EMC Success Stories

Cooley, found unable to stand, was treated successfully at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg.

Kathy Buhrer has hit the road to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) twice this year with her 29- and 21-year-old horses.

Jewel, a 5-year-old spotted draft mare, was successfully treated by the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center for colic when she was six months pregnant.

During a freak accident while out on a trail ride, Patrick, an 8-year-old roan gelding impaled his chest on a metal T-post.

Noah was admitted to the Equine Medical Center for evaluation of suspected failure of transfer of passive immunity and blunt neck soft tissue trauma.

Alfie was presented to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in February for emergency treatment of respiratory distress and general ill thrift.   By summer, he was happily running through his home pasture with a new mule friend.

Faculty and staff at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC), love to hear from clients about patients that have undergone emergency treatment, and are now healthy and enjoying a normal “horsey” life! A client recently reached out to the EMC to let us know that a foal treated for neonatal maladjustment syndrome in 2022 is continuing to thrive after receiving emergency treatment at the EMC.

Treating a sick foal is a challenge in itself but when they arrive one after the other in quick succession and are completely unhandled feral foals it adds a whole different level of complexity! Six weanling foals were transported to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) for emergency evaluation and treatment after being purchased at an auction by Colby’s Crew Rescue, based in Keswick, Virginia.

Waterford, a Cleveland Bay horse, was the first homebred foal for Steffanie Burgevin, a longtime client and advocate for the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center.

Frederica Wheeler first met Trump, a dark-bay, non-gaited Tennessee Walker gelding, now aged 32, at The Greenbrier resort in Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Trump was named after the most powerful card in the game of bridge and is affectionately known at home as Trumpie.

Kit, a once perfectly sound horse owned by Michael Hillman, faced a dramatic turn of events when he became severely lame after a day in the field. Rushed to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Virginia, Kit underwent complex orthopedic surgery and an extensive 50-day rehabilitation journey. Despite the challenges, Kit is now on the path to recovery and expected to return to his home pastures later this month, thanks to the dedication of his caregivers and the success of his treatment, including pastern joint fusion and stem cell therapy.

Lacey Assets (Lacey), an 18-year-old paint broodmare suffering a first-time bout of placentitis, and her newborn foal were admitted to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC), a teaching hospital of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, in Leesburg, Virginia, as an emergency.

Snuggles, a miniature filly foal, and her mother were pulled from a horse auction in Pennsylvania by Colby’s Crew Rescue, an equine rescue based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Snuggles and her dam were referred to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center by Dr. Gary Kubala from Littlestown Veterinary Hospital, Littlestown, Pennsylvania, for further evaluation and treatment of Snuggles’ left hind lameness.

After a multiple-day history of lethargy and lack of appetite and after treatment on the farm, Jennie, a 7-year-old donkey jenny, owned by the Maruca and Witt families from Leesburg, Virginia was referred to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) by Gabrielle Care, a veterinarian from Total Equine Veterinary Associates, Leesburg, for further diagnostics and treatment.

In September 2021, Fureina, at the time an 11-year-old KWPN Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Christin Jonas and her daughter from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, visited the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) for an emergency lameness evaluation.

How Low Can You Go (Cody), an 11-year-old American quarter horse, owned by Jill Cotten, from Laurel, Maryland, visited the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC) in mid-December 2021 for dysphagia – a rare condition affecting a horse’s ability to swallow.

Picadilly Pete, a thoroughbred gelding, known affectionately at home as Dilly, was bred in Pennsylvania and foaled on March 28, 2010. Sired by Tekken (IRE) out of Truco De Amor, he won over $240,000 during his racing career.

Back in late March, a 12-year-old, in foal Thoroughbred mare named Countess Twice (Bee), owned by Eliza Laluna, from Barboursville, Virginia, visited the Equine Medical Center for emergency evaluation and treatment.

When Tracie Karonis of Lovettsville, Virginia arranged for her 25-year-old Standardbred mare Sadie to get her annual vaccinations, she didn’t anticipate an emergency visit to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center (EMC).

"So Charming," an eight-year-old Thoroughbred mare and her newborn filly foal, owned by Dr. Ronald Harris Parker and under the care of Shamrock Farm, Maryland, visited the Equine Medical Center for emergency evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.

When Quarter Horse Crazy Face and her newborn filly foal Courage, owned by Pleasant Valley Ranch, Knoxville, Maryland, arrived at the Equine Medical Center for emergency evaluation and treatment, the newborn struggled to remain upright and was having difficulty nursing.

