Larch Veterinary Services

09/12/2025

Meet Major!

Major suffered a full-thickness laceration to his right hind leg on one unfortunate night this summer. His injury was very severe. The extensor tendon was completely severed and he had 3 inches of exposed bone. Dr. Shelby Krywonos attended the call. She assessed Major, ensured that the wound did not communicate with the joints of the hock or tendon sheath, thoroughly cleaned the wound, ligated vessels, and sutured the wound closed. Major was given a tetanus vaccine booster, pain medication, and broad spectrum antibiotics.
Wounds in this location can be difficult to heal due to a high amount of tension on top of the existing trauma and contamination of the wound.

Major's owner diligently cared for him, changing his bandages and administering medications. It took 2 months to recover but Major healed ❤

Pictured here is the healed wound. If you would like to see the original laceration you can click into the comments but be warned it is a GRAPHIC IMAGE.

08/30/2025

Our office is closed for the Labour Day weekend and will re-open on Tuesday September 2nd at 9:00 AM.

If you have an equine emergency during this time, please call 778-562-5455 and our on-call veterinarian will assist you.

08/29/2025

A great reminder on the importance of caution when using prescription medications like Prevequine, bute, and Banamine!

Here's another post in our series of how you can prevent equine emergencies!

*Overdoses of Bute/Banamine*
Many owners aren’t aware of the potential toxic effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs we commonly use in horses, such as bute, Banamine and Equioxx. While they're readily found in many first aid kits and tack boxes, owners should know that overdoses can have potentially deadly consequences, including severe right dorsal colitis and kidney damage.

If your horse needs one of these drugs, be aware that you should use a limited dose, never more frequently than every 10-12 hours unless on the advice of your vet, and never in combination with other NSAIDs.

These days many horses live on a daily dose of Equioxx, but you should be aware that "stacking" another NSAID like bute, Banamine or ketofen on top of Equioxx can magnify the risk and severity of side effects.

If your horse is colicking or lame and doesn’t respond to your first dose, don’t give more and don’t give another type, without calling your vet to discuss first.

Dehydration and tying up (rhabdomyolysis) can worsen the effects of this drug class and make kidney and GI tract damage more likely and more severe, so be extra cautious in these scenarios.

Remember these are powerful prescription drugs and need to be used with careful consideration for both their benefits and potential negative consequences.

08/28/2025

Did you know that many wounds of the heel bulbs and hoof can heal faster with a hoof cast? This can also be a more affordable option than daily bandage changes.

Hoof casts of the distal limb are well tolerated, can be left on for up to 3 weeks, and decrease motion of the foot which speeds up healing time. Horses are kept on stall rest while the cast is in place.

Pictured below is a cast that Dr. Shelby Krywonos and Hailey placed this week! Wishing this horse a speedy recovery 💕🐴

08/25/2025

🧪 What’s in Your Horse’s Manure? Let’s Talk F***l Egg Counts! 🐎

Pictured here are two strongyle eggs seen under our microscope during a routine F***l Egg Count (FEC). This particular horse had numerous eggs in her f***l sample and was classified as a high shedder. With this information, we were able to tailor her deworming protocol to provide the most effective treatment possible. ✅

👉 Why do F***l Egg Counts matter?

A F***l Egg Count is a simple but powerful test that helps us determine how many parasite eggs your horse is shedding. This gives us insight into their parasite burden and helps classify them as:

* Low shedder
* Moderate shedder
* High shedder

🐴 Why test instead of just deworming?

Routine deworming without testing can lead to anthelmintic resistance, meaning our dewormers may stop working over time. By performing a FEC at least once a year on all horses in your herd, we can:
✔️ Treat only those who truly need it
✔️ Prevent resistance to dewormers
✔️ Protect the health of your horses AND the effectiveness of our treatments for the future

08/22/2025

Great reminder about using Banamine in horses!

08/19/2025

We’re thrilled to announce that Larch Veterinary Services now offers the ProVet APC system — a cutting-edge regenerative biological therapy designed to support healing in horses with:

🔹 Tendon & ligament injuries
🔹 Joint disease

The ProVet APC system uses your horse’s own blood to derive powerful platelets, growth factors, and anti-inflammatory proteins — promoting natural healing from within.

✅ Safe for horses with PPID/Cushing’s and Equine Metabolic Syndrome
✅ Drug-free, biologically targeted healing

08/12/2025

Foreign bodies!

The first two radiographs are from two different horses both found to have a nail in the sole of their hoof. It is difficult assess how deep a nail has gone or what structures it may have penetrated without a radiograph. This is why it is important to not remove a nail or foreign body until your veterinarian has made their assessment. Where the nail has penetrated can drastically change prognosis and the required treatment. Both of these horses were lucky and they have an excellent prognosis for recovery.

The third photo pictures a stick penetrating the neck of another horse. There are several important structures in this location: the jugular vein and artery, the recurrent laryngeal nerve, the esophagus and the wind-pipe. Removing such a foreign body prior to assessment could lead to hemorrhage, further damage, or may leave foreign material within the wound.

All of these owners did an excellent job by identifying the foreign body, leaving it in place, and promptly calling us. Gold stars! 🌟

08/04/2025

Our office will be closed for BC Day this weekend and will re-open on Tuesday August 5 at 9:00 AM.

If you have an emergency during this time, please call 778-562-5455 and our on-call veterinarian will be able to assist you.

We hope everyone gets to enjoy some fun in our beautiful province this weekend!

08/02/2025

Interesting article, in case you have ever wondered why we skip the alcohol swab for vaccines:

When you receive injections, your doctor first wipes your skin with alcohol. When delivering an injection to your horse, your veterinarian likely skips this step. Click the link in the comments to find out why.

07/13/2025

Important information about a positive EIA (Coggins test) in Surrey, BC. This is a rare disease, but devastating when it occurs. All horses that travel should have a Coggins test once a year.

Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a potentially fatal blood-borne infectious viral disease that produces a persistent infection among equids nearly worldwide.

07/10/2025

We are headed to Cherryville on July 23rd for anybody in the area that might need their horses looked at! We do teeth floating, wellness checks, lameness exams, x-rays, ultrasound and much more!