Carmen Franck Flippin, DVM

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween from our farm to yours! Check out our patient that tried to dress like a "Dental Dracula" yesterday! Thank goodness that nightmare is corrected!

10/20/2025

Boots or no boots?

This is a question I am asked frequently. We have known for a long time that boots really aren't strong enough to decrease strain/workload on tendons and ligaments. But they DO protect again self trauma from interference. Newer research suggests that heat MAY interfere with tendon and ligament healing and these soft tissues may stay hot long after they are removed. More research is needed to know for sure at this time.

My current recommendation is, if you are doing easy work, especially in straight lines, you probably should leave the boots at home. If you are doing hard work where muscle fatigue is likely or work with lots of circles where the risk of interference is high, wear the protective boots! But possibly think about hosing your horses legs after to cool them.

Happy Monday!

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080621001210?fbclid=IwdGRjcANi-oNjbGNrA2L6YWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEesdRDAmcz9RFgb3VzsJO0NP6oC25yEm5PFhJx9mam3c8seLOCHecrJx_R1mc_aem_c5hcgBvtnta_F1lrBCDFaQ

Boots and legwraps are commonly used to protect the lower limbs of the horse from trauma during exercise. However, previous research suggests such use…

08/14/2025

Jurassic Park pony! Pretty cool!

The 42,000-year-old filly that can walk again

In the frozen lands of Siberia, under layers of ancient permafrost, a small foal was hidden for 42,000 years.
When scientists discovered it, they found something extraordinary – not just bones, but a nearly perfectly preserved body.

Her skin was intact.
Her dark brown mane is still soft
Your internal organs untouched by time.
And inside her little heart- liquid blood.

🔹 Species: An extinct type of Lena horse
🔹 Age: Only 1-2 weeks old when he died
🔹 Condition: So immaculate, it looked like she had just fallen asleep

The foal probably drowned in a muddy hollow, instantly sealed by ice. What followed was silence - and preservation. For more than four ice ages.

Now scientists are trying to do the unthinkable:
Extract viable cells.
And bring that old bloodline back.

The goal? A clone.
A living echo of a species lost in time.

It's not science fiction anymore - it's science, standing on the edge of memory.

And maybe soon, something that once walked the Ice Age
gonna walk again 🐎❄️

07/07/2025

Ice down some water or a favorite beverage, get out an extra fan, make sure your horse is clean, dry, well-behaved and flysprayed... every week but especially this one because it's national farrier week! 90% of lamenesses are in the hoof so your farrier is key to your horse's soundness! I have been shoeing my own horses for over 20 years and with each foot I touch I gain more respect for this profession. Help them take care of your horse's foundation this week and every week!

This week is National Farriers Week! Thank you to all the farriers out there working with veterinarians to help keep horses healthy and providing quality hoof care across the country.

06/25/2025

Hello all!
If you hadn't noticed, IT'S HOT. And we've gotten several calls for colics, anhidrosis (non-sweaters) and generalized heat exhaustion. Remember when the weather is like this you have to plan ahead but since we are in the heat of it, here are some tips.

#1 - Use common sense! Make sure all water supplies are filled to the max with fresh clean water daily. Make sure all salt and mineral sources are in free choice supply. Make sure every horse is in the coolest location possible, this may be in a run-in shed or cool grove of trees or may be in a stall with a fan. Everyone needs shade and air!

#2 - Hosing is important but so is removing the water. Hot water on a horse can be hotter than having them dry! If you are actively hosing with cold water you can focus on areas like the jugulars, chest, inguinal area, and under the tail but be sure to scrape them dry and stick them in front of a fan afterwards.

#3 - BUY A THERMOMETER, yesterday! I don't know how many times people told me yesterday that the horse did not feel overly hot, and my hottest horse temperature yesterday was 105.8!

#4 - Make sure your horse is sweating. Rapid respiration rate with hair standing on end can be a sign that your horse's sweat glands have fatigued. This can be a dangerous situation very quickly. If you think your horse is not sweating appropriately please let me know right away but all the above rules still apply!

Finally, if you don't have to ride, this would be a good week to rest, for both you and your horse! Stay cool out there!

04/25/2025

For some reason we have lots of donkeys on the agenda this week so June is dressed accordingly

04/12/2025

It's castration day at the clinic! Even our mule castratee was smiling 😁 probably because we removed the world's biggest set of wolf teeth! (Ok maybe not bit they were really big!) June was just mad I didn't let her scrub in!

03/18/2025

Welcome to spring! Brush off those grazing muzzles and make sure you get your spring boosters, THE MOSQUITOES AND GRASS ARE HERE!

02/16/2025

Dear horse people of Virginia,

Obviously Mother Nature is still off her meds. This is your friendly reminder that today is warm it is a perfect opportunity to take off blankets and bring them inside to dry. No matter how thick it is a damp blanket may be worse than no blanket at all. This cold weather and precipitation coming up will need everyone to be dry when it sets in. Our hearts go out to anyone that has been without power and this is also your reminder to fill any backup water systems you have now.

Checklist for today:
Fill waters
Dry blankets
Rest up because she's coming back

All our best,
Dr. Carmen and June

01/07/2025

The results are in! Rose discovered that cats have the dirtiest mouths, horses came in second, pigs are third, goats fourth and dogs are the cleanest. She also reported that cats were the dirtiest by far! We are proud of her and thank her for letting us know that doggie kisses are still safe 😂💙

01/04/2025

So proud of our 7th grade 4-Her Rose Clarke! Her science project is on which species has the most mouth bacteria! The Clarke family has quite the menagerie and had already collected samples from a dog, cat, horse and goat but today she collected swabs from resident PIC (Pig In Charge) Mr. Squiggles! Luckily he lays down for belly rubs so no pigs were harmed in the collection of these samples. We are excited to see what she discovers! What species do you think has the cleanest and dirtiest mouth?