Vet Cetera magazine 2015

DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR / CVHS
The dynamic respiratory
scope is portable and worn
across the horse’s back.
Breathing
Easier
OSU VETERINARY HOSPITAL
ACQUIRES A DYNAMIC
RESPIRATORY SCOPE
Horse owners can breathe a little easier if their horse is having
respiratory problems. Equine veterinary specialists at OSU’s
Veterinary Medical Hospital recently acquired a dynamic respiratory
scope to help better view the respiratory track of horses.
dynamic respiratory scope or DRS will
allow us to better assess the upper respiratory
track of performance horses,” explains “The
Daniel Burba, DVM, Diplomate of the American College
of Veterinary Surgeons, professor of equine surgery
and the McCasland Professor in Biomedical Laser
Surgery at OSU’s Veterinary Medical Hospital. “The
DRS will be a valuable tool in assessing whether the
problem is in the throat area.”
Burba says horses’ respiratory tract can be subject
to a variety of problems, including a collapsed throat.
The new DRS system can help diagnose such things
as roarer (paralysis of the flapper in the throat), displacement
of the soft pallet and problems with the
epiglottis.
The DRS system is portable and worn across the
horse’s back and can fit under a regular saddle. A
scope is placed up the horse’s nose and a transmitter
projects images from the horse’s throat onto a portable
computer screen.
“This system allows us to watch a performance horse
‘work’ in real time and assess its respiratory track simultaneously,”
says Burba. “You can ride the horse or put
it on a lunge line. The DRS system records the respiratory
track activity even as you watch it live on the
screen. So if you want, you can review it after the
horse has exercised.”
Burba used the DRS system in his former position
at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary
Medicine and thought it would be a great tool for
Oklahoma State to offer clients.
VIDEO: http://okla.st/1jqBmqJ
6 Center for Veterinary Health Sciences