Texas Equine Veterinary Association

www.texasequineva.com | 34 As most every equine veterinarian can attest, wound management in the horse can be a frustrating and time-consuming endeavor. Equine wounds, especially wounds of the distal limb, are notoriously difficult to get healed and can result in long periods of convalescence. e cost and time commitment required for long-term treatment and bandaging can be overwhelming to the patient, owner, and veterinarian. ese reasons have pushed equine veterinarians to continue to innovate and find effective means to decrease healing time and increase chance of return to full function. Today, there are almost as many treatment options for wounds as there are wound types themselves. Everything from systemic medications, topical ointments or liniments, regenerative products (platelet rich plasma, equine amnion, mesenchymal stem cells), bandages, casts, and natural products such as Manuka honey and medical maggot debridement have been advocated for treatment of different types of wounds. A growing interest in the use of laser therapy has also been seen in recent years. Laser therapy has become common and a widely accepted therapy by our small animal counterparts and it seems to be becoming much more widely accepted in equine medicine as well. ere are many types and classes of lasers, most of which, promoting beneficial effects in the treatment of wounds. Our practice is one which has accepted this technology and have used it to treat many wounds and wound types. e use of class 4 lasers has been documented for many treatments in both human and veterinary medicine and positive results have been seen clinically with their use. e advantage of a class 4 laser over that of a class 3B is that the former can deliver therapeutic doses to a larger surface area in a much shorter time than the latter. It should be noted that class 4 lasers do have the capability of causing tissue or eye damage and can present a fire hazard if used inappropriately. Laser safety should be practiced at all times, including eye protection, when the laser is in use. lasers in wound healing Ty Tipton, DVM, DACVS-LA 113 Equine Dr. Tipton grew up in Newcastle, Oklahoma, where he was active in local FFA, high school rodeo, and multiple sports. Aer high school, Dr. Tipton attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK, where he earned a Bachelor's of Science in Animal Science in 2005. Following undergraduate studies, he attended Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine earning a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. Aer graduation he completed a one-year equine surgery and medicine internship at a large referral surgery practice in Edmond, OK, under the mentorship of Dr. Mike Major and Dr. Brent Hague. Following the internship, Dr. Tipton completed a private practice surgery residency in Weatherford, TX under the mentorship of Dr. Chris Ray. In 2014 Dr. Tipton was eligible for and passed the American College of Veterinary Surgeons board certification examination, becoming a board-certified equine surgeon. Today Dr. Tipton, and his wife Jessica, live in Weatherford, TX. Dr. Tipton has developed his clinical skills over the years specializing in advanced lameness diagnosis, and orthopedic and so tissue surgery techniques. Dr. Tipton has a published research article in a peer reviewed scientific journal on the topic of superficial digital flexor tendonitis in cutting horses. In his free time, Dr. Tipton enjoys spending his time with family, riding horses roping and cutting, and working on the family ranch in Oklahoma.

• Cover