Teton Equine Mobile Veterinary Practice

01/15/2025

This patient obtained what we typically call a heel bulb laceration. This is a very common place for horses to injure themselves as they tend to kick things, run through things, etc. In this location, there are veins arteries and nerves that course down the inside and the outside of the leg, if lacerated in the right spot these vessels and nerves may be severed. If vessels are severed, your horse may continue bleeding until a tourniquet or pressure bandage is applied.

Therefore, if you see a laceration to the distal limb of your horse, it is important to act quickly and apply a pressure bandage to the wound to stop the bleeding. If the blood is being expelled with force or bleeding through the bandage, then it is likely that the artery has been severed and is an emergency. A tourniquet may be applied to the leg temporarily while the bandage material is acquired and placed on the leg. This will be helpful to prevent a significant amount of blood loss. A tourniquet should never been left on for more than 20 minutes at a time as it could starve the tissues of the oxygen they need to survive. Additionally, if you come home to find a laceration like this, it is important to look around to determine how much blood loss could have occurred as your horse may be a candidate for IV fluids or blood transfusion if too much is lost.

It is important to call a veterinarian immediately as many of these injuries can be sutured closed with great outcomes if tended to promptly. It is also likely that your horse will need antibiotics and a tetanus shot if they are not up to date on their vaccines. In some cases, depending on the location of the laceration, a bandage with an overlying foot cast may be required to prevent excess motion while the wound heals and prevent the sutures from pulling apart. The majority of these wounds will heal great if the correct veterinary care is provided in a timely matter. Additionally, pictures are ALWAYS nice as we can determine whether your horse needs to come in on emergency (if it is after hours), or whether a bandage and waiting until the next business day is possible.

01/12/2025

FEBRUARY IS DENTAL MONTH AND ITS HERE!! We are offering $95 dentals through the month of FEBRUARY in Idaho! Just a reminder that this does not include sedation or a ranch call if needed 🙂 Call or text us to get on the schedule now! As we fill up fast! (208) 881-7753

01/09/2025

Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis aka EOTRH is a mouth full (LITERALLY)! This disease causes excess proliferation of the bone within the tooth roots (build up of bone) and resorption (breakdown of bone) affecting only the tooth roots of the incisor teeth. This causes severe bone and nerve pain within the teeth. Horses with this disease typically have bulbous looking tooth roots, gum recession, and sometimes can even loose or fracture their teeth if not treated. Many horses will become so painful that they may not eat at all and demonstrate weight loss. This disease makes it hard for these horses to survive on pasture. The diagnosis is confirmed with radiographs- stickers mark the diseased tooth roots. Treatment relies on surgically removing the affected incisors, as there is currently no way to stop the progression of the disease and relieve the extreme pain. We often diagnose this disease during routine dental work. Although, if your horse is hesitant to grab onto hard foods such as hard treats or carrots, this could be a sign of EOTRH. If you think your horse may have any of these symptoms call or text us today! (208) 881-7753.

01/07/2025

Get to know the doctors!!
Dr. Morgan Poisson- We think of our clients as part of our family, but what does life look like outside the vet truck for our doctors?

Dr. Morgan Poisson joined us last year and has fallen in love with Idaho! On the weekends, you can find Dr. Poisson hiking with her dogs, fishing, scouting for hunts with her fiance, playing tennis or pickleball, or pampering her chickens. Dr. Poisson is also an avid baker who likes experimenting in the kitchen with new recipes. Enjoy a few pictures of life outside the vet truck!

12/27/2024

We have a little feathered helper today!

12/06/2024

Sweet little creatures like this just can't help but melt your heart!!! We love our equine patients no matter what shape or size!!

12/03/2024

Get to know our staff!
We think of our clients as part of our family, but what does life look like outside the vet van for our doctors?Dr. Abby Matthaeus is the founding veterinarian of Teton Equine Veterinary Practice. Once finished up for the day at work, Dr. Abby is off to rope on one of her many horses. Dr. Abby loves hunting and fly fishing with her husband and their band of horses and 3 dogs. Enjoy a few pictures of life outside the vet van!

