Glenwood Veterinary Clinic is pleased to offer an array of integrative therapies for horses and small animals. Integrative therapies that we offer include mesotherapy and laser therapy.

Why integrative care? Integrative therapies play an invaluable role in maintaining and enhancing the performance of athletes, preventative care/soundness maintenance, injury or post surgery rehabilitation, pain management, geriatric care, behavior changes, wound healing, and more.

GVC is unique in that we offer specialists in traditional western diagnostics and treatments, as well as an integrative therapies specialist, all under  one roof. This allows for collaboration on all cases so we can tailor care plans for your animals’ specific needs.
We look forward to the opportunity to bring your animals the best of both worlds!

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Laser Therapy

Our Class IV Companion Therapy Laser uses a drug-free, surgery-free beam of laser light to deeply penetrate tissues. The laser energy is absorbed by the cells, and this initiates a chemical change in the cells that reduces pain, reduces inflammation, and speeds healing.
The powerful, yet painless, laser light is delivered through a non-invasive hand piece. Many animals feel some immediate relief and are often calmed by the treatment. Human athletes receiving similar treatments report soothing warmth.
Treatment protocols are unique to each patient and the patient’s condition. For some, a single treatment may be all that is needed. For more chronic conditions, a series of treatments may be more effective to achieve maximum benefit. The laser can be effective in:

• Relieving pain
• Reducing inflammation
• Accelerating tissue repair and cell growth
• Improving circulation
• Reducing scar tissue formation
• Improving nerve function
• Accelerating wound healing
• Soothing skin problems and lick granulomas

When animals are sick or injured, they cannot speak to tell us what’s wrong. That’s why veterinary diagnostics are so important. These tools allow our doctors to quickly and accurately identify, diagnose and treat a variety of medical conditions, diseases and injuries. With many conditions that affect our animal companions, time is of the essence. Early diagnosis can significantly improve the outcome for the patient. GVC offers a variety of diagnostic services to manage the ongoing health of both our small animal and our equine patients.

The comprehensive diagnostic services offered at Glenwood Veterinary Clinic include blood work, urinalysis, fecal testing, digital ultrasound, and digital radiography (x-ray). Our modern facilities also feature a convenient in-house laboratory, which aids in the fast and accurate retrieval of test results. Rest assured that whatever is ailing your animal companions, we’re prepared to get to the bottom of it quickly so we can get them back to feeling healthy and well again as soon as possible.

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Equine Imaging Services

Radiology
At GVC, we have three x-ray units that allow us to obtain simultaneous digital images, both in the field and at the clinic. Our largest machine, a 60 MA high-frequency unit, gives high-quality images of the stifle, elbow, and all distal limb regions, and enables us to image the shoulder joint in most horses. X-rays can be burned to a CD or sent by email as part of our radiology service.

Ultrasound
We have four ultrasound machines at our practice which are complemented by a full range of probes, allowing diagnostic imaging of all body systems. Dr. Luedke and Dr. Johnson use this equipment extensively, both in the field and at the clinic, for reproductive work in the diagnosis of early pregnancy and to get mares pregnant.  Dr. Johnson uses our new, state-of-the-art digital ultrasound unit for the diagnosis of soft tissue injuries involving the musculoskeletal system. Ultrasound is also frequently used as a non-invasive technique in the diagnosis of colic and other disorders of both the abdominal and thoracic cavity.

Endoscopy
GVC offers digital endoscopy for both foals and adults, which offers both our doctors and clients live or recorded images of the area in question on a video monitor. Our system includes a three-meter endoscope that allows complete visualization of the adult stomach, and in most horses, the upper part of the small intestine. The thin 8mm pediatric endoscope can be used to image the upper airway of both foals and adults, and can also be used to explore other areas, including the urethra, bladder, and uterus.

At Glenwood Veterinary Clinic, we understand that surgery, regardless of how routine, can be a difficult and stressful time for you and your pet. It is our mission to ensure that each and every surgical procedure we perform is handled in a way that is as stress-free as possible. Our doctors are experienced and highly skilled in the most modern veterinary surgical techniques and our well-trained, compassionate care team is always on hand to ensure the safety and comfort of every surgical patient we serve.

We are also pleased to introduce radio wave scalpel technology to our surgical armamentarium, which allows our doctors  to make surgical incisions with far less bleeding and postoperative pain. With this advanced electronic cutting device, our surgical team now have the ability to offer your horse shorter anesthesia and post-surgical healing times while decreasing pain, swelling, risk of infection, and blood loss. 

