Client Services

Digital Radiography

The image quality of digital radiographs is superior to conventional radiographs, which allows diagnosis of subtle tissue abnormalities and better interpretation of results. Digital radiographs allow computerized alterations in technique depending on the tissue of interest (bone vs. soft tissue) without taking multiple films. Images are viewed on a work station and can be magnified, rotated and adjusted for brightness and contrast for added detail.

Video Endoscopy & Gastroscopy

Endoscopy uses a video camera to view the horse’s airway allowing us to identify problems, take diagnostic samples and bacterial cultures. This procedure is essential in diagnosing the cause of chronic respiratory diseases and infections.

Gastroscopy of the stomach is the only way to truly diagnose gastric ulcers and monitor therapy. The 3.0 meter gastroscope is essential for diagnosing stomach and esophageal diseases.

All forms of endoscopy are minimally invasive, so generally, only light sedation is needed for comfort during the procedure. The information gathered leads to directed therapy and definitive diagnosis of the horse’s ailments, producing the optimal medical or surgical outcome.

Shockwave Therapy

Shockwave therapy is used for tendon and ligament injuries and to stimulate bone remodeling. Shockwave therapy increases new bone formation and cuts down on healing time. It is a non-invasive procedure.

Tennessee Equine Hospital offers complete dental care for your horse with the Powerfloat. The Powerfloat is both faster and more efficient than hand floating, allowing us to do a superior job of floating your horse's teeth. The small, guarded head allows access to all areas of your horse's mouth without causing any damage to the soft tissues of the mouth and tongue.

The introduction of digital ultrasound has allowed Tennessee Equine Hospital to produce high resolution images of the equine musculoskeletal system to accurately diagnose a multitude of conditions that may affect your horse. These images are stored digitally in our database for ease of retrieval and to monitor the progression of tissue healing.


Surgery

We are a full service surgical facility offering services from colic surgery to arthroscopic procedures.  Our facility, equipment, and personel enable us to provide the highest quality of care for our surgical patients. 

 

Laboratory

Our lab is capable of performing complete blood counts, blood chemistries, electrolytes and fecal egg counts, many of our bacterial cultures are plated in our laboratory and monitored for growth. The blood analysis results are generally available within a few hours to as quick as several minutes.

Pharmacy

Our staff is kept up to date on the newest advances in pharmaceuticals because of the close relationship we maintain with industry representatives. In addition to supplying our hospital and ambulatory service, the pharmacy provides clients with medications, provided there is a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship.

Our pharmacy maintains a complete inventory of prescription equine medications and many hard-to-find items including but not limited to:

• Antibiotics
• Hormone therapy
• EPM medications
• Anti-ulcer medications

Breeding Services

For over 20 years, Tennessee Equine Hospital has been serving the needs of equine reproduction in Middle Tennessee. We are now operating a full service reproductive facility one mile from our present hospital location in Thompson’s Station. The new facility has 24 hour staff and is capable of the following services for the stallion and the mare.

Stallion:

• Breeding phantom on site

• Stallion collection with semen evaluation, packing for shipment, or preparation for insemination

• Semen freezing – by appointment

Mare:

• Pre-foaling exam

• Onsite foaling and delivery service

• Fertility evaluation – using ultrasonography, uterine culture, and uterine biopsy, if neededArtificial Insemination – using fresh, cooled or frozen semen

• Embryo transfer – non surgical technique

• Maintenance of high risk pregnancy

Interleukin-1
Receptor
Antagonist
Protein Processing System

The IRAP™ system consists of a syringe containing glass beads that maximize the surface area inside the syringe. Blood that has been incubated in this unique syringe can be separated to produce autologous serum useful at the point of treatment. Because the serum is derived from the animal's own blood, the possibility of adverse allergic or anaphylactic side effects is drastically reduced.

Features / Benefits
The IRAP device has been used safely and effectively in preparing autologous serum at the point of treatment. The serum produced using IRAP has been used worldwide by veterinary surgeons for over three years without negative reactions or side effects.

Blood processed using the IRAP device produces serum containing anti-inflammatory and anti-degenerative compounds.

The conditioned serum is completely autologous, and contains no drugs.

The Science behind the IRAP™ process

Defects in articular cartilage can induce osteoarthritis by causing molecular changes in the synovial fluid. Research in molecular biology discovered the major inducer of osteoarthritis was the general inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-1 (IL-1) which plays a key role in accelerating tissue destruction and the repair mechanisms.

In a healthy joint IL-1 and Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) are in balanced concentrations. In cases of osteoarthritis, there is not sufficient IL-1Ra produced to block the destructive effects of the increased IL-1. The result is inflammation, joint pain, and finally cartilage destruction.

In the IRAP™ syringe white blood cells bind to the glass beads. The cells are then stimulated to produce regenerative and anti-inflammatory proteins without the addition of drugs. This process takes place over an incubation period of 24 hours.

Technique
During the IRAP process, 50 mL of blood is harvested using the special patented syringe.

The harvested blood is incubated for 24 hours to increase anti-inflammatory and regenerative protein concentration levels.

After incubation, the syringe is placed into a centrifuge to separate the serum from the blood.

The serum is extracted and may be placed into syringes or ampoules for immediate use or frozen for later use.

References

1. H. Meijer, J. Reinecke, C. Becker, G. Tholen, P. Wehling.

2. The Production of Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines in Whole Blood by Phisico-chemical 52:404-407

3. M. Goldring.

4. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage: The Role of Cytokines. Current Rheumatology Reports

5. W. Arend, M. Malyak, C. Guthridge, C. Gabay.

6. Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist: Role in Biology. Annual Review of Immunology 1998; 16:27-55

7.Thomas Weinberger, Equine Clinic Burg Mueggenhausen.

8. Postoperative Intraarticular Treatment of Joint Disease in Horses with Autologous Biotechnical Approach

9. Thomas Weinberger, Equine Clinic Burg Mueggenhausen.

10. Intraarticular Treatment of Coffin-Joint Disease in Horses with Autologous IL-1

 

Laser Therapy:  The Pegasus Laser Therapy System is the newest therapeutic advancement at Tennessee Equine Hospital.  The Pegasus Laser delivers focal continuous or pulsed wave enerygy directly to the affected area.  The directed energy accelerates tissue repair and cell growth enabling faster healing of superficial wounds and deep tendon lesions.  The laser reduces scar tissue formation with its anti-inflammatory effects.  The directed energy stimulates individual cells to increase synthesis of healing factors.  Cell activation promotes microcirculation, tissue oxygenation, and the rate of tissue regeneration.  We have seen a marked reduction of tissue swelling and a reduction bone proliferation after treatment with the Pegasus Laser.Dr. Jessica DeLisle is a liscensed veterinarian and certified equine chiropractor.  It is a good opportunity to have your horse evaluated from an integrated chiropractic and veterinary prospective.