Lucile Vigouroux

New York

Freelance Equine Healthcare Author at Freelance

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Articles

Dysphagia in Newborn Foals

1 week ago | thehorse.com | Lucile Vigouroux

Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, can have serious consequences for foals. At the 2025 Cavalcade Education Equine Reproduction Seminar, held on Jan. 8, in Red Hook, New York, Lauren Holley, BVSc (Hons), Dipl. ACVIM, of Rhinebeck Equine, also in New York, explained the importance of diagnosing dysphagia in foals early and properly managing them to prevent respiratory dysfunction and aspiration pneumonia.
Large Colon Volvulus in the Postpartum Mare

1 week ago | thehorse.com | Lucile Vigouroux

Postpartum mares face a higher risk of developing large colon volvulus—a life-threatening type of colic in which the colon twists 360 degrees or more, cutting off blood flow and blocking the passage of gas and feed. Jesse Tyma, DVM, Dip. ACVS, a surgeon at Rhinebeck Equine, in New York, described the diagnostic and treatment approaches to this condition at the 2025 Cavalcade Education Equine Reproduction Seminar, held in Red Hook, New York, on Jan. 8.
Common Causes of Pregnancy Loss in Horses

1 week ago | thehorse.com | Lucile Vigouroux

One of the defining features of pregnancy in horses is the lengthy gestation period, ranging from 320 to 360 days and averaging around 340 days. Generally speaking, if pregnancy loss in horses occurs after hormone-producing endometrial cups form in the uterus between 30 and 45 days of gestation, she cannot conceive again until the following year.
Collecting and Processing Equine Semen for Cooled Transport

2 weeks ago | thehorse.com | Lucile Vigouroux

Preserving sperm quality during transport is paramount to equine breeding success. This principle applies whether using a fresh, cooled, or frozen sample. At the 2025 Cavalcade Education Equine Reproduction Seminar, held in Red Hook, New York, Jan. 8, Alana King, DVM, Dipl. ACT, of Millbrook Equine Veterinary Clinic, in New York, shared the latest guidelines for the successful collection and transport of fresh, cooled semen.
Supporting Your Horse’s Immune System

4 weeks ago | thehorse.com | Lucile Vigouroux

Could your horse’s diet, workload, and environment undermine his immune system, leaving him vulnerable to infectious diseases, allergies, and delayed healing? Very much so, experts say. “Horses are susceptible to various stressors that can compromise immune function over time,” says Samuel White, PhD, associate professor and head of projects at York St. John University, in England. With expertise in applied immunology, White has studied culprits of equine immunosuppression.
Advanced Imaging in Horses: Where, Why, When?

1 month ago | thehorse.com | Lucile Vigouroux

Veterinarians can use positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help diagnose problems in equine patients, but how do they choose which to use? Timothy Manzi, VMD, Dipl. ACVR-EDI, clinical assistant professor of large animal diagnostic imaging at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, in Kennett Square, and Myra Barrett, MS, DVM, Dipl.
Managing Pain in the Performance Horse

1 month ago | thehorse.com | Lucile Vigouroux

“Competing horses should not show clinical signs of pain,” said Lori Bidwell, DVM, Dipl. ACVAA, CVA, co-owner and founder of East West Equine Sports Medicine, based in Lexington, Kentucky. “… And a horse needing daily pain medication shouldn’t be competing,” added Richard Markell, DVM, MRCVS, MBA, owner of IlluminX Consulting, in Encinitas, California.
Diagnosing and Treating Equine Lameness Associated With the Stifle

2 months ago | thehorse.com | Lucile Vigouroux

Equivalent to the human knee, the equine stifle is an intricate assembly of bone, joint, and soft tissues. Problems with the stifle commonly cause pain and lameness in equine athletes. Cathleen Mochal-King, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS-LA, associate clinical professor and service chief of equine surgery and medicine at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, described how veterinarians diagnose and treat stifle-associated lameness at the 2025 Veterinary Meeting and Expo, held Jan.
Treating Newborn Foals in the Field

2 months ago | thehorse.com | Lucile Vigouroux

Many newborn foals need specialized care to address medical challenges that commonly arise during the first weeks of life. During their presentation at the 2024 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 7-11, in Orlando, Florida, two board-certified internal medicine specialists—Laura Javsicas, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, of Rhinebeck Equine, in New York, and Lisa Edwards, DVM, Dipl.
Detecting EHV-1 in Asymptomatic Horses at Equestrian Events

2 months ago | thehorse.com | Lucile Vigouroux

Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), a significant cause of respiratory and neurological disease in horses, can spread stealthily at equestrian events, often going unnoticed. Nicola Pusterla, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, AVDC-Equine, professor of equine internal medicine and epidemiology at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, recently led research on the role that subclinical shedders—those that do not show signs of infection—play in spreading the virus.