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There is great need for veterinary care for working equids worldwide. Addressing this need provides an opportunity for veterinary students to gain primary care experience. An annual two week collaborative outreach and educational program with Michigan State University (MSU), the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the Universidad Veracruzana (UV) was developed to provide care for working equids in rural Mexican communities. From 2017 to 2019 24 US veterinary students and 25 Mexican veterinary students, interns and residents examined, vaccinated and dewormed more than 2200 equids and performed more than 80 castrations, 100 rectal palpations for pregnancy diagnosis, 220 dental floats and 320 hoof trims. They also treated many wounds, sarcoids, vampire bat bites and tick infestations and also saw unusual cases including tetanus, eye injuries, nuchal bursitis, cervical vertebral malformation and suspected vesicular stomatitis. Development of the collaborative MSU-UNAM-UV Equine Welfare in Practice Clerkship required vision, learning, relationship building, creativity, fund-raising and perseverance to develop and agree on mutually beneficial objectives for all participants. The project is largely financed through private donations and supplies provided by pharmaceutical companies. The outcome has been a highly successful program that could be used as a model by other Colleges of Veterinary Medicine world-wide.

Equine cutaneous pythiosis is caused by the oomycete Pythium insidiosum, which generally produces rapidly progressive granulomatous ulcerative lesions on the distal parts of limbs and abdomen. It is a globally distributed disease with higher prevalence in tropical and subtropical regions. The objective of this case report was to describe granulomatous lesions with necrotic tissue and fibrin bloody exudate in the palpebral region of the left eye caused by Pythium insidiosum in a quarter horse mare in Veracruz State, Mexico. The diagnosis was based on the clinical characteristics of the lesion and histopathology. Due to the extent of lesions, surgical resection was performed in combination with immunotherapy. Treatment with immunotherapy proved to be an effective alternative to achieve complete resolution of skin lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]