Stillmeadow Equine Veterinary Service

05/11/2025

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! And enjoy these pictures from one of Stillmeadow's cutest new arrivals!

04/30/2025

04/29/2025

It's about that time! Reminder for all of our clients that plan to show at Devon next month, you will need their Bio Security form completed by your veterinarian. Contact our office (call, text or email), and we will assist you!

04/25/2025

Dr. Klutchka in enucleation action!

04/18/2025

If you believe that horses need grain in their diet to meet their nutritional needs, you are not alone. However, horses should get most of their nutrients from a good quality forage source such as grass, hay, hay pellets, or a complete feed.

Horses generally eat between 1.5-2% of their body weight each day, so an average size 1,000 lbs horse should eat 15- 20 lbs of hay daily. To help fill any nutrient gaps such as essential vitamins or minerals, a ration balancer may be beneficial. Depending on breed, body condition, and exercise level, concentrates may be added in to provide additional energy but are often not needed.

When deciding on what to feed your horse, it is best to invest in high quality forages as the foundation of your feeding plan. You can even have your hay tested to see exactly what nutrients it is providing.

Please consult with your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist about your horse's diet before making any major changes, and remember that any changes should be made gradually over time to avoid GI upset.

Thank you to the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee for providing this information.

04/10/2025

MIDWEEK MYTHBUSTER! 📢

Many people think that horses can safely eat grass clippings (grass is grass, right?) but that is a pretty common misconception and grass clippings actually pose a number of dangers to our equine friends.

While grass is meant to be slowly picked, ripped and chewed by the horse, grass clippings can quickly clump and cause choke if the animal ingests too many too fast. Grass clippings are also prone to fermentation which can cause colic, stomach and intestinal impactions, founder and laminitis.

Take-home message: Keep your horse away from grass clippings and in general never feed horses any food without the owner’s permission.

Thank you to the Horse Owner Education Committee for providing this information.

04/10/2025

Our Stillmeadow Team had an exciting and educational day with the Fair Hill Emergency Response Team getting hands-on, large animal rescue training. We were taught how to safely and efficiently move a downed animal by training on this 800 lb mannequin.
Working as a team in an emergency situation and keeping it simple is the best way to keep us safe. We had a little fun, too! ☺️

"This hands-on training is designed to equip first responders, barn managers, trainers, and horse owners with the skills needed to safely and effectively respond to emergency situations involving large animals. Learn critical life-saving techniques that can make all the difference in an emergency." - Fair Hill ERT

04/08/2025

VECTOR CONTROL AROUND HORSES: WHY IT MATTERS

Bug season is right around the corner! Besides being very irritating, it's important to remember that some of these insects can spread infection and disease to your horse (and, in some cases, to you as well). Therefore, a smart strategy is to control the problem before it gets out of hand and minimize populations from the beginning.

The attached infographic contains some suggestions to get you started. Please keep in mind that there are many variations of these suggested programs that will still meet the same goals and follow the same principles.

As always, reach out to your veterinarian for recommendations suitable for your horse’s specific situation!

04/03/2025

DO YOU KNOW WHAT CAUSES GRASS FOUNDER?

Spring is a wonderful time of the year, but it may be the beginning of some serious problems for horses vulnerable to grass founder — like horses that are over the age of 10, easy keepers, overweight or cresty-necked.

Laminitis or founder, as it is commonly called, is inflammation of the laminae of the horse’s foot. Laminae are the delicate, accordion-like tissues that attach the inner surface of the hoof wall to the coffin bone (the bone in the foot). A horse suffering from laminitis experiences a decrease in blood flow to the laminae, which in turn begin to die and separate. The final result is hoof wall separation, rotation of the coffin bone and extreme pain. In severe cases, the coffin bone will actually rotate through the sole of the horse’s hoof where it becomes infected and can ultimately lead to the horse having to be euthanized.

Laminitis can be triggered by different causes, like repeated concussion on hard ground (road founder), grain overload, retained placenta, hormonal imbalance (Cushing’s syndrome), obesity, and lush grass.

In cases of grass founder, the sugar fructans produced by rapidly growing grass stimulates an overgrowth of bacteria in the horse’s large intestine. The bacteria produce and release toxins (endotoxins) that are carried by the bloodstream to the foot where they cause damage to the laminae and small blood vessels.

The best way to deal with laminitis is preventing and managing the causes under your control. Consult your equine practitioner for further information and to formulate a plan tailored to your horse's individual situation. If you suspect laminitis, consider it a medical emergency and notify your veterinarian immediately.

03/26/2025

Our online pharmacy will be performing maintenance this upcoming Sunday. Please keep this in mind if you plan on ordering medications this weekend, thank you!!

03/21/2025

Spring Rebates from Boehringer Ingelheim start on April 1st! Scan the QR code or visit boehringeringelheimrebates.com to complete the rebate form.

If you purchase your qualifying products through our online pharmacy from April 1st through July 31st, please be sure to upload the entire receipt that lists the purchase date, purchase location and the itemized portion showing the products purchased. This will help ensure your rebate will be processed successfully 😊

03/17/2025

Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️