Veterinary Care for Horses

Procedures & Treatments

Our equine trained vets at Van Roekel & Associates provide a comprehensive range of services and treatments for hard-working horses and their proud owners including:

• Equine Wellness, Pre-Purchase & Soundness Evaluations

  Equine Wellness Exams

  We provide routine checkups every six months for our equine patients. Your North Fort Myers equine vet will ask you about the animal's past and recent medical history and whether you have any concerns about your horse's overall health.

  Equine nutrition will be discussed and a casual evaluation of your horse's weight and diet. Finally, any vaccinations or deworming required will be given.

  Pre-Purchase Exams

  An equine pre-purchase exam is not designed to tell our clients whether to buy a particular horse, rather it is to offer an overview of the health of the animal so that you can make an informed decision.

  A pre-purchase equine exam from our North Fort Myers vets can help to identify any health concerns. Does the horse have a heart murmur, show signs of arthritis, or have any unusual lumps or bumps? Our vets will work to provide you with information about any concerning issues.

  Soundness Evaluations

  We want to keep your horse healthy for life, which includes keeping your horse sound as much as possible. We want to reduce the overall impact when lameness occurs. This keeps you in the saddle longer and promotes improved wellness and comfort for your horse.  

  Each lameness case is different and how it is managed is determined by a number of factors. We spend the time evaluating your horse from head to toe to provide a comprehensive workup so we can diagnose your horse's lameness issue and start treatment quickly.

• Health Papers for Interstate Travel

  Planning to travel out of state with your equine friend? Our team of experienced veterinary professionals can perform the examinations and tests that your horse needs and help you complete the forms required for interstate export. 

  Learn More

• Equine Parasite Control & Treatment

  Our North Fort Myers vets will examine your horse and put together an individualized parasite control program specifically to meet your horse's needs. Some of the most common parasites seen in horses include:

  • Small strongyles (cyathostomins)
  • Ascarids (Parascaris equorum)
  • Tapeworm
  • Large strongyles, or bloodworms
  • Bot flies
  • Filarids
  • Pinworms
  • Threadworms

  We offer vaccinations for West Nile Encephalomyelitis, Rabies, and we offer Coggins Testing to check for antibodies associated with Equine Infectious Anemia.

  Learn More about Coggins Testing

• Surgery

  Below are some of the most common equine surgeries that our vets at Van Roekel & Associates perform.

  • Dental
  • Minor Ocular
  • Castrations
  • Soft Tissue
• Equine Internal Medicine

  There is a range of conditions that fall under the umbrella of equine internal medicine including GI tract issues, blood and lymphatic system problems, respiratory conditions, infectious diseases, digestive disorders (including colic), cardiac and pulmonary conditions and care of newborn foals.

  Internal medicine conditions could also affect the animal's liver, muscles, kidneys, bladder, or neurologic system.

  Our skilled team of vets utilizes a range of diagnostic technologies on-site thanks to our fully equipped mobile veterinary units. These units are equipped to provide our vets with the tools they need to offer a fast and accurate diagnose of your equine friend's internal health.

  Some of the technology we bring onsite include ultrasound technology and fiber optiscope.

• Equine Dentistry & Odontoplasty (Floating)

  Our equine friends can suffer from many dental disorders which can affect feed utilization, performance, and general well-being.

  Annual equine dental visits from your vet, including a thorough oral health examination and tooth floating (if necessary), help to ensure optimal dental health for your horse.

• Equine Eye Care

  Our North Fort Myers vets provide diagnosis and treatment for minor eye injuries and disorders seen in horses. Once we've assessed their needs we will recommend a course of treatment. 

  If your horse's eye injury or condition extends beyond our scope of expertise, we will refer you to a board-certified veterinarian and work closely with them to ensure your horse is getting the absolute best care possible.

• Equine Therapies

  Shockwave Therapy

  Whether you’re a vet or a horse trainer, shockwave therapy is easy to provide and significantly accelerates the healing process without causing your patients stress or pain. The shockwave machine is compact to offer minimal strain on the user and treat horses and small animals in their most comfortable environment.

  Examples of equine-specific conditions this therapy can help:

  • Ligament, tendon, and muscle strains
  • Splints
  • Bucked shins
  • Scar tissue
  • Neck, back, and joint pain
  • Ringbone

  Cold Laser Therapy

  We offer in-house cold laser therapy as a way of helping our patients relieve discomfort. Laser and LED beams of light can stimulate the cells in the body that repair tissue, reduce inflammation and transmit pain.

  Anti-inflammatory drugs do not heal, they can not be used before a competition and they often have side effects. This drug-free therapy for horses can stimulate healing, reduce inflammation and reduce pain.

  Chiropractic Work

  At Van Roekel & Associates we offer both in-patient and outpatient chiropractic care. Equine chiropractors look for localized muscle or skeletal pain, abnormally increased muscle tone, and restricted joint motion. These signs can be found in a variety of lower limb disorders but are most evident in neck or back problems. 

  If your horse is prone to stiffness, is aging, or if you want to keep your performance horse in tip-top shape, our equine chiropractor can help.

  Mesotherapy

  Mesotherapy is effective in treating degenerative arthritis in a horse’s back and the cervical vertebrae. It helps by reversing the physiology of these conditions to stop the pain spasm cycle.

  This treatment can help the following conditions:

  • Sacroiliac pain
  • Kissing spine discomfort 
  • Arthritis of the back and neck
  • One-sided neck stiffness
  • Generalized back discomfort
  • Can be enhanced when combined with chiropractic

Diagnostic Testing

Following a thorough physical examination, diagnostic testing may also be necessary to help your vet pinpoint the specific location and cause of your horse's lameness.

Lameness is most effectively treated once the precise location and cause of your animal's problem has been established.

If your equine vet has cause for concern based on initial examination, they may recommend further tests such as diagnostic nerve or joint blocks, radiographs, ultrasound, arthroscopy or examination of blood, synovial fluid and tissue samples.

Diagnostic Imaging

If your horse is suffering from an injury or lameness issue your vet may recommend an ultrasound and/or digital radiograph to help them get a clear view of the issue in order to form an accurate diagnosis.

Thanks to our North Fort Myers mobile equine units our horse vets can use advanced diagnostic imaging equipment to obtain the best possible image of your horse's skeletal or soft tissue issues, on-site at your location.