Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

Tennis ball-sized tumor? Not on the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center’s watch! 🎾🐴

Danika, a Zweibrucker or German Warmblood, beat a sarcoid with a little help from science — surgery paired with immunotherapy and H-FIRE, a tech that zaps tumor cells with electrical pulses.

Now she's back under saddle; she and her partner Carolyn Steppe can return to the show ring! ✨ Go to the comments below to read the full story 👇

08/27/2026

🔔🐴 Cancer survivor — ringing in a happy ending!

Yesterday, we rang the cancer survivor bell for Majesty, a dark bay Hanoverian gelding at Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, as he headed home — CANCER-FREE! 🎉

Huge thanks to our incredible veterinary team for their skill and dedication that made this day possible. 💛

Go get 'em, Majesty. The world awaits! 🌾✨

08/25/2026

Twin foals, 🐴💛 against all odds, are thriving!

Twin foals surviving a full-term birth — let alone the critical first few days of life — is incredibly rare. So, when Colby's Crew Rescue transported three-hour-old twin colts to Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center for emergency care over the weekend, our team knew that every hour mattered.

Tucker (the chestnut) and Grayson couldn't even stand when they arrived. But with Dr. Megan Marchitello and her clinical team on the case, and after round-the-clock care in our isolation unit, both boys are now standing, nursing, and already showing off a little sass! 😄

08/24/2026

Payton Lavoie, LVT, Operating Room Supervisor at Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center prepares equipment for a CT myelogram procedure.

A CT myelogram helps our team identify spinal cord compression in horses showing signs of incoordination or weakness — often linked to conditions like cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy, sometimes referred to as “wobbler syndrome". Under general anesthesia, contrast dye is injected into the space surrounding the spinal cord, and digital X-rays are taken of the neck in various levels of flexion. The horse then undergoes a CT scan of the neck to reveal exactly where — and how severely — the cord is being compressed.

This level of precision imaging allows our veterinary team to build the most effective treatment plan for each horse. 🐴 Learn more about the advanced diagnostics available at the EMC by visiting our website – link in the comments below!

🐴 Curious about "wobbler syndrome" or other neurologic conditions in horses? Drop your questions below — our team loves talking shop!

08/21/2026

🐴 From colic scare to recovery: Mona's story

Late one night, an Irish draft mare named Mona arrived at Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Virginia. She walked calmly off the trailer despite the hour but faced a serious health crisis.

What began as a colon impaction (a common but potentially serious form of colic) took a dangerous turn when it twisted into a life-threatening displacement. The Equine Medical Center team, led by Dr. Emily Schaefer, started Mona on IV fluids and closely monitored her around the clock, hoping medical management alone could resolve it. But as Mona grew more painful overnight, the team had to shift their approach quickly.

What followed was a week-long fight and ultimately, a successful recovery that showcases the dedication and expertise behind the Equine Medical Center’s 24/7 emergency care.

📖 Read Mona's full story by clicking on the link in the comments

08/20/2026

Pictured from left to right, Dean of Virginia Tech’s Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine M. Daniel Givens, Mrs. Ann Backer, and Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center Director Dr. Michael Erskine, during a special luncheon at The Saratoga Reading Room, Saratoga Springs, NY.

Mrs. Ann Mudge Backer, of Smitten Farm, The Plains, Virginia, died on Saturday, August 15, at the age of 93.

Over the years, many of the Backers’ horses have visited the Equine Medical Center for treatment, and as president of the William M. Backer Foundation, Backer championed support for key projects, in particular facilities dedicated to the treatment and care of neonatal foals.

07/17/2026

🐴 New research from our team is helping horses survive one of the most feared diseases in the industry.

A new study led by Drs. Megan Marchitello, Krista Estell, Elsa Ludwig, and Professor Emeritus Nathaniel White of Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center and former Virginia State Veterinarian Abby M. Sage found that combining valacyclovir (an antiviral) with heparin (an anticoagulant) significantly reduced the incidence of equine herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), the severe neurologic form of EHV-1 — and improved survival during naturally occurring outbreaks.

Looking back at a real-world EHV-1 outbreak, the team found that horses treated with the combination therapy had dramatically better outcomes than those who didn't receive it, including several EHM-affected horses that survived and returned to work.

This is exactly the kind of applied outbreak-informed research that keeps the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center at the forefront of equine infectious disease medicine — turning real clinical challenges into treatment protocols that protect horses everywhere.

📖 Published by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the full article can be accessed by clicking on this link:
https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/aop/javma.26.02.0118/javma.26.02.0118.xml

07/16/2026

Dream of working with horses? Virginia Tech's Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center is looking for an Equine Caretaker. 🐎 Whether you're experienced or just passionate about horses, this part-time role could be for you!

Interested? Check out all the details and apply through Virginia Tech's job portal: https://jobs.apply.vt.edu/jobs/equine-caretaker-leesburg-virginia-united-states-5e5d89c8-ecb3-4665-bf65-590f55165f53

07/10/2026

🎉 Congratulations, Dr. Mohamed Hajeeh Ali! 🐴✨

We're thrilled to celebrate Mohamed Hajeeh Ali, BVSc, on his advancement to a three-year Equine Surgery Residency at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center!

Mohamed's journey has taken him across the globe — earning his BVSc from the University of Bristol, completing an internship at Valley Equine Hospital in Lambourn, UK, and then joining us in Leesburg, VA, where he built a strong foundation as an Equine Medicine and Surgery Intern and then as a Surgery Fellow. Now, he's stepping into this next exciting chapter as an Equine Surgery Resident!

Please congratulate Dr. Ali on this well-earned milestone! 👏