Ascent Veterinary Health

21/02/2025

Hope to see you in Caldwell County!

19/02/2025

While the snow today may make it seem like spring is a long way off, spring calving is almost upon us. Are you prepared for your animals to go into labor and to recognize when they need help? This article from University of Minnesota can help you decide when a cow needs assistance and when to intervene.

https://extension.umn.edu/beef-cow-calf/when-help-cow-or-heifer-calving

If you and your animal need assistance please reach out at 828-222-6900.

Dr. Brett McCaskill

18/02/2025

I am so glad to be involved with helping teachers the next generation and share my passion for cattle and veterinary medicine. I am also thankful for wonderful clients like this that think of us to be involved with their animal care. -Dr. Brett

14/02/2025

Spring grazing is right around the corner. Time to start thinking about preventions for upcoming health issues in our herds. One of the big concerns every spring is grass tetany, especially in our older lactating cows and rapidly growing calves. Prevention is key for this disease as when symptoms start to show it can become an emergency situation. Fields at particular risk are ones where heavy amounts of manure or chicken litter have been applied. Cool season grass fields such as fescue and timothy as well as annual grasses such as wheat and rye have low levels of magnesium and increase this risk. The best prevention is to feed a high mag(10-12%)mineral from late winter, prior to lush grass growth, through early summer when the heat slows down the rate of growth. Other preventative measures can be diluting your grass stand with legumes such as clover which can be frost seeded at this time of year as well.

More information can be found at the link below.

Let me know if you would like help assessing your herd risks and developing a plan to mitigate these.
Dr. Brett McCaskill

As spring approaches and grass begins to grow, grazing livestock may experience a forage-related problem known as grass tetany, grass staggers, lactation tetany, or hypomagnesemia. Grass tetany is a metabolic disorder caused by reduced magnesium (Mg) levels in the animal’s blood. In cattle, it gen...

12/02/2025

Did you know we offer a wide range of reproductive services for your cattle? We are here to assist you not only in breeding soundness exams and pregnancy examinations but also in sire selection, estrus synchronization, artificial insemination, and embryo implantation. We can provide semen for breeding your cattle as well as store semen for bulls you have chosen for your herd. With cow prices and bull prices at an all time high, now is an excellent time to consider artificial insemination as an option for your herd. With a wide range of genetics available artificial insemination is one of the quickest ways to improve your herds genetic pool. Give us a call or send us a message today if you would like to discuss how we can help you with this process.

Dr. Brett McCaskill

09/02/2025

Are you expecting a foal this spring? Be sure to sign up for the webinar at the link below to get foal-ready!

https://aaep.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=098934c9131c3fad1fa75df6c&id=918c7fd854&e=4f3b46c49d

07/02/2025

Spring is upon us and that means vaccination season for our horses. Our schedule is starting to fill out to a further wait as spring gets busy. Be sure to schedule your spring wellness visit in advance to help ensure you can keep your horses up to date.
Dr. Brett McCaskill

Learn the basics of vaccines and which ones are considered core vaccines.

06/02/2025

Spring bull sales are hitting full swing this month. If you are on the look out for a new herd sire we are happy to help with recommendations based on your operation. There are always multiple factors at play with how to best make a selection and should be thought about carefully.

If you already have established herd sires, now is the time to get them checked to ensure they still pass a breeding soundness exam before they are needed for spring herd breeding.

Reach out to us if you would like assistance in selecting your next herd bull or to set up your breeding soundness exam today.
Dr. Brett McCaskill
828-222-6900

Cow/Calf Corner Newsletter form Oklahoma State University

05/02/2025

This warm week has us thinking spring is just around the corner. Time to start planning out our management strategies for our herds. One thing we like to talk about is proper deworming strategies. If you are interest in talking about what may be best for your herd give us a call today!
Dr. Brett McCaskill
828-222-6900

And be sure to check out the article below from University of Missouri.

SALEM, Mo. – The use of commercial livestock dewormers has paid off in terms of animal health and productivity, but it has also resulted in resistance among parasite populations. “As dewormers lose effectiveness, producers need to develop a broader strategy for managing internal parasites in the...

17/01/2025

Deadline for Early enrollment of Equine Wellness plan is 5pm. Don't wait if you would like to sign up at the discounted rate. Call, text or email now!

[email protected]
828-222-6900

16/01/2025

We have extended the deadline for early enrollment on our wellness plans to Friday January 17th at 5pm.

Be sure to lock yours in before the price goes up!

Early enrollment, by January 17th, will get you the
wellness plan at last years price($500) before the price
goes up for 2025.

As a reminder:
This wellness plan will cover the basic needs of every
horse and includes the following

Twice yearly examination
Coggins testing
Rabies, EEE, WEE, Tetanus and West Nile vaccination
Twice yearly Flu/Rhino vaccination
Potomac horse fever vaccination
Yearly f***l egg counts
Yearly dental examination and floating

Horses enrolled in this wellness plan will receive the
following benefits:
25% reduced emergency fee
10% reduced bloodwork cost
10% reduced radiograph cost

Farm calls will be paid at time of service to allow for
splitting with others at the same location or on a
special route.

Email, text or call today to enroll and don’t miss the
early enrollment deadline of January 17th!

30/12/2024

Listen up! Its that time of year again where we start enrolling for our yearly wellness plans. Early enrollment, by January 15th, will get you the wellness plan at last years price($500) before the price goes up for 2025.

As a reminder:
This wellness plan will cover the basic needs of every horse and includes the following

Twice yearly examination
Coggins testing
Rabies, EEE, WEE, Tetanus and West Nile vaccination
Twice yearly Flu/Rhino vaccination
Potomac horse fever vaccination
Yearly f***l egg counts
Yearly dental examination and floating

Horses enrolled in this wellness plan will receive the following benefits:
25% reduced emergency fee
10% reduced bloodwork cost
10% reduced radiograph cost

Farm calls will be paid at time of service to allow for splitting with others at the same location or on a special route.

Email, text or call today to enroll and don’t miss the early enrollment deadline of January 15th!

25/12/2024

We want to wish all of our clients, patients and colleagues a very Merry and Safe Christmas!!

02/10/2024

For those looking for a way to help our horse community monetarily, we recommend Foundation of the Horse

We are devastated to see the disastrous effects of Hurricane Helene that have impacted thousands of people and equines far and wide. Please join The Foundation for the Horse, the AAEP's charitable arm, in aiding the victims of the hurricane with a donation to help those affected.

The Foundation for the Horse works directly with equine veterinarians on the ground to make sure supplies, hay, feed and veterinary care are provided to animals in need.

Pictured is an example of the devasting effects the residents of Hendersonville, NC have suffered during Hurricane Helene.

If you would like to join us in aiding those affected, donate at: https://membership.aaep.org/FFTH/Shared_Content/Donation-Pages/Give-Now.aspx?ItemId=DISASTER_RELIEF&SourceCode=GiveNow&fbclid=IwY2xjawFnmcNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHaHxoC1eLyh3A4yhmAjxmWHPmr_MlVVwcEAQlS7eG9dEchYSrXaPsyTwdQ_aem_XLRekJJPklcJ9rVpFvH-Tg

01/10/2024

If you are in Caldwell, Watauga or Avery county area need of drinking water or hay for your horses or livestock please reach out. We have the ability to deliver and people offering this assistance for those in need. You would have to be accessible by road for us to deliver.

Also if your animals are in need of temporary relocation we have gracious clients that have offered housing for horses or cows.

We are here to help as we can.

828-222-6900
[email protected]
[email protected]

Prayers for safety and healing for our community,
Dr. Brett McCaskill and the Ascent Vet team