11/29/2024

Lameness (limping) can be caused by a variety of ailments in horses, and rarely are physical exam findings alone enough to definitively diagnose the cause of a lameness in most horses. However, in the case of a peroneus tertius tendon tear (like in this horse) horses will demonstrate the ability to flex the stifle while fully extending or straightening the hock at the same time. The ability to extend the hock and flex the stifle simultaneously (as shown in this picture) is not possible in horses without this injury. Therefore, identifying this is considered a classic clinical sign and diagnosis of this particular injury.

The peroneus tertius tendon is the tendon that courses along the front of the stifle to the hock. The tendon prevents hyperextension of the hock during flexion of the stifle. An injury to this tendon can sometimes result in localized swelling/effusion along the tendon acutely. Fortunately, prognosis for recovery in these horses is still considered good. Stall rest with a slow return to work over the course of 10-12 months, along with additional therapies such as shockwave will commonly lead to a full recovery. Although rare, peroneus tertius tendon ruptures in horses do still occur. This is just another reason why our doctors feel that a thorough physical exam is always of the utmost importance in any patient they see.

11/26/2024

Is your horse consistently back sore? Kissing spines (overriding dorsal spinous processes) is a common cause of back pain in horses. This occurs when the top “fin” or “spine” of each vertebrae come into contact at rest or during motion. When this occurs, it results in bone remodeling and can cause significant back pain.

Clinical symptoms horses may demonstrate that experience this include but are not limited to bucking and kicking, bad behavior associated with being saddled or ridden, reluctance to perform, pain with touch/back pressure/brushing. Kissing spines is more likely to be seen in horses with nutritional imbalances, compensatory lameness issues, lack of muscling (atrophy) around the topline, or due to ill-fitting saddles. This disease is also suspected to have a genetic component with the ability to be hereditary in some bloodlines.

X-rays can be used to identify this issue along with numbing/blocking the back. Treatment options include: Muscle building exercises, shockwave therapy, dorsal spinous process injections with steroids or regenerative biologic therapies and in severe cases surgical procedures. NSAIDs can be used to help control pain and inflammation associated with the disease, however they are not considered a solution to the problem.

These X- rays demonstrate patient’s backs that have been that have been diagnosed with kissing spines. These horses are currently managed with many of the above treatments. And because of these advancements in veterinary care, these horses are still able to perform comfortably and do what they love to do!

If you suspect that your horse may have kissing spines, giive us a call or shoot us a text today (208) 881-7753.

11/21/2024

Blanketing can be useful for older, younger and thin horses that have difficulty regulating their body temperatures. It is also ideal during times of severe wind or wet rain and snow when the hair can’t stay fluffy with air and trap heat. When the hair becomes matted, wet or is flattened by wind, it is difficult for horses to regulate heat as well. Another tip to keep your horses warm is to feed them hay more frequently during periods of severe cold because digestion within the G.I. tract creates a lot of heat within the body.

❄️ Underweight horses are more vulnerable to heat loss in cold weather because they lack the natural insulation of body fat. These horses have a higher Lower Critical Temperature (LCT), meaning they’ll need extra calories to maintain a stable body temperature. 🐴🌡️

Blanketing can be a great tool for underconditioned horses, helping to minimize heat loss and keep them cozy through the chilly months. Remember to check their blanket regularly for comfort and fit!

Want to learn more about blanketing your horse, read our article:
🇨🇦 https://madbarn.ca/blanketing-your-horse/
🇺🇲 https://madbarn.com/blanketing-your-horse/

11/18/2024

Can you spot the lameness?

