Burwash Equine Services

07/26/2024

Congratulations to Patty Lee for winning the two tickets for the Cochrane Fair tomorrow! Please pop by the clinic by 5pm today to grab them or reach out if you need us to make alternate arrangements!

If you guess PPID (aka Equine Cushings) then you are bang on! Horses with PPID have enlargement of the middle lobe of their pituitary gland (located at the base of their brain), which results in overproduction of certain hormones, such as ACTH. This condition typically affects horses older than 15, but has occasionally been seen in younger horses. Clinical signs can vary depending on the severity of the disease, but can include a long curly hair coat that does not shed well, generalized muscle loss (especially over the top line), laminitis, lethargy, recurrent infections, and skin problems. They also can have issues regulating their blood insulin levels. Luckily we have blood tests that we can run to diagnose this condition and a daily oral medication that can help to manage it!

07/25/2024

It is time to once again play “What’s Your Diagnosis?” Like this post and comment below what you think the image shows by tomorrow morning at 10am and you will be entered to win two tickets to the Cochrane Fair this Saturday!

06/28/2024

Happy Friday to everyone (and a reminder that it is a long weekend so we are only open for emergencies on Monday)!

We wanted to share another success story that has been many months in the making! Trigger warning for graphic images! This lovely older horse was found with a very large and very deep wound to his right front armpit region (you could put your entire hand inside). He was extremely lucky and only severed one minor muscle group and had no nerve damage! The wound was partially sutured, but had to granulate in slowly on its own. Through the diligent daily care of his wonderful owners over a period of 4 months he is almost fully healed and back on pasture! Hats off to their dedication and this horse’s patience!

06/27/2024

Today, please join us in welcoming Dr. Alexane Harvey as one of our intern veterinarians! Alex grew up in a small town - Lac-St-Jean, Québec. She started riding dressage and show jumping around 10, and did all of her high school years in equitation sport-studies, spending all of her afternoons in the barn. She worked as a groom both in Québec and Ontario and has been a working student in Spain.
Alex graduated from the Université de Montréal in May 2024. After those years of hard work and many externships in small animals, bovine and equine, she wanted to pursue her first passion and specialize a bit more in equine medicine. She has a soft spot for reproductive work and sports medicine.
In her personal life, she enjoys everything outdoorsy - hiking, kayaking, running, cycling... She is also a book lover, anything from a romance novel to books about finances. She enjoys traveling a lot and loves to learn languages.

06/25/2024

We are excited to introduce you this week to our intern veterinarians for 2024/2025! Today, please join us in welcoming Dr. Olivia Cotnam. Olivia grew up in Carleton Place, Ontario. Starting life with a big orange cat by her side, Olivia has loved animals from the start! She began riding as a child and was able to explore the local dressage group, hunter shows, and hunter paces with her beloved horse, Siesta. During her undergraduate degree in Marine and Freshwater Biology at the University of Guelph, she was lucky to work with animals of all kinds, from orphaned raccoons, to turtles, to non-releasable raptors, to sea urchins. Throughout these experiences, her love of horses shone through. Bringing Siesta to live with her in Guelph reconnected Olivia to the horse world and inspired her to become an equine veterinarian.
After graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College with her DVM degree, Olivia is excited to start her career as a horse doctor in Alberta at Burwash! Olivia enjoys learning everything she can about equine medicine, but especially loves ophthalmology, podiatry, geriatrics and emergency medicine.
When she’s not working, Olivia enjoys spending time with her partner, Eric, and their cats Echo and Flora, hiking, birding, cooking, and catching up with her friends.

06/18/2024

We are so excited to have our Regenerative Laser at the Canadian Sport Horse Symposium and the Rocky Mountain Show Jumping Classic 2024! Come check out our booth, say hello, and learn more about how this technology can be used to enhance and treat our equine athletes!

06/16/2024

Wishing a Happy Father's Day to our amazing stallions that stand here at Burwash Equine Services and to all the wonderful human fathers in our lives!

06/15/2024

Congratulations to Dr. Kineta Cousins and Dr. Elizabeth Brezina, both finishing up their year long internship at Burwash this weekend. Both Dr. Cousins and Dr. Brezina are starting new roles as associate veterinarians in equine exclusive private practices in Ontario. Please join us in wishing them all the best - thank you for such a great year!

