The Horse's Advocate Podcast

My equine veterinary practice is limited to horses' teeth and oral cavity. Almost all of this practice focuses on removing the sharp enamel points that cause discomfort within the oral cavity. I have been doing this since 1983 and full-time since 1998. This episode covers some frequently asked questions I often get asked as I meet horse owners. My answers are not based on scientific facts because...

I am so grateful when I hear someone listen to these podcasts worldwide. But, more than that, people listen and apply what I say and find excellent results from their changes. I am so humbled. In this episode, I go through an email I received from Africa with a connection in the state of Washington here in America. Their results with laminitis are remarkable. But there is other feedback I receive,...

Entropy describes the Second Law of Thermodynamics (one of the only three laws that forces everything on Earth to respond the way things do). Entropy means the natural and required decrease in energy, moving organized things into disorganized ones, eventually ending in complete uniform chaos with all things becoming the same. Here are the Merriam-Webster definitions:  : a measure of the unavailabl...

Robert Frost, the poet, wrote about coming across two roads in the woods. One shows much activity, while the other is pristine and unused. Which way do you choose? Suppose you know the active path, and it feels comfortable. There are known obstacles along this path, but these difficulties are trusted because they are known, and many others have taken this route. So you move forward down the used w...

My last podcast (#051) was about the infodemic we are experiencing in the horse world. Infodemic describes the dilemma where there is too much conflicting information about the care of horses. In this podcast, I want to examine the infodemic in only one aspect of horses - how to feed them. As with most of my nutritional information on horses, I use the current knowledge of human nutrition. I assum...

Infodemic is a blend of "information" and "epidemic" that typically refers to a rapid and far-reaching spread of both accurate and inaccurate information about something, such as a disease. As facts, rumors, and fears mix and disperse, it becomes difficult to learn essential information about an issue. - Merriam-Webster This podcast is where I vent my frustration in my attempts to help horse owner...

I attended three equine seminars, all with veterinarians discussing different matters:  1) "How Horses Think" put on by Cornell University (not the vet school)  2) "Laminitis Rounds" put on by the American Association of Equine Practitioners  3) "Fiber intake, Fermentation and Dental Condition" put on by the European Equine Health and Nutrition Congress.  I also listened to a podcast from Purina c...

Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World is what we do at The Horse's Advocate. But what about us? How do we thrive in this human world filled with tragedies and unrest? The answer is simple. We go to the barn! What is the mechanics of this desire to spend our time and money in the harsh weather elements, soiling our hands and clothes and leaving social occasions early because we hear the thunder? D...

Every day someone asks me about feeding their horses. It has become simple for me to understand only because I repeat this information daily. Still, it's not so simple when heard only once or twice. I review much of what I have said in this podcast and use different approaches to help you understand. It comes down to a few things: Protein, fat and sugar are the three main ingredients that enter th...

I go over some of the recent articles in the magazines and news feeds for horse owners discussing 1) cavities in the cheek teeth of horses and 2) the inhalation of tooth dust from motorized dentistry tools. I read the lay article and then the scientific journal where the information came from for the article writer. I then compare these two to see if there is any valid communication that the horse...

Today's guest is Dr. Jenny Susser, a sport and performance psychologist from Ocala, FL. She "successfully applies her years of experience merging mind and body wellness with performance, helping people make a lasting and positive difference in their personal and professional lives." Dr Jenny also loves horses and applies her training to horse owners and riders, helping her connect them to their ho...

The top line of horses is the muscles along the backbone from the withers to the rump. It is where the saddle or load goes onto the horse. It is an indicator of the overall athletic condition of the horse. It is often seen as a "poor" top line when the backbone (spine) is higher than the surrounding muscle. My view of the top line is an early indicator of chronic protein self-absorption and chroni...

I report here on the safety and side effects of 4 different therapeutics used for specific purposes in horses. These four studies come from the 2021 AAEP meeting I attended virtually. Using butorphenol and detomidine in scoping TB yearlings for laryngeal function. Using Equioxx or Banamine to determine if there is subgrade colitis. CBD use in horses safety. CBD use in horses for sedation and ataxi...