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Equine Surgical Services

Since the opening of our equine surgical building in 2004, Glenwood Veterinary Clinic has offered a full range of elective and emergency equine surgical services, including long bone fracture repair, arthroscopy, upper respiratory surgery, cryptorchid castration, correction of angular limb deformities in foals, and complex wound repair. Whatever your horse’s surgical needs, we are well-equipped and prepared to meet them.

Our well-trained anesthetists use positive pressure ventilation, modern anesthetic gasses, and direct monitoring of blood pressure and cardiovascular function to assure a safe anesthetic experience for our equine patients. Induction to anesthesia and recovery take place in a well-padded room for maximum safety to the patient, and recovery is assisted by one or more staff as indicated.

At Glenwood Veterinary Clinic, we understand the unique needs of horses. Our facilities and services have been designed to meet these needs and help our equine patients live long, healthy and productive lives. In addition to routine wellness care and preventive medicine, diagnostics, surgery and dental care, GVC also provides the following specialized care for horses.

Ambulatory Service

We have full-sized 4WD ambulatory units at GVC to allow Drs. Luedke and Johnson to make farm calls throughout the Roaring Fork Valley, Aspen, Snowmass, Woody Creek, Basalt, Carbondale, west to Silt, New Castle, Rifle, Parachute and east to the Eagle/Edwards, Gypsum, and Vail regions. All trucks are fully equipped with refrigeration, hot and cold water, full dental equipment, most medications, and equipment that allows our veterinarians to perform many field surgical procedures. Radiology and ultrasound can also be performed in the field as part of this service.

Lameness Diagnosis

All of our equine veterinarians routinely perform both simple and complex lameness evaluations. These are performed in the clinic or the field by Drs. Luedke and Johnson. Several trotting surfaces are available at GVC for evaluation, and the ability to take digital radiographs and perform ultrasound exams as needed enhances our diagnostic ability. Lameness exams typically take 2-3 hours and are may involve the use of diagnostic nerve and joint blocks. Beyond steroid joint injections, we also use the following treatment modalities:

Pro-Stride Autologous Protein Solution

Pro-Stride is a steroid-free, natural, anti-inflammatory joint therapy whose output produces a concentrated solution of cells, platelets, growth factors, and anti-inflammatory proteins including IL-1ra. It has clinically demonstrated pain relief at 52 weeks following a single injection. Even more exciting is that there is no waiting time for incubation. We pull blood on your horse and within 20 minutes, the Pro-Stride is ready to inject! Unlike IRAP, there is not a series of injections, just one and done. Pro-Stride is most often used in joints but can also be used in tendon and ligament injuries.

IRAP – Interleukin Receptor Antagonist Protein

IRAP is a treatment modality designed to enhance healing in soft tissues and joints. GVC was the first practice on the Western Slope to offer IRAP therapy, which harvests, concentrates, and purifies potent anti-inflammatory molecules from the patient’s own blood for injection into injured joints and tendon sheaths.

Stem Cell Therapy

We also have experience with all three methods of harvesting and concentrating stem cells. We now work primarily with bone marrow derived stem cells from the sternum or hip and have used this treatment with great success in severe tendon and ligament injuries, as well as arthritic joints. We have also started using CenTrate, a bone marrow aspirate concentration device that allows us to process mesenchymal stem cells, white blood cells and plasma proteins from your horse to treat orthopedic disease or tendon and ligament injuries.

PRP – Platelet Rich Plasma (Restigen)

PRP has rapidly become a popular treatment in both human and veterinary medicine, and works by harvesting the patient’s own blood, from which our in-house laboratory isolates and concentrates platelet rich plasma. PRP is uniquely rich in both healing and anti-inflammatory growth factors and other products that can be used in tendon and ligament injuries, wounds and potentially joints. Restigen PRP consistently yields greater than 90% of platelets at a 9-fold concentration. This high level of platelets may be used for recruitment and proliferation of cells in the healing process. Although many veterinarians may offer PRP, the actual concentration of platelets and activation states vary tremendously. We are confident that our distributors offers the highest quality product available for your horse. This PRP can be using in joints to aid in the healing of tendons or ligaments.

Shock Wave Therapy

Glenwood Veterinary Clinic has used focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy to successfully treat a variety of musculoskeletal problems. This state of the art technology has greatly enhanced our ability to manage ligament, tendon, bone and joint injuries, and return equine athletes to competition with better healing than with rest alone. This can be used in conjunction with other treatment modalities described below. Interestingly, shock wave is also showing great potential for wound management.