Bay Equine Service

11/26/2025

https://youtu.be/0XzuuYmIEQY?si=AkldI8Q4ykzNiehX

In case you missed this presentation live yesterday, this is a recording. More good information. Worth a watch, sponsored by AAEP for horse owners.

This is the recording of a webinar held November 25, 2025. Please note that the current EHV-1 situation is changing rapidly. To get the most updated informat...

11/22/2025

Equine EHV-1.
Everyone has read about the EHV-1 outbreak in Texas and Oklahoma that started at the women’s professional rodeo association in Waco, Texas.
Please be cautious and critical of what you read on social media. Information is good, panic is bad.
Virtually all horses have been exposed to this virus and can have a positive blood titer if tested, and do not get sick. The virus does stay in the body, and during periods of stress can cause illness, without a new exposure. It has been shown that old horses have more serious complications in these cases than younger horses. We have read about the case in St. Mary’s County Maryland. I do not personally know this Horse or Owner or Farm. But official sources have confirmed this is an unrelated case to the current outbreak in the west. Most likely this horse was a horse that had the virus in its system and for some reason it reactivated and caused a severe illness that the horse did not survive. Due to the power, often bad, of social media there is no need for the owner or farm to be identified. The state does do contact tracing. So if there was any exposure, you would be notified. 
With hundreds of horses at the competitions in Texas, and Oklahoma, there will surely be many more cases in the next week or two. We do not know yet how widespread this outbreak will be due to the number of horses and how far these horses travel to competitions around the United States.
The best protection against spreading this disease is identification, isolation and quarantine.
If you go to competitions or events with lots of horses at a location, It is always good practice to take temperatures daily or twice a day. Low-grade fevers of 101.5 are often in the first signs of EHV-1. Knowing your horses normal temperature is important. Horses are usually about 100.0, but some run low and their normal temperature is 99.0. So a degree and a half above their normal daily temperature is something to be of concern. Early identification and quarantine is the most important thing. “Healthy” horses can be infectious and spread the disease before they are noticed to be sick.
The EHV-1 virus can cause respiratory disease, abortions, and EHM the neurologic form. Our vaccines protect against respiratory disease and abortion. There is no vaccine for the neurological form. Vaccines do decrease the shedding of virus in healthy horses, so can help decrease the viral load in the environment. This potentially helps decrease all diseases from EHV-1. This is why proof of vaccines are required at many events.
Bay Equine normally vaccinates for Flu and EHV rhino twice a year.
Spread of the virus is through Contact. It does not live more than a few hours in the environment. However, communal water troughs can be a common source of spread. Temperatures and moisture contribute to how long viruses live in the environment.
You can think of it a little bit like Covid. If you drink from the same glass, or water bucket, as someone else you could be exposed. If you are very close in a car or around a dinner table, or in stalls across from each other, or tied next to each other, you could expose each other. You, or your horse, can look healthy, but still be contagious. If you go into a stall immediately after an infected horse leaves, you could be exposed. If you enter that stall 24 hours later, probably not.
Horses usually show signs within one to three days of exposure. But this can be as subtle as a 1.5° temperature increase which you wouldn’t notice without a thermometer.
I will try to post more later. But the take away messages now are:
1. Take temps regularly. Know your horses normal temp and keep a log in writing.
2. Be aware of your surroundings. Pay attention to water sources, and distance from other horses. If you’re using a stall at an event, when was the last time a horse was in there. If you’re not required to bring a health certificate, then no one else is either. 
3. Just because we had one isolated case in Maryland, does not mean we are at high risk like Texas and Oklahoma and some of the western states at this time. 
4. Social media can be very good, and very bad. We all know this. Just remember not everything you read is true or accurate.

Most of you know, I also ride and compete and trailer to endurance rides in many states. So I’m in this with you professionally and personally.
Dr Linda Molesworth



11/10/2025

HOLIDAY COGGINS DELAYS
Our regular lab will be closed from November 17 through December 9, 2025. We do have another lab, but it will add additional fees and longer return times for coggins testing.
Be sure to make your appointment now if you need Coggins results in the next month.

10/15/2025

Tonight’s emergency. Lacerations can be very rewarding. And when I have a wonderful patient, it makes my job a bit easier. ❤️
This is a common place for horses to injure themselves. Rubbing eyes, throwing heads up, or finding an itchy spot. Luckily it was far enough away from his eye and he did not injured his cornea.

09/14/2025

Beautiful morning at the farm.

09/10/2025

Just a reminder- We still have spots open for our Gastroscope Clinic September 24th. Contact us at 410-535-9700, for more information!

08/20/2025

Equine Gastric Ulcer disease
Join Dr Kelly Quesinberry and Dr Linda Molesworth for our next gastric scoping seminar on Wednesday September 24, at Bay Equine Service and Fresh Meadows in Huntingtown Maryland.
We have a limited amount of spaces, so call or email us to reserve your spot. Scoping starts at 9 AM. All horses must be properly fasted. You can keep them here overnight and we will be sure they are ready for scoping the next morning.
You will be able to get your horse scoped at less than half the regular fees, and our sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim has graciously donated some gastrogard for participants. The company also has a guarantee for their product. If your horse is scoped and found to have ulcers, is treated properly, and re-scoped with no improvement, they will stand behind their product and take care of you and your horse. 
Stomach ulcers can cause a variety of symptoms in a horse. From weight loss, poor performance, lameness, and general discomfort among others things.
If you are suspicious that your horse may have ulcers, are using an over-the-counter product and want to know if it is effective, or want to just come observe the procedure, just send us an email.
[email protected]
410-535-9700

08/14/2025

Sheep farm visit! While Dr. Kelly was examining one, a friend came over to supervise.

