Jul 17, 2017 | Drugs
I have patience. OK, I have patience for some things. I will stalk a squirrel for hours, I will watch the birds from the windowsill in the clinic until I have just the right moment to pounce, and I will patiently supervise Shannon from my perch on her desk. Know who isn’t patient? You humans! You want it fixed, and you want it fixed now! This week, let’s explore that impatience.
The latest and greatest (AKA OsPhos)
It seems every time a new drug, or therapy, or gadget comes out, you humans are sure it will fix whatever is going on with your horse. I’m not saying new is bad, but each one of these things has a problem it aims to fix. I’m going to pick on OsPhos, but you guys can use that big ol’ brain to extrapolate.
OsPhos came out, and suddenly every horse needs it. It will fix hock arthritis, bucking under saddle, not riding well, going too slow, going too fast, and being moody. OK, I might be exaggerating, but not by much. OsPhos, and its cousin Tildren, are great drugs for very specific things, but it changes the way bones remodel. There are some very real side effects to changing the way bone remodels. Horses, unlike cats, do actual athletic events. Turning a barrel, landing off a jump, and sitting for a piaffe all require a lot of strength. Use OsPhos incorrectly, and your horse can break a leg. It’s far better to have an actual diagnosis of a problem, good shoeing, proper fitness work, and a plan, than shooting bone altering drugs into your horse!
Mood altering substances
Horses have some crazy personality quirks. I hear training can help you understand and modify many of these quirks. Now, I’m not against a bit of pharmaceutical intervention, when the need arises. You aren’t going to get me on the crazy chestnut mare coming off of 2 weeks of stall rest! There are definite situations where drugs can help your horse manage some PTSD from their previous lives. However, if you find your horse can’t do their job for months at a time without a little help from their friends, maybe it’s time for an intervention.
Expensive stuff
Horses cost a lot of money. Stuff for horses costs a lot of money. Just because that stuff costs a lot of money, however, doesn’t mean it helps. I’m picking on all sorts of things here, but in particular stem cells, and other similar really expensive things to use on your horse when they hurt themselves. Much like OsPhos, there are very good reasons to inject these expensive things into your horse, but they aren’t a magic cure-all. In fact, most research has shown that a good rehab program is more important for tendon and ligament injuries than anything else! Good rehab programs require patience though, and you guys aren’t so good at that.
Moral of the story? Be patient! It’s what horses teach you humans best. Take a cue from a wise cat: go take a nap if things get too uptight.
Until next time…..
Tony
Jul 10, 2017 | Treats
The Treats We Eat
The docs are often asked, “is [fill in the blank] is a good treat for my horse?” The answer is actually a bit more complicated than you would expect, and is highly dependent on which horse we are talking about. I personally am not picky about treats- I will eat anything, from the last bite of your tuna sandwich, to that slightly out-of-date lunch meat in the fridge. Teanie, on the other hand, insists on those little crunchy square cat treats exclusively, and they have to be salmon flavored. She is such a diva! Don’t tell her I said that.
Which treats are best?
In general, anything labeled and marketed as horse treats at a reputable feed store/tack shop/ag supply location will be safe for your horse (in moderation). Additionally, fresh fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots, bananas, oranges, and watermelon are also perfectly safe for your horse. Now, whether or not your horse is adventurous enough to try them is a different story!
The treats you need to be careful of are the sticky ones covered in so much molasses that they might drip if you squeeze them hard enough. These are NOT the ideal cookie of choice for overweight or insulin resistant horses, but they may be fine for your 30 year old skinny thoroughbred with no teeth.
How many is too many?
If your horse is in normal body condition (Body Condition Score of 5 out of 9), he or she can easily have several treats, even a few handfuls of treats a day. You should not be feeding BAGS of carrots, apples, or horse cookies on a daily basis, and treats should never be offered free-choice. Horses don’t self-limit their food intake, and they can easily colic if given free access to goodies like these.
When should you give your horse a treat?
The behavior component of treating horses is also something to consider. Treats should be a reward for your horse when he or she does something good. For example, while getting a shot from the vet, when they come to you in the pasture, once they have politely loaded onto the trailer, or as a reward after a hard ride. If your horse gets accustomed to receiving treats from you every time you walk into the barn, they can become “mouthy” or start nipping.
Horses, like other animals, can also be trained to work for their cookies. You can teach them to do stretches, to bow, or any number of impressive tricks to show off when your friends come to visit. I recently trained the techs to give me a treat every time I lift my paw in the air. They are very fast learners.
