Dr. Phillip R Kapraun DVM, Harvard, Illinois, maintains an equine practice that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of lameness in Standardbred racehorses and Racing Quarter horses, as well as performance horses such as barrel racers, ropers, reiners and show horses. Dr. Kapraun routinely uses the veterinary fluoroscope in the identification of challenging lameness cases.
Dr. Kapraun often employs joint injections as treatment for many lameness problems. He innovated the use of Cobroxin for the rapid healing of ligaments, tendons and other soft tissue injuries and for the regeneration of cartilage in damaged joints. He is hopeful that this amazing regenerative therapy may one day be adapted for use in human medicine, eliminating the need for many joint replacement surgeries. He has also innovated the use of alternative therapies such as honeybee venom to treat navicular disease instead of cut nerving. He is hopeful that this simple procedure could one day help humans with trigeminal neuritis. Emphasizing a preventative approach to lameness, he innovated the routine detection and surgical removal of OCDs in yearling Standardbred race horses before training would start.
Dr. Kapraun holds a BS degree in biology from Loras College where he was a varsity wrestler and also the Iowa State Judo champion, and qualified for and completed in the 1972 Olympic Team Trials, finishing #11 out of 84 competitors. He received his doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1977 from the University of Illinois. Dr. Kapraun has spoken at and given demonstrations nationally in several states and internationally in Australia.