Arizona in the Saddle October 2015 Volume 2 Issue 12 | Page 15

Casual Western
Dining with Scenic
Views of the Valley!
the horse several times is can be beneficial for the veterinarian to repeat
the auscultation of the heart and lungs, as minor abnormalities may be
easier to detect after exercise.
Following the physical exam, and the motion portion of the exam, a prepurchase can be customized as the potential buyer wishes. Often times
the variations in the exam are determined by the intended purpose of
the animal. If a mare is intended for breeding then the addition of an
ultrasound of the reproductive tract may be included. A stallion being
purchased for breeding may have a semen evaluation performed during
a pre-purchase examination. Other tests that can be performed include
upper airway endoscopy (especially for race or performance horses),
examination under tack (show horses), blood testing for the presence of
medications such as bute or Banamine, or imaging of certain structures.
Typically the most common imaging modality used during a pre-purchase
exam is radiography, or xrays. Again depending on the intended use of
the horse, the actual structures x-rayed may change. It is fairly common
for many horses undergoing a pre-purchase exam to have its front feet
and hocks radiographed. This is primarily due to the incidence rate
of problems such as navicular disease and osteoarthritis of the lower
hock joints. However if the exam revealed that there was increase joint
distension in a different joint then the veterinarian may recommend that
a different joint also be radiographed to try and detect a reason for the
distension. Another imaging modality that might be used would include
ultrasonography for exam of soft tissue structures. Typically the use of
ultrasound during a pre-purchase exam is only done when a potential
abnormality is detected during the physical and motion exam.
Once everything is complete including the additional ѕ