Bend Equine Medical Center

09/09/2025

Toxic W**ds of Central Oregon
Installment 4
Kayla Jensen, DVM

Hairy Vetch
Identification: Vine-like plant with multiple, grouped bell-like flowers, and small paired oval leaves.

Location: Fields, pastures, roadsides, and manure piles.

Toxicity Concern: Low. Hairy vetch most commonly causes toxicity signs when it is the majority of the diet or when it is reaching maturity in the mid to late spring .
Toxin: There are two manifestations of poisoning. The acute neurological form is likely caused by cyanide which is found in the seeds. The other form of disease is caused by unknown toxins.

Signs:
Acute neurological form: Difficulty breathing, high heart rate, diarrhea, colic, salivation, excess urination, bright red gums, or sudden death. This manifestation is rare.
Granulomatous disease: The unknown toxin causes an immune-mediated granulomatous disease which means small masses grow throughout the skin and internal organs. External signs include small masses under the skin, hair loss, skin scabbing especially around the nose and eyes, infected/inflamed eyes, ventral edema (swelling on the belly and chest), and abnormal bloodwork. This is also a rare disease.

Treatment: Steroids as well as other supportive therapies may be used to treat the granulomatous disease. However, systemic granulomatous disease has a high mortality rate.

Prognosis: Poor to grave. If vetch intoxication does occur and produces signs, the prognosis for both syndromes is poor.

W**d Control Strategies: Mow or hand pull this w**d before it flowers.

09/07/2025

Toxic Plants of Central Oregon
Kayla Jensen, DVM

Alsike Clover

Identification: How do you tell toxic Alsike clover from other types of clover? Flowers are pale pink to whitish color but you should also examine how the flowers are attached to the stems. The flower stem of alsike clover originates at the same place on the stalk as the leaflet stems (while the red clover flowers originate next to the leaves and the white clover flowers originate from stalks growing from creeping stems or stolons from the ground). Leaves are not hairy the way red clover leaves are and usually do not have watermarks on the leaves compared to other clovers that often do have watermarks.

Location: Fields, pastures, roadsides, manure piles, and moist environments.
Toxicity Concern: Low. Horses usually have to eat about 1-5 or more pounds of the clover daily to have toxic effects. Even then, clover toxicity is variable depending on growth conditions. The bitter taste prevents horses from eating it normally, although they will resort to eating it in the absence of other grasses.

Toxin: The toxic agent is unknown at this time but may be a fungus present on the clover.

Signs: Photosensitization of the skin is the most common sign. This means the white areas of skin, especially on the face and nose become more sensitive to sunlight and sunburns. Chronic clover ingestion can lead to liver cirrhosis which manifests as increased liver enzymes, low appetite, colic, jaundice, lethargy, and weight loss. Severe cases can progress to liver failure with blindness, head-pressing, unusual behavior, and incoordination, and death.

Treatment: Remove the horse from pastures or hays containing clover, and treat sunburns or ulcer lesions as needed. Other supportive care may be recommended by your veterinarian.

Prognosis: Good for horses with photosensitization or mild liver signs. However, if liver failure has developed, prognosis significantly decreases.

W**d Control Strategies: Controlling clover in pastures can be difficult and often requires multiple approaches at the same time, including spraying, fertilization, etc.

09/05/2025

Toxic Plants of Central Oregon
Second Installment
Kayla Jensen, DVM

Bittersweet Nightshade & Hairy Nightshade

Identification:
Bittersweet Nightshade: Vine or shrub usually 3-6 ft tall, small 5-petal purple flowers, berries grow on the plant and range from green to red based on ripeness (about the size of a blueberry).
Hairy Nightshade: bushier plant that grow to about 3ft tall, small 5-petal white flowers, conspicuous “fuzz” cover leaves and stems, green to dark brown shiny berries depending on ripeness
Location: Found in thickets, pond or irrigation margins, low woods, fence lines, or roadsides.
Toxicity Concern: Low, the plant is bitter and animals will avoid it unless there are no other grasses to graze or it is dried and contaminating hay. All parts of the plant are toxic, but the level of toxicity is variable between plants based on environment and season. Usually they are more toxic in the autumn. Animals rarely consume enough of the plant to become intoxicated.
Toxin: Atropine is the toxin found in nightshades and has several reversible effects on the central nervous system.
Signs: Fever, high heart rate, dark-colored gums, salivation, dilated pupils, tremors, colic, abnormal movements or behaviors, or sometimes death.
Treatment: Supportive care is often necessary. If it is known that the horse ingested nightshade, an antidote called neostigmine may be given. However, definitive diagnosis of intoxication is rarely able to be made. Fortunately, most animals recover.
Prognosis: Fair to Good. Supportive care may be necessary, but most animals recover in 1-2 days.
W**d Control Strategies: Hand-pull the w**ds ensuring you get the roots. Recheck the contaminated area after several months and hand-pull any of the young plants remaining.

