Understanding Equine Insurance
Whether a horse is purchased for personal or business reasons, ownership represents a significant investment of time, money and resources. While no one likes to think about the potential for tragedy, horses seem to be prone to illness, accidents and injury. Should some peril befall your horse, nothing may ease the emotional burden, but wise […]
Purchase Exams
Horses seldom come with money-back guarantees. That’s why it’s so important to investigate before you buy. While many horse professionals can help you evaluate performance or breeding merits, only an accomplished equine veterinarian can help determine the prospect’s overall health and condition. Yet this is probably the most significant factor in deciding whether an animal […]
Laminitis
Every day veterinarians across the country see hundreds of cases of laminitis, a painful disease which affects the horse’s feet. What’s especially alarming is that some cases are preventable. In fact, it may be that we are killing our horses with kindness. Consider that a common cause of laminitis is overfeeding, a management factor that […]
Foaling Mare & Newborn
If your mare has made it through 11 months of pregnancy, you’re almost home free. Labor and delivery, while momentous, are generally uneventful. In most cases, you will simply need to be a quiet observer — if, that is, you are lucky enough to witness the birth. Mares seem to Prefer to foal at night […]
Foal Growth
A healthy foal will grow rapidly, gaining in height, weight and strength almost before your very eyes. From birth to age two, a young horse will achieve 30 percent or more of its full adult size, sometimes putting on as many as 3 pounds per day. Generics and environment play significant roles in determining individual […]
Euthanasia
Few things in life are as difficult to accept as death. Death becomes even more painful when you must decide whether to end a beloved animal’s life. However, there may come a time when, for humane, medical, economic, or safety reasons, you may need to consider euthanasia for your horse. The decision to euthanize, or […]
Emergency Care
If you own horses long enough, sooner or later you are likely to confront a medical emergency. There are several behavioral traits that make horses especially accident prone: one is their instinctive flight-or-fight response; another is their dominance hierarchy, the need to establish the pecking order within a herd; and a third is their natural […]
Colic
OWNERS, BEWARE. THE NUMBER ONE KILLER OF HORSES IS COLIC! But colic is not a disease. Rather it is a combination of signs that alert us to abdominal pain in the horse. Colic can range from mild to severe, but it should never be ignored. That’s because many of the conditions that cause colic can […]
Lameness Exams
Stress, strain, or injury can take a toll on any horse, even one with no obvious conformation defects. When lameness occurs, you should contact your Veterinarian promptly. A prompt examination can save you time, money, and frustration by diagnosing and treating the problem immediately, possibly preventing further damage. The goal of such early examinations is […]