Our Equipment

Here at Essex Equine we are always aiming to stay ahead of the curve. A few years ago we created our own Amplified Conditioned Serum. This is an autologous process where we obtain your horses blood, incubate it for a specific amount of time and sterilely process it here in the lab to create a serum that has been Amplified to help increase the healing process. This can be used in different ways, including but not limited to, joint injections, tendon injections, in a ventilator and much more. We have seen great results from our home ACS!

Thanks to our Zoetis in house machines, we can run CBC (complete blood count), Chemistry and Fibrinogen test. The benefits of in-house testing are faster results, more cost effective and less probability of error.

60% of equine lameness is related to osteoarthritis (OA), which is a disease of the joint that ends in the degradation and destruction of articular cartilage. Why is OA so harmful? Cartilage is the very thin, and specialized connective tissue that lines the long bones where they join. This is important because without it, there would be a lot of friction from the bones which would cause a lot of pain. OA can be very painful and is often associated with poor performance and early retirement for most horses.

Alpha2EQ is an exciting advancement in orthopedic science resulting from years of research. For most athletes suffering with pain, their joint space contains more destructive enzymes than their body can handle, resulting in inflammation, and degradation of the cartilage and eventually the bone. Located in the blood is Alpha-2-Macroglobulin (α2M), a molecule that is found to prevent the breakdown of cartilage while also protecting the joint. While α2M is naturally occurring, it is unable to enter the joint space in high enough quantities due to its large size, complex structure, and the avascular design of the joint. As a result, it is necessary to inject additional concentrated α2M into the affected area to help restore balance and experience pain relief.

A simple blood draw is taken from the athlete then processed through the Alpha2EQ patented and proprietary filtration method that concentrates α2M up to 6X. Once the process is complete, the α2M rich injectate is drawn off into syringes for administering into the injury site. An injection of concentrated α2M, derived from the athlete’s own blood, can provide the necessary amount of α2M to bind and remove the destructive proteases that are known to cause inflammation.

• Our patented method creates a more concentrated serum for more effective relief
• Simple, short and minimally-invasive process
• Proven success in decreasing inflammation, relieving pain and modulating cartilage degeneration
• Attending Veterinarians can treat via multiple injections, freezing the concentrated α2M for future applications
• No harmful side effects (ie. steroids)

Equine patients cannot tell us where they have an issue. Digatherm’s thermal imaging system solves that problem by identifying areas that would benefit from further examination. These images provide real-time information about the circulatory, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems.
Equine thermal imaging uses a medical-grade infrared camera to measure the temperatures emitted from the body surface. The software converts temperature data into images that evaluate the patient’s physiology. These color images provide a physiological map of the patient. This allows veterinarians to see thermal patterns and impressions unique to that patient. Any abnormal pattern warrants further evaluation.
The Digatherm® medical-grade infrared imaging system equipped with veterinary-specific software makes reading thermal images intuitive for clinicians. With colors representing temperatures in the thermal image, clinicians can easily identify unexpected areas of increased or decreased temperatures. Each of these areas warrants further investigation and consideration of etiology.

Equine gastric ulcers are one of the most common conditions we see in horses. The best way to determine if your horse has ulcers is to perform a gastroscope.

A gastroscope, also known as an upper gastric endoscopy, is a procedure where a small camera is fed through the horse’s esophagus into their stomach. To get a clear image, we do need the patient to fast overnight to be sure there is no food remaining in their stomach. Some key points to see in the stomach include the margo plicatus, the grater and lesser curvature, and the pylorus.

Preparing your horse for a gastroscope:

• Please remove all food (hay and grain) from the patient’s stall by 7pm the night before his appointment. Please also remove all manure from the stall at night and again first thing in the morning, as some horses will eat their manure when they become hungry.
• Please remove water from the patient’s stall by 7am the morning of the procedure.

If it is determined that the horse does have gastric ulcers, then they are typically treated with a few different medications. Three of the most common medications are:

• Omeprazole– Proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) which helps by decreasing the amount of acid in the stomach
• Sucralfate– Buffer that helps by lining the stomach to help protect from acid
• Misoprostal– Reduces the amount of stomach acid in the GI system. It also helps with the treatment of lower GI ulcers. Usually if the pylorus has ulcer, then the lower GI will also.

