Stillmeadow Equine Veterinary Service

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! ☘️

03/13/2025

Celebrating 5 Years in Business Today!! Thank you all for your continued support over the years! We continue to grow each year, while pursuing our mission to develop a progressive equine veterinary practice that concentrates on the health, well-being and performance of our equine patients. All of which is possible because of our amazing clients, thank you!

03/07/2025

While we are all looking forward to warm spring days and lush green pasture, the transition from winter hay to spring grass should be planned carefully to mitigate any health risks to your equine. In other words — just because your equine friend is not obese or suffering from a nutritionally related disease, doesn’t mean you should just forget about hay entirely and let your horse eat their fill of spring grass.

Feeding high-quality hay is a good way to satisfy a horse’s urge to chew when they can’t graze and provide essential nutrients at the same time. A mature horse will eat 2-2.5% of its body weight per day; roughage should contribute to at least half of this percentage, but most agree forage should be a minimum of 75% of the horse's diet. Please remember that not all horses are made equal, so a horse's total nutritive requirements will ultimately depend on the individual's age, stage of development, metabolism and workload.

Take-home message: Before making any changes to your equine companion's diet this spring, consult your veterinarian to determine their current weight/body condition score and to formulate a balanced and nutritious ration that meets your horse’s specific nutritional needs!

03/06/2025

03/05/2025

With spring only a few weeks away (🙌), it’s not too early to start thinking about a deworming plan for your equine companions.

If deworming is something you’ve been doing the same way for as long as you can remember, this year we encourage you to break tradition and work with your veterinarian instead. Thanks to tools like the f***l egg count, your horse doctor can help you devise a treatment tailored to the needs of your equine friend plus monitor the efficacy of the dewormer used last.

And before you dismiss this notion because you’ve been “doing it for years,” you should know that the old-school approach to deworming is quickly becoming outdated—not only a waste of money but it also builds drug resistance in the parasitic fauna of equines, which means we are running out of drugs that can effectively help us control parasite infections.

As always, consult your equine veterinarian to learn more and for questions specific to your animals!

03/04/2025

Spring is almost here! Which means…it's time to schedule your equine companion to receive their spring vaccinations!

If you are wondering what vaccinations your equine friend should receive, the answer is — There are no “one size fits all” vaccine recommendations. A veterinarian who knows your animal and your management system is your best resource to recommend what vaccines your equine should receive and with what frequency!

While vaccination does not prevent disease in all circumstances, a good immunization protocol minimizes the risk of infection and remains an essential component of responsible ownership. A vaccination appointment is also the perfect opportunity for a yearly check-up of your equine friend and a great way to catch any health concerns early.

If you have yet to contact your veterinarian about scheduling vaccinations, we encourage you to do it soon!

03/03/2025

Answer to Friday's giveaway question: We have vaccinated 1,242 animals last year for rabies.

Jen Bucy is our winner with the closest guess of 1,323! Jen-please contact the office to collect your prize!

Thank you all for playing!

02/28/2025

PLEASE DO NOT click the link in the response to your guess, it is a fake account that was posing as Stillmeadow. They replied to each guess with a link that is not from us! They have been blocked, and their responses hidden, but if you still see it on your end, please do not click the link! Thank you!!

📣 GIVEAWAY ALERT 📣

March is one of our busiest months of the year as our clients are reaching out to us for spring vaccination appointments. If you haven't already done so, log in to your portal to see when your animals are due and contact our office to get a preferred appointment date/time.

With Rabies vaccination being the most important, how many do you think we administered last year? 💉 Like this post and comment with your guess for your chance to win Stillmeadow swag! Winner will be announced Monday. 🤩

02/19/2025

Colic can be a stressful and scary occurrence for equine owners, and it often requires the attention of an equine veterinarian to detect the cause of the episode and to provide treatment.

One way your horse doctor may try to determine the reason your equine companion is colicking is by performing a re**al examination. Here are a few things to keep in mind regarding the equine re**al exam:

• Re**al exams need to be performed by a skilled professional (your vet) or severe damage can occur to the internal structures.

• Re**al exams typically do not allow a veterinarian to alleviate the reason for colic. Your vet is feeling structures through the re**um not directly on the structures themselves, and therefore cannot pull out an impaction, etc.

• For the safety of the patient and your veterinarian, as well as the nature of the procedure, sedation is often required.

• NEVER perform a re**al exam yourself while waiting for the vet to arrive, as this could result in life threatening tears in the re**um and/or colon.

If you have questions or concerns that your equine companion may be colicking, please contact your veterinarian.

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

**alExams

02/07/2025

Foaling Season is upon us! For those of you who are awaiting a baby this Spring or are considering breeding in the future, this is a great educational opportunity and it is free! Drs. Chelsea Folmar and Taylor Huffman will discuss topics such as:

- How to create a foaling kit that can be kept stall-side
- The timeline of parturition
- The newborn foal exam
- Some common foal abnormalities, this is to help owners recognize when prompt veterinary intervention is required

Registration is required, you can register online with the QR code or by clicking the link below ☺️

Are you foal-ready?

Join AAEP member veterinarians Drs. Chelsea Folmar & Taylor Huffman on Feb. 12 for a webinar discussion that will help you prepare for the foaling season. Learn how to create a foaling kit, the timeline of parturition (foaling), and how to recognize when veterinary intervention is needed.

Registration is FREE but required. A recording of the webinar will be available if you miss the live event.

Register here: https://events.zoom.us/ev/Ats8dN0E2JxrJYoBUPKU7BW_HtYcwxW988ZYvpWRruqNFu98_uws~AnoL_ZTlIx2iZDbk457AKzpEPWgwMyM1m36OoJWUUyiXJPOgKi4PHJJYdQ

This informative session is brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

02/06/2025

Good Morning! The Stillmeadow office staff will be working remotely due to the icy conditions. You may contact us by phone, text or email, however, we will not be available for medication pick ups at the office today. Thank you!

02/03/2025

Foaling Season has begun for Stillmeadow! Over the weekend, this adorable filly joined the world! Congrats to Whysper Wynd Farm on the birth of Morissette (after Alanis Morissette), who is by the TB stallion Archangelo and out of Joy Moon ☺️ Stay tuned to see if any other 90's Pop icons will have a namesake foal this year!

01/28/2025

As the source of 50 to 90% of a healthy horse's nutritional needs, hay warrants careful consideration as a precious commodity. This becomes especially true during the winter, when roughage in the diet is the main source of heat for the horse.

Generally, horses at rest in ambient temperatures of 70°F consume 2% of their body weight in roughage (hay) per day. A 1,100-pound horse will eat approximately 22 pounds of hay per day. A horse with a moderate hair coat starts requiring additional calories for body temperature regulation at approximately 50°F. Add about 2 pounds more hay for every 10-degree temperature drop. With wind and rain at near-freezing temperatures, the feed required increases by approximately 10-15 pounds to 32-47 pounds of hay per day!

If you're purchasing hay for your horse this winter, remember that there’s no such thing as “the best hay” when it comes to the nutrient value. That all depends on your horse’s protein and energy requirements, which are ultimately determined the individual's age, stage of development, metabolism and workload. If you think your horse is too fat or too thin (or even if you are unsure), discuss the appropriate feeding recommendations with your veterinarian; they can help you formulate a balanced and cost-effective diet that meets your individual horse's dietary requirements.

Finally, always keep in mind that water is critical for digestion, so be sure to monitor your horse’s water intake to minimize the chance of intestinal impactions!