Keswick Equine Clinic

01/03/2025

Due to the anticipated inclement weather coming in on Monday, January 6th we will only be open for emergency calls on Monday. We plan to resume our normal business schedule on Tuesday and will keep you posted as we recieve updates. Stay safe and stay warm friends!

01/01/2025

12/27/2024

Get your equine friend's medications & supplements delivered directly to your door! When you order through our online pharmacy, your KEC vets can review and approve your requests quickly and efficiently. Check it out by visiting our website or clicking the link below! https://keswickequineclinic.ourvet.com/pet/

12/24/2024

Merry Christmas form all of us here at KEC, we hope you have a blessed holiday! Our office will be closing at 1pm today and will reopen on Dec. 27th. As always our emergency services will still be up and running 24/7 throughout the holiday season. Hope you and your equine friends all made it onto the nice list this year!

12/19/2024

We saw this and couldn't help but share for our K-9 friends. A holiday barkuterie board, what an adorable idea from ASPCA Pet Health Insurance!

12/18/2024

If you own horses long enough, sooner or later you are likely to be confronted with a medical emergency—even during the holidays. Are you prepared to act?

Having a clear emergency action plan will help you stay focused and effective if a crisis strikes. Below are some basic guidelines that can help you prepare for an equine emergency:

1. Know how to reach your regular veterinarian after hours. Ask about a back-up or referring veterinarian in case your regular horse doctor is not available for emergencies.

2. Have a plan for transporting the horse if necessary and know in advance the most direct route to an equine surgery center.

3. Prepare a first aid kit and store it in a clean, dry, readily accessible place. Keep a first aid kit in your horse trailer or towing vehicle as well and be sure to check your supplies periodically and restock as needed. First-aid kits can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like; seek your horse doctor's advice on what to add, especially regarding any drugs that could be included and how they should be administered.

12/16/2024

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF INFECTION AT YOUR BARN?
Here is some helpful info from The AAEP on infection control and as always, please reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have!

While parasite control and immunization with vaccines remain key pieces of any infection control plan, horse owners need to remember the importance of reducing or preventing exposure of the horse to infection causing agents in the first place.

This will surely require more work than simply scheduling a vaccination appointment for your horse, but if you’re thinking, “Is this REALLY necessary?” — the answer is yes. Any effort you put in to preventing infection vastly outweighs the cost of treating and possibly hospitalizing a sick horse!

12/11/2024

Important reminder for the upcoming holidays!

It’s the most festive time of the year…but it can also be a risky time for your pets. Keep your holidays happy and safe by following these “Holiday pet DON’TS.” AVMA members - you can download and print this helpful flyer to display at your clinic by visiting https://bit.ly/3VdkDeG

12/06/2024

Do you know what EHV really is? It’s more than just a snotty nose.

What is Equine Herpesvirus (EHV)?

You've probably heard it called Rhinopneumonitis, a respiratory tract disease that results in "snotty noses," but EHV is more than that. Depending on the strain, this virus can also cause abortion in broodmares, and equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) — the often deadly neurologic form of the disease.

Because EHV is endemic in many equine populations, most mature horses have developed some immunity through repeated natural infection. However, they remain a source of infection for other susceptible horses, like weaned foals and yearlings, who usually display symptoms of the respiratory form of the disease in autumn and winter. Performance and show horses are also more vulnerable to the disease, as they commingle with unfamiliar equines in close quarters while under stress from travel and competition.

Proper biosecurity protocols can help reduce EHV outbreaks and other disease transmission. A variety of vaccines are also available for protection against both the respiratory and abortive form of the disease, but there is no equine licensed vaccine at this time that has a label claim for protection against the neurologic form (EHM).

Consult your primary equine veterinarian to learn more about this disease, and work with them to determine the optimal vaccine protocol for your horses.

12/03/2024

Types of Examinations Part 5: Lameness Examination
The most common reason for performing a pre-purchase exam (PPE) is to evaluate the horse’s soundness. Lameness is the number one cause for loss of use in horses, so this is often the potential buyer’s biggest concern and reason for having the horse evaluated.
Here's what you can expect during the lameness portion of the exam:
1. Initial check- The veterinarian will examine the legs for heat, swelling, or pain.
2. Movement- The horse will be observed in straight lines and circles at a walk and trot.
3. Flexion Test- Specific joints are flexed, and after, the horse is jogged for the veterinarian to spot any lameness.
4. Ridden Exam- Many vets like to observe the horse under saddle to spot subtle issues.
If no significant problems are discovered when evaluating the horse’s gaits, the next step in the exam is often diagnostic imaging of the horse’s legs. The most common imaging includes taking radiographs (X-rays) to evaluate the bones and joints and ultrasound to evaluate the soft tissues (tendons and ligaments). Whether you want to have X-rays and/or ultrasound performed as part of the PPE should be discussed with your veterinarian when you schedule the exam.

