Rocky River Large Animal Veterinary Clinic

08/23/2024

HORSE OWNERS!!!
If you have had your horse vaccinated or dewormed from January 1st to December 31st this year here is a rebate for you!

08/21/2024

Army worms affecting your pastures? Here is some helpful information on how to get rid of them.

We've been getting bombarded by calls about the ARMY WORMS!! They are quickly becoming a problem for our neighbors. Learn what they are and how to deal with them from your personal lawn and garden to livestock and pastures at the link below:
http://go.ncsu.edu/readext?1020453

08/21/2024

As fall draws closer, many horse owners are busy securing their fall and winter hay supply. If you are considering purchasing round bales for your equine companions—due to their cost-effectiveness and greater convenience for feeding pastured animals— remember that there are a few things to consider when choosing between square or round bales.

• Are you equipped/prepared to store your hay correctly?
Improperly stored round bales can lose much of their nutritional value and are also more susceptible to mold, dust, and bacteria growth, which can cause respiratory issues and even colic.

• Are your horses protected from botulism?
Round bales provide an optimum environment for the development of the botulism toxin. This toxin is produced when "Clostridium botulinum" is exposed to the right environmental conditions — such as when forage materials are baled and stored while still damp, or when they include the carcasses of dead animals, like birds and mice.

Prevention of this disease through vaccination is critical, especially in areas where the condition is prevalent (such as Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, California, and Tennessee).

• Are round bales a good choice for your horse?
Horses prone to respiratory conditions usually have increased problems with round bales due to their higher dust content.

• Do you have a feeder to place your round bales in?
Round bales not placed in a feeder can create more waste, which means your horses may not be meeting their nutritional requirements.

• Can you secure high-quality round bales?
Not all hay is created equal. Be sure to choose high-quality hay to meet your horse's nutritional needs and minimize the risk of impaction colic, which increases with lower-quality, less digestible forage.

As always, your equine veterinarian remains your best source of information and advice—consult your horse doctor on best practices when feeding hay this fall and winter!

For more information on botulism, visit our website at: https://aaep.org/guidelines-resources/resource-library/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEwcuRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHV5P3MHpvOoAOGsW2VwZTo-v_0pkILq8xN-reSg_yb3W01gGW_lfk0Nrnw_aem_Pp0WTnTG0S7pEH-BcTMV1g&_search=botulism

08/09/2024

WE’RE HIRING!!

Full Time Receptionist – 40 hours per week (4 days)

We are seeking a highly motivated, and skilled individual to join our team! Your job will be to serve as our clients’ first contact and impression of the practice. This is a big responsibility! The Veterinary Receptionist is responsible for maintaining front of house duties. These tasks vary by day but can include: answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, greeting clients, maintaining hospital required paperwork, house keeping, data entry within our software system, processing payments and reviewing invoices or discharge instructions; as well as, handling and responding to email correspondence, and participating with billing and accounts receivable, etc. To be successful in this role, clear communication and organizational skills are key! We are a 4 doctor, large animal practice that will see patients in clinic as well as at their farm. You must be thorough at scheduling appointments and logistics to keep our doctors moving efficiently.

Ideal Candidate
•Demonstrates professionalism, dependability, healthy and positive communication skills, and the ability to multi-task in a hands-on environment.
•Energetic people-and-pet person with excellent work ethic and social and organizational skills.
•Be compassionate/caring.
•Have some large animal knowledge and be comfortable around them.
•Can work individually, as well as on a team.
•Self-starter personality that can complete daily tasks without the need for constant direction.
•Have reliable transportation.

