Providing horses with the care they need
by Michelle Minnoch

Dr. Lia Jackson and her miniature horse Razamataz. photo by Michelle Minnoch

While many people who own horses have their own veterinarian, sometimes their horses need some extra work done by an individual who specializes in areas their regular vets do not. A Cookstown resident, Dr. Lia Jackson is one of those individuals who provides care for our equine friends who need an extra bit of attention.

Having her own vet practice for the past 20 years, Dr. Jackson specializes in horse dentistry, orthopaedic manipulation and sports medicine.

"You really have to know what you are doing when trained in this field," she says. Schooled in Saskatoon, Colorado and Missouri, Dr. Jackson has the knowledge and the know how to take care of the special needs horses often require.

In regards to dentistry, she says horses teeth, unlike human teeth, are continually erupting. Horses' teeth need to be filed and looked after in order to keep them healthy. Dr. Jackson explains the old saying "long in the tooth" came from the adage of an old horse who was long in the tooth from old age.

Orthopaedic manipulation for horses is simular to people going to see a chiropractor for their joints.

"Orthopaedic manipulation adjusts the animals vertebrae and joints," explains Dr. Jackson. With the manipulation the horses release their increased endorfins which helps them to relax during the procedure.

"Most of them just love it."

Dr. Jackson says she receives a lot of positive response from the people she provides this service to. She says sometimes this really helps to treat the problems their horses are having; just like when we see a chiropractor - we feel a lot better and rejuvenated after a visit.

Dr. Jackson says owners of many high performance horses, hunter and jumpers seek out this service, as do owners who has a horse slip and fall on the ice in the winter.

"The sooner the horse receives the adjustment, the better he feels," she says.

The higher level of athlete the horse is, she says, the better off the animal is after receiving orthopaedic manipulation.

The manipulation can be done by an activator, which is a spring loaded device which can deliver results for 27 lbs per square inch. The activator is used to move each vertebrae and if all else fails, the task is done manually.

Dr. Jackson also performs x-rays and performs blood sampling on horses, as well as diagnostic ultrasounds and artificial insemination. She also specializes in upper respiratory surgery and works on a horses tendons and nerving (the art of opening the skin to find the nerve and resecting it).

Dr. Jackson says she went into the speciality area of veterinary care of horses because she saw a need for it.

"The reason why I changed my approach to horse medicine is because a lot of vets don't have the time to spend with each client."

Dr. Jackson says all visits with her clients are confidential and they are always asked if the information should be forwarded onto their regular veterinarian.

If you would like to contact Dr. Lia Jackson for an appointment, call (705) 729-0747.