Solid veterinary care for your horse, peace of mind for you.

Greenville mobile equine Service, pa

Change is in the Air

I know the newsletter is a little late this year, but we did this on purpose to tell you about our Open House in November.  Plus, as we adapt to try to keep up with your needs, we’ve had to make lots of changes in the office.  Melissa, our new office manager started in October to help bring more consistency to the daily running of the clinic.  Lisa will be assisting her in the barn, and Vicki will continue to assist in the office.  As far as vets go, Ann-Marie is taking an acupuncture course this winter to be able to add that to her repertoire this spring.  We’re in the process of interviewing new vets to start this spring.  And me, I’m just trying to keep my head above water.  I’ve got lots of projects in the works… look for a new logo, a new website, and a new sign to make finding the office easier. 

Emergencies Happen!

It is always late at night or on the weekend when you find your horse down with colic or their leg cut.  Now you’re calling the vet to come out and…we’re over an hour away in the opposite direction, or we’re already at the clinic working on an emergency.  We try to be available, but can only be in so many places at once.  The clinic makes it easier for us to service multiple clients from different locations in a reasonable amount of time.

So, this means you need to have a way to get to us.  We realize that not everyone has a trailer, but most people know someone that owns one.  We recommend that everyone have an emergency plan in place.  Talk to your friends and neighbors and set up a plan, so you’re not   scrambling at midnight!  Have a truck lined up that can pull a specific trailer.  We can’t always prevent emergencies, but we can make them go easier.  And besides, on a cold night, the heater in the clinic feels great!!

Seminar/ Open House

 November 4, 2006

This November we’re going to combine two events into one day…an educational morning seminar with an afternoon fun period.  Starting at 9am, we’ll be having hourly lectures on vaccinations, breeding and lameness.  We’ll have a cookout for lunch along with hay rides and demonstrations in the afternoon.  No need to RSVP, just come join us at the clinic for an educational, but fun day!  Just cross your fingers the weather is as nice as last year.

New Equipment

In out quest to provide the best care for your horse, we have acquired some blood work machines at the office.  We now have the capabilities of doing complete blood counts (cbc), chemistry panels, electrolytes and fibrinogen.  What does this mean to you?  It means that during emergency hours, we will be able to run blood work immediately, instead of waiting for the next day.  While there are still some tests that will need to be sent out, we can now do the basics at our office in less than an hour.  This will allow us to tailor treatments for your horse’s specific ailments, instead of having to guess overnight or on weekends.  Also, yearly geriatric profiles are a good idea so we can keep up with organ status in the older horse.

Caring for your Older Horse

 

As Medicine and nutrition have advanced, an entirely new definition of the older horse has emerged.  In fact, many horses are living well into their 20’s and 30’s these days.  But like any older person, some things are not as easy as they used to be and these horses need extra care to stay in good condition. 

                 As the horse ages, his or her body systems age as well.  This means that his bones and joints may show signs of arthritis and pain.  His kidneys and liver may not function as effectively as before and they may have signs like increased urination or drinking or they may be unable to handle particular diets.  They may not shed out as well as they did when they were younger.  Weight often becomes an issue – either too much from an endocrine disorder like Cushings or insulin resistance, or too little from decreased digestive function or bad teeth.  

                 Because of altered organ function and decreased hormone levels, an older horse will need a different diet than when he was young and may also need extra monitoring or supplementation.  When we come out to do vaccines, ask us to do a physical exam – we will check teeth for good level wear and see if your horse needs his teeth floated, we will listen to his heart and lungs for murmurs or wheezing associated with asthma, and check weight and overall appearance.  We may also look at his eyes to check for cataracts or floating material in the eye that may begin to impede vision.  We also like to draw blood and check for good organ immune function.  If Cushings or Insulin Resistance is suspected, additional blood work may be recommended to check for thyroid and pituitary function, as well as to evaluate insulin levels in the horse (these tests usually need to be done after your horse has been fasted for 4-6 hours so plan in advance.)

Normal wear and tear over the years, poor foot care and lack of conditioning can all set up a horse for lameness.  These degenerative changes (arthritis) can not only cause lameness with riding, but also make holding up feet for shoeing and trimming uncomfortable.  Adequate management of pain is critical for these horses so that they continue to eat, drink and keep their muscles in shape.  Most older horses do better kept outside so they can move all the time instead of in stalls.  This helps keep their joints from getting stiff and painful.  Also, small doses of Phenylbutazone (Bute) can help control inflammation and make moving more comfortable.  Bute has risks if given long term at the higher doses, so please make a plan with us before using on a regular basis so we can protect your horses stomach, intestines and kidneys.

