Egleston Equine & Farm Animal Clinic

02/22/2025

❗Continuing Education (CE) is a key component to a veterinarian's career.

WE ARE LIFELONG LEARNERS! 📚

🐄 Dr. Jake journeyed to Norman, Oklahoma February 13-16th for the 8th Annual AABP (American Association of Bovine Practitioners) Recent Graduate Conference. Veterinary medicine is a progressive profession and is continually evolving, so it is required for veterinarians to stay up to date with how we practice medicine by attending continuing education (CE) events. This conference was tailored to early-career large animal and mixed-animal veterinarians interested in bovine medicine.

🐮 At the conference, Dr. Jake was able to participate in a pre-conference seminar with a hands-on lab about bovine dystocia (difficult calvings) and how to approach them depending on the situation. The lab involved practicing placing calf cadavers in a bag (the uterus) in various presentations/postures/positions and then learning tips and tricks for correcting these malpositions. At the end of the lab, participants also practiced performing fetotomy on the calf cadaver, which is essentially using a special tool to guide sharp obstetrical wire around the calf and removing the calf by sawing the calf into smaller pieces. This procedure is only performed on dead calves that cannot be delivered naturally with the goal of removing the calf to save the dam for future life and production.

👨‍⚕️ During the main conference, Dr. Jake attended several informative and inspiring
lectures about a variety of topics in bovine medicine that are important for the early-
career veterinarian, including practitioner health and sustainability, respecting cultures, transition cow disease management, milking parlor and ventilation assessments, extra-label drug usage (ELDU), calf weaning protocols, and much more!

🐖 There were even some interesting talks discussing important things a cow vet should know about backyard poultry, small ruminants, and backyard swine!

Conferences are also a great time to catch up with vet school friends and discuss cases, life, etc! 😄

02/11/2025

🚨 SAFETY FIRST! 🚨

Sometimes as veterinarians we utilize restraining techniques on horses to ensure our safety, our client’s safety and the safety of our patients.

🐎 Our most common restraining techniques include client handling, sedation and/or a twitch; however, they can include more advanced techniques depending on the situation and the individual horse.

Pictured is a rope twitch. A twitch can come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Sometimes a twitch has a negative connotation; however, applying a twitch to a horse’s nose releases endorphins (AKA “feel good chemicals”) which are naturally released by the body and produce sedative and pain-relieving effects on the body. 🐴

⌚ Application of a twitch should be done prior to a procedure as it can take 3-5 minutes to take effect and give the necessary effects. Horse owners can use certain restraining techniques to aid them in clipping, working with the farrier, etc.

NOT ALL RESTRAINING TECHNIQUES WORK FOR EVERY HORSE – THEY ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS AND RESPOND TO DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES DIFFERENTLY. ❗

❣Please note: We utilize restraining techniques first and foremost for SAFETY purposes. Depending on the situation, restraint techniques will vary depending on the individual horse and situation.

02/07/2025

❣️ For those of you that will be starting to foal soon this webinar should be very helpful!

It’s free to register! 👏🏼

Are you foal-ready?

Join AAEP member veterinarians Drs. Chelsea Folmar & Taylor Huffman on Feb. 12 for a webinar discussion that will help you prepare for the foaling season. Learn how to create a foaling kit, the timeline of parturition (foaling), and how to recognize when veterinary intervention is needed.

Registration is FREE but required. A recording of the webinar will be available if you miss the live event.

Register here: https://events.zoom.us/ev/Ats8dN0E2JxrJYoBUPKU7BW_HtYcwxW988ZYvpWRruqNFu98_uws~AnoL_ZTlIx2iZDbk457AKzpEPWgwMyM1m36OoJWUUyiXJPOgKi4PHJJYdQ

This informative session is brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

02/03/2025

👏 You all did great again with your critical thinking when it came to our second “Case Study!”