Remember, our vets and technicians are here for you, and they are a great resource for these and other questions about your horse’s nutrition! Feel free to stop by the clinic anytime, and I will direct you to the right human for your specific needs…in exchange for a treat, of course!
Jul 3, 2017 | Dentals, Uncategorized
I recently spoke about teeth and dentals, but I’m going to do it again. This time I’m going to talk about myths and legends surrounding horse teeth. There’s a saying I hear around here quite often: No Hoof, No Horse. I have a second version: No Tooth, Expensive Feed Bill. Read on to learn about how to avoid the expensive feed bill. After you finish reading, call, email, or message the Clinic to set up a dental float during the month of July and enjoy a $35 discount!
1.Young horses don’t need dentals
Very, very, very not true. Horses under the age of five years have a ton of stuff going on in their mouths. They have baby teeth leaving and adult teeth growing in. Major changes happen about every 6 months. On top of that, baby teeth and young adult teeth are very soft. This makes them form super-sharp points ridiculously fast. In addition, all those changes need to be monitored. If a tooth erupts not quite correctly, it can be corrected now, and you can avoid a lifetime of dental corrections.
2. Miniature horses don’t need dentals
If ever there was a snaggle-toothed bunch of horses, it’s miniatures. They try to fit the same number of teeth in their mouth as a full-size horse. Sometimes it goes very badly. Minis also like to get what are called supernumerary teeth. These are extra teeth that form for no good reason and cause mass chaos in a mouth. The earlier they are identified, and removed, the better the rest of the teeth will do.
3. Power tools are bad
I covered this one last time, but I’m going to do it again, since I hear this myth the most. Power tools aren’t bad. They let my Docs do the same job on the first horse of the day, and the 10th horse of the day. Power tools get the job done faster, with less stress on your horse, and my Docs. Know what makes power tools bad? People who don’t know how to use them. That’s not my Docs. They go to continuing education every year to stay up to date on the latest research. They also participate in veterinary online forums discussing dentistry for horses. If you have ever used a drill or power saw, then you understand the benefits of power tools. Hand drilling and sawing takes a long, long time, and you’re exhausted after one hole, or board.
4.You can perform a dental float without sedation
Alright, I’ve seen this one a few times. One of these people is even a veterinarian, I’m ashamed to say. Let me nip this in the bud right here and now. Sedation, a full mouth speculum, and a bright light are required to see ALL of your horse’s mouth. Anything less is bad medicine. That mouth goes way back there! There is simply no way to fully evaluate a mouth with anything less!
5. Old horses don’t need dentals
I will give you that some horses, during some periods of their lives, can go two years between dentals. These are horses between 10 and 15 years, who are working as lawn mowers or being lightly ridden periodically, and have a history of dental evaluations which demonstrated good teeth. No matter the age, if your horse is being regularly ridden, it should have a dental float yearly. There may not be much to correct, but that little bit is just as annoying to your horse as that little pebble in your shoe. After about 15 years of age, yearly dental evaluations are needed to check for old teeth. Horses start to wear out their teeth sometime between 15 and 25. The range is that big because a lot of factors are involved in the wearing out of something as significant as a horse tooth. Worn out teeth cause significant pain! Can you imagine chewing on celery with a painful tooth? Yeah, me either. Don’t make your horse chew hay with one.
Keep the pearly whites pearly and white! Schedule your dental evaluation and float In-Clinic during July and get $35 off!! Seriously, that’s a deal! Be sure to bring tuna fish for me, and I will grace you with my presence. I expect scratches under the chin, behind my ears, and along my back.
Jun 26, 2017 | Disaster Preparedness, Hurricanes, Microchips, Uncategorized
I realize I may sound like a broken record this time of year, but sometimes you humans don’t listen so well. Cats listen to everything. We might ignore you, but we do hear you. ‘Tis the season for me to chat with you about hurricane preparedness.
The Bare Necessities
As I sit here watching it torrentially rain, I remember back to last year when Hermine made the power go out for three days. I learned humans require a substance called coffee, which requires electricity, and horses drink A LOT of water, which requires a pump, which requires electricity! Electricity has a nasty tendency to go away during hurricanes.
Take a look around your farm and decide who needs what to tough it out for 5-7 days. For the animals, that is feed, hay, and water. For the humans, that’s coffee, water, and food that doesn’t need refrigeration. Can you provide these things without electricity?
