UC Davis

Consultations and Expertise

Consultations and Expertise Musculoskeletal Specimen Examination & Consultation  

The service provides an orthopedic or musculoskeletal post-mortem specimen examination by an expert veterinary professor or clinician.  Typically, this will be an analysis of injury or surgical repair beyond what veterinary pathologists do. This service specializes in racehorse injury and orthopedic surgery-related evaluations. This is provided at a rate of $180/specimen. 

Mineralized Tissue Processing

Mineralized Tissue Processing

The service provides mineralized tissue (bone) sections cut so that they may be analyzed microscopically.  Typical histological processing (ie for tissue) does not work on bone or bone with surgical implants.  This allows for histologic analysis of bone or bone-implant interface, or dental tissue. Full service rate (done by technician) is $266/slide, while the Student rate (done by trained student) is $154/slide. 

Gait and Locomotion Analysis

Gait and Locomotion Analysis

Gait is analyzed to understand the effects of disease and injuries on animal movement.  At our EAPL location, we have multiple means of quantifying motion including: 2 force plates, a Tekscan pressure walkway, a Qualisys kinematic system, and a Companion stance analyzer for small to medium-sized animals.   

If interested in any of these services, please contact Tanya Garcia-Nolen.

Research Programs

Research Programs

Equine Health Research

The J.D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory is the leader in advancing knowledge of equine musculoskeletal problems. It houses state-of-the-art equipment and fosters a creative environment for basic and clinically applied equine musculoskeletal research. Under the directorship of Dr. Susan Stover, a former trainee of Dr. Wheat, faculty work in collaboration with other clinicians and scientists to continue improving our understanding of equine musculoskeletal diseases.

Laboratory Services

Laboratory Services

The UC Davis Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory offers many services that can be utilized by collaborators from outside of our lab. Please contact Tanya Garcia-Nolen for questions about and scheduling of these services, as rates will vary with size and complexity of each project.