Horsesdaily News: Pan American Games: Behind the Scenes: State of the Art Veterinary Clinic

Pan American Games: Behind the Scenes

State-of-the-Art Veterinary Clinic

State-of-the-art Clinc - Photo by Strickland Snyder started designing the clinic six months ago. "The goal was to have a state-of-the-art facility, equipment-wise and people-wise, for both emergencies and regular treatments" he said. Mallard Medical Company loaned anesthesia equipment, and University Medical donated ultrasound.

The clinic has three main rooms. In the treatment area, a horse can be restrained in a chute. In the surgery, veterinarians can do ultrasound imaging, run tests on bloodwork within 15 minutes, and perform surgeries. A trolley system can move an anesthetized horse from the recovery room to the surgery table. The recovery room has tall double entry doors, so a horse can be unloaded from a van directly into the clinic.

"We had to buy very basic medical supplies, and then all the way up to state-of-the-art surgical equipment," said Snyder. "We can do any orthopedic case, and colic surgery."

As of August 10, Snyder and his staff have treated five cases of medical colic, and horses have recovered completely. Also on site is Sharon Spier, DVM, Ph.D., from U.C. Davis. Snyder said, "We have both done this since the 1988 Olympics, and including the World Equestrian Games in Rome and Jerez de la Frontera."

He explained, "This hospital is like a referral center for the teams. It's like a university hospital--they send the animals here." He works with the teams' veterinarians to treat the equine athletes.

Horses are at the Palmarejo site for a short time period, compared to other events. Snyder recalled about the 2000 Olympics in Sydney: "We had 10 horses a day at the clinic. Those horses came earlier, and stayed longer."

Another aspect of the onsite clinic is to influence the state of veterinary medicine in the Dominican Republic. Snyder has involved local professionals in the Games. "We want to improve the level of veterinary medicine in the country. The local veterinarians and students see the level we work at, and they're inspired to attend more training, or bring in courses to their country."