Mulligan Mobile Veterinary Services

14/11/2025

25/10/2025

This Friday was a day of unbelievable firsts. Have a look at the following photographs and tell me which one is the hardest to believe….🤣

17/10/2025

REMINDER TO SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS BEFORE NOV 18!

We are excited to announce the Second Annual "Mulligan Mobile Vet Photo Contest"! We will choose 3 photos to showcase in our MMV 2026 Calendar and each winner will receive a calendar.
Here are the rules:

1) Photos must be "landscape" orientation in order to fit the layout of the calendar page.

2) Photos can be of anything "Agriculture in North Thompson Valley and Bridge Lake"....including landscapes, livestock, etc.

3) Photos to be submitted before November 18 and winners will be chosen the next day. Photos can be emailed to "[email protected]" or posted to Facebook

4) All winners agree to have their photo published in the MMV Calendar.

5) Please include a brief caption with your photo

Good luck, we look forward to your submissions

08/10/2025

It’s that time of year again when some of these tools get used!. Although these are a bit dated can anyone guess what these are?

17/09/2025

The MMV Team is growing, both in size and in numbers! We were honored this year to have Adelle Devick join the MMV rodeo team along with our faves Weston and Lyla Lougheed.
These kids showed great dedication and grit as they competed throughout the province with their horses and family.

Adelle placed first overall for the season in boys and girls Breakaway Roping for the Little Britches Rodeo Association and was invited to compete at the BCRA Finals in her event. For her age, she roped as well or better than some of the adults even with the pressure of a large crowd in attendance. She is also my neighbour and I can attest that she was out practicing almost every week when I drove by. Her times have improved to show for it and she's proof that practice makes perfect.

Lyla Lougheed had a strong season and competed with her mare Stella in BCRA Breakway Roping and although she did not make it to the finals she was there to cheer on her brother and keep him in line for the Finals at the Barriere Fall Fair. Lyla always shares her smile and has great sportsmanship.

And Weston also had a great year, winning the Junior Breakaway Roping event overall at the Finals in Barriere. His third day of competition was his fastest time and secured his place in the MMV Rodeo Hall of Fame! (prize to be determined!)

Thank you guys for representing us so well and we look forward to next seasons rodeo events

13/09/2025

The date is fast approaching for BC Agricultural Expo 2025, and we are proud to be one of the sponsors for this show. The province's 4H youth have been working hard all year to finish their projects and they would love to have you in attendance as they showcase their beef, horse, sheep, goat and rabbit projects. Check out the website for all the details and show schedule. https://bcagexpo.ca/f/bc-ag-expo-2025-auction-brochure

Furthermore, on Sept 22 at 10:00 am you can purchase locally raised, high quality meat including beef, lamb or goat at the auction ring.

If you are interested in purchasing a lamb, or beef please let me know as I will be on site placing bids. Send me an email or text message. As an example there are options to buy a full lamb cut and wrapped or share a half lamb with another person. Typical cost for lamb is 810$ for 50+ lbs Freezer Ready meat ($16.20/lb)

We hope to see you at the show!

12/08/2025

Bringing you another exciting Chapter of "When Bovine Meets...."

This week, in "Bovine Meets Veterinarian", a lucky dairy cow has a chance encounter with Dr Mulligan for correction of an LDA (Left Displaced Abomasum). The abomasum is the 4th stomach of the cow and can sometimes fill with gas after calving and moves from the right side to the left, essentially becoming trapped and blocking the flow of ingesta. Cattle with this condition will deterioriate slowly over time. There are several surgeries that can be performed to correct LDA, but the simplest and fastest is the Blind Toggle Method invented by Dr Grymer and Sterner in 1982 Denmark.
The cow is sedated and laid down on her right side. After rolling her onto her back the abomasum will have floated to its correct position and a toggle is placed through the skin with a long needle/trocar. The toggle secures the abomasum against the abdominal wall. The cow is then rolled onto her left side thus completing a full roll and she will stand up with the abomasum now "tied" or pexied into the proper anatomic location.
As you can see the procedure requires some handy ropework, a few dairy farmers and a sedated cow that doesnt want to kick your head off whilst laying upside down confused. If performed properly it is one of my favourite procedures as it is quick and doesnt require opening her abdomen.
The toggles remain inplace for 10 days approximately and this gives time for the cow to form an adhesion around the suture site and hopefully keep the stomach in position.

To read more about the causes of LDA, check out this article:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/digestive-system/diseases-of-the-abomasum/left-or-right-displaced-abomasum-and-abomasal-volvulus-in-cattle

23/07/2025

CASE UPDATE:
The fractured mandible in a dairy heifer 6 weeks after surgery has fully healed and the heifer is eating comfortably. I removed the stabilizing wires today and can speak from experience, having braces twice as a child, that there is no better feeling than a mouth without wires!

17/07/2025

When Hooves Hit the Highway!
You never know what your day may bring, and when I made my morning commute towards Barriere in the vet truck I noticed several drivers flashing their High-beams at me as I turned the corner into McLure. Half expecting an RCMP road block or deer in the road I was shocked to see the ass end of two horses walking north up Highway 5. I pulled over and one of the horses had already been caught by a good samaritan (Kiana Noble) with the use of a ratchet-strap makeshift halter. Luckily I always carry a spare halter for just such an emergency and the second horse was quickly caught as the traffic continued to fly by. The horses happily munched grass and weeds on the side of the highway rest-stop, dodging the occasional toilet paper! A call was made to the local horse ladies (Sharon and Jane- you rock!) and in 5 minutes a truck and trailer was on site to take them off the highway where they waited to be reunited with their owner. This event reminded me how "horse people" are never the type to just 'drive by' a problem, instead they jump into action and take care of business... well done everyone on what could have been a tragic event!🙂

14/07/2025

I’ve never been one to air my dirty laundry, but the picturesque campsite in McBride BC was a perfect place to wash my manure-laden coveralls and hang in the orchard.😆

25/06/2025

WARNING FACEBOOK POLICE: VETERINARY IMAGES!
Bringing you another exciting chapter of "When Bovine meets...."!

This week, " When Bovine Meets Gate Latch" We examine a bovine that had managed to get her lower jaw trapped in a gate latch and she broke her jaw at the mandibular symphysis. The mandibular symphysis is the connection between the left and right sides of the mandible located on midline. In young cattle this union of bone is soft and cartilaginous and is therefore susceptible to trauma. (see attached pic) Because cattle are curious creatures by nature they tend to get into trouble with their mouths as they explore their environment.
In order to stabilize the fracture I did a quick review of fracture repair of the mandible (this is not a very common problem!) and decided to wire the left and right sides together with an interdental continuous wire loop technique according to the picture I had available.
The result was better than I had expected and the heifer was able to comfortably chew soft feed soon after the surgery. The owner cuts alfalfa from the field every day for her and when I rechecked two weeks later, the wire was still secure and she was chewing her cud.
The mandible will slowly form a union over the next 6 weeks and as long as the wire doesnt break with fatigue the heifer should be back with the herd soon.