Benefits
•401k Match
•Paid vacation and sick time
•Discounted Veterinary Care
•Competitive pay
•One work/life balance day off per week
•Paid Maternity Leave
•Comp Time
•Paid Holidays

Education
•High School Diploma or equivalent required

Experience
•Front Desk: 1 year (Preferred)
•Veterinary Experience: 1 year (Preferred)
•Large Animal Experience: 1 year (Preferred)

Please email your resume to [email protected]

08/09/2024

***HORSE OWNER PSA***
With the winds and rain from Tropical Storm Debby we want to remind you to be checking your pastures, not only for down fences but for other hazards such as down trees or even limbs specifically red maples! Horses can eat as little as 1.5 lbs of wilted red maple leaves to be toxic and 3 lbs to be fatal to your average size horse, even less to ponies or minis. Research suggest that sugar maples, silver maples and their hybrids may also be toxic but not as bad as red maples. Symptoms of maple poisoning can appear hours to days after ingestion. Symptoms can include labored breathing, increased heart rate, anemia, or urinating blood.

08/08/2024

Tonight!

Do you know what to do when the weather goes haywire?

This Thursday (Aug. 8), join AAEP members Drs. Elizabeth Gorrell and Chelsea Folmar for a one-hour webinar discussing the essentials of disaster preparedness for horse owners. Whether it's tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, or wildfires, learn to plan with confidence so you and your animals are equipped to ride out any storm!

Registration is FREE but required. Limited time at the end of the session will be available for questions and answers, so we encourage you to submit your questions in advance through the registration form. To register, please visit: https://aaep-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OjyrhJK7RrOsV5LFljMxxg

Can't make the live event? No worries, a recording will be available! Click the link above to register and receive the link once the recording is available.

08/08/2024

Visit our Website to view this month's newsletter by Dr. Edgell.

Tall fescue grass is a very common forage grown throughout the southeastern United States. Whether you know it or not, you’ve come across it, and your animals may even be consuming it. There’s a reason it’s so common and popular in many regions of the nation. It’s drought and insect-resistan...

07/18/2024

https://rockyrivervets.com

Great News! We have created a monthly newsletter on our website to continue to serve you with updated educational information and events. Sometimes Facebook is not only the best option, so this gives our clients another avenue for education. Please see the "About" page and then click on "Newsletter". A link will also be provided on our emails that go out to you.

https://rockyrivervets.com/rocky-river-large-animal-veterinary-clinic-newsletter/

Rocky River Large Animal Veterinary Clinic will now be providing monthly newsletters that will be posted on our website and page. Our hope is to provide a trusted resource for the people that trust us. Each month, the newsletter will cover timely topics and reminders to give you, our client...

07/04/2024

Happy Independence Day! Have a safe and fun holiday. The office will be closed today, but back open on Friday. We will be available for emergencies as always.

06/28/2024

06/28/2024

06/28/2024

Placenta Tips- remember the 1,2,3 rule. Foal standing by 1 hr after birth, foal nursing by 2 hr after birth, placenta passed in it's entirety by 3 hours after foaling. Retained placenta is a medical emergency and a veterinarian should be contacted immediately. Do not attempt to pull the placenta out. Most common place for a placenta to be retained is the non-pregnant horn. The placenta should be examined by trained personnel or saved for the veterinarian to examine. Make sure to keep it in a bag, away from scavenger animals (including dogs!) spreading the placenta out in an "F" or "Y" pattern allows for a complete examination. Both horn tips should be examined to ensure they are intact. The horn tip resembles a tube sock- make sure that you see and feel a complete tip. The tip of the non-pregnant horn is thicker than the tip of the pregnant horn. Information courtesy of Dr. Meghan Connor at our ERC

06/13/2024

"Cool" hot weather tips! ☀️

The notion that a hot, recently exercised horse needs to walk until they are completely cooled off is a myth. A 2020 study found that out of the five methods tested, the quickest way to return to normal body temperature was stationary with continuous tap water application. This doesn't mean that you should abruptly stop exercise—finish your ride or training session with a slow walk to allow your horse's heart rate and breathing to gradually return to normal, but after that your sweaty, hardworking horse should be offered a cool shower and drinking water (small but frequent amounts) without delay.

