Equine Surgery & Lameness

Most diagnostic lameness evaluations are performed through the horse surgery service. The Equine Surgery Service is among few in the world able to treat any surgical needs in horses, donkeys, mules and zebras 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While we work closely with your veterinarian, you do not need a referral for your animal to be seen.

Hours & Appointment Scheduling

• Office hours: Monday to Friday 7:30 am - 6:00 pm
• Patient visits by appointment. 
• Emergencies scheduled as needed by owner or referring veterinarian. 
• For an appointment: 614-292-6661, ext. 2 
• After-hours emergencies: 614-292-6661 

What to Expect

Each patient is cared for by a surgery team: a board-certified veterinarian with years of experience, registered veterinary technicians, a resident (a veterinarian who is training to become a specialist) and fourth-year veterinary students. For more serious or unusual cases, additional personnel such as anesthesiologists, internists, or radiologists are always available for consultation and patient care. Our team approach to patient care ensures that many experts and highly skilled technical staff are supporting your horse's care to restore health as quickly as possible. 

During your animal's visit to the Galbreath Equine Center, you will be greeted by a senior veterinary student and technician who will ensure that your horse is safely placed in a stall or examination area. The senior student will ask you a series of questions regarding your horse's illness, housing, vaccination, and deworming history. Your horse's history is an important part of determining the cause of your animal's illness and will help us to make your horse comfortable should hospitalization be required. You may find that the senior clinician or resident asks similar questions. The horse will then be examined and a plan made for further investigation or treatment. This plan, and the associated costs, will be discussed with you at this time.

We endeavor to provide same-day service whenever possible, and will attempt to schedule radiographs or other examinations to occur the day of your visit, however, some horses will require hospitalization for further diagnostic investigation and/or for treatment and monitoring. Outpatient visits may take most of the day, depending on the nature of your horse's problem and the need for further testing. Results of most examinations, including blood work and imaging, are available the same day. 

Clinical Trials

The Equine Surgery and Lameness service is often recruiting patients for related studies for which your animal may be eligible. If you have any questions regarding your animal's eligibility, please contact the Blue Buffalo Clinical Trials Office (cvm-clinicaltrials@osu.edu). 

For a listing of current trials please click here.