There has been an increased interest in the captive propagation of elephants and other large exotic animals in recent years, largely for reasons of conservation. As a result, more and more zoos and wildlife preserves are keeping, or anticipate holdin …

Immobilization is the imposed restriction of movement of all or part of an animal’s body, either by physical or chemical means. Typically, immobilization is used to facilitate management of some form (e.g., health, safety, conservation), and it …

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is the most prevalent cause of neurologic disease of horses in the Americas (North, Central and South America). It is an extremely serious disease that can be difficult to diagnose due to the fact that its pre …

Early and accurate diagnosis of pregnancy in the mare is critical in determining her reproductive viability during the breeding season. Once a mare has been determined to be pregnant, her embryonic growth and fetal development may be accurately monit …

Shivers is a neuromuscular syndrome in horses that has been recognized for centuries.1 At certain times, this condition has been called “Shivers” or “Shivering,” but both refer to the same syndrome. Interestingly, the literature states that throughou …

People who love horses tend to really love horses, and that goes triple for the horse owner who has decided to move forward with breeding their mare. Whether it’s an individual horse owner with a prized mare or a breeding operation of pretty much any …

The gestation period of the mare is less well-defined as compared to many other mammals. In other words, the window for parturition in the mare is much broader than that of other mammals. Mares are seasonally polyestrus, which means that their breedi …

In relation to horses, and performance horses in particular, the word “fatigue” is typically used to denote a horse’s inability to continue to perform at the desired level. This may manifest as slowing down, not being able to jump as high as is opti …

Chemical sedation and anesthesia are integral parts of veterinary medicine in the zoo setting. Even the most basic clinical examinations require sedation or anesthesia, since most patients in the zoo are either too nervous, too fast or too dangerous …