Dr. Robert Ragsdale DVM, Dr.George Dyck DVM & Dr. John Roueche DVM

Holidays, rainy days by the fire and oh yeah...abscesses, ugh! Just a little something to remember with all the wet weather.... Now that we are finally seeing rain, we should remember our horse's feet because with moisture comes abscesses. Dr. Dyck has some information to share about the dreaded hoof abscess.... With wet months ahead, there will be an increase of sole or hoof abscesses. There are several causes of the abscess, but with the coming of wet weather the following reason is the most common: In dry weather, the sole will crack and develop fissures, allowing bacteria to get into the cracks. When wet weather or conditions such as wet stalls occur, the sole absorbs moisture like a sponge and seals the bacteria inside the sole of the hoof. When the body recognizes there is bacteria in the sole, it increases blood to the area in order to deliver white blood cells to fight the developing infection. The result is a production of pus and pressure in the foot, thus causing lameness. Your horse may be fine one day and the next day be non-weight-bearing on the effected limb. You may see swelling at the coronary band up to above the fetlock. There could be heat in the hoof and lower leg and the horse could even have a fever. When I am called to see a horse, more often than not, it is profoundly lame. I tell my clients there are three things that can cause a horse to be so lame: A deep bruise, a fracture or an abscess. Yet, sometimes farriers will find abscesses while doing their job that cause little to no pain in the horse. A variation is the gravel abscess. This abscess is very hard to diagnose. The infected material, pus migrates along the hoof wall and breaks out at the coronary band usually at the bulb of the heel. Treatment of abscesses generally consists of debriding the abscess. Depending on operator, either the hoof is soaked in warm solution or a poultice patch is applied. Antibiotic use varies. I only use antibiotics if the blood supply to the area is sufficient. Anti-inflammatories may be used, but usually have very little effect. Prevention includes daily hoof care. That meaning, cleaning feet and applying a foot care product that has some disinfectant activity. If the stall area is hard and dry, as seen in summer months, wet the ground lightly. In the winter and rainy season, have proper drainage and apply moisture absorbent material to the stall. If you suspect an abscess or have any lameness issues, it is a good idea to have your veterinarian take a look to help insure the comfort and soundness of your horse. Good luck this winter!

Important Info Please Read:

This is just a test...FB acting up...

Trying this again..... Phones and internet are out. Spectrum expects to restore service by 6pm. IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY, PLEASE CALL OR TEXT 661 481 1934.... Thank you.

It is with heavy hearts that we must say goodbye to our friend and former co-worker, Linda Manchen. Most of you probably spoke to her when she filled in on Fridays before she moved to a new life in Idaho. Linda was a kind soul with a quick wit...she always made us chuckle. She loved her family and critters dearly. Heaven just got another angel. We will miss you Linda. Our deepest condolences to your family during this difficult time.

As I sit here on my second to last day manning the Large Animal Practice, I just wanted to send a heartfelt thank you to all of the terrific clients I have gotten to know over the years. I am grateful to Dr Dyck and Dr Roueche for their friendship, guidance and patience. I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to have learned from the best large animal doctors around! Though Loki and I will miss coming into the office each day, it is time to fully focus on other endeavor...s. My work with CLEAR - Canine Lymphoma Education Awareness and Research is very important and I look forward to diving into our next film to help educate owners about canine cancer. I have scripts to write, shows to pitch and stories to tell. Though I have been reluctant to share on facebook in the past, please feel free to keep in touch at Zippery Zoo Productions or at Stacey Zipfel Flannery to see what Loki and I are up to. I want to shout out to a few very special folks who have become dear friends .... you know who you are and I love you to pieces. I look forward to meeting over lunches rather than over the counter, LOL. Valeree will be starting on 5/24 and Jessica will still take Fridays. Please be patient as this desk has more moving pieces than you can imagine! Valeree is smart and capable and I am sure she can fill my shoes as I filled the very big shoes of Julie. It just takes a little time. I am around to answer questions and even fill in from time to time...so I'm not completely gone, LOL. That means Loki is around too - and let's face it, he is who will be missed the most. Again, thank you Dr. Dyck and Dr. Roueche. I adore you both.

Congrats to our first two ranches to hold a microchip clinic!! Now don't forget to register those chips! We have you logged in our database, but it is very important that you register with the chip company!

With fires becoming a way of life, now more than ever, horse owners should think seriously about microchipping. One of the ranches we service came up with a fantastic idea! A microchip clinic! Please give our office a call if your barn would like to do the same!

We've been getting a lot of calls re smoke and horses. First we want to send out our prayers to everyone touched by these devastating fires. Our hearts are breaking. While Dr. Dyck normally writes our articles, he is super busy but recommended the following posted by UC Davis: https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu//guidelines-horses-exposed-.... Stay Safe Everyone.

FYI... Dr Roueche will be out 8/24 to 9/3 Dr Dyck will be out 8/28 to 9/2

For emergency calls today...8-10-20....please call 661.465.4064. Ou provider refuses to correct the issue....so our forwarding service will be changed hopefully tomorrow. Thanks ans PLEASE share!

We are working hard to fix the phone routing fiasco...if you are having trouble getting through to our main line AFTER HOURS, try calling 661.465.4064 and it should connect you directly to our service. I have tried it multiple times and it seems to work. Thank you for your patience.

In the ongoing phone saga - After another hour with Spectrum we have determined it is our answering service. Spectrum was quite helpful. We are trying to fix this situation as we are all fit to be tied! As of now, emergencies should go directly to the on-call Dr.

Phones seem to be working though it is taking multiple rings to pick up...so don't hang up...

After an hour on the phone with Spectrum this am...I think (she says with fingers crossed) that the service will work again. Send good mojo everyone!

Our phones are down again...blame Spectrum...we certainly are! If you have an emergency and cannot get through, please call Dr Robertson, Dr Sacher or Sweetwater. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

Attn: Our after hours call forwarding is down...not sure if it was the fire or the phone company....trying to fix, but we may not be reachable this evening. We apologize for any inconvenience. If you have an emergency and the call does not go thru...here are numbers for other vets in tbe area: Dr Robertson 818.614.9565 Sweetwater 661.268.8128 Dr Sacher 661.575.5330

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Please be aware that we are booking out 2 to 3 weeks. We are doing our best to make sure everyone is seen, but if the appt is routine you will be scheduled out farther. We need to reserve time for emergency calls which are coming in at a rapid pace. Please plan ahead for routine visits...floats, vaccines etc. Thank you for your patience.

Ya'll probably know the drill by now, but for those who missed it....tomorrow 5/6, Stacey and Loki will be working from home because it is Affordable Vets' clinic day. We can do everything from home except sell medications. We will be back in the office 5/7. This will continue until the COVID situation changes. Stay safe and healthy everyone!!!!

Attention Affordable Vets clients...Please understand that Affordable is only open on Wednesdays and the occasional Monday. If you drop by any other day, the Large Animal practice (Horses) has no access to your records and by law can't just refill a prescription. We share the same office and even the same doctor, but we are separate practices. If your pet has been treated at Affordable Vets and you need meds or have questions, to save you frustration, please call 661-222-1111 or email [email protected]. If you need help with your large animals (farm animals - horses, not really big dogs, lol) we are here to help you.