09/03/2025

Toxic Plants
Kayla Jensen, DVM

As a complement to our series on ways to avoid emergencies, we are starting a series on toxic plants. This time of year, w**ds seem to flourish and in overgrazed pastures, may start to be considered an edible option by some horses. We will start with one of the more toxic local w**ds, water hemlock and poison hemlock!

Western Water Hemlock & Poison Hemlock
Identification: small white flowers in an umbrella-like dome shape, narrow leaves with serrated edges paired on either side of the stems
Location: Wet lowlands, near waterways such as rivers, lakes, irrigation ditches and ponds.
Toxicity Concern: High. Horses do not like the taste of the plant but can accidentally ingest it. Only 8 oz-8lbs are required for a horse to accumulate a toxic dose. The toxin is found in the roots and horses usually pull up and eat the roots of this plant because it grows in soft soils close to water ways.
Toxin: Cicutoxin is the toxic agent in water hemlock and is a strong convulsant that acts in the brain.
Signs: Often horses are found acutely dead. However, some may show signs of muscle tremors or weakness, incoordination, salivation, excess urination, colic, or seizures.
Treatment: Supportive care and anti-seizure medications may be indicated although if horses are found seizing or down this can make administering veterinary care difficult.
Prognosis: Grave. However, horses that survive for the first 8 hours are more likely to survive long term, but they may have lifelong intermittent seizures.
W**d Control Strategies: Hand-pull the w**ds ensuring you get the roots. Wear gloves when handling this plant and put in plastic garbage bags and put out with the garbage. Recheck the contaminated area after several months and hand-pull any of the young plants remaining.

08/28/2025

Fall is in the air, and it's time to start thinking about scheduling fall preventive care for your horses! Our fall barn day program is a great way to efficiently provide top notch quality preventive care for boarding facilities or for owners with five or more horses.

We provide discounted dental care for five or more horses at one location, as well as reduced farm calls.

Reach out to Susie or Amy for more information or to schedule. 541 388 4006 [email protected]

08/26/2025

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.

08/26/2025

Being a family practice is part of our Who and our Why. Many of our staff members are parents and as we all know, this business is a lifestyle. We treasure all that it means to support and love our staff and their families. Sometimes that means flexible creative scheduling, supporting our staff with setting and creating boundaries between work and home life and sometimes that is embracing bringing home life to work on those tough no school days or when somebody just needs to be with their parent. Today Finley, our wonderful CSR Amy's daughter spent over an hour giving love and tenderness to a precious and heartbreakingly sweet donkey named Millie. Millie is one of 's newest kill pen rescues who is in need of medical care. We are not sure what stories she told Finley, but we are sure that Millie felt more love because Finley was here with us today❤️

08/24/2025

While it’s terrible that so many are having to evacuate, we’re glad so many are doing it in a proactive and organized manner. We are out of space for evacuees at the clinic but have connections with others here in Tumalo that have space so please give us a call if you’re in need of a place for your horses.

08/23/2025

The Flat fire is moving quickly! If you have horses, and are in a precarious area, please evacuate sooner than later.

Note that the Kerley Horse Center in Powell Butte is accepting evacuated horses (see Deschutes County Sheriff update).

08/23/2025

If you need help evacuating horses or a safe place for horses, please reach out to our on call team at 541 388 4006.
We have many amazing staff and clients on standby to help haul and give refuge, and open paddocks here at the clinic.

Photo from a client’s property last night.

08/23/2025

08/22/2025

Last weekend, we had another great jam packed ophthalmology day with Dr. Amy Knollinger, who is a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist.

Although Dr. Knollinger is based elsewhere, we are very lucky to be able to host her here at the clinic periodically for advanced ophthalmic examinations as well as ophthalmic surgery procedures.

If you have a horse in need of specialist-level ophthalmic care, give us a call or email us to get on her schedule!

541 388 4006
[email protected]