EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog
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EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog offers valuable information on equine health, wellness, and veterinary care. Their blog covers topics such as lameness evaluations, preventive care, dentistry, and general health issues, providing horse owners with helpful insights and tips for maintaining their horse's well-being.
EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog
2M ago
The partnership between veterinarians and farriers has become increasingly important given the expanding field of knowledge regarding hoof health and disease. Foot health is crucial to horse welfare and soundness. Why are radiographs important? Horse owners often have radiographs taken of their horse’s hooves when lameness or trauma occurs, but hoof radiographs can be valuable as a routine and preventative tool. The visualization of the internal structures of the hoof can help identify abnormalities early, provide farriers with more knowledge, and optimize custom hoof care for every uniq ..read more
EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog
4M ago
What is Equine Asthma?
Equine Asthma is a chronic, allergen-mediated inflammatory condition of the lower airways. It is most often caused by hypersensitivity to inhaled substances from the environment, especially dust from hay and bedding.
While different severities of the condition exist, all horses with asthma have the same three components of the disease process of asthma, airway inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness, and airway remodeling.
What are common symptoms of Equine Asthma?
Poor performance or exercise intolerance
Coughing – at rest and or during work
Heavier or faster breathin ..read more
EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog
5M ago
What’s an NSAID?
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are routinely used to help horses heal from injury & illness. NSAIDs reduce inflammation by “blocking” inflammatory proteins, which lowers temperature, swelling, and pain by reducing inflammation.
Commonly used NSAIDs in horses are phenylbutazone, commonly referred to as Bute, and flunixin meglumine, often referred to by the brand name Banamine®. Another common NSAID for long term use is firocoxib (Equioxx®).
Which NSAID should I give my horse?
Depending upon the type of illness or injury, your animal’s medical history and pre ..read more
EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog
6M ago
When transporting any animal over state lines, it is important to have all documentation completed to ensure a pleasant trip!
What documentation is required to transport my animals over state lines?
All horses, sheep, goats, llamas, and alpacas must have a health certificate to be transported over state lines. If you are stopped while transporting animals over state lines, you may be required to show a completed health certificate.
In addition to a health certificate, horses should also have a current negative Coggins (EIA) test.
What is a Health Certificate?
A health certificate (also known a ..read more
EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog
7M ago
Vaccination is important to prevent life-threatening and serious illness in all animals. Vaccines induce an immune response, or the production of antibodies, that allows an animal to fight off a virus or bacteria when they are exposed to it again. Current, vaccine protocols for adult horses, foals, and pregnant mares are well-established, safe, and effective.
What are core vaccines?Core vaccines protect against diseases that all horses are susceptible to, regardless of lifestyle or environment and include Rabies, Tetanus, and mosquito-borne diseases (EEE, WEE, & West Nile Virus).
Wha ..read more
EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog
9M ago
Weight monitoring and management can be challenging due to the daily routine of seeing your horse, especially when they are blanketed or have a thick winter coat. Your veterinarian hopefully has the benefit of seeing your horse only a few times per year, so those small incremental daily changes are more noticeable to them.
Figure 1: Specific body regions assessed for fat deposits.
What does body condition score mean?
The Henneke body condition score, also known as BCS, was created as a relative assessment of weight. The body condition score’s scale runs from one through nine, where 1 is ..read more
EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog
9M ago
Honey, where will the goats go?
3 things to consider when designing your goat space:
Ensure they have adequate space
A goat’s indoor space varies from 6 ft2to 25ft2 per animal. It’s important that any amount of indoor space be dry, easy to clean, and well ventilated.
An additional 25ft2 of outside space per animal for exercise is also recommended. When considering the outside space, remember this is simply for fresh air and exercise, not the goats’ sole source of forage.
When planning and constructing penning, plan a space that can be easily divided. If a goat or two needs to be in thei ..read more
EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog
1y ago
Getting a new horse!? The long search is finally over, and the anticipation and excitement are almost too much to handle! Your EquidDoc veterinarians are equally excited for you, but we want you to remember some things to keep you, your new horse and current horses safe, healthy and abiding by the rules. Here are 10 THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN GETTING A NEW HORSE:
Prepurchase exam – Sure, we say this a lot, but it’s important to know what you’re buying, rescuing, or retiring!
Coggins – Did you know you need a coggins within 6 months for sale/purchase of a horse in Massachusetts or within 12 ..read more
EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog
1y ago
Have you ever wondered what the inside of your horse’s stomach looks like? Have you gone back and forth speculating on whether he or she has ulcers or not? If so, no need to wonder any longer! EquidDoc can help answer these questions and provide valuable information on the health of your horse.
Figure 1: Gastroscopy exam team
G astroscopy is a procedure used to view the inside of your horse’s stomach and is the only way to definitively diagnose a horse with stomach ulcers. The procedure involves passing a 10-foot-long endoscope/camera into the stomach. This tiny camera allows us to view all ..read more
EquidDoc Veterinary Services Blog
1y ago
The pre-purchase examination (PPEX) is the most in-depth evaluation of a prospect horse performed by a veterinarian prior to the purchase of that horse. This is common practice when a buyer is looking for a horse for a specific purpose: riding or driving discipline, breeding, or lesson program, and is highly encouraged for the pleasure horse and casual trail rider too. The purpose of the exam is to identify any health conditions that may prevent the horse from performing its intended use. It’s not the role of your EquidDoc veterinarian to “pass” or “fail” a horse during a PPEX, very few ..read more