Joe was seen by a veterinarian and was assumed to have tetanus based on his clinical history (or lack of) and the pr*****ed third eyelid (see picture/diagram). Did you guess correctly? 🤔

❗️Here is a link to a full document that gives a good run down of tetanus: https://www.merckvetmanual.com/horse-owners/infectious-diseases-of-horses/tetanus-in-horses

This case is a good comparison for our last case that was “diagnosed” as botulism, because tetanus and botulism are opposites of each other. Botulism causes muscles to relax and lose tone while tetanus causes muscles to spasm/tighten. 🤯

Can you solve this case? 🩺

🐴 Patient: A15-20 year old Grade QH named Joe that was purchased from an auction approximately 2 months ago with an unknown medical history.

❗Owner noticed that Joe had a small wound that they noticed after a long trail ride on his right hind leg that they had cleaned, put SSD on and wrapped. Since then there have been slight changes to Joe including a little stiffer than normal, a weird facial expression and an odd thing going on with his eyes.

What would be on your list of differentials for the diagnosis of this case? 🤔

** This is a hypothetical case for learning purposes only. **

01/31/2025

** UPDATE**

At the moment all spots are FILLED! If you called please be expecting a call back within the next few days!

Thank you to everyone who called to reserve a spot!

If you were unable to make the list please keep your eye out for future clinics!!

It's that time again...🕐

EEFAC is hosting another Cat Neuter Clinic on March 8th, 2025. Please call 570-534-4612 and press 6 to reserve your spot!

We will have 100 spots for cats and fill them on a first come first serve basis. We ask that you only reserve a maximum of 3 spots per household.

The cost will be $60/cat with the option to add a rabies vaccine for an additional $20. This event will be CASH ONLY!

Please reach out with any questions!

01/27/2025

Can you solve this case? 🩺

🐴 Patient: A15-20 year old Grade QH named Joe that was purchased from an auction approximately 2 months ago with an unknown medical history.

❗Owner noticed that Joe had a small wound that they noticed after a long trail ride on his right hind leg that they had cleaned, put SSD on and wrapped. Since then there have been slight changes to Joe including a little stiffer than normal, a weird facial expression and an odd thing going on with his eyes.

What would be on your list of differentials for the diagnosis of this case? 🤔

** This is a hypothetical case for learning purposes only. **

01/21/2025

Answers for Jimmy's case from last week... 🩺

❤ You all did great with your thoughts on what would be on your differential diagnosis list including: dental issues, low vitamin E, hoof issues (laminitis or abscess) and botulism. These were all included in our differentials list as well.

Unfortunately, Jimmy continued to weaken and still wouldn’t eat so the owners requested a vet visit. Jimmy was found lying down in his stall and upon physical exam the most notable finding was that he had no tongue tone. The vet was able to pull his tongue out with no resistance and Jimmy was not able to put it back inside of his mouth. 👅

❗️The top differential after the physical exam was botulism. The lack of tongue tone is a strong indicator of botulism. The use of round bales to feed horses was a key in the original post. Botulism can be found in round bales and if you do use them, vaccinating against botulism is a good idea. There is treatment for botulism, but it is expensive and may not always work, especially if the symptoms become more advanced.

Let us know in the comments if you enjoyed these cases and if we should continue to do these “case studies” in the future. 💬

Can you solve this case? 🩺

🐴 Patient: 10 year old Standard Donkey jack who is up to date with the core vaccines and a current negative Coggins test. He is being fed a mainly forage diet from a round bale with a ration balancer.

❗Owner noticed that the Jack has been laying down more often for longer, drooling, not hungry, and when he does eat he drops food. The owner notes that he seems to be weaker and can't do things that he used to do (i.e. exercise, etc.).

What would be on your list of differentials for the diagnosis of this case? 🤔

** This is a hypothetical case for learning purposes only. **

01/10/2025

Can you solve this case? 🩺

🐴 Patient: 10 year old Standard Donkey jack who is up to date with the core vaccines and a current negative Coggins test. He is being fed a mainly forage diet from a round bale with a ration balancer.

❗Owner noticed that the Jack has been laying down more often for longer, drooling, not hungry, and when he does eat he drops food. The owner notes that he seems to be weaker and can't do things that he used to do (i.e. exercise, etc.).