Anticipate 15 gallons of water per horse per day, along with 1 gallon per human per day, and another ¾ per dog and cat per day. This water can be stored in large trash cans (clean ones, obviously!), or those big water troughs. Water can be purified with 6 drops of bleach per gallon if necessary. Be sure any feed and hay you’ve stocked up on is way, way above what you could possibly in your wildest dreams consider a high water level. Ask the nice people in St. Augustine how high water can get without the hurricane even making landfall!
Be Safe
Now is the time to examine your fences, property, and barn for anything that can become debris during hurricanes. High winds, during even afternoon thunderstorms, can pick up old boards, sheets of roofing tin, or even fencing wire and send it flying around your farm. Horses seem to have a special magnetism for injuries from these scenarios. Keeping these “junk piles” every human seems to have securely covered or tied down is key to an injury-free hurricane experience.
Eyeball your farm for other hazards that may occur. A biggie is downed power lines. Figure out where you can safely put your animals so that even if lines come down, they won’t be able to go near them. Approach deep water areas the same way.
Speaking of keeping your animals safe during storms, we recommend big stuff like horses and cows stay outside during bad storms if at all possible. This gives them the best opportunity to move away from flying debris, downed trees, and other fun hurricane happenings. We recommend small critters, like dogs and cats, stay inside to prevent them from doing the full-on freakout and running away.
Find your way home
Microchips. Best way for your horse, or dog, or cat, or grandparent (ok just kidding on that one, sort of) to find their way home is with a properly registered microchip. Microchips are easy to place, simple to register, and provide 24/7 lifetime identification for your horse.
For the humans though, have a family plan for how you will meet up if a storm prevents you from returning home. Pick a point person, whom everyone knows, that lives outside of the potential disaster area. Let’s be real here: for hurricanes, that means someone outside of Florida. This is a person any family member can contact to check-in. Having a far away point person can be a lifesaver (literally) in these situations.
There are tons of resources out there about hurricane preparedness and farms. Go find them, read them, and form a plan. Don’t be the cat left out in the rain: Be prepared for hurricane season!!
Jun 19, 2017 | Pet Pigs
Pet Pigs!
I typically tend to grace you, my loyal readers, with seemingly endless knowledge of the equine species. Well, for a twist, today I am going to enlighten you with my wisdom regarding animals of the porcine variety. Who knew pet pig care was another one of my many areas of expertise?
Umm, I just got a pet pig- now what?!
So, you have found yourself the new owner of a pet pig. Now what do you do? Does it need vaccines? Should it be spayed or neutered? What do you feed it? For your convenience, I have designed a complete annual Pig Wellness Package which includes all of your pig’s healthcare needs for the year in one easy visit! I don’t actually perform the services- I have Dr. Vurgason for that. Cats don’t much care for squealing.
Dr. Vurgason’s mild pig obsession
Arguably the best part of my brilliant Pig Wellness Package is the opportunity to pick Dr. V’s brain about pig nutrition, pig behavior, and all things swine. As a life-long pig owner herself, Dr. V lives for the chance to talk pig with other fans of the best pet money can buy (cats should be adopted, so we’re in a different category).
Remember to spay or neuter your pet (pig)!
Now that you have a Pig Wellness Package for all of his or her annual care like vaccines, physical exam, deworming, hoof trim, and tusk trim, what else does your pig need? Well, just like cats and dogs, pet pigs should be spayed or neutered before 1 year of age if they are not intended as breeding animals. Conveniently, Springhill Equine (and Porcine?) now offers these services as well!
If you have any questions about your pet pig that I haven’t expertly answered (doubtful), don’t miss my 2nd Annual Piggy Ice Cream Social this Saturday at 2 pm! It was hands-down the most entertaining event of last year. No pet pig required to attend! You horse people will get a kick out of this, I promise. There will be kiddie pools and watermelon for the pigs, frozen treats for the humans, and Dr. V, who will be happy to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about those cute little oinkers! See you there, fans.
Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic, it’s staff, and mascot Tony, are not responsible for the overwhelming urge to get a pet pig after attending this event. If you already have a pet pig, be alert for any of the following symptoms: excessive Google searches for pigs that need homes, researching costume ideas for pigs, moving people out of your house to make room for more pigs, planning social events around pig-friendly places, the ratio of pictures of your kids to pictures of your pigs on your phone becomes greater than 3:1, you call your kids by the pig’s name on accident more than twice daily, your pig has more than 2 social media accounts, you spend in excess of 2 hours a day thinking about clever pig names, or if you have stopped associating with people who mention that perhaps you might have a pig obsession. If you experience any of these or other similar symptoms, please contact your local Pig Owners Super Support Endeavor (POSSE). If you don’t have a posse, start one!
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