Cresthaven Veterinary Services

12/03/2024

Just a reminder during this cold snap!

🌨 We know that farming is a tough, everyday job - rain or shine, snow or sleet. It is even tougher LIVING out in it. All livestock require more nutrients and water during winter. Animals need more calories than normal to stay warm, especially if they are growing animals or females that are pregnant and/or raising a baby! Here at Cresthaven Veterinary Services, we would like to give you a few tips about feeding livestock during winter months:


🔵 QUALITY of Forage/feed 🌱
🔹️ Be sure your livestock are getting high quality forages with adequate protein, energy, vitamins and minerals. And REMEMBER that this quality decreases over time! If only feeding hay or stockpiled grass, you must also provide a supplement. If you don't know your forage value, we can get it tested for you.
🔵 Increase QUANTITY of forage 🚜
🔹️ Your livestock require forage to make body heat. Their appetite increases 30% 🤯 when the temperature drops below 20 degrees!!! Don't limit feed them.
🔵 Keep Feeding Areas CLEAN 🚧
🔹️ Provide hay/feed on grass or snow—not on mud or bare ground—and choose a new, clean place every day. Most livestock won’t eat hay that has been stepped or pooped on. Also, many diseases and parasites are spread through f***s. 💩
🔵 FREE-CHOICE 🍽
🔹️ It's best to allow 24/7 access to forage in winter, such as stockpiled pasture or bales. They can consume what they need and not have to rely on you bringing it. Put supplement tubs out or fill liquid tanks in advance of predicted winter storms. Fill up mineral feeders.
🔵 FRESH WATER💧
🔹️Make sure water sources don't freeze. Water intake drives feed intake - If they don't have water, they will stop eating. Yes, they will lick snow, but they don't like it and they DO NOT get enough from it. Animals decrease water intake when the water drops below 40 degrees. Constant water access will also prevent impactions. If your water source is a creek, keep a close check on the animals.

☃️As always, if you need to make an appointment with your Veterinarian when things just don't seem right, be sure to give us a call. If we can't get to the phone please leave a detailed message as we may be assisting other clients. Thank you all! Be safe out there and know that your livestock appreciate everything you do for them. 🙂

Picture of our ewes eating their 2nd cutting hay in a collapsible round bale feeder on stockpiled rotated pasture with automated waterers that are sheep or cattle height.

11/28/2024

Wishing all our clients a Blessed Thanksgiving with their families, friends, and farm critters! Don't founder yourselves! 😁

Veterinarian on call 24/7 for emergencies

Pharmacy website for all your veterinary needs:
https://cresthavenvetservices.myvetstoreonline.pharmacy

11/15/2024

We sincerely appreciate all of the consignors, buyers, sale management staff, and sponsors who helped make the 21st Annual Mountain Momma Sale a success. We would also like to thank Bottomley Farms for the use of their sale facility.

56 Fall Cow/Calf Pairs, 86 VA Premium Assured Bred Heifers, and 7 Open Yearling Heifers were sold at the 21st Annual Mountain Momma Sale on November 2nd, 2024. The average prices for the cow/calf pairs, bred heifers, and open heifers that were sold are shown below:

Avg. Price Cow/Calf Pairs = $3,789/Pair
Avg. Price Bred Heifers = $3,490/Head
Avg. Price Open Heifers = $1,657/Head

Lot #54 from the sale catalog was a Balancer bred heifer that was generously donated by consignor Gale Rippey. This heifer was sold and donated back multiple times, ultimately raising a total of $25,800 that will be used to help farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene in Grayson & Carroll Counties. We truly appreciate the generosity of all those who contributed to this cause. Below are the businesses/individuals who bought the donated heifer along with their contributions.

Buyers of Donated Heifer:
Farm Credit - $5,000
Stockner Farms - $5,000
Skyline National Bank - $4,000
First Bank & Trust - $2,500 & Bill Tucker - $1,100
Talley Farms - $2,400
Greg’s Core Supply - $2,300
Julian Rawl - $2,500
Extra Donation - $1,000

10/26/2024

10/11/2024

Always a blessing talking to students about farm animal veterinary medicine. These Grayson County students were so attentive and had so many great questions!

10/02/2024

PLEASE SHARE!!! This is where people can send donations!!! Use the link below.
https://parksrec.egov.basgov.com/graysoncountyva

09/27/2024

The aftermath and cleanup from a catastrophic storm is exhausting. We do the best we can to check fences, remove dead trees, and check on livestock. We wanted to help you identify the trees that must take priority if found down in a livestock pasture. Any part of these plants contains toxin, but livestock generally eat the leaves and the nuts/ fruit. These are highly toxic trees and we have already been seeing these toxicities for about 3 weeks because of a bumper crop or tree nuts this year.

