Advanced Equine and Small Ruminant Veterinary Service

The Truth about Vaccines: There is alot of confusion and information out there about what to vaccinate for and when to vaccinate. This post is a simplified version of what to do. First off although many clients are capable of giving their own shots, this is an excellent opportunity to establish and maintain your relationship with your veterinarian. In addition, some vaccine companies will guarantee the vaccine by paying for the veterinary expenses if the horse contracts wh...Continue reading

I hate Sand Colic! Sand colic is definitely high on the list of reasons I treat colicky horses. This post will talk about prevention and early warning signs. First of all let me start out by describing one of my horses habits. I have a mare that for whatever reason eats sand and dirt, if left to her own devices. She is fed good quality feed, has free access to a trace mineral block and gets a multi-vitamin supplement. There is absolutely no reason for her to eat dirt a...Continue reading

Hoof Abscesses This post will discuss the reasons hoof abscesses occur and the most common treatments used, depending on cause. I usually get a call from an owner stating they have found their horses unwilling to bear weight on a limb or limping heavily. The owner states that the horse was normal last time they saw them. Although the rule-outs for this presentation do include a fracture, laminitis, infection or trauma, 95% end up being abscesses. First a little hoof anatom...Continue reading

Lets talk goats, sheep and llamas! All three of these species need to be vaccinated with Clostridium C, D and Tetanus. If they have not been vaccinated before they need to be boostered 4 weeks after their first shot, then yearly afterwards. Newborns should be given Tetanus Toxoid then start their CDT vaccines at 3 to 4 months of age and boostered properly. All these animals also need to be dewormed. Initially I like to run a fecal examination to determine what type of pa...rasites they have. Not all dewormers work on all parasites. This is especially true for Coccidia which is not responsive to Ivermectin or Fenbendazole. Amprolium is the effective deworming for this parasite. When administered, it has to be given at the correct dosage or it can cause a secondary neurologic complication. Depending on the management situation deworming frequency may very and you need to consult with your veterinarian for recommendations. Feeding recommendations will vary according to whether they are young, old, pregnant or lactating. They will also vary depending on whether you are raising animals as pets or production. In general however, Alfalfa is a weed and should not be given as a roughage in their diet. Alfalfa is very high in Calcium which is excreted through the kidneys which can lead to urolithiasis (stones) forming in the bladder. These stones commonly cause male goats urethra to block, this can be life threatening and very expensive to resolve. Alfalfa is also high in protein which requires more acid in the rumen to digest, Combined with grains that are high in protein >20% can lead to bloat in the rumen and can become life threatening. Alfalfa also is rich in Estrogen, which over time can lead to udder development and lactation with subsequent mastitis even in male goats. The most common issues I treat in ruminants are: Urolithiasis due to alfalfa being fed; Bloat in students projects due to too much grain being given and not enough fiber. Most ruminants will due fine on a grass based hay such as Orchard grass, Bermuda grass or Three way hay. Additional protein may be necessary for animals that are growing, pregnant or lactating. Owners should consult their vet about an appropriate grain supplement. For the most part pellets by themselves will not promote a healthy rumen environment and these animals need some roughage. There is a lot of misinformation out there about how to feed your small ruminants. I strongly encourage everyone to read reputable information on how to care for your small ruminants or consult with your veterinarian.

Winterizing your older horse. Well believe it or not the summer is quickly drawing to a close and before you know it so will the fall, and winter will be upon us. Although today's post generally is dealing with our senior horses, 20 years or older, the information can apply to a horse of any age. I try and schedule the senior horses in my practice to have their yearly examines sometime between now and the end of November. This post will walk you through the content of a ...Continue reading

One of the most common problems I treat this time of year are sores created by "fly egg" (Habronema) infestation. The life cycle of the fly includes a portion in which larvae migrate to the mouth parts of the fly. When a fly feeds on moisture around the horses mouth, eyes, sheath and open wounds in deposits the larvae, this causes an exaggerated response by the horses immune system and produces a "summer sore". The larvae can also end up in the horses lungs and cause absces...Continue reading

Most recently there has been a batch of Alfalfa that has come into the local area that has caused horses to form lesion in non-pigmented areas of their skin. The state has run tests on the hay and concluded that it is an unknown toxic substance that occurs in the hay. The substance accumulates in Alfalfa second and third cutting hay when it is grown under conditions of drought. Another incidence of this occurred about 8 years ago too. If the hay sits for awhile it is believed that the toxic substance decreases in quantity.