During intraocular pressure measurement (=tonometry), a special pressure measuring device (=tonometer) is used to measure the physical pressure inside the eye.
Inside the front part of the eye is a clear fluid (aqueous humor). This is constantly being produced. Excess aqueous humor returns to the bloodstream. In a healthy eye, the inflow and outflow of aqueous humor are in balance. However, if pathological changes, such as narrowing or malformations, obstruct the outflow, this delicate balance is disturbed and the pressure inside the eye increases.
However, the correct intraocular pressure is necessary to maintain the stable spherical shape of the eyeball. This keeps the surface of the cornea smoothly curved, the distance between the cornea, lens, and retina constant, and the receptors on the retina evenly aligned. This ensures that the eye functions correctly.
The measurement can be carried out relatively easily at the vet's office. A small sensor briefly touches the cornea and measures the intraocular pressure. The procedure is not painful, so sedation (calming medication) is usually not necessary. Local anesthetic eye drops can be administered. The internal pressure of both eyes is always measured for comparison.
Intraocular pressure measurement provides important information about drainage disorders or diseases of the eye, but it is only a single finding. Therefore, a complete eye examination should always be performed if an eye disease is suspected.
Stomach ulcers have long been considered an "occupational disease" in racehorses and competition horses. It was thought that early training, the stress of the racetrack, or frequent transport to international competitions caused stomach ulcers. However, we now know that this condition can affect horses of all breeds and performance levels. Even your neighbor's pony, grazing peacefully in the meadow, could be suffering from a stomach ulcer. Although around 90% of all racehorses are still affected by stomach ulcers, the proportion of leisure horses with the condition now stands at 37%.
Many people like dogs or cats, others want a budgie, and still others bring a snake into their home. Perhaps a somewhat unusual choice of pet, but with expertise and a love for this particular species, it can become a special relationship for both human and animal.
Cats can do something we cannot: see clearly, even in the dark. It can be exciting and intimidating to look a cat in the eyes, because they will surely win the "blinking game" and are otherwise superior to us in terms of vision.
Ultrasound, medically known as sonography, is a standard procedure in veterinary medicine alongside X-rays due to its simplicity and non-invasive nature. It can be used to visualize various internal areas of the body in two dimensions.
As the name suggests, anemia means that your dog has too little blood, or more precisely, that the number of erythrocytes (red blood cells) and hemoglobin (the pigment in blood) is reduced. Anemia is not a disease in itself, but a symptom that can accompany many different diseases.
It's pretty much every cat owner's worst nightmare: your pet has eaten something poisonous! Now you need to act fast – get your cat to the vet immediately.
Twice a year, our horses have a strenuous job to do: when they shed their coats, they need to perform at their best because their metabolism is working overtime. Some older or sick horses struggle with this. As a horse owner, you can help your horse get through the coat change more relaxed.
Dummkoller, formerly known as star gazer disease, is an incurable brain disease characteristic of horses, which fortunately is rarely seen today. Until 2002, this disease, which severely impairs consciousness, was one of the main defects that allowed a horse to be returned within 14 days of purchase.
Bitless riding simply means riding without a bit in the horse's mouth. There are many different reasons and just as many ways to ride a horse without a bit. Of course, there are always disadvantages as well as advantages. Think about which bitless bridle suits you, your horse, and your riding style in advance. And finally, practice makes perfect.
Sebadenitis is a progressive inflammatory change in the sebaceous glands of the skin in dogs and cats, which ultimately leads to their irreversible destruction. The disease was first described in dogs in 1986.
The most common types of horse husbandry are classic stabling, free-range stabling (active stables), paddock trails, seasonal grazing, and open stabling. One thing should be clear to every horse owner. Horses want to run. In the steppe, they sometimes spend up to 16 hours a day searching for food and water. They graze as they roam across the land. Now, our horses have been bred and domesticated for our time together with them; they are no longer steppe ponies. We feed them and care for them. Nevertheless, horses need exercise. We should definitely keep this in mind when choosing how to keep our horses. This also means that keeping horses exclusively in stalls without a sufficiently large paddock for free movement is not species-appropriate. In addition, contact with other horses must always be ensured, as horses are herd animals.
Summer eczema is a recurring allergic skin disease in horses that manifests itself in severe itching and hairless, open patches of skin. The disease can occur in horses of all breeds, although Icelandic horses, Norwegian horses, Shetland ponies, and Haflingers are significantly more commonly affected, while warmbloods tend to be affected less frequently.