On February 21, the birth of a silver-gray donkey colt in her pasture came as a complete surprise to Elaine del Cerro Yau of Warrenton, Virginia.

Chance, a 26-year-old Rocky Mountain mare owned by Monika Robertie from Nokesville, Virginia, visited the equine medical center to evaluate her left eye. Her trusted companion, a donkey aptly named Donkey, accompanied her on her visit to the hospital.

If you care for or ride horses, you will at some point deal with thrush, a common bacterial infection in the frog area of the hoof. Less common, however, is canker, which can be difficult to treat successfully. Because it is not associated with wet or unhygienic conditions — as is the case with thrush — canker can occur in horses that are well cared for and receive regular hoof care.

What’s the Scoop, aka Reeva, a 9-year-old German riding pony mare owned by Brigitte Wehrs and her daughter, Ava, was referred to the Equine Medical Center in November 2020 by Mallan Willis, of Tidewater Veterinary Hospital in Charlotte Hall, Maryland, for a right front foot MRI.

After an altercation in the field with a pasture mate, Clementine, a retired, 30-year-old quarter horse mare, was found the next morning with severe swelling in her throat latch area. Constricting her throat, the swelling was causing breathing issues, along with a loud respiratory stridor.

Last year, then-17-year-old Valido, an off-the-track thoroughbred gelding, was referred to the Equine Medical Center for computed tomography (CT) of his head.

Lexus, an 18-year-old quarter horse mare owned by Pamela Patton of Millersville, Maryland, visited the Equine Medical Center for the first time in early 2019, for evaluation of right front lameness.

At the end of September, Love, a 16-year-old American quarter horse mare, visited the Equine Medical Center for evaluation of swelling above her left eye. The swelling had developed over several weeks, and mucopurulent discharge eventually began to ooze from the area.

Bruges, a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding, was participating in a local dressage clinic with owner Karen Anderson, of Garrett Park, Maryland, in the saddle when he took off across the arena, bucking aggressively. Totally out of character for this normally cooperative horse, this behavior abruptly ended Karen’s participation in the dressage clinic hosted by Grand Prix dressage rider Jim Koford.

Named after a “Game of Thrones” character, Daenerys, a 15-year-old gray off-the-track Thoroughbred mare whose stable name is Dany, visited the Equine Medical Center in late July for emergency evaluation of acute neurologic signs.

Thoroughbred Makeover candidate Otter, an off-the-track thoroughbred gelding owned by Hannah Schofield of Milestone Sport Horses in Lovettsville, Virginia, was referred to the Equine Medical Center for emergency colic evaluation and treatment.

Companero, a 26-year-old American paint horse, was referred to the Equine Medical Center for emergency colic evaluation. The gelding’s primary care veterinarian, Kate Baldwin of TreeHorse Veterinary Services in Biglerville, Pennsylvania, had treated Companero at home for a suspected colon impaction, but due to his continued discomfort, referred him to the Equine Medical Center for further diagnostics and treatment.

It’s no secret that horses can and do find trouble! Chickasaw Squaw, a 5-year-old quarter horse mare whose stable name is Chic, visited the Equine Medical Center in July for an emergency appointment.

Buttonbush, an incredibly cute 7-day-old mini donkey colt owned by Lynda Smet of Amissville, Virginia, visited the Equine Medical Center with his dam Marley for emergency evaluation and treatment.

Cuba, a 2-year-old Anglo-Arab colt owned by Kimberly Graves, was found down in his field, badly injured. Cuba’s primary care veterinarian Jennifer French, of Haymarket Veterinary Service in Haymarket, Virginia, was called and carefully examined Cuba’s right front leg, which bore a large laceration that stretched over the entire palmar aspect of the right front pastern. Cuba was fitted with a Kimsey splint and promptly referred to the Equine Medical Center for emergency treatment.

Figment Firefly, a feisty 11-day-old Morgan colt, came to the Equine Medical Center for treatment of an olecranon (elbow) fracture. His dam, Coachman’s Tsunami, stable name Sue, is a very special grulla broodmare that has endless patience for her rambunctious offspring and is very tolerant of Firefly’s continual antics!

Last year In May, Commandalena, a 27-year-old quarter horse stallion, fell twice during evaluation for colic by his primary care veterinarian at his home farm. After the second fall, the stallion remained down for about an hour and subsequently was referred to the Equine Medical for emergency evaluation.