06/04/2024

This is a heads up to our community that Burwash is switching phone and reminder management systems over the next few weeks. What this means:
1) You can text our main number - 403-242-1913!
2) Our forms are digital and can be filled out on your phone!
3) Our phones should just straight up be better:)
We ask for your patience in the transition - for example, if you get more than one type of vaccine reminder in the next few weeks, this is probably why. If you notice anything strange or not working properly that we should know about, please let us know!

06/03/2024

Thank you to everyone who participated in our last "What's Your Diagnosis?". Congratulations to Lindsay Wakeling for winning our draw!

Please collect your prize within 3 weeks at our reception!

05/24/2024

If you guessed an embryonic vesicle (aka the start of a baby!) then you are correct! The standard first ultrasound we perform is at 14 days post ovulation. Finding one of these at 14 days post breeding is always exciting! By performing the first ultrasound this early, we can assess if the mare is pregnant and if she unfortunately did not catch we can short cycle her back to try again. This early check also allows us to check to make sure that she is not carrying twins as these are associated with high complication rates. It is essential to know about them very early on in the gestation period so proper treatment can be performed. Another check is often performed at around day 26-30 of pregnancy to assess for proper development of the embryo and the presence of a heartbeat. Breeding season is well underway here at Burwash Equine Services and we are looking forward to seeing many healthy foals on the ground next year!

05/22/2024

Time for another "What's Your Diagnosis?"! Like this post and comment your best guess below by Friday to be entered to win a prize!

05/17/2024

Thank you so much to everyone who has been participating in our Throwback Thursday Staff Photo contest and hope that you have enjoyed getting to know our staff on a whole new level! Congratulations to Madison Erickson on guessing the most baby/childhood photos correct! Please come by reception in the next three weeks to collect your prize!

05/17/2024

If you guessed photo #1 then give yourself a pat on the back! Louise is one of our other amazing winter weekend staff that keep all of our resident and hospitalized patients warm and snug! She is also so helpful to our on call veterinarians. She just finished her second year of veterinary medicine schooling and we are so stoked to see where her future career takes her!

05/16/2024

Time to go back to a time when we looked for magic in every moment! As we are coming into spring/summer we are featuring our amazing staff who work so hard to keep your equine companions feeling their best! Each week your goal is to pick a staff member's photo out of a line up; however, you will only have childhood photos to pick from! Like this post and comment below in the next 24 hours which photo number you think is correct. When we have finished, the person who has guessed the most staff members correctly will win a prize! The final person is........ Louise Caplan!

05/15/2024

Time for another Wednesday Win! This horse presented with a large nail through his left hind heel. (Reminder, if you find your horse with anything imbedded in them, please leave the object in place if possible as once it is removed it can be very hard for us to figure out what structures may be involved). Radiographs showed that this horse had gotten very lucky and the nail was only through the digital cushion with no apparent communication with any of the tendons, bones or synovial structures in the foot! We pulled the nail, lavaged and soaked the foot, and sent him home with poultices and antibiotics. He did very well and is back to his normal self!

05/14/2024

Dr. Amr Elshalofy, DVM, MS, Dr.med.vet will be joining our reproduction team this Thursday!. Amr is an equine reproduction veterinarian with over 9 years of experience practicing and teaching at prestigious universities and stud farms in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Belgium.

Amr grew up in Damietta, in northern Egypt. He graduated with honors from Cairo University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and currently works as a clinical lecturer in theriogenology.

His passion for horses led him to pursue a doctorate in equine endometritis at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. He acquired his main clinical experience in equine reproduction through his work at the Paul Schockemöhle Stud in Germany. Amr is enthusiastic about assisted reproductive technologies and infertility management in mares. He enjoys painting, biking, and spending time with his wife, Mona, and son, Anas.

Dr. Kirby Penttila has been covering the repro work this spring, and is looking forward to welcoming him on board as the season really ramps up!

Compassionate horse health care by a team of equine veterinarians on the west side of Calgary near Cochrane Alberta. Our doctors deliver complete veterinary care to horses of every breed and discipline with honesty and integrity.

05/10/2024

Ding ding ding! If you guessed photo 3 then you are correct! Charlotte is one of our lovely receptionists, who works very hard to keep us organized! When she is not at work, she loves to spend time with her dogs and get outdoors!