What would be on your list of differentials for the diagnosis of this case? 🤔

** This is a hypothetical case for learning purposes only. **

01/07/2025

❗Here is a quick overview of medications we use for equine pain management for owners. It is best to always discuss which medication is best for specific situations with your veterinarian as these are not always hard and fast rules.

♦️A specific thing to take away from this post is the length of time it takes for the individual medications to take affect.

🚨Please note: This is not all inclusive as sometimes we, as veterinarians, utilize these medications in different aspects than noted on this post.

01/02/2025

The year 2025 is here! 🥳

First things to think about when it comes to your equine friends health this year is what vaccines you need to do. Hopefully this document of our recommended vaccinations will make it a little easier for you to decide what vaccines are necessary. 🐴

❗Risk factors to think about:
- Is your horse eating from a round bale? If so, BotVax would be a recommended vaccine to avoid Botulism. See document for protocol on timing.
- Do you show, keep your horses at a boarding barn, or have your horses go around a lot of horses? If so, Rhino/Flu is recommended to help minimize respiratory disease. See document for protocol on timing.

If you have any questions please give us a call at 570-534-4612. ☎

01/01/2025

Just a friendly reminder that it is now 2025! 🎉 We hope you had a safe New Years Eve and are ready to hit the ground running for the New Year.

EEFAC will be running on an EMERGENCY ONLY basis for today, 1/1/25. If you have an emergency please give us a call at 570-534-4612.

12/25/2024

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from the EEFAC Team! We hope you have a fun and safe holiday! 🎁

🎄🎅🎄

🦌 Crew, the wannabe reindeer, thought he would remind you that we are EMERGENCY ONLY for the holiday.

Fun fact: Crew is owned by one of our vets... Do you know who? 🤔

12/24/2024

Can you believe it is already CHRISTMAS EVE?! 😲Hopefully you are all ready for the holiday with your side dishes baked and your present wrapped. 🎁

EEFAC will be working on a limited schedule today to allow for our staff to get any finishing touches done before Christmas! Sending you all the warm holiday wishes! 🎄

If you are in need of our help for an emergency please give the office a call 570-534-4612.

12/21/2024

🚨Attention horse owners, specifically Quarter Horse owners:

Myosin-Heavy Chain Myopathy (MYHM) is a fairly new genetic muscle disease that has been found within the Quarter Horse population. The typical 5-panel genetic testing does not include MYHM. If you are looking into purchasing a horse (Quarter Horses specifically), it may be a good idea to check their genetic status via a 6-panel genetic test. 🐎

💻Below you will find a very good round up of information on MYHM if you are curious about it provided by the American Quarter Horse Association.

Give us a call if you would like to run genetic panels on your horses. ☎️

❗Please note that some Quarter Horses have it done already (depending on age) and can be found on the backside of their registration papers if it has been documented with the AQHA.

12/10/2024

Our clinic kitty loves helping in the daily operations....including teaching Gradie (our high school student) suture patterns.

12/04/2024

Now you will know who it is that is showing up when we pull in your driveway! 👀

Special thanks to Fox Hole Graphics for making our new car magnets!

11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 🦃

We hope you are all enjoying good food and quality time with friends and family today! We will be working on an EMERGENCY ONLY basis on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th, and a LIMITED SCHEDULE on Black Friday, November 29th.

Please enjoy this picture of Dr. Lacey's homegrown turkeys! 🤣

11/27/2024

🚨Attention: CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA IS DEFICIENT IN VITAMIN E 🚨

We have been seeing a lot of cases of low vit E throughout our clinic. Testing can be beneficial if you are concerned that your horse may be experiencing clinical signs that are associated with low vit E. 💉

🐴Supplementation cannot hurt. Any excess will be excreted via urine. With that being said, SELENIUM CAN BE TOXIC so we suggest only supplementing vit E, unless you test for selenium in addition to vit E levels.

Special thanks to Kentucky Performance Products for this informative infographic on vit E deficiency in horses. 📈