Treating Equine Internal Conditions
Internal medicine involves prevention, diagnosis and treatment for complex disorders affecting the various body systems and general health of horses and other large animals. This includes infectious disease as well as conditions of the GI tract, lungs, eyes, skin, muscles and other internal organs.
Dr. Charlie Fahy is residency trained in large animal internal medicine and is skilled at diagnosing and treating patients using history, physical exam findings, and carefully selected diagnostics. They are experienced in treating and managing a variety of cases from chronic conditions to those needing emergency and critical care. In addition to horses and other equines, Dr. Fahy will see alpacas, llamas, goats, sheep and pigs if referred by your veterinarian.
Our veterinary team is committed to finding the answers needed to manage and treat each horse's ailment, individually tailoring a treatment plan for each animal that will keep them healthy and performing at their highest level.
Our Internal Medicine Vet
After graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Fahy continued their training by completing a one-year equine internship at The Ohio State University followed by a three-year specialty residency in Large Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Fahy has been a part of the SEVH team since 2021 treating our critical care patients and seeing our most complicated cases.
Internal Medicine For Large Animals
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Gastroenterology
Gastric ulcers are one of the most common issues reducing the quality of life of our equine companions. Equine gastric ulcer syndrome can be quite complicated and difficult to treat.
Ulceration of the colon, and well as many other GI diseases such as neoplasia and inflammatory bowel syndrome are also diagnosed and treated.
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Immunology
Your horse's immune system is responsible for detecting foreign invaders or abnormal cells and beginning defensive action to protect the horse's health. That said, the immune system doesn't always work as it should.
Common immune-mediated disorders in horses include inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, sweet itch, and immune-mediated keratitis.
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Neurology
Neurology is a branch of veterinary internal medicine covering conditions of the brain and spinal cord as well as neuromuscular dysfunction.
The neurologic exam is an exam performed to determine if the horse is suffering from a neurologic disorder, and to localize the region effected. Some of the most common neurological disorders in horses include cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy (Wobblers), equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM), equine motor neuron disease (EMND) and equine herpesvirus-1 myeloencephalopathy (EHM).
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Oncology
Cancer can occur externally or internally in the horse just as in people. When diagnosed in the earliest stages, in many cases, cancers in horses can be treated with a combination of surgeries, therapies, and other methods.
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Pulmonology
Your horse's respiratory system does the essential work of delivering oxygen to the body and eliminating waste gases such as carbon dioxide. Lung and airway disorders are frequently caused by direct infection with viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites, as well as immune-mediated reactions or inhalation of irritants (like smoke) or toxic substances. Trauma (such as crashing into a fence) can cause a lung or airway to collapse.
There are several common pulmonary disorders seen in horses, including asthma, viral or bacterial pneumonia and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage.
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Neonatology
Foals are so cute, but so delicate. We love doing new foal exams on healthy babies, but this is also an incredibly important time to set these babies up for a long, healthy life. Call immediately when a new baby is born so that we can ensure it has received enough colostrum from its mother to fight off microbes in the environment. If the foal is born sick, or becomes sick, we have the ICU set up to give them the best chance for survival.
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Cardiology
Like people, horses and other large animals can suffer from heart diseases and disorders.
We have in-house lab capabilities to quickly diagnose if the heart is under duress, as well as an EKG machine and some basic echocardiogram capabilities.
Murmurs and arrhythmias are two common cardiac problems that impede equine performance. The assessment of cardiac disease in horses is also more difficult because it must take into account two key factors: the likelihood of an abnormality impairing athletic performance and the risk to rider safety.
Laboratory & Diagnostics
At Sound Equine Veterinary Hospital, we support our comprehensive approach to internal medicine with advanced testing, imaging, and other diagnostic procedures.
Our veterinary lab is equipped with the technology we need to diagnose your horse's internal medicine condition quickly so that treatment can begin sooner.