Buckeye
- toxin mostly affects the digestive and neurologic systems
- symptoms vomiting, abdominal pain or colic, muscle twitching/spasms, and weakness

Cherry
- toxin is similar to cyanide
- symptoms include difficulty breathing, cherry red blood and gums, elevated heart rate, decreased respirations, death

Maple
- toxin causes acute blood loss and kidney failure
- symptoms include depressed behavior, lack of appetite, tiredness, stagerring, dark red/brown urine, elevated heart rate, elevated respirations, death

Oak
- toxin is tanin and found in every part of the plant
- toxin causes acute or chronic kidney failure depending on consumption. Also harms the digestive tract and liver.
- symptoms include ulcers, dark bloody urine, dark stool, lack of appetite, depression, hemorrhages, seizures, head pressing, and death

Apple
- Not directly toxic
- Mostly causes choke and bloat
- Can also cause acidosis, ulcers, and founder

If you know that you have animals exhibiting these symptoms and have had access to these or other possibly toxic plants, please call us for assistance! (276)233-9379

08/25/2024

As always, I had a great time this year with the Carroll County 5th Grade Ag Day. The students were SO attentive, interested, and asked great questions! I also had a SPECTACULAR assistant (Emma Grace) that demonstrated all my equipment and was quite entertaining. 😊 I love educating our young people about agriculture and large animal veterinary medicine!!!

08/21/2024

This year's 3rd Annual Grayson County Ag & Art Adventure3rd Annual Grayson County Ag & Art Adventure is right around the corner! Saturday, September 7 from 10 to 4 is your day to explore and tour 16 stops along our Ag & Art route. Pick and choose your own adventure at your own pace OR let us do the driving! Two curated bus tours will carry you either East or West to several of our stops. Tickets are limited and will not be available the day of the tour, so hurry and reserve your spot!

The Adventure doesn't end with the tours on Saturday--join our artists, farmers and Legends of Grayson Old-Time Weekend at the Historic 1908 Courthouse Foundation in Independence Sunday, September 8 from 1 to 4 for an afternoon of free music!

The Yates Family Band and Granny Turnmire & The Horse Creek Girls will perform in Baldwin Auditorium while artists and farmers will be set up throughout the Courthouse. Food trucks will keep everyone fed throughout the afternoon and adventurers are encouraged to bring their instruments and dancing shoes for an old-time jam on the lawn to round out this unique Grayson County weekend.

We hope to see y'all there the weekend after Labor Day, September 7 & 8, 2024! For more info, visit our website https://www.graysoncountyva.com/ag-art-adventure/ or give us a call at 276-773-8002.

08/18/2024

Everyone... remain calm. The August full supermoon (aka Blue moon) peaks at 2:26 p.m. on Aug. 19, 2024, and will be full for THREE DAYS. Prayers for all that provide emergency services!
🤯🤪😳🤦‍♀️🙏

07/31/2024

We are so blessed, humbled, and thankful for our wonderful clients that voted us Simply the Best Veterinarian in the Twin County Favorites contest! What a great surprise. We are honored to be able to serve our community! Shout out to all the other veterinarians and staff in the community giving their all everyday!

07/27/2024

We are super excited to announce that we are now offering PEMF (Pulsed Electo Magnetic Field) Therapy! This therapy helps reduce pain and inflammation in bones/muscles/joints, promotes healing, and increases general physical well-being. Contact us to set up an appointment!

07/07/2024

What a great time!!! Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the Championship Rodeo this weekend! Thanks to Oakland Ruritan for hosting.

07/04/2024

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

06/30/2024

Cresthaven Vet's Top 5 Tips for Avoiding HEAT STRESS in your animals:

1. SHADE...... Make sure livestock are in areas with adequate shade. Rule of thumb for shade is 100sq ft per animal over 500lbs. 25sq ft per sheep/goat.

2. WATER...... Ensure adequate water sources daily. Provide extra, and if possible, free-choice water. Double the amount you would normally give your animal. A horse would need 10-20 gallons. A lactating beef cow would need 20-30 gallons. Small animals need a minimum of 1oz per pound of body weight (40lb dog gets 40oz water MINIMUM). The cleaner the better. Temperature matters too...livestock prefer their water between 45-65°F.

3. AIR FLOW...... Improve ventilation when possible. Put livestock in a rolling paddock with east-west winds or steady breeze. Keep fans in barns over your horse, milk cows, or show livestock. The fans also reduce flies!

4. COOL FEEDING...... Adjust feeding schedules. Feed in early morning and/or late evening. Animals' bodies heat up after eating and any feed refusals will spoil very quickly in 80°F heat.

5. AVOID TRAILER TIME....... Avoid hauling animals if possible. Especially when the heat INDEX is 100°F or higher. Sometimes it is unavoidable, but should only be done when absolutely necessary. Open trailers may help dissipate more heat.

06/27/2024

A dairy for every day of the year in our Commonwealth! 🥛 ❤️

In honor of National Dairy Month this June, we will be looking at the impact of dairy in each state within The Dairy Alliance’s eight-state region: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Today we are looking at Virginia!