This podcast reviews what kind of wounds occur in the horse, their particular characteristics, and how to make them heal with the best possible outcomes. In a nutshell, there are partial skin-thickness wounds and full-thickness wounds. Partial skin-thickness wounds can be bloody and will heal without much attention needed for their excellent outcomes. Full-thickness wounds are either fresh or chro...

I am on a path of revealing how science works and why it is a well-orchestrated drama to promote an agenda. I try not to be cynical or even blind. Still, in this age of slogans such as "Follow the science," I need to define not what science is (I did this in a members-only "Rounds With Doc T") but give examples from a popular magazine. I read and then summarized each article in the Winter 2021 edi...

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) held its annual meeting last month, offering a section on the current state of equine dentistry. There were eight lectures and a panel discussion. I report here what they said in each lecture and then add my commentary and interpretations on how it applies to horses from an owner's perspective. How to Perform a Thorough Oral Examination How t...

Horse owners need more equine veterinarians if they live any distance from horses living in a dense population. The biggest reason is the cost of veterinary education and the poor return on the student's investment compared to their small animal colleagues. While you think the vet's bill for work on your horses is high, the group practices pay the new vet little. And if they are women, they are pa...

A blockage in the horses' digestive tract due to sand accumulation is known as sand colic. It is common where horses graze on land with a sand base. But even if your horses live nowhere near sand, this podcast has value. The root cause of sand accumulation may occur in your horses, even in the mountains without a beach. I report on a podcast from the Equine Veterinary Journal, where they interview...

Horses have been around for about 55 million years. They have been with humans for nearly 5000 years. Unfortunately, machines have replaced horses in many parts of the world in the past 70 years, and the information about raising healthy horses is lost. As a result, diseases including obesity, Insulin Resistance, Laminitis, Cushing's, Developmental Orthopedic Disease, Tooth Decay, lameness, certai...

I just finished half of an old book on feeding the horse written by a professor of nutrition. It is called "Horse Feeding And Nutrition" by Tony Cunha. First published in 1980, this was the second edition in 1991 - 30 years ago. What was so striking to me were these several points: I know the people referenced as the scientists, researchers and students after each chapter. The information is what...

I attended a Zoom meeting hosted by the FVMA with the presenter Dr. Jane Manfredi of Michigan State. The title of her talk was "Quick On Their Feet: Endocrine Disease And The Equine Athlete." Unfortunately, I arrived a few minutes late. Still, this presentation was on equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), PPID/Cushing's Disease in horses, insulin resistance/dysregulation and other points. I reviewed he...

This podcast is the second part of a discussion I started in episode #030. I continue that discussion of relating the brain of the horse with the human brain as the recent discovery of 4 distinct centers of the mammalian brain described by Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor in her book, "Whole Brain Living." In the past, I had described these centers based on Hippocrates (about 400 BC) as Choleric, Melancholy,...

The temporomandibular joints connect the jaw (mandible) to the skull. It is the most active joint in the horse's body, moving on average 25,000 times daily - or 9 million chews per year. It has evolved over the evolution of the horse to be a very sturdy yet flexible joint. Horse owners often define the TM joints as a condition rather than a joint. For example, "My horse has TMJ" describes a syndro...

As a veterinarian, I have seen many horses with colic, and as a horse owner, I have experienced colic personally. But there is one thing for sure: we need to prevent it from happening in the first place. It is why The Horse's Advocate explains the harm of inflammatory diets in other podcasts and materials. Unfortunately, however, even with the best precautions, colic can still occur from other cau...

On October 13th, 2021, The American Association Of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) had a virtual meeting of 4 professionals caring for horses suffering from laminitis. This disease is a crippling and often life-ending painful affliction of horses' hooves. I attended to update myself with new information I could pass on to the listeners of this podcast. Discussions revolved around the determinants of s...