Overall, enjoy your summer rides but be aware of signs of heat stress in your horse. When heat and humidity soar, even moderate exercise can push your equine friend's body temperature beyond safe limits! Be sure to contact your veterinarian for more information about heat stroke and for recommendations tailored to your horse's individual situation.
•
Information brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

06/13/2024

***EXCITING NEWS***
We would like to introduce everyone to our newest Veterinarian, Dr. Gunner Edgell! 

Dr. Edgell is a 2024 graduate of Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Originally from the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He was raised on a small family farm that reared beef cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, and rabbits. His passion is preventative veterinary medicine. He’s happy to develop health plans for all your animals that meet your goals.

He will be riding around with our other vets for the next couple months before he gets in a truck on his own, so please be sure to give him a warm welcome! We are very excited to have him here!

06/09/2024

Fun horse facts!

The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used?
Well, because that's the way they built them in England, and English engineers designed the first US railroads. Why did the English build them like that?
Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the wagon tramways, and that's the gauge they used. So, why did 'they' use that gauge then?
Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they had used for building wagons, which used that same wheel spacing. Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing?
Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break more often on some of the old, long distance roads in England . You see, that's the spacing of the wheel ruts. So who built those old rutted roads?
Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (including England ) for their legions. Those roads have been used ever since.
And what about the ruts in the roads?
Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match or run the risk of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome , they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. Bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a specification/procedure/process and wonder 'What horse's ass came up with this?', you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses. (Two horses' asses.)

Now, the twist to the story:
When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah . The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.
So, a major Space Shuttle design feature, of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system, was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass.
And you thought being a horse's ass wasn't important? Ancient horse's asses control almost everything.

Read more: https://diaryamazing.com

06/05/2024

BUG SEASON IS HERE!

Besides being very irritating, it's important to remember that some of these insects can spread infection and disease to your horse (and, in some cases, to you as well). Therefore, a smart strategy is to control the problem before it gets out of hand and minimize populations from the beginning.

The attached infographic contains some suggestions to get you started. Please keep in mind that there are many variations of these suggested programs that will still meet the same goals and follow the same principles.

As always, reach out to your veterinarian for recommendations suitable for your horse’s specific situation!

06/05/2024

06/05/2024

UPDATES GUIDELINES AVAILABLE 📢

The AAEP has issued revised Internal Parasite Control Guidelines to help minimize the risk of parasitic disease and maintain the effectiveness of current drugs for as long as possible by delaying further development of anthelmintic resistance.

The updated guidelines account for recent advances in knowledge concerning increased anthelmintic resistance and optimization of parasite control management practices. They also address common misconceptions and offer parasite control program recommendations for senior horses (over 15 years old), mature horses (between 5 and 15 years old), and young horses (under 5 years old).

Read more at: https://aaep.org/post/aaep-publishes-updated-internal-parasite-control-guidelines/

The guidelines were reviewed and updated by the AAEP Internal Parasite Control Guidelines Task Force, chaired by Dr. Nielsen and comprised of 10 AAEP members predominantly board certified in veterinary internal medicine, veterinary parasitology and/or veterinary microbiology. We thank them for their incredibly important work!

04/16/2024

Information from the state veterinarian concerning the status of strangles in NC. There are no outbreaks nor increase in cases. Just information to keep you informed!

04/08/2024

While the effects of looking directly at today's eclipse can be harmful, animals rarely look directly into the sun. But, of course, be sure to take precautions for yourself!

03/05/2024

YALLLLLL MARK YOUR CALENDARS 🐴🐴🐴
WHAT: FEED SEMINAR
WHERE: @ Cabarrus County Saddle Club
WHO: MCDONALD GENERAL STORE & CARGILL ANIMAL NUTRITION
WHY: DR. MARTY ADAMS PhD PAS covers feeding all classes of horses. From easy keepers, and performance horses.. and all the in between!
We will have dinner at the seminar! Please RSVP or give me a heads up to make sure everyone has a meal!
704-773-0226

03/04/2024

***ATTENTION***
Thank you all for being so patient as we have been transitioning to our new computer system. We are getting it down pat here in the office and will soon be getting laptops in the trucks for the Doctors and getting them on board as well.

