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Solid veterinary care for your horse, peace of mind for you. |
Greenville mobile equine Service, pa |
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Crazy as Always
When everyone asks me how things are going, my new answer is “Crazy as always.” Some people go through life with a regular routine, but Equine practice is anything but that. In the past few months, we’ve added a new veterinarian (Jeff Legato), Ann-Marie has passed the Acupuncture training course, we’ve had some changes in office staff, and have acquired some new equipment that will give us the ability to better take care of our patients. We’ve retired a truck after 200,000 miles and found out they no longer make green Toyota trucks, so we had to go with white! Life brings changes, and you have to go with it. We’re celebrating our 10 year anniversary on October 14th, and hope everyone will be able to join us. To go along with our anniversary, we’ve unveiled a new logo, and a new website. Melissa even added a new baby girl. We hope you enjoy the changes. |
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Party!! 10 Year Anniversary October 14, 2007 This fall marks 10 years that Greenville Mobile Equine Service has been in existence, and I’d personally like to thank everyone for making that possible. I know I can’t believe it’s been that long! We’ve grown from a one-woman team into a true team of 8 people; from one truck to three trucks; and from a living room to a 3000 sq. ft. facility on 10 acres. To celebrate, we’re having a cookout on Sunday October 14th from 2pm to 5pm. We’re having hamburgers and hot dogs, pony rides, a demonstration of our new endoscopy system, and a representative of Horsewares will be on hand with some of their outlet goods. Please join us for some good fellowship and fun.
WWW.GMESVET.COM CHECK IT OUT! It’s finally up, but will be in a state of constant change as we tweak it to our needs. While the website has some static components, we will be posting all future newsletters there, as well as any educational articles we produce. There is a marketplace for you to post things for sale or things you’re looking for since I can’t remember what everyone tells me (part of getting older, I guess J). Feel free to send in any photos you’d like to contribute. As a side note, with the increased cost of postage and increased use of email, we’d like to utilize our website and email for future correspondence. We can post the newsletter on the website and send your reminders by email in the future, if we have your email address. Please feel free to call us with your address or send an email to Melissa@gmesvet.com.
Meet Jeff Legato, DVM
“Hi, I’m Jeff. I’m Linda’s new associate”. If you haven’t heard that yet or met me, chances are you will at some point in the next several months. I have been here since the middle of June; my wife, daughter and the rest of our crew (cats, dogs, horse, snake) arrived at the end of July. We have really appreciated the welcome we’ve received and are planning to stay a long time. OK, so what can I say about myself? First of all, I was born and raised in North Georgia. I spent most of my life in Athens, which is not only home to the University of Georgia, but also the tree that owns itself and two famous bands: the B52’s and R.E.M.. I originally studied Geology and had an interest in minerals. After I finished school (1986), I worked in a research lab. This was a bit of a let down for me, as the whole reason I went into geology was to be outside. I eventually had the funds to pursue one of my life- long dreams, which was to get my pilots license. Not long after, a friend introduced me to the world of horses. I soon started riding and showing (hunter-jumper). In 1997, my wife encouraged me to go back to school, as I was not happy in the lab. At the age of 40 (yikes!), I started vet school. After graduation, I worked in a mixed clinic in Florida where I was stuck inside all of the time. After searching again, I finally found an internship at an equine exclusive clinic in Louisiana. I had originally not planned to start looking for something until I had six months left there, but this notice appeared from Linda that was just too good to pass up. Believe me, I’m glad I didn’t. I like it here.
Common Skin Problems By Jeff Legato, DVM Two of the most common skin problems I’ve encountered (in horses) are hives and scratches. Hives (a.k.a. urticaria) are raised areas in the skin that can be dime sized or larger and generally start on the neck but can spread all over the body. What causes them? Simply put, they are the response to an allergic reaction – and many times we may never find the allergen responsible for them. They may also disappear as quickly as they came. They are an emergency only if your horse is having trouble breathing or appears to be going into shock. Most times call the vet for more specific treatment, which can be as simple as a bath to steroid shots. Like Hives, scratches (a.k.a. Grease Heel, Mud Fever, Dew Poisoning, etc.) can be caused by any number of things. They are usually seen on the heel areas of breeds that have longer hairs on their pasterns or fetlocks and have been in muddy paddocks. Here, an ounce of prevention can go a long way. Keeping the hairs on susceptible horses clipped and keeping them in dry paddocks (actually not that hard to do with the drought we’ve had this year) will do wonders. Using bag balm on affected areas helps too; I’ve heard of a few people using Desitin. However, if this does not respond to your efforts, contact us for a closer look. Again, this is not an emergency, but if it continues and worsens despite your efforts, it needs attention.