This horse was initially sore on the right front, but when we blocked (numbed) his heel bulb he became immediately sore on the left front. Horses will often times show a limp (or lameness) on the limb that is the most sore at the time. Once the pain is removed from the limb that is the most sore, like in this case with a heel bulb block, then they can all of a sudden show us lameness in the contralateral limb. When this happens we know that the horse is actually sore on both limbs but the right front is more sore than the left. Sometimes, when a horse is sore on both front feet you will notice a stiff and stilted shuffling gait sometimes making it difficult to identify which limb the horse is sore on. The reason this horse was sore was because his heels were slightly under-run and the shoes he was wearing were putting too much pressure on his low heels. Sometimes just altering the angles of the foot or applying a special shoe that allows heel relief is all that is needed! This is why having a good farrier-veterinary relationship is so important for our equine friends!

P.S- The answer to the question was left front.

Call or text if you think your horse may be showing soreness today (208) 881-7753.

11/15/2024

Can you spot the abnormality? Pre-purchase exams are an important step in making sure you are setting yourself and the horse you are considering up for success. A pre-purchase exam consists of an in-depth physical examination, an ophthalmic exam, a lameness evaluation with flexions, and a neurologic examination. A pre-purchase exam helps to rule out conditions that may affect the ability of the horse to do their desired job. Based on the findings during the examination, the doctor might recommend more specific diagnostics (such as US or X rays) that may find abnormalities such as this bone fragment. During this horse’s pre-purchase examination, Dr. Poisson noticed very mild swelling of the fetlock. The horse was not lame. Radiographs revealed a bone fragment that was later surgically removed. If left in the joint, the fragment would have caused severe inflammation within the joint, which could ultimately result in a progressive arthritis and cause future lameness issues.

11/07/2024

SPECIAL ALERT! For the month of November, Shockwave therapy will be 25% off! Shockwave is a non-invasive treatment that uses high energy sound waves to stimulate healthy, pro-healing, anti-pain inflammation into specific joint or soft tissue areas. This therapy is proven to help speed up the healing time for soft tissue injuries such as tendon injuries or muscle injuries and hard tissue conditions such as arthritis, kissing spines, or neck/back pain. Shockwave can also be used to keep your performance horse healthy and happy as a form of routine maintenance. Call for more information or to schedule today! Call or text today to schedule your appointment! (208) 881-7753.

11/01/2024

Ask us about our F***l Float special for the month of November!!! Running fecals to check for parasites at a discounted rate for the month of November!! Call or text us at (208) 881-7753. Remember....If you don't check you don't know! And if your horse does not have worms then you could be wasting your money deworming all your horses annually, biannually etc.!! Text or call us at (208) 881-7753 to schedule a manure drop off soon!

10/31/2024

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM ALL OF US AT TETON EQUINE!!! Anyone knoe whats going on here? No it's not a "googley eye" in the spirit of Halloween.

This is actually a picture of a patient who luxated (displaced) their lens within their eye. The lens is the part of the eyeball that is responsible for our focus. The lens is like our built in magnifying glass. It allows us to see near and far objects. The lens job is to stay in alignment with the pupil and project an image of the object we are focusing on to the back of the eye (the retina) which then sends the message to the brain thru a nerve at the back of the eye called the optic nerve! Typically it is very hard to visualize the lens (this disc like structure at the back of the eye). However, because this horse luxated it's lens you can actually see the lens structure is sitting through the pupil and to the left. This is a rare condition to have in horses and can result in blindness.

It's important to remember that horses can't talk to us and tell us what's wrong. Therefore, if they are acting spooky or their behavior seems off or abnormal on one side or another it may be a behavior that has developed due to decreased or poor vision (among other possibilities) but sometimes this is the first sign we notice. If you have noticed any abnormal behaviors in your horse, chat with our doctors today. Call or text (208) 881-7753.

10/30/2024

This is a patient of ours that fractured one of his premolars. Once identified, we immediately extracted the fractured molar because if it's not removed, it serves as a nidus for infection and results in significant discomfort to the horse. Fractured teeth are very painful in horses as they are in humans. They can result in pain,"bad" behavior, bit avoidance, weight loss, or eventually cause the horse to become mouth or head shy. Additionally, because horse molars are so tightly interlocked in horses, if the infected tooth is left untreated, the infection can fester and migrate from one tooth root to the next eventually compromising the entire arcade.