We will be sending out bills soon and with our new system we will be emailing them to everyone we have an email for and snail mailing them to anyone we don't. If you have a preference please call and let the office know before Thursday 3/7. We would prefer to email as many as possible so if you are not sure if we have your email or if you have recently changed your email please call the office and update it.

Thank you!

02/08/2024

*****COGGINS CLINIC*****

Unfortunately we are only able to offer 1 date and location this year.

February 17, 2024
7:30am-12pm

At Rocky River Large Animal
1920 South Ridge Ave.
Kannapolis, NC

Prices:
Core vx (ewt/wn/rv): $75
Rabies only: $22
Strangles: $40
Flu/rhino: $30
Coggins: $30

02/07/2024

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ATTENTION ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

We have a few important things to go over!!

-Next Monday 2/12/24, we will be transitioning over to a new computer software and new computers in the office. Please be patient with us during this transition, and in the next few weeks, as we all learn this new software. We hope that this change will allow us to better serve our clients and patients.

-Also, we hate to have to post this but, Dr. Shupe is no longer with us full time. We hope to have certain days a month that she will be available for in-clinic appointments, however, at this time we do not have any dates set. We will all miss her dearly.

While we are down to only 3 doctors, please be patient with us as we try to get everyone seen in a timely manner, and any emergencies taken care of. If you are going to need routine vaccines, teeth floats, sheath cleaning, etc done please call the clinic 2 weeks in advance, if possible to schedule these things.

01/27/2024

Hello This Is Jonathan Featherstone. If anyone needs horse/dog/pet sitting in the greater Rowan, Cabarrus, parts of Stanly county areas I have three qualified daughters that can help out with your needs. Even can help middle of the day …break in the school day ….to possibly let out a dog or mid day feeding or medicating, etc. You can message me directly if you are interested. Thanks so much!!

01/16/2024

Donkeys' hair coats hardly change across the seasons, meaning they aren’t as well-equipped to deal with cold weather as horses.

01/16/2024

Here’s more winter weather tips for your horses but also good guidelines for other livestock as well!

As a storm threat of freezing rain and snow marches across the U.S. and Canada ❄️🌨🫧🌬, below are some tips for keeping your horses safe during extreme winter weather events:

1. While lots of hay is ideal for horses to eat to keep warm, now is NOT the time to introduce a round bale if they’ve never had access to one before. It may be more work, but keep throwing them their normal hay source—just more frequently.

2. Similarly, if your horse is not used to being locked up in a stall now is NOT the time. The stress of a major change and the decreased activity can be risk factors for colic. Be sure your animals have access to shelter, hay, and drinkable water but let them move around if they choose to do so.

3. Horses that are thin, older, or fully body clipped are those most at risk in extreme weather.

4. Well fitting blankets are great but be sure horses do not get sweaty under them or that the blankets don’t soak through if snow or rain covered. Wet, cold, and covered is worse that dry, cold, and naked.

5. Some of the highest risk times are when the temperatures hover right around freezing, as that can result in sleet/freezing rain/ice that can make horses wet and therefore colder. Slippery footing is a concern, too.

6. If using electric water heaters, be sure they are functioning and not shocking horses. Take your gloves off and stick your hand in the water (briefly!) to double check.

7. “Trick” your horses into consuming extra water by flavoring a bucket, adding electrolytes to their meals, or soaking their meals in warm water. If you’ve never fed beet pulp before, be sure to add LOTS of warm water. Dry beet pulp is a common source of choke.

8. Tips of ears can be at risk for frostbite. Putting a jumper-style ear bonnet or other ear cover can protect them from wind chills.

Stay safe, friends!

01/16/2024

Don’t we all wish it was this easy??