Black Diamond Equine offers comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services for lameness. Whether your horse jumps, ropes, barrel races, works the ranch or takes you down the trail, our doctors are here to keep your horse in peak performance.

A detailed physical exam is the first step in the process. Each lameness exam is different depending on the history, presentation and physical exam of the horse. In general, you can expect our veterinarians to palpate the horse’s body and limbs, observe the horse at a walk, trot and canter, and perform limb flexions. They may recommend diagnostic services such as ultrasound or digital radiography to further assist in identifying the source of lameness or performance issues.

Diagnostic Imaging

Ultrasound – Our digital ultrasound machine and high-resolution probes provide our veterinarians with detailed, high-quality images that can identify many of the smallest problems that could contribute to lameness. Ultrasound is indicated in many cases, but it particularly useful when evaluating soft tissue injuries and some joint issues. Ultrasound is also very useful in monitoring healing progress and for guiding injections and other advanced techniques.

Digital Radiography (x-ray) – Our digital radiography presents an image on a computer screen in seconds, giving our doctors clear, detailed images to help us evaluate the bony structures in the horse’s body. This improvement over old-fashioned radiography using film can rule out or confirm a serious injury in seconds. Digital radiography is useful in assisting with therapeutic farrier work and is also used to assist with radiography-guided injections and procedures. 

Our team at Black Diamond Equine is continually training in the most current and up-to-date diagnostic services.

ADVANCED REGENERATIVE CARE

Helping the body regenerate a damaged region with it’s own cells in an exciting area of treatment in veterinary medicine today. These advanced treatments include:

  • PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)

  • IRAP (Interlukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein)

  • Stem Cell Therapy

  • Shockwave Therapy

PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)

PRP therapy delivers a high concentration of blood platelets to a lesion, increasing the amount of growth factors and other cells that help aid healing at the site of injury. Our veterinarians inject the concentrated blood platelets, collected from the patient's own blood, directly into the lesion or to multiple areas immediately surrounding the lesion, to aid in healing. This therapy can be used for different injuries including those associated with soft tissue damage as well as for injuries to structures within a joint.

IRAP (Interlukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein)

IRAP is the name of an anti-inflammatory therapy that our doctors often use as an alternative to steroid injections for joint injuries. The use of this therapy blocks one of the major inflammatory substances that the body releases in the event of injury from causing inflammation. Without inflammation, tissue healing can occur in an organized manner and tissue re-injury can be avoided. The process of IRAP production occurs naturally in the horse; however, amplifying the amount of IRAP around the injured area within the joint has a more dramatic and quicker healing effect than the naturally-occurring process.

Stem Cell Therapy

The intent of using regenerative medicine with stem cells is to improve the strength and function of an injured tendon or ligament for successful healing. Stem cells are uniquely able to develop into multiple cell types, such as bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, and others. This therapy has shown promise in treating tendon and ligament injuries as well as advanced joint disease. 

Black Diamond Equine uses both bone marrow and fat derived stem cells, as well as autologous donor cells in this advanced therapy. Our veterinarians collect a sample of bone marrow or fatty tissue from your horse, which is then sent to a laboratory for processing. The stem cells are then injected directly into the site of the area that requires treatment where they develop into new cells of the desired tissue type to promote healing.

Shockwave Therapy

Shockwave uses high energy sound wave pulses to stimulate new cell growth and improves circulation. This is accomplished by creating controlled re-injury to a targeted tissue. In addition to decreasing healing time, shockwave can help the injured tissue heal stronger than if the horse was being rested. Shockwave can be used for a variety of different injuries including tendon and ligament injuries, slow healing soft tissue injuries, kissing spines and some cases of arthritis.