Equine Care

At SVC, we realize that your large animal care requirements may not be limited to bovine or other types of food animals. We are also pleased to offer a wide variety of services specifically tailored to your equine-related needs. Please contact our office for more information, or to schedule a visit to your farm or boarding facility.

Coggins Testing & Health Certificates – Our veterinarians are well-versed in the paperwork required for transporting your horse across state lines. So before you pack that trailer, don’t forget your current Coggins test and health certificate! Be sure to contact us a few weeks in advance, and we’ll make sure you have everything you need for a successful trip. We are also happy to help your horse become up to date on vaccines while we’re there to ensure their health and safety.

Dental Care – If you are noticing that your horse is losing weight, dropping feed, not eating as well, or even tossing their head and not accepting the bit, they could be in need of some serious dental care. We can perform a thorough dental exam and determine the best plan for your horse’s oral health. Our power float procedure is both fast and effective, minimizing the stress on your horse while maximizing the benefits of teeth floating.

Disease Prevention – We recommend a yearly physical exam to make sure your horse is performing at his or her fullest potential. During a physical exam, we will talk to you about deworming vaccination programs, as well as diet recommendations. We will also look for small signs of early health problems to help you avoid more serious problems later on down the road.

Emergency And Critical Care – Every horse owner fears finding their horse rolling at feeding time or seeing a wound when they come in from pasture. For these times of need, we offer a round the clock emergency service for both quick and compassionate care. Typical emergency situations can include colic, lacerations, foundering, allergic reactions, choking, tying-up, or foaling problems. If you have a question about whether or not your animal should be seen after hours, please feel free to call our office, where you will be able to discuss your concerns with an on-call veterinarian.

Lameness Evaluation – We take the age-old saying “no foot, no horse,” very seriously. We will examine your lame horse from the ground up to determine the source of his or her pain. Our veterinarians offer a number of different services, including physical exams, flexion tests, nerve blocks, and radiographs to find the root of the problem and determine a treatment plan that works for both you and your horse. In addition to classic lameness treatments like medications and joint injections, we offer laser therapy and acupuncture to help heal your horse from the inside out.

Laser Therapy – We believe in using every tool available to assist our patients. We offer lower-level laser therapy to our equine patients with wounds, acute injuries, chronic pain, and a variety of other conditions. Laser therapy uses specific wavelengths of light to penetrate deep into the injured tissues. This stimulates the cells to divide, resulting in a noticeably faster healing process. The laser also decreases painful inflammation, making your horse feel better much faster. Laser therapy is completely painless and gives the horse a gentle, pain-relieving, warm sensation during treatment.

Medical Treatment – With our thorough physical exams, full in-house blood machines, ultrasound services, and experience, we are ready to help you figure out even your most complicated equine case. We provide testing and treatment for those frustrating diseases like Cushing’s and stomach ulcers to ensure a better quality of life for your horse. We are also happy to consult with you regularly to help manage chronic diseases.

Minor Surgery – There is no need to transport your horse for minor surgeries. We will perform routine gelding, cryptorchid castration, umbilical hernia repair, laceration repair, Caslick’s, mass removal, and other procedures right on your farm or boarding facility.

Drop Ship Services – If you are in need of veterinary supplies or pharmaceuticals but lack the time get to town, we are happy to offer drop ship services for you. Our drop ship service is available to all of our regular clients (clients we have visited in the last twelve months). To take advantage of our drop ship services, simply call our office to place your order with one of our receptionists. We will continue to offer supplies and prescription medications both in the office and off of our veterinarians’ trucks as well.

Radiology – From lameness exams and broken legs to abnormal foal limbs, our portable x-ray can help determine what’s wrong with your horse. Our veterinarians are able to x-ray limbs anywhere from the elbow or stifle to the hoof.

Reproduction Exams & Ultrasounds – At SVC, we know that you invest a lot of time, energy, and money in your mares and foals, so ensuring that they’re healthy is one of our top priorities. We offer uterine cultures, speculum exams, and rectal ultrasounds to ensure your mare is ready for breeding season. Our ultrasounds will show exactly where your mare is in her cycle so we can advise you on the best time to breed her. We also perform ultrasound pregnancy checks as early as 18 days and can set up a recheck schedule to ensure the continued health of the mare and foal.
Neonatal Care- Having a foal can be so exciting, that it’s easy to forget about the basic veterinary care they require. On your foal’s first day, we can perform a full physical exam and may recommend a vitamin shot, tetanus prevention, and/or an enema. We’ll also examine the mother and her placenta to make sure she is healthy and functioning properly after giving birth. We recommend checking the foal’s antibody levels with a quick blood test when they are about twelve hours old to ensure that they are getting enough colostrum to keep them strong and healthy.

Vaccinations -The wide variety of horse vaccines available can be overwhelming at times, but our knowledgeable veterinarians can help you decide which vaccines will best fulfill your horse’s needs. We offer a full range of equine vaccines, including the 5-way (Eastern and Western Encephalitis, Tetanus, Flu, and Rhino), West Nile Virus, Rabies, Potomac Horse Fever, and intranasal Strangles vaccine.

Deworming – As internal parasites become stronger, we need to be more careful about when and why we deworm. We recommend performing a microscopic fecal exam before choosing a deworming product. If your horse is a patient of ours, you can drop off a fecal sample at the clinic or we can get one during a physical exam. Our experienced veterinary technicians will determine the type and number of worm eggs in your horse’s stool. With your horse, the time of year, and their fecal results in mind, we will recommend the appropriate, most effective dewormer. We will also be happy to consult with you about pasture rotation, manure management and other ways to decrease the number of worms in your horse’s environment.