03/11/2023
Spring Newsletter!
March 10, 2023
Dear Starland Equine Clients,
Happy Spring! Well, almost…it’s currently snowing outside my window, but in preparation for the nice weather that’s just around the corner…Let's talk about worms, baby! We base our deworming recommendations on guidelines from the AAEP. Since the "olden days" of deworming your horse every couple of months, we have transitioned to a more minimal schedule, in order to preserve the effectiveness of our products. Here are a few rules, and some caveats to go with them:
1. All horses should be dewormed with Quest Plus in the Fall and Ivermectin in the Spring as a bare minimum
• It's ok if you accidentally mess this up and give Ivermectin in the Fall or Quest Plus in the Spring, we just want to make sure that they get these two dewormers at least once a year.
• You don't have to wait for a hard frost. Just deworm sometime in the Fall and again about 6 months later.
• If you accidentally get Quest instead of Quest Plus, that is ok too. The Plus part is a special dewormer called praziquantel that is for tape worms. Horses should get this once a year as well, and it is included in such Ivermectin products as Zimectrin Gold and Equimax.
• Minis and ponies CAN have Quest Plus, but it must be dosed appropriately for their weight
• If you are hesitant to use one of these dewormers, please contact us with your concerns and we will do our best to explain further
2. Please check a f***l on your horse 2-4 times per year in order to determine if your horse needs special attention
• Checking f***ls is the only way to identify a "heavy shedder", and these horses need to be dewormed more often
• F***ls should be checked at least 2 months after the last deworming treatment
• F***ls should be collected fresh and immediately refrigerated. Warm samples will cause parasite eggs to hatch, and then we can't see them on the test and you will have a falsely decreased count. Please bring us your f***l samples within 2 days of collecting them.
• One f***l per year is better than none, but 2 is even better, and 4 is appropriate if the horse is new to you or changed living conditions.
• Not all horses are the same, so it is better to take one sample from each horse in your herd than 4 samples from the same horse. Even if they are the same age, breed, share a stall, and p**p on each other's food, they could have significantly different f***l results.
• Sometimes we will perform what is known as a F***l Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT). This is when we take a f***l, deworm, and then take another f***l 10-14 days later. This test is a way of measuring the effectiveness of your dewormer and monitoring for resistance. It's a great thing to do once in a while (and when we are concerned about resistance)!
3. If you have a horse under the age of 2, things are different! Like really really different. We have those recommendations written out and can get them to you in a jiffy, so don't hesitate to ask!
4. Deworming seems like it should be simple, but it's actually a multivariate higher math theorem that we are working to solve all the time, and even this lengthy tretus only scratches the surface. Please forgive us if we seem to complicate the matter. We want to make sure our recommendations are tailored to you and your horses.
On personal notes:
Dr. Julia Gray is eternally grateful for her health, family, community, and best job ever (her words!). Sometimes we may seem stressed out in the Spring, because Spring is a soul crushing time of year for large animal ambulatory vets, but it is also a promising new beginning to the year ahead. Julia recently celebrated her last year under 40 by sharing her birthday with two new foals. This must be a good omen! Julia enjoys "relaxing" by spending time with her husband and three children, gardening, yoga, riding, and doing many other things that she probably doesn't have time for. She is excited to continue developing her acupuncture skills and pairing them with Dr. Madison's spinal manipulation in the future.
Dr. Matilda has thoroughly enjoyed getting to know everyone in the Starland family. She is looking forward to another year of caring for the horses in the finger lakes, especially on the warmer, sunnier days ahead! Matilda and her husband Jesse eloped in Vermont last July! Jesse has mastered the post-emergency call meal, making for a blissful first year of marriage. Matilda is looking forward to some great hiking in CNY this summer!
Dr. Annie Madison has been kept out of trouble by her 3 very active children, the practice and helping Schuyler on Flying Pig Farm! She completed the first session of the Medical Manipulation course at Chi University in February. She can now adjust the head, neck and front limbs and has been adjusting horses in the practice since her return. She is very excited to help the overall health and wellbeing of our equine patients with this service.
Behind the scenes, Schuyler (Annie’s husband) keeps the business going, the vehicles running, the vets out of ditches and the farm on track. He’s an integral part of Starland, and we couldn’t do it without him! Brandi has returned after a few years away to help us one day a week, and we welcomed a new team member, Katie Megivern, LVT! Katie has enjoyed helping “hospitalized” patients here at the clinic and going on some farm calls with the vets. She looks forward to being in the front lines, keeping the vets organized and on task, at calls this Spring and Summer, when possible.
A few housekeeping notes: This year, due to increasing prices overall and the increased use of credit cards as a payment method, we were forced to add a small surcharge (3.5% of the total bill) when credit cards are used. If you would like to avoid this fee, you can always pay with cash or a check.
As a thank you to the clients who use us yearly for dentistry, physical exams and vaccinations, we do not charge emergency fees. If you are considering using a lay dentist, please keep the following in mind: Lay dentists are not required to have any formal training and carry no liability for their work. It is illegal for lay dentists to sedate your horse without the direct supervision of a veterinarian. Starland Veterinarians, on the other hand, keep up with continuing education, are licensed to sedate and practice on your horse, and carry professional liability insurance. If something goes wrong, you have recourse. When necessary, we consult with veterinarians board certified in surgery and dentistry. Our prices are also very competitive with lay dentists. In a time when equine veterinarians are getting fewer and farther between, routine work allows us to know your horses, keep them healthy and keep us in business, available 24/7 to protect your horse!
After dental work, an adjustment (spinal/limb manipulation) is highly recommended. Forces upon the TMJ, head, neck and front limbs (even when procedures are performed appropriately and safely) are significant – the horse head weighs 100lb! Healthy, aligned dentition, TMJ, neck and front limbs free of restrictions are your perfect set up for a great season!
We are so excited to see everyone for Spring Work this year and can’t wait to hear about your season’s goals and planned adventures! In late Spring/early Summer, we will host a Horse Owner Educational Seminar at Flying Pig Farms…stay tuned for details…
Sincerely,
Team Starland