He wanted to make sure Dr. Kelly didn't pull the wool over his friend's eyes 😉.....

In all seriousness, Dr. Kelly had a good morning examining these sheep, all of which were very friendly.

08/06/2025

Neat dentistry case today.
Mini horse with a lateral incisor that had a piece missing and started growing laterally. Little guy was bothered by it and licking and making sucking noises. First thought I would need to extract the tooth. But root was very strong in this 8 yr old.
So I filed it down and results were beautiful. First photos before procedure, and then the after ones.
Call us for all your equine dental needs!

07/11/2025

Ultrasound exam today to confirm a pregnancy that we checked last month at 15 days. This mare has a history of not conceiving with AI and live cover, losing pregnancies, and multiple cysts in her uterus. The cysts can interfere with conception. Cysts can also look like a pregnancy vesicle at 15 days. Good news this morning, as we found a healthy pregnancy and saw a heartbeat. The mare is roughly 45 days post breeding. The video is short but if you look in the center you can see a beating heart. Love my Job🥰
In the first still photo of the uterus, the black is fluid (embryonic vesicle), with the white embryo that looks like a tadpole or fish swimming in the fluid, and attached to the wall of the vesicle with the "tail", on the right of the photo. This will become the umbilical cord.
The heart is in the center of the white circle. You can see it beating in the short video. The second video is slowed down a little.

04/30/2025

Case of the week. Skull fracture.
This is actually one of my borders here at fresh Meadows. She noticed a lump on her Horse‘s face last week and just had me look at it yesterday. You can see the big white bump and fracture in the center of the xray picture.
My own Mustang Ford actually had a similar but less serious one of these a few years ago. He consistently had tripped and fell on his face. Not sure how this Mare got hers. But she either got kicked in the face in the field, fell on her face, or threw her head up in the shed while nobody was watching. I believe they probably have quite a headache when they first do this. But right now a week later it is not sore to touch and she can go about her normal activity . It should heal and the lump get much smaller over the next 4 to 12 months.

04/23/2025

Another well written opinion

Listen up general public. There are some things you need to know about veterinary medicine that no one wants to get real about....

1. 99.9% of veterinarians are not in this career for the money. Do I need to say that louder for the people in the back? Vet School is hell, and the crippling debt after graduation is even worse. Not to mention internships, residency, and being worked to the bone day in and day out once you've completed the above 3 steps. There are always bad ones out there. If you really think your vet is just in it for the income, find a new vet.

2. Vets are not "too expensive", medicine is. Trust me, big pharma is kicking our asses as well. Equipment is expensive. Medical insurance is expensive. Liability insurance is expensive. Medications are expensive. MEDICINE. IS. EXPENSIVE. Have you ever gone over an itemized statement from your doctor or surgeon? Yeah, I thought so. Guess what? We use a lot of the same medications and equipment without being able to charge your insurance out the ass and write off what isn't paid.

3. Did you know the average amount that a vet clinic is in debt due to outstanding/unpaid invoices? $80,000+. Wrap your head around that for a minute.... Do you know how it got that high? Payment promises. So your vet is an as***le because they want you to pay your bill and won't let you make payments? They HAVE let people make payments, and that's why they are in so much debt.

4. We understand budgets. We do. Really. Did you see any new shiny sports cars in the staff parking lot? Yeah, no. Most of us can't afford them. If you can not afford gold standard medicine and treatments, or have a certain budget, TELL US. We can go with option b, or c, or d. We will come up with a treatment plan that will work for everyone. Will it be the best medicine we can provide? No. Sometimes our own staff can't afford expensive/extravagant treatments for their own pets. We understand. But when you say, "Do all the things." and agree to the amount discussed for said treatment knowing you can't afford it, then waiting until check out to tell us you have no money makes you a thief and an as***le. The treatment and services provided were NOT free. Someone had to pay the overhead on medications and equipment and the staff it takes to work on your pet. This means that your veterinarian just paid to treat your pet. Don't be that person. Just don't.

5. Most veterinary staff make less than an employee at Walmart or McDonalds....yeah....We rely on significant others to help provide for a family or carry medical insurance. Single parent vet staff, y'all the real MVP'S. Same as above statement, don't be an ass, we don't make enough to put up with it.

6. Yes we know Chewy and 1800petmeds are less expensive. Remember #1 where we talked about getting screwed over by drug companies? Yeah, that. We can't even purchase these medications at the price those places are selling them for. Small businesses can not compete with corporate giants. So don't ask them to. However, these online pharmacies aren't going to come in after hours to see your sick pet, or return a text asking for medical advice, or be there for you and your furry friend in a time of need. Think about that for a minute. Your vet has. It honestly is a slap in the face when we bust our asses to help you, even after hours, and you take your business elsewhere? No vet will tell you that to your face, bc professionalism, etc., but I will.

7. Last one, I swear. I know what you're thinking, if veterinary medicine sucks so much, why do it? BECAUSE WE LOVE ANIMALS. Behind the scenes, we work through lunch, we curse, we cry, we laugh, we can't take fancy vacations, and the majority of our job involves bodily fluids...so...many...fluids, but we love pets. We want to educate owners. We aren't trying to make a buck, we are trying to keep your pet healthy. Prevention, vaccines, and diet are all things we need to discuss. Don't do the, "well you're just trying to make money by upselling us, the dentist/breeder/Petco employee/ google said the food you recommend is bad and medicine is poison". Yeah...so we make a hell of a lot more money on sick pets....just sayin'. And what the hell do you think petmeds, chewy, petco, and petsmart are trying to do??? Make. Money.

We knew all these things going into this job, and still chose to get up and go to work today. Not. For. The. Money.

Although, I've always looked better in scrubs...🤷‍♀️