Kings County Equine Veterinary Services

11/01/2024

Best of luck to our clients and their equine teammates who are representing the maritimes this week at the Royal! Wishing for safe trips around the big ring for all

09/07/2024

Let’s talk about PPID, commonly known as Cushing’s. This is a common endocrine disease in horses, and while it is most frequently seen in geriatric patients, it is possible for horses under the age of 15 to be affected by this syndrome as well. Symptoms can include loss of muscling along the top line, changes in behavior such as increased anxiousness or lethargy, increased sweating, increased water intake and urination, long hair coat, and a delay in shedding. Horses affected by PPID are more susceptible to laminitis. In the fall Boehringer offers a free testing program for horses. If you are interested in having your horse tested, complete this quiz online. If your horse is eligible then testing can be arranged for the month of September. The cost of the test is covered, you will only be responsible for the farm call and courier fees to deliver the sample to the lab…

https://www.bicanadaequine.ca/ppid

08/24/2024

Many of our Fredericton clients have had the pleasure of interacting with Giselle, who has been a fantastic part-time assistant for the last 3 years. Yesterday I was lucky enough to welcome her into the veterinary profession in a new role, at her blue coat ceremony as she joined AVC’s class of 2028. I am going to miss her help dearly, but so excited to watch her chase her veterinary dreams! Congratulations Giselle 🎉🩺

08/01/2024

Renovations to our barn office have been on hold since a pair of barn swallows took up residence in between the beams. These birds make a big dent in the bug population, so we don’t mind having them around. The little ones are about ready to fly the nest though, soon we can get back to replacing barn boards and painting the ceiling!

06/04/2024

UPDATES GUIDELINES AVAILABLE 📢

The AAEP has issued revised Internal Parasite Control Guidelines to help minimize the risk of parasitic disease and maintain the effectiveness of current drugs for as long as possible by delaying further development of anthelmintic resistance.

The updated guidelines account for recent advances in knowledge concerning increased anthelmintic resistance and optimization of parasite control management practices. They also address common misconceptions and offer parasite control program recommendations for senior horses (over 15 years old), mature horses (between 5 and 15 years old), and young horses (under 5 years old).

Read more at: https://aaep.org/post/aaep-publishes-updated-internal-parasite-control-guidelines/

The guidelines were reviewed and updated by the AAEP Internal Parasite Control Guidelines Task Force, chaired by Dr. Nielsen and comprised of 10 AAEP members predominantly board certified in veterinary internal medicine, veterinary parasitology and/or veterinary microbiology. We thank them for their incredibly important work!

05/18/2024

Congratulations to our dedicated young riders who qualified for bursaries to further their equestrian endeavours this summer! A well-deserving bunch

03/04/2024

Spring is around the corner and it is time to start planning for vaccines, dentals and coggins screening prior to show season. These are our pre-planned dates for clients in the Fredericton area for the next 3 months. Email [email protected] to schedule your appointment. We are taking on a limited number of new clients in the Fredericton area this year!

02/26/2024

Head to nbea.ca/YouthBursary for details and forms 🎉

(Please note: young riders participating in an LTED program are not eligible for bursaries).

01/29/2024

Yet another eyeball case for you! I seem to post a lot about eyes, but they are important and horse owners love to learn! While most eye injuries heal up well within 7-10 days, some require very prolonged and intensive care. This case highlights the dedicated treatment that can be required to achieve healing. This is a senior quarter horse mare who first sustained an eye injury Nov 28th and was attended to by her owner promptly. This eye was treated for an indolent corneal ulcer and concurrent uveitis for 8 weeks from start to finish. We initially started with treatment 4-6 times daily, but quickly had to increase to hourly treatment for a period of time to get ahead of things. Beyond administering several types of eye medications, some other important testing was done and is described below.

❓What is an indolent ulcer? This is a corneal ulcer that is chronic and not responsive to treatment.

🔹Culture & Sensitivity: This important test determines what type of bacteria are involved in an infection, and what antibiotics are likely to be most effective.

🔹Cytology: Samples taken from the corneal surface are examined under a microscope to look for signs of fungal infection as well as assessing the corneal cells themselves

🔹PPID: Often referred to as Cushings. Testing for PPID should be done for all senior patients with non-responsive injuries. Horses affected by PPID will have significantly delayed healing time. This patient was tested for Cushings when she was not responding to treatment as expected.

🔹Ask the experts! We had two remote consults with a board-certified opthalmologist throughout this treatment process. These are veterinarians who have pursued advanced training and specialize in eyes, and their input was invaluable!

Thank you to her owner for allowing us to share this case, and for her dedication throughout this treatment process.

01/02/2024

We are leaping into the new year head first! Do you have goals with your horse for 2024?

12/24/2023

Did you ask Santa for a pony this year?
Wishing a merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of our clients and their four-legged family members. ❄️🎄

We are closed until 8:30 AM on December 27th. As always, emergency services are available to our current clients. Call 506-566-1583 and leave a voicemail for after-hours services.

