Equine
Preventative care for the health of your horse should include:
Vaccinations: We recommend annual vaccinations of all horses that include tetanus, influenza, encephalitis, rhinopneumonitis, and west nile virus. Horses can also be vaccinated against rabies, which is carried by many wild animals including raccoons, foxes, and opossums. Pregnant mares should also be vaccinated against rhinopneumonitis at five, seven, and nine months of pregnancy to help prevent abortions.
Deworming: Routine dewormings are one of the most important aspects of a preventative program for your horse. There are many different products that cover different parasites and differ in how often you administer them. Ask us about the best deworming schedule for your herd.
Dentistry: Regular floating of teeth is important in every horse as well. A horse’s teeth grow continuously throughout life and need to be filed down in order accommodate better chewing and digestion.
Coggins Test: Many horses require an annual coggins test if they are transported frequently for shows, trail rides, rodeos, etc. This is a blood test that examines for Equine Infectious Anemia.
Laser Therapy: Laser therapy is a surgery-free, drug-free, noninvasive treatment to reduce pain and inflammation and speed the natural healing process. Laser therapy has been scientifically proven to be successful in treating post-surgical pain as well as many acute and chronic conditions. If your horse is lame or has an injury contact our clinic to schedule a consultation to find out if laser therapy would be beneficial.
Diagnostics
Blood Work: We utilize regional labs that help to diagnose problems with your horse. We can perform routine CBC and chemistries.
Radiology: We have a mobile radiology unit that helps with diagnosing lameness and joint problems in the distal extremities.
Ultrasound: This is used in reproductive medicine to scan a mare’s ovaries and uterus to track her cycle, monitor ovulation, and diagnose pregnancy. A mare can be pregnancy checked as early as fifteen days with an ultrasound.
Castrations: This is the most common equine surgery performed and can be performed at your location by our veterinarian. Caslicks: This is a surgery performed on certain mares that have compositional abnormalities after breeding. It helps the mares to carry the pregnancy to term.
A complete lameness examination can be performed if your horse is limping or just not performing as well as he/she usually does. This includes flexion tests, hoof testers, radiographs, etc.
Some problems can be helped by joint injections. Once a problem is diagnosed, different options can be explored. Some lameness problems require surgery to get full benefit, which is usually referred to the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Bovine
Routine herd work and preventative medicine is probably the biggest aspect of bovine medicine. Trying to prevent certain diseases and conditions such as pneumonia and scours is much more beneficial than trying to treat after the fact. We recommend the following schedule of vaccinations and routine work for your herd:
Cows:
Respiratory: IBR, PI3, BVD, and BRSV
Scour Vaccines: Rotavirus, coronavirus, clostridium, and e. coli
Pinkeye-appropriate for certain herds in the spring
Pregnancy Checks when appropriate
Regular deworming
Fly tags in the spring
Vibrio Leptosporsis: including hardjo bovis when appropriate.
Calves:
Respiratory: IBR, PI3, BVD, and BRSV +/- Haemophilus and Pasteurella
Brucellosis (calfhood): done to heifers b/w 4-12 months of age. A tattoo is placed in the ear at the time of this vaccination
Blackleg – seven way clostridial vaccine
Pinkeye-can be beneficial for certain herds
Castration of the bulls
Dehorning if appropriate
Deworming
Fly tags in the spring
Bulls:
Respiratory: IBR, PI3, BVD, and BRSV
BSE (Breeding Soundness Exam)-prior to turning out with cows.
Deworming
Fly tags in the spring
Vibrio Leptosporsis: including hardjo bovis when appropriate.
Missouri Stocker Feeder Quality Assurance Program
In a cow/calf operation that sells weanling calves, owners can benefit their bottom line by entering a program such as the Missouri Stocker Feeder Quality Assurance Program (MSFQAP). There are many programs out there, but the MSFQAP is the mostly widely used around here. If certain requirements are met, the calves receive a tag in their ear that allows buyers to know exactly what set of vaccinations and procedures have been done. This in turns helps producers receive a premium on their cattle because they will be more likely to thrive in the feedlots without acquiring disease. The requirements of the MSFQAP are outlined below.
MSFQAP Requirements
Level One: White Tag Program
- Producers must be certified
- Calves must be properly identified with an approved ear tag
- External and internal parasite control
- Calves must be dehorned and healed
- Calves must be castrated with a knife and healed or verified to be steers
- Vaccinations: seven way clostridial, IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV, and Pasteurella (Haemophilus has become optional)
- Calves must be born on the farm. Birthdate of oldest calf or range of birthdates must be provided
- Bull in and out dates provided
- Individual calf treatments must be recorded
- Vaccinations must be given no younger than five months of age and at least twenty-one days before sale
Level Two: Red Tag Program
- Must meet all requirements for Level one AND
- Weaned forty five days before offering for sale
- Receive boosters a minimum of twenty-one days following initial vaccinations. Modified live vaccines are required for viral vaccine boosters. Pasteurella booster not required if initial vaccine labeled as a single dose.
- Boosters must be given at least seven days prior to sale and be MLV for IBR, PI3, BVD, and BRSV
Level Three: Blue Tag Program
- Must meet requirements of Level one and Level two AND
- All cattle must be negative for persistent BVD infection.