The Helen Woodward Animal Center with several locations in San Diego County takes equine health and services seriously. Recently the Center began offering a unique service to help diagnose injured horses by adding a high- field Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI to its lineup of state-of-the art services available to Southern California’s equine community.
The new service is offered in partnership with MREquine and Equine Surgical Services and is a mobile MRI suite that will be available at Helen Woodward Equine Hospital on an as-needed basis. This is the first time this state-of-the-art technology has been available in San Diego.
The Equine Hospital at the Helen Woodward Animal Center is equipped to perform a wide variety of medical procedures and services such as:
- Colic surgery
- Enterolith removal
- Dental repair
- Endoscopy
- Arthroscopy
- Laparoscopy
- Fracture surgery
- Recovery pool with overhead sling
- Wellness exams
-
24 hour nursing care
The hospital also has the capability to repair leg fractures. With the use of our new recovery pool (one of only three in the nation) we've reduced the risk of re-fracture often caused during wake-up after surgery. The Equine Hospital facilities include:
- A three-meter video endoscopy system
- A powerful 1200 MA X-ray unit with complete musculo-skeletal radiographic capabilities
- A well-equipped surgical suite with overhead sling support
- Emergency care
- 15 onsite stalls
The Equine Hospital grants privileges to many large animal veterinarians in San Diego Country. Most of our patients are either race or show horses, but we also treat horses that live in backyards and do nothing but return the love that their owner gives.
In addition, the Center's Therapeutic Riding program benefits children and adults who have a variety of special needs relating to cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, and autism to stroke recovery and learning disabilities.
Students ride specially trained horses with our certified instructors in weekly sessions to develop increased balance and muscle control, improve concentration and short-term memory, and enhance their confidence and self-esteem.
The Center also sponsors an annual horse show for riders with varying degrees of physical and mental challenges.