Program Overview

Course Overview

The course "Special Topics in Equine Practice" is a selective course in the veterinary curriculum, designed to provide students with an interest in equine medicine with more hands-on experience and further didactic material before fourth-year clinical rotations.

Course Details

• Course Code: LAMS 537
• Semester: Spring
• Year: 2022
• Catalog: School of Veterinary Medicine

Faculty and Staff Information

• Course Director: Inga Karasek BSc. DVM, MS, CVA, Associate Professor
• Office Location: LARF office block (behind the SAC)
• Office Hours: By appointment

Course Location

• Physical Location: LARF, unless otherwise notified
• Online Location: Sakai (Panopto, Lessons, Resources, Assignments, Forums)

Required Resources

• Lecture slides/articles (on Sakai-Resources) and discussions during sessions
• Large Animal Internal Medicine, Bradford P. Smith, 5th edition
• Material covered in previous courses (e.g., anatomy, physiology, LAMS 501, 502, 503, 505, 516, and 519)

Recommended Resources

• Equine Internal Medicine, Reed, Bayly, & Sellon, 4th edition or newer
• Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse, Ross & Dyson, 2nd edition or newer
• LAMS 516-Large Animal Surgery notes/lecture material
• Equine Surgery, Auer and Stick, 3rd edition or newer

Accommodation

• Students with disabilities should contact Student Accessibility and Accommodations Services (SAAS) for accommodations

Other Requirements

• Appropriate attire for LARF and SIM lab sessions (scrubs, coveralls, rubber boots, closed-toed shoes)

Course Rationale

This course aims to provide students with advanced knowledge and hands-on experience in equine medicine, preparing them for fourth-year clinical rotations.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will be able to:

1. Understand and demonstrate common lameness tests
2. Create differential lists and choose appropriate diagnostic tests for equine patients
3. Perform dental floatation, digital radiographs, and basic distal limb ultrasound
4. Apply stabilization techniques for fracture management
5. Conduct basic examinations (colic, neurological, ophthalmological, dermatological, BSE)
6. Understand the theory and use of complementary therapies
7. Appreciate normal/abnormal equine behavior and low-stress training techniques
8. Manage large animals in natural disasters

Lesson Learning Outcomes

Each lecture/lab has specific outcomes, including:

1. Equine Behaviour & Welfare and Low stress training techniques
2. Acupuncture lecture and hands-on demonstration/practice
3. Dentistry lecture and hand floating
4. Neurological examination in horses and hands-on practice
5. Equine PE and annual vaccinations
6. Lameness videos and hands-on full body palpation and flexion tests
7. Initial fracture stabilization in the field with hands-on splinting/bandaging exercise
8. Equine dermatology lecture and hands-on techniques
9. Mare and Stallion BSE
10. Ophthalmology lecture and hands-on laboratory
11. Radiology of the feet
12. Distal limb imaging/ultrasound lab
13. Colic cases with hands-on palpation/NGT/abdominocentesis SIM lab
14. Equine Rescue Session & Disaster Preparedness

Alignment of Course Learning Outcomes with Program Learning Outcomes

Course learning outcomes align with various program learning outcomes, including core medical knowledge, core professional attributes, and core clinical competencies.

Course Schedule

The course schedule includes 14 lecture/labs from January 10th to April 19th, with a final exam on April 21st.

Grading and Assessment Policy

• Final Comprehensive Exam (45% of grade)
• Class participation (10% of grade)
• Journal article review (10% of grade)
• Equine medical forms (15% of grade)
• Pregnancy diagnosis and gestational aging Sakai test (5% of grade)
• Hurricane Plan (10% of grade)
• Colic post-lab quiz (5% of grade)

Grading Policy

The final grade reflects exam scores, with the following scale:

• 89.5%: A

• 84.5-89.4: B+
• 79.5-84.4: B
• 74.5-79.4: C+
• 69.5-74.4: C
• 64.5-69.4: D+
• 59.5-64.4: D
• <59.4: F

Professionalism Statement

Students are expected to exhibit professional behavior, including turning off cell phones during lectures/labs and arriving on time.

Attendance/Participation Policy

Attendance and participation are expected, with a 2% deduction for each missed class/lab without a valid excuse.

Policy Regarding Missing Examinations and/or Failure of Submission of Assignments

Students who miss an examination or fail to submit an assignment without a valid reason will receive a score of "0" points. Technical issues during an examination must be reported immediately to the Course Director and IT.