Walkerton-Hanover Veterinary Clinic

12/03/2025

THE COLD WEATHER IS UPON US! ❄️

Are you familiar with the many adaptations that help your horse stay warm during the cold winter months?

🌾 Hindgut digestion of hay produces the most heat, acting as a small furnace inside of the horse. This is why free choice; good quality hay is so important in the winter.

💪 Horses have a huge muscle mass and muscle activity produces heat. This includes running and playing and even shivering if their body temperature starts to drop. It is important to remember that these activities also will result in a bigger caloric demand so free choice hay and in some cases, grain, is often needed.

🧥 To blanket or not to blanket is a constant debate but either way, as it starts to get cold your horse will grow a thicker coat. If you decide to leave your horse unblanketed you may notice that they look “fluffy”. This is due to a phenomenon called piloerection where the hair stands up to better trap air within. Two layers of the coat also help with warmth. The inner layer is softer and has air pockets to create an insulating layer. The outer layer is coarse and has oils that keep moisture from penetrating the insulating layer and keep the horse warm.

⚖️ Wild horses go into the winter heavier than ideal, and the fat serves as an extra layer of insulation. However, if a horse is going to be kept heavily blanketed and in a barn during the cold weather months this is unnecessary and can lead to obesity related issues.

🦵Their distal limbs (below the knees and hocks) are made of mostly bones and tendons, tissues that are resistant to the cold temperatures.

🦶The hooves have an alternative route of blood circulation through larger vessels that can be used in low temperatures. This is why horses can stand in snow without detrimental effects.

👃A horse’s nose has a robust blood supply and is rounded so that it is less susceptible to frostbite than a human’s nose.
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Courtesy of the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

11/27/2025

🐴 A big thank you to Walkerton-Hanover Veterinary Clinic for their Silver Sponsorship of Horse Day at ! Their veterinary team provides full-service care for both large and small animals across Grey-Bruce. Check out the full program at www.gbfw.ca

11/20/2025

Attention horse owners,
An outbreak of neurologic herpes has been identified originating from an equine event in Texas. Here is some up to date and reliable information to reference.
As always, to reduce risk for your horses a focus on bio security and monitoring for symptoms (including regular re**al temperature checks) for horses travelling or horses housed with/near horses that have travelled is recommended.
Please see the attached resources for more information and give the clinic a call with any questions!

The Equine Disease Communication Center is monitoring an outbreak of EHM that originated at the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) World Finals and Elite Barrel Race event Nov 5-9. To date, officially confirmed cases have been reported in the following states-

11/12/2025

An amazing opportunity to learn from Dr Ian Bishop, a board certified wealth of knowledge in all things equine dentistry! Mark your calendars for Grey Bruce Farmers' Week!

When it comes to equine health, looking a horse in the teeth is what we should be doing 😉

🐴🦷 Learn how equine teeth develop, the common diseases they face, and the latest treatments that keep them strong.
⭐ 🦷 As the 2nd veterinarian in Canada to achieve Board Certification in Equine Dentistry, Dr. Bishop brings valuable expertise and the latest knowledge on equine dental health to his work with horses and their owners.

📍 Listen online or attend in person at Elmwood Community Centre.
🎟️ Tickets will be available at GBFW.ca

10/07/2025

❄🐴🌾 Is it safe to graze horses after a hard freeze? What do I need to consider before turning them back out on pasture? Also, what defines a hard freeze?

🌡 A hard freeze refers to a frost that is severe enough to end the growing season. The National Weather Service defines a hard freeze when temperatures fall below 28ºF for a few hours. Cool-season grasses commonly found in Midwest horse pastures go into dormancy for winter and conserve their energy stores (starches and sugars) following a hard freeze.

❄️ We recommend keeping horses off pastures for at least 7 days after a hard freeze. Frost-damaged pastures are higher in nonstructural carbohydrates (starches and sugars) because plants can not use up their energy stores as efficiently. It can take plants 7 days to return to more normal nonstructural carbohydrate levels. Higher levels of nonstructural carbohydrates can lead to an increase risk for laminitis, especially in horses diagnosed with or prone to obesity, laminitis, Cushings, and Equine Metabolic Syndrome.

The decision to graze again after a hard freeze depends on the condition of your pasture. After a hard freeze, no additional regrowth of the pasture will occur, even though the pasture might appear green in color. If your cool-season grass pasture is

✅ taller than 3 to 4 inches, then grazing can resume 7 days after a hard freeze and can continue until the pasture is grazed down to 3 to 4 inches.
❌ shorter than 3 to 4 inches, then no grazing should occur after a hard freeze. Grazing below 3 inches can harm the plant and lead to poor productivity next season.

🌾 Plants rely on stored nonstructural carbohydrates in the lower 3 inches for energy. Therefore, the 3- to 4-inch minimum height recommendation is necessary to help maximize winter survival and can help predict a vigorous and healthy pasture come spring. We do recognize horses rarely graze uniformly and pastures tend to have areas of both over and under grazing. You will need to base decisions on the average appearance of your pasture

08/06/2025

🐮Attention Client🐮

The office will be closing at 3pm on Wednesday August 13th for a staff meeting. Regular office hours will resume on the Thursday. We apologize for any inconvenience.

08/06/2025

On September 23rd from 9am-4pm your expired medication and pesticides can be dropped off at the Walkerton Midwest co-operative Services.

Farmers in Ontario will soon be able to safely dispose of unwanted agricultural pesticides and obsolete livestock and equine medications through Cleanfarms’ free collection program. The next round of collection events won't be coming until 2028.

To learn more about when and where collection events will be in your area this September, and what can and cannot be disposed of, visit: https://ofa.on.ca/unwanted-pesticide-old-livestock-equine-medication-events-coming-to-ontario/

08/01/2025

Farmers in Ontario will soon be able to safely dispose of unwanted agricultural pesticides and obsolete livestock and equine medications through Cleanfarms’ free collection program. The next round of collection events won't be coming until 2028.

To learn more about when and where collection events will be in your area this September, and what can and cannot be disposed of, visit: https://ofa.on.ca/unwanted-pesticide-old-livestock-equine-medication-events-coming-to-ontario/

04/11/2025

A good read as we get closer to pasture season for our horses!

03/16/2025

As spring approaches, and unfortunately so does "mud season", sooner or later nearly all horse owners will deal with a hoof abscess. But what does "hoof abscess" actually mean? This diagram shows a simplified view of the equine hoof to help you visualize the structures involved in this process.

Although most commonly seen during the wet winter and spring months, hoof abscesses can plague horses year-round and usually occur when debris and bacteria enter the foot through hoof cracks and wounds, even horseshoeing holes. The bacteria then get trapped between the sensitive laminae (the tissue layer that bonds the hoof capsule to the coffin bone) and the hoof wall or sole and create pus; the pus builds up over the course of time and puts pressure behind the hoof wall or sole, until it causes the sudden onset of acute lameness when the pain finally becomes too great.

Hoof abscesses can mimic other more serious diseases or injuries, so involving your veterinarian early on in the diagnosis and prompt treatment of this condition is always a good idea. Some abscesses will be uncomplicated and rupture on their own like a large pimple at the coronary band or heel bulbs; other abscesses, however, could require radiographs and will need to be surgically drained.

As always, consult your horse doctor for more information and advice!

02/20/2025

✨Attention Clients✨

The office will be closing today at 2:30pm for a Staff meeting. If during this time you have an emergency, please call 519-881-2090 and a Vet will be dispatched. Our regular office hours will resume tomorrow at 8am. Sorry for the inconvenience.

02/18/2025