizona Equine have extensive experience in all types of orthopedic surgeries. We maintain a full stock of specialized orthopedic surgical instruments and hardware, allowing our surgeons to repair and manage many types of fractures and bony ailments. Some examples of common orthopedic procedures we perform here include:

Olecranon fracture repair
Distal limb fractures of P1, P2 and P3
Facial fractures
Mandibular bone and incisive bone fractures
Carpal and tarsal bone fractures
Sequestrum debridement and removal

Soft Tissue Surgery

Our surgeons perform all types of general soft tissue surgery. While some procedures are routine, we also see and handle specialized cases that require a novel surgical approach. Some of the soft tissue procedures we perform here at Arizona Equine include:

Neurectomy
Prosthetic laryngoplasty (“tie-back”)
Enucleation
Tumor removal
Extensive wound debridement and skin grafting procedures
Sinus exploratory surgery

Dental Surgery

Our surgeons are experienced in dental procedures and provide a clean, controlled environment for routine and complex dental extractions. We commonly perform the following under standing sedation or general anesthesia:

Intra-oral extraction of maxillary and mandibular cheek teeth
Tooth repulsion via sinus flap
Incisor extraction secondary to EOTRH
Correction of dental malocclusions – parrot mouth, etc