State of the Art Diagnostics:

+ Laboratory

Southern Equine Service's in-house laboratory is equipped with blood work machines to run baseline blood work including complete blood cell counts, serum chemistries, SAA, fibrinogen, lactate and glucose. We also now offer in-house testing for Salmonella, EHV-1, Strangles, ACTH, insulin and fecal samples including sand. In-house cytology is also available.

We are also able to collect and send out a variety of other diagnostic samples including but not limited to biospies, cultures, hormone testing and pathology.

+ Digital Radiography

We have many high quality digital radiograph (x-ray) machines so that we can quickly diagnose any bone injuries. Radiographs image bone and show any abnormalities in the bone such as bone spurs (osteophytes), dense bone (sclerosis), softer bone (lysis) and allow the joint spaces to be evaluated. All our machines are portable so we can take radiographs at our clinic or at your barn.

We also have a high powered x-ray generator that remains at the clinic that can take excellent images of the neck, back, adult ventral abdomen and foal thorax and abdomen.

+ Ultrasound

Ultrasound is the imaging modality of choice for soft tissue injuries. Ultrasound is a two dimensional real time imaging modality that evaluates size, shape, and morphology of tendons and ligaments as well as other soft tissue structures including the chest and abdomen. We are able to provide ultrasound disagnostics both in-hospital and on the farm.

We have a high quality medicine ultrasound at the clinic that we use for imaging the thorax and abdomen of adult horses.

+ MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

MR Imaging is the gold standard to evaluate bone and soft tissue injuries. The cross sectional views of the affected anatomy in multiple planes provided by MR imaging provide superior detail of the soft tissue and bone. Southern Equine Service provides an in house 0.31 Tesla High Resolution MRI unit. This is the only MRI untit for horses in South Carolina. It can image up to the hock and carpus. If interested in MRI services please see our Client Portal.

+ Nuclear Scintigraphy

Nuclear Scintigraphy (Bone Scan) is a very sensitive way to look for areas of inflammation in the musculoskeletal system. It allows us to internally examine from head to tail, including the neck, back, pelvis and limbs and to detect problems which we may not be able to locate in any other way. Bone Scan can detect fractures early before there are any x-ray changes. It can be very useful for subtle lameness or performance problems.

We possess a nuclear scintigraphy unit, more commonly known as a “bone scan,” to aid in diagnosing your horse. We use bone scans commonly for horses who have an intermittent or very subtle lameness, for overall poor performance that is hard to target, and especially for horses who have issues in areas of their body that are difficult to radiograph or ultrasound, such as the back, the pelvis, and the sacroiliac region.

Our patients are standing and mildly sedated for the procedure, similar to how they would be for joint injections. We inject a radioactive dye into the horse with a single IV injection. We evaluate the blood flow, then the soft tissues such as tendons and ligaments, and finally we can evaluate the bone. In the simplest terms, the dye travels to where the problem lies, which we term as a “hot spot”. These hot spots are clues to diagnosing your horse’s lameness. The radioactive dye is not dangerous to the horse and is simply excreted in the horse’s urine by the next day. After the dye has been excreted and the horse is no longer radioactive (24-36 hours), our patient is returned to your care.

If you are interested in a bone scan for your horse, or would like to discuss your horse’s case with one of our veterinarians to determine if he or she may be a good candidate for a bone scan, please see our Client Portal.

+ Gastroscopy

We have a 3 meter endoscope at the clinic which allows visualization of the esophagus, stomach and a portion of the small intesetine. This is used to diagnose gastric ulcers, gastric impactions and esophageal disorders. Horses are fasted overnight before the procedure to allow visculaization of the entirety of the stomach.

+ Upper Airway Endoscopy

Southern Equine is equipped with high quality mobile scopes. These allow us to examine the upper airway anatomy and function.

+ Dynamic Scope

The dynamic endoscope is similar to a regular upper airway scope but can be attached to the horse while he/she is being worked. Static endoscopic exams are beneficial for baseline evaluations and determining if an infectious or allergic component is presentut there are certain things that we cannot evaluate at a stand still. The dynamic endoscope allows us to see how the airway is functioning while the horse is worked or ridden.