                 Lastly, weight usually becomes an issue – either too much or too little.  The overweight older horse often has changes like Cushing's or Insulin Resistance that effect how they metabolize sugars.  These horses usually need to be fed a very low starch diet – no sweet feed, scant fresh grass and no apples or treats.  They may need more exercise (which will help their joints too) or thyroid supplementation.  They are also more at risk for laminitis or founder and may need to lose weight or be supplemented to help prevent recurring problems.  Please ask us for more details if you think you have a horse like this when we come out.   The more common problem is the underweight older horse.  Once these guys lose weight it can be doubly hard to get them back in shape.  First, look at their environment.  Older horses often are on the bottom of the herd hierarchy and eat slower, so they may not be getting all their food before someone else chases them off.   Try enclosing them separately at feeding time to they can eat at their own speed and you know that they will get it all.  Second, check teeth!  Sharp edges or uneven teeth make chewing anything but pellets almost impossible, so regular floating is very necessary.  Protein, fiber and phosphorus digestion also decreases with age.  For this reason, most older horses do better on an extruded pellet feed highly digestible, calorie dense with added fiber) that is formulated for senior horses.   If liver function is normal, 1-2 cups of corn oil, soy oil or flaxseed oil can be added.  In horses with poor kidney function, alfalfa hay and beet pulp should be avoided.  Older horses are more susceptible to infection as well, so supplementing with Vitamin C (10 grams/ day) or Vitamin E (1000 IU/ day) can be helpful.  Brewers Yeast can be supplemented at 2-4 oz per day as a source of fiber, B-12 and to help with kidney and liver disease.  Lastly, always provide clean, fresh water at all times to help keep their digestive system moving regularly.

                 As we see more older horses in our practice, we find that the best way to keep them going is to baby them a little.  Take the time to see how they are moving and eating, blanket them when it’s cold and provide a fan when it’s warm and spend lots of time brushing and riding.  All these things will help you know when your horse isn’t doing well, before it becomes serious and help keep your horse young at heart. 

Dentistry – Why, When and How

Most horses need to have their teeth examined through out their life.  Whether it be to check on erupting baby teeth, to check on new adult teeth or to check wear on older teeth, Every horse should have a veterinarian take a look at least once a year at his/ her teeth. 

                 All horses have six incisors on the top and bottom of their mouth in the front.  They then have a gap where we place the bit.  Most Geldings and stallions will have canine teeth in this gap.  These teeth were once used for fighting, but are now just for show.  Then Each horse may have between 0 and 2 wolf teeth – small teeth that sit directly in front of the upper molars.  Lastly, each horse will have six cheek teeth upper and lower on each side – these are their primary teeth – used for grinding up food into digestible size particles.

 

Why Float your horse’s teeth? 

Baby teeth and new permanent teeth can come in at abnormal angles and prevent other teeth from erupting correctly. 

As they wear, a horse’s molars get sharp points, ramps and hooks.  These can ulcerate the tongue or cheeks

Some teeth, like wolf teeth and canine, can interfere with the bit and make training difficult, painful or irritating to the horse. 

Uneven wear, over time creates a wave mouth.  A horse with a wave mouth can not chew hay or grains and may need a special diet. 

When should a horse’s teeth be checked or floated? 

Please have your horse checked around their 2 year old birthday for wolf teeth and to check for loose baby teeth.  Repeat these checks until they are five years old.

Once yearly, have any adult horse’s teeth checked by us.  Most will need to be floated every 1-2 years. 

Float any horse that you are concerned about dropping feed or losing weight

Float any horse that has become sensitive to the bit or is leaning one way during riding.

 

How does a veterinarian float a horse’s teeth?

 We sedate your horse so they are standing, but very sleepy and place a mouth speculum on that holds their mouth open.  Then we rinse their mouth and suspend their head up in the air so we can see to the back.

A power drill adapted to use as a rotary file is used to grind down any sharp areas (usually on the outside of the uppers and inside of the lowers) and to remove any teeth that are longer than the rest of the row.  We are careful to never stay too long on any one tooth or get the drill to hot as this could damage the teeth.

The canines are rounded and lowered and the incisors are straightened so that they are the same height as the molars and level from side to side.

  

A few last thoughts

I’d like to send out thoughts and prayers for Gerry Harper and his family.  He was admitted to Pitt Co. Hospital for a bull riding accident and is still in the ICU.  Linda’s father was admitted at the same time, but he is back in intermediate care and should be fine after a long healing period.  Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers for my father, and for your patience as I’ve spent lots of time at the hospital and not as much at work.