12/02/2024

Types of Examinations Part 4: Reproductive System
There are not as many horses being evaluated for purchase as breeding animals as horses for athletic purposes. The pre-purchase examination (PPE) for breeding is often much more specialized, concentrating on the horse, whether a mare or a stallion, having the normal anatomy and function of the reproductive tract.
Examining mares includes visually inspecting the external portions of the reproductive tract, including the mammary gland, and palpating and/or using ultrasound to view the internal reproductive organs. Samples may be obtained from the uterus to culture for any bacterial infections or to examine the uterus's lining to see if it can maintain a pregnancy.
For stallions, a similar type of examination may be done to evaluate the external reproductive organs, and a semen sample may be taken to assess the number, shape, and motility of the s***m cells. These exams determine the likelihood that the horse, whether a mare or stallion, can produce foals.

11/29/2024

Types of Examinations Part 3: Cardiovascular System
Horses have big hearts in both a literal and a figurative sense. Horses typically don't have heart problems as often as people or dogs, but evaluating the heart during a pre-purchase examination (PPE) is still important. During a PPE, your vet will listen to the horse’s heart to determine if the heart is beating at a normal rate with a normal rhythm and to listen for any abnormal sounds like a heart murmur. It's also common to inspect the horse’s jugular veins because, in rare instances, repeated intravenous injections can cause problems with clots or infections of these veins. Veterinarians have additional, more elaborate ways to evaluate the heart, including diagnostic ultrasound and electrocardiograms (ECG). Still, just as with the respiratory tract, these tools are not routinely used when doing a PPE.

11/28/2024

Types of Examinations Part 2: Respiratory System
A healthy respiratory tract is essential for a horse's performance and well-being. During a pre-purchase exam (PPE), the upper and lower respiratory tracts are thoroughly checked using the following methods.
Upper Respiratory Tract:
• Scoping- An endoscope examines the nostrils and throat to detect structural issues and breathing problems. The procedure is typically done while the horse is at rest, but newer dynamic endoscopes can be used while the horse exercises.
Lower Respiratory Tract:
• Stethoscope- Your veterinarian will listen to the lungs for normal airflow and abnormal sounds.
• Rebreathing bag- A large plastic bag is placed over the horse's nostrils to make them take deeper breaths, which can be used to detect abnormal sounds like coughing.
Stay tuned for our next post in the series, which will cover what to expect for the cardiovascular portion of the PPE.

11/27/2024

Types of Examinations Part 1: General Health
The pre-purchase exam (PPE) often begins with your veterinarian asking questions about the horse’s use and medical history. The horse’s history provides valuable information that your vet will use to focus the exam and help answer questions about the horse’s overall health and soundness. The PPE aims to identify any health problems the horse has on the day of the examination, including problems that the horse was born with (e.g., some heart murmurs) and issues that have developed since birth (e.g., scarring on the cornea on the eye because of an ulcer).
Some things that your vet may cover during the general exam include using an ophthalmoscope to evaluate the horse's eyes, a stethoscope to listen to the heart and lungs, and thoroughly reviewing the horse to feel and look for anything considered abnormal.

11/26/2024

What is involved in a pre-purchase exam?
The scope of a pre-purchase examination should be decided in a conversation with your veterinarian before the exam. Communicating your needs and intentions as a buyer is one of the most important parts of the exam and increases the chances of you getting the information that will help you decide on the purchase. Often, the exam scope depends on the current and/or intended use of the horse being considered for purchase. For example, the exam on a filly or mare intended for use as a broodmare would involve procedures quite different than for a horse intended to be used as a western performance or English sport horse. Once you and your veterinarian have agreed on the specifics of your wants and needs from the PPE, arrangements can be made with the seller to schedule the exam.

11/25/2024

What is a Pre-Purchase Examination (PPE)?
Pre-purchase examinations (PPEs) are frequently performed to evaluate the health and soundness of horses before being purchased or leased. A veterinarian does the exam, which can range from a simple physical examination to an exam that includes various evaluations and diagnostic tests. The PPE is arranged by the potential horse buyer with the consent of the horse seller and can help identify problems the horse has and help guide the buyer’s decision to purchase the horse. The buyer needs to recognize that the exam does not provide a “guarantee” for the horse; it is only an evaluation of that horse on the day of the exam and does not--and cannot--provide a prediction of that horse's future health or soundness. Our upcoming series will dive into what to expect from the various parts of the PPE.

11/22/2024

Horses get the flu too!

Did you know your horse can catch the flu, too?

While there isn’t a specific time of the year for “flu season” in the equine world, any time is good to learn more about this highly contagious respiratory condition—particularly because it’s one of the most common infectious diseases of the respiratory tract of horses, and recent years have been unusually active for Equine Influenza Virus (EIV) on a global scale.

EIV spreads rapidly through groups of horses in aerosolized droplets dispersed by coughing, and the severity of clinical signs depends on the degree of existing immunity within the affected individual, among other factors (i.e., correctly vaccinated horses are less affected than unvaccinated horses).
Any horse showing signs of respiratory disease (cough, nasal discharge, persistent fever) should be isolated immediately until your veterinarian can determine the exact cause.

To learn more about Equine Influenza Virus (EIV), visit these resources:
https://aaep.org/resource/aaep-infectious-disease-guidelines-equine-influenza-eiv/
&
https://www.equinediseasecc.org/equine-influenza

As always, your horse doctor remains your best source of information. Contact them to learn more about how to prevent this disease through an appropriate vaccination protocol and biosecurity practices.