12/04/2023

Do you train your horse to be comfortable with injections and blood draws? If your horse is antsy about veterinary care, spending some time a few times a week with positive reinforcement can go a long way to making your vet visit smoother and safer! If you are unsure how to go about using positive reinforcement to improve your horse’s comfort with veterinary care, ask us! All you need is treats, time, and a pen or empty syringe

By focusing on positive training tools, vets can help horses see health interventions as less threatening.

11/28/2023

🚑Emergency Services!
This is a very important topic and we have discussed it before, but it is worth repeating. Do you have access to emergency services for your horse?

🐴 Establish a Vet-Client-Patient-Relationship! This is a legal requirement for any patient in need of care. Doctors cannot prescribe medication, make a diagnosis or give advice without a VCPR. Kings County Equine Veterinary Services provides emergency services to all existing clients with a valid VCPR. To be eligible for emergency services we must have seen your horse within the last 24 months for routine wellness care, which entails an annual physical exam and/or dentistry, and your account must not be in arrears. At this annual exam we can often catch small problems before they become big ones, and in becoming familiar with your horse we may be able to triage and offer telemedicine consultations for non-emergent healthcare scenarios. By establishing this VCPR we are committing to providing emergency care to our clients and their horses, and ensuring an alternate vet is available in the rare instances we do take some time off. We serve the corridor between Sussex and Saint John, and travel up to Fredericton on a monthly basis. While we do our best to treat what we can on-farm, it is important for clients who are further away to understand that they may be waiting longer in the event of an emergency, or may need to bring the horse to us to receive care.


🛻Trailer access! Not everything can be treated in the field and a single vet cannot be in two places at once. If you don’t have a trailer yourself, ask friends and family who do if you may be able to access trailering services should your horse experience a medical emergency. If you do not have trailer access, we do have several contacts for professionals who provide trailering services.

⭐️Trailer loading! Don’t wait until an emergency scenario arises to find out your horse will not load. This is an integral skill and owners should be prioritizing it in their training program. If your horse will not get on a trailer then they may not be able to receive the care they need in an emergency.

11/09/2023

We are seeing multiple infectious disease outbreaks in the maritimes, the latest being EHV-1 cases in Nova Scotia. The majority of the horse population has been exposed to EHV-1 previously in life. After the initial infection, the virus enters a latent period but can become re-activated during times of stress. EHV-1 causes respiratory symptoms in most horses, can lead to abortion and in some rare cases results in neurologic disease.

How can you minimize risk on your farm?

1. Good biosecurity protocols are key, both at home and when attending shows & clinics.

2. There are vaccines available for the respiratory and abortion-inducing forms of EHV-1. While vaccination cannot prevent the neurologic form of disease, it may minimize the shedding of EHV-1, limiting the spread of infection.

3. Be observant. Learn to take your horse’s temperature, and monitor for nasal discharge, cough and a change in demeanour. A fever is the first symptom in most horses.

A list of 10 Things You Might Not Know About EHV-1 and EHM, from testing to treatment and prevention.

11/05/2023

🌙 Moon is a young mare who has been affected by several flare-ups of recurrent uveitis in both eyes over the last two years. This fall we enucleated her right eye as it was not responding to treatment, and was a chronic source of pain. This was a standing procedure, done with sedation and local nerve blocks. Moon recovered quickly and is back to her happy self, much more comfortable with this long-standing source of pain removed! She is not visual in her left eye but has a lot of trust in her owner and had already adapted to complete blindness very well. Her sutures were removed last week and she got the all clear to go back to work.

10/19/2023

A reminder of the importance of maintaining current vaccines for your horses!

Attention, horse owners!

The first case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in New Brunswick was confirmed this afternoon.

Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) has been confirmed in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. On October 10, a 1 year old Quarter Horse filly was found down out in pasture with difficulty moving. Filly was euthanized on October 11. EEE was confirmed on October 18, 2023. The filly was unvaccinated for EEE.

Dr. Nicole Wanamaker, NB's chief veterinary officer and head of provincial field services, recommends that horses be vaccinated for EEE even though the vaccine will require 2 weeks to mount immunity and boosters will be required for those horses who have not been vaccinated before.

She also encourages owners to be vigilant as EEE does have public health implications (e.g. fever, chills, muscle or joint aches).

Please direct all questions to your veterinarian. This is all the information the NBEA has at this time.

Please share.

10/17/2023

Learn why hoof radiographs are important, how to use them, and what role they play in helping your horse feel and move better.

10/15/2023

Do you have a mare in foal for 2024? It’s time to start thinking about pre-natal care!

💉 Gestational vaccines: Mares should be vaccinated for EHV-1 at 5, 7 and 9 months gestation. This reduces the risk of abortion due to equine herpes virus. At 10 months gestation vaccinating for influenza, rhinopneumonitis, EEE, WEE, tetanus and rabies is recommended. This ensures that the foal will receive protective antibodies via colostrum in their first 24 hours of life, keeping them protected until weaning age.

🥕 Nutrition: It is important to ensure your mare is being fed a complete and balanced diet. During the first 6 months of pregnancy, nutritional requirements do not change much. From 7 months onwards their caloric requirement increases, and their feed program should be adjusted accordingly. If you need help with specifics on what and how much to feed your pregnant mare, please schedule a telemedicine consult!!