Healthy as a Horse

By Glenn McDonald

As domesticated animals, horses have been helping us humans for more than 5,000 years. Every now and then, we’re able to pay them back with some of our own technological efforts.

Researchers from NC State have adapted existing medical technology for humans into a wearable sleeve for horses that helps with lymphedema, a painful condition in which excess fluids cause swelling in the legs. The EQ Press uses a system of pneumatic compression to move fluids up into the lymph nodes, reducing swelling and relieving pain.

In development for more than five years, the EQ Press was designed by Dr. Irina Perdew ’21 DVM and Dr. Lauren Schnabel, associate professor of equine orthopedic surgery.

“It looks like a lot for the horse to wear, but they really enjoy being in the device.”
– Dr. Lauren Schnabel

A recent NC State pilot study confirmed the efficacy of the sleeve by using a specialized camera to track the progression of fluids up the leg and into the lymph nodes. The study was published in the April 2023 issue of the American Journal of Veterinary Research.

The pilot study adds some hard science to anecdotal evidence and word-of-mouth recommendations, Schnabel says. The EQ Press is available to veterinarians, horse owners and rehabilitation centers through Vetletics, Inc., a start-up company co-founded by Schnabel, Perdew and Matthew Breen, a professor of genomics and the Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology Genetics. But the most encouraging feedback, Schnabel says, comes straight from the horses that use the EQ Press: “It looks like a lot for the horse to wear, but they really enjoy being in the device.”