Infectious Arthritis Incidence Following Joint Injections

Mar 24, 2015

Veterinarians commonly inject horses' joints both to diagnose and treat lameness. They inject diagnostic anesthesia to pinpoint painful joints, and they inject anti-inflammatory medications to help treat them. These procedures, however, don't come without risk of infection, so most veterinarians (about 78%, according to a 2009 survey) add antibiotics to intra-articular (IA) injections just to be safe.

"The most feared complication is infectious arthritis," said Anna Bohlin, DVM, of the Evidensia Equine Hospital, in Sweden, "and to some veterinarians this justifies routine use of prophylactic (preventive) antibiotics."

But are these additional drugs really necessary?

To find out, Bohlin reviewed veterinary records from horses treated with joint injections from 1999 to 2010 and their outcomes. She presented her findings at the 2014 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 6-10 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Source: TheHorse

Video: Shearing Delay Leads To Kingston 4H Sheep Show!

What started as a disappointment turned into a day full of surprises, fun, and celebration as we leave Ewetopia Farms behind and head out to the Kingston Fair to watch the 4H sheep show

Today’s vlog was supposed to be another sheep shearing day here at Ewetopia Farms, but when our shearer had to cancel, we suddenly found ourselves with an unexpected free day. Lucky for us, the Kingston Fair was happening — and some of our own sheep (and friends) were competing!

We brought along our shearing helper and headed to the fairgrounds to cheer on the 4H kids and see how our sheep did in the show. From last-minute preparations and sheep showmanship to market lamb competitions and ewe classes, we take you behind the scenes of what it’s really like at a country fair.

We couldn’t be prouder — our girls walked away with wins in both showmanship and breeding ewe classes! Afterwards, we toured the fair, met a beekeeper with fascinating insights, admired other livestock shows, and wrapped up the evening with motocross stunts and a demolition derby!

Sometimes farm life throws curveballs — but today, it gave us the chance to celebrate community, our sheep, and the next generation of shepherds.