Prevention is the ideal when it comes to lameness but practically everyone who has owned horses has dealt with a lay-up due to an unforeseen injury at some point.  The following article will provide tools to sharpen your eye for detecting lameness, review prevention tips and discuss the importance of early intervention.  It will also…

The next exciting step in regenerative therapies has Dr. Thomas Koch, Ontario Veterinary College, and his team encapsulating stem cells to see if they can enhance the effect of treatment.  Horses with osteoarthritis in their joints stand to benefit from a therapy with a slower release time.  “When you encapsulate the cells within hydrogel, you…

Cryopreservation is the next exciting stage of research in stem cell therapy. Dr. Thomas Koch and his team are working to preserve cartilage chips for long-term storage, which would enable off-the-shelf use to treat localized cartilage defects.  Defects that very often shorten or end horses athletic careers.  Cryopreservation (or vitrification) is the formation of a solid from an aqueous solution without…

“It’s approximately four millimeters in diameter,” exclaimed Ontario Veterinary College researcher, Thomas Koch, unable to contain his excitement. The tiny disk of equine cartilage, manufactured in the OVC lab, is full of potential. A cartilage injury can mean the end of an athlete’s career. Damaged joint cartilage does not repair on its own and often…