“Lateral radiographs once a year” by Linda Balot, DVM
This is a quote from a respected equine vet that was one of my teachers in vet school. I didn’t get it at first. I usually take this particular radiograph or x-ray view for horses that have founder or laminitis, and I didn’t think that many horses had this problem. Now, many years later, I recognize his wisdom. This view gives us information about the hoof in relation to the bones inside it. It can tell us if our angles are correct, our soles are thick enough, or if the shoes are placed correctly. It is a great tool to help your farrier trim and shoe your horse correctly. Farriers have a tough job since their x-ray vision isn’t always working, and their patients aren’t always cooperative. Anything we can do to make their job easier, will make your horse’s feet happier too. The old adage is “No hoof: No horse”. If we can prevent a lameness from occurring, it keeps your horse in work, out of pain, and may save you money in the long run. New Services/Equipment By Ann-Marie Hancock, DVM We are pleased to be offering two new services to you and your horse this year. Microchipping and Endoscopy. A horse with a microchip is easier to find in case of theft, easier to track in the case of disasters like hurricanes and floods, and easier for animal health investigators to trace and ID in the case of any disease outbreak. The National Animal Identification Service is recommending that all animals be microchipped with a 15 digit coded microchip. These numbers can then be entered into databases run by microchip companies and databases located at individual veterinary practices to help match horses and owners in case of loss or theft. These microchips are the size of a large grain of rice and are injected into the muscle of the left side of the neck, half way between the withers and poll, just below the mane. We now have two readers so that we can check any new or previously chipped animals for an ID, and we can also check any chips that we place in an animal. The chips we are using also read body temperature, which can be very useful in a fractious animal, or for a health certificate. The cost to place a chip is $50.00. This includes the placement of the chip and registration in our database. Please feel free to ask any of us if you are considering placing a microchip in your horse. We have also recently purchased a gastroscope and upper airway scope. These are both fiberoptic flexible tubing scopes. One is 3 feet long, and one is 9 feet long. They can be run through the nostril of the horse and into the pharyngeal area, the guttural pouches, the lungs, the bladder or the stomach. These technologies will allow us to better diagnose disease and prevent the spread of infection. For example, one of the many things we can look at with this scope is the larynx. We can check for adequate function and assess whether or not your horse needs sugery in order to breathe at the level necessary for hard work. We can also assess reasons for bleeding from the nostrils – where it is coming from and how serious it is. By looking in to the guttural pouches we can look for possible shedders of Strangles and help prevent the spread of disease. We can also take samples of lung fluid to determine the cause of pneumonia or diagnose allergic airway disease. We can also look at the lining of the bladder in cases of straining urination. Our longer scope is mainly for examining the lining of the stomach for gastric ulcers. Many competitive horses and some backyard horses can get gastric ulcers. The signs and symptoms can be vague – maybe not using their hind end and resenting girth tightening, or they can serious – eating hay and grass, but not eating grain and laying down after eating. Severe ulcerations can lead to severe complications and risks to your horse’s health. If you have noticed these symptoms in your horse please give us a call and we can discuss the possibility of scoping to rule our ulcers.
More than 90% of race1 and 60% of performance horses suffer with stomach ulcers2 and these ulcers can develop in just 5 days3.
Normal Ulcers
For your horse, the difference between this stomach and this stomach could be just five days.
Situations that may contribute to equine stomach ulcers: Changes in routine Limited or no turnout Inconsistent meal schedules Confinement Training Travel Competition
Potential clinical signs of EGUS: Altered Eating Behavior Weight Loss Recurrent colic Change in attitude Sub-optimal performance Diarrhea Dull coat
To learn more about equine stomach ulcers and how you can prevent them, talk to your veterinarian or visit www.ulcergard.com.
NOTES FROM THE PASTURE From IMAGE, GMES Resident
Let’s talk sunblock. Pink skin burns. Doesn’t matter where it is on our bodies it can sunburn. Everyone knows that faces burn but did you know that it is possible for bellies to burn from the reflection off of grass? Illness, certain medications and some plants can make us horses more sensitive. Human sunblock is a wonderful thing as long as it is PABA free. Try one that is waterproof and unscented, especially when putting it on noses. Brightly colored sunblocks may look funny but it makes it easier to tell when they wear off. Desitin or zinc oxide creams work well. Fly masks that cover most of the face can be a big help as can fly sheets. If all else fails limit our exposure. Keep us in during the day and turn out at night. Remember, sunburns are just as painful for us as they are for people.
Notes from the Office As always, there are changes going on in the office. Melissa had her baby Aislinn 2 weeks late on Friday August 10. She has been on maternity leave, but will starting back part-time on September 17th. Lisa has been filling in full time, and Karen has joined our staff as well. Vicki decided it was time to go back to school after a 2 yr break.
Some common questions we receive in the office include:
1. Reminder cards do not mean a vet will be showing up that day. Reminder cards mean it is time again for your horse to be seen, but you need to call in and schedule an appointment.
2. IF you have an emergency, we recognize these are unplanned and sometimes costly. We will give you 2-3 months to pay off the bill in full, however service charges will still accrue. We are not the bank, and prefer to work on a pay as you go type of basis. Our interest charges are 18% annually or 1.5% monthly, with a minimum of $3.00.
3. Scheduling is an art. We try to schedule appointments in one area for as many people as we can, so we can keep costs down for everyone. Therefore, if more people in your area call in, we may call back to readjust your time so we can get everyone in. IF you’re not flexible with you appointment, please let the office staff know when you call in. Also, emergencies do happen. There are days that we’ll be late or appointments may have to be rescheduled in order to see the emergencies. Once again, we try to triage what is important and how soon it needs to be seen in the office to take care of everyone in as timely a manner as possible.
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