05/09/2024

Today we are throwing it back to when life was a little wilder!! For those who haven’t been able to play along so far yet, as we are coming into spring/summer we are featuring our amazing staff who work so hard to keep your equine companions feeling their best! Each week your goal is to pick a staff member's photo out of a line up; however, you will only have childhood photos to pick from! Like this post and comment below in the next 24 hours which photo number you think is correct. When we have finished, the person who has guessed the most staff members correctly will win a prize! Up next is........ Charlotte Nelson!

05/03/2024

If you picked Photo number 1 then you earn a gold star! Kaitlyn is one of our amazing winter weekend staff! She helps all the horses stay snug and warm, as well as assists our on call veterinarian with whatever they need! She is in her second year of veterinary medicine schooling and we are so excited to see what the future has in store for her! When she is not at work or in school Kaitlyn enjoys hiking or going home to the family farm!

05/02/2024

Time to take us back to better days! As we are coming into spring/summer we are featuring our amazing staff who work so hard to keep your equine companions feeling their best! Each week your goal is to pick a staff member's photo out of a line up; however, you will only have childhood photos to pick from! Like this post and comment below in the next 24 hours which photo number you think is correct. When we have finished, the person who has guessed the most staff members correctly will win a prize! Up next is........ Kaitlyn Busson!

05/01/2024

As competition season is upon us, we wanted to remind everyone of the vaccine requirements for EIV and EHV at EC sanctioned events! If you have any questions about vaccinations or would like to set up a vaccination appointment please do hesitate to reach out to our reception team!

Best of luck to everyone this season!

04/28/2024

Thank you for everyone who participated and congratulations to the winner of our "What is the Diagnosis" post, jen_emilio88! Please come by the clinic in the next three weeks to collect your prize!

04/26/2024

We are so excited to have a booth at the Horse Expo this year! Come say hello and learn more about our Regenerative Laser and Dental Scope! Hope everyone has an awesome time at the expo!

04/26/2024

If you guessed Photo # 3 then…. Check! Dr. Brezina is our other fantastic intern veterinarians that we have the privilege of being able to work with and teach! Sadly we also only have her for another two months before she will be heading back to Ontario. Her special interests include the diversity of equine medicine, internal medicine, and of course...donkeys! Outside of Veterinary Medicine, Elizabeth enjoys hiking, horseback riding, and enjoying the company of her family and friends.

04/25/2024

Looks like it’s time again for some old fashioned memories! As we are coming into spring/summer we are featuring our amazing staff who work so hard to keep your equine companions feeling their best! Each week your goal is to pick a staff member's photo out of a line up; however, you will only have childhood photos to pick from! Like this post and comment below in the next 24 hours which photo number you think is correct. When we have finished, the person who has guessed the most staff members correctly will win a prize! Up next is........ Dr. Elizabeth Brezina!

04/22/2024

Put your detective caps on and get ready to play a game of "What is the Diagnosis"?? Based on the provided photo, comment below on what you think the problem is by Wednesday and you will be entered to win a prize!

(Please note that you must pick up your prize from the clinic within 3 weeks of the draw or a new winner will be selected!)

04/19/2024

If Photo # 2 was your choice then ding, ding, ding! Céline is another one of our phenomenal Registered Veterinary Technologists and is Dr. Lee's right hand! She is the sweetest soul and when she is not at work, you can often find Céline in the great outdoors; hiking, camping and canoeing.

04/18/2024

Let’s turn back time to when life was about making memories! As we are coming into spring/summer we are featuring our amazing staff who work so hard to keep your equine companions feeling their best! Each week your goal is to pick a staff member's photo out of a line up; however, you will only have childhood photos to pick from! Like this post and comment below in the next 24 hours which photo number you think is correct. When we have finished, the person who has guessed the most staff members correctly will win a prize! Up next is........ Céline Piche!

04/15/2024

It is time for another Man Crush Monday! We would like to introduce you to this handsome man, Smokin Smooth Dually. He is a stunning Liver Chestnut Stallion who will now be standing at Burwash Equine!

Sired by $33 Million Super Sire, Smooth As A Cat, out of Smoking Nu Dually and by Dual Pep.

3 Time Top 15 at Nova World Finals Qualifier
Over $82,000 at NCHA LTE & Still Showing
Top 15 2022 Equistat Freshman Sire

Breeding Inquiries: 403-651-0234 or [email protected]