This is a noninvasive therapy used to speed up the healing process of soft tissue injuries and reduce pain. A common misconception with shockwave treatments is that it is an electrical shock – it is actually sound waves! The sound waves act as a mechanical force at the cellular level. Shockwave treatment will release proteins that increase the blood supply to the treated area, which help speed up the healing process. A sound wave is a high energy impulse.

Typically, shockwave treatments are done in a series of 3 treatments set 10-14 days apart, but this can vary case-by-case.

Vitafloor has developed a horse vibration plate that provides whole-body vibration, which has been shown to aid in equine back muscle development. Vibration plate therapy can lead to improved performance and even prevent injuries and speed healing, according to research in the journal Equine Veterinary Education. A Vitafloor vibration platform was used to conduct this research.

Vitafloor models are safe, user-friendly, and non-invasive. Vitafloor vibrating floors for horses are comprised of a thick and ridged vibration platform with a layer of rubber on the top surface. The vibration motors enable the equine vibration plate to gently vibrate at various frequencies based on the intended use, whether for training, rehabilitation, or maintenance. Vitafloor is a fully computerized system with a timer that shuts the vibrations off automatically when the program has run.

Vitafloor Facts and Advantages

• Significant muscle power increases after only 10 minutes per day for 10 days on the Vitafloor.
• Horses trained on the Vitafloor can accelerate faster from standstill and develop more elevation in their stride.
• Tests show it has a positive effect on the warming up by causing less energy to be needed for the transition into trot.
• The Vitafloor benefits and shortens the recovery processes, especially of tendon injuries.
• Shorter training sessions necessary so less man hours needed for more power, flexibility and stamina in your horses.
• Less risk for muscle or tendon tears and bone fractures.
• Competitive advantage due to greater acceleration with less energy exerted.
• Enables horses to be rehabilitated with less supervision, so less labor-intensive.
• Very suitable and effective for rehabilitating horses on box-rest or too difficult to manage in hand.
• Bone scans at UC Davis show Vitafloor regenerates bone density not just in the legs, but also in the ribs.
• Vitafloor stimulates blood circulation through the entire body. By placing your hands on the horse, you can feel the vibrations from the
• Vitafloor all the way up through the shoulders.
• Vibration training is the non-invasive only treatment with a documented positive effect on osteoporosis (brittle bones) and the disease Silicosis.
• Helps in the prevention and treatment of colic. Vitafloor also helps in the treatment of soft tissue injuries, joint soreness, laminitis, and navicular disease.
• Stimulates healthier and faster hoof growth – important for horses with hoof problems.
• Lowers cortisol levels for relaxation.
• Vibration training uses energy and burns fat.
• Vibration training raises production of testosterone.
• Preliminary veterinary studies show Vitafloor helps increase some back muscles and promotes suppleness.

Low-level laser therapy is an effective method for pain relief that enhances the natural healing processes. This therapy uses infrared and near-infrared monochromatic light. The laser beam is directed at a particular location, and the beam penetrates just below the skin level. The small amount of heat is rather concentrated, and although it does not produce energy in sufficient amounts to cause tissue damage, it does stimulate the circulatory system as well as restore cellular function.

With the help of our Class IV Laser, we are able to fast-track the healing process of injuries in our patients. Regenerative Laser Therapy can be used on many different types on injuries, including but not limited to, wounds, soft tissue tears, lymphangitis and so much more.

How it works: The Class IV laser is a high intensity laser therapy. This means that the laser delivers protons to the tissues which in turn increases the circulation to that area. This will help reduce pain and inflammation. As well, the laser stimulates the cells activating an endorphin that released energy to the cell (ATP) that helps accelerate the repair process.

We are always happy to find noninvasive therapies to help your equine friends heal. Regenerative Laser Therapy is becoming a more known therapy and insurance companies are beginning to cover it as a treatment.