Gamboa Veterinary Services

08/23/2025

One bee lives less than 40 days, visits at least 1,000 flowers, and produces less than a teaspoon of honey. Each tiny drop is the result of countless flights, endless work, and silent devotion. For us, it is only a teaspoon of honey, but for the bee, it is her whole life. A fragile being carrying the weight of an entire ecosystem on her wings. Thank you, bees! ❤

08/22/2025

"Walked into the kitchen and nearly passed out, thought it was a tarantula, but turns out this absolute unit is a wolf spider named Carl now. Instead of squishing him, I Googled him, and guess what? He eats brown recluses, black widows, cockroaches, basically everything I don’t want in my house.

So now Carl patrols the counter like a bouncer, and I just try not to breathe too loudly in his presence. Please don’t squish Carl. Carl is security."

08/22/2025

The South Carolina State Veterinarian's office was notified by NVSL on 8/21/25 of the seventh and eighth confirmed cases of EEE in horses in 2025. A 5-year-old unvaccinated miniature mare from Horry County was euthanized, and a 4-year-old unvaccinated Belgian gelding from Orangeburg County succumbed to the disease. A reminder to vaccinate against mosquito-borne diseases on a bi-annual basis is warranted, particularly in warm climates.

08/19/2025

Dear drivers (especially those not familiar with horses): Please don’t cut in front of a horse trailer just because there’s a big gap. We leave that space on purpose, it’s not that we’re driving slow, it’s because we need a long distance to stop safely.

Horses in the trailer need us to take curves slowly and brake gently so they can stay balanced. Sudden stops or sharp turns can injure them, or even flip the trailer, causing a serious accident.

In the photo, the mare has very little space to move, and her foal is right under her. She’s doing her best to stay still and protect her baby. I can only help her if I drive carefully. Please be patient and give us space. Most people don’t mean harm, they just don’t know.

08/01/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19Am9CU9J7/?mibextid=wwXIfr

While it’s a common equine emergency, esophageal obstruction (“choke”) can look alarming, especially if you've never seen it before. Unlike in human medicine, where choking refers to a tracheal (or windpipe) obstruction, choke in horses refers to an obstruction of the esophagus (the muscular tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach).

Most commonly, choking occurs when horses eat concentrated feed too quickly without chewing appropriately, which results in a firm bolus lodged in the animal's esophagus. However, esophageal obstruction can also occur with hay or straw, hard treats, carrots, or nonfood objects. Poor dentition, which leads to inadequate chewing, is also a frequent cause of choke.

While common, choke can have serious consequences. So, be sure to call your veterinarian as soon as you notice signs of choke. A bad choke is fairly obvious to both veterinarians and horse owners, but a mild choke could be confused with an upper respiratory tract infection or colic.

08/01/2025

Muy educativo

07/31/2025

Rabies vaccination is annual.

THE MORE YOU KNOW...

Did you know that humans can be exposed to Rabies WITHOUT sustaining a bite from an infected equine? This is because contact of skin or mucosa with the saliva could be enough to transmit the disease.

Rabies has many faces, but they are all deadly—once a horse shows clinical signs, the animal invariably dies within a few days as there is no treatment.

The good news is that modern vaccines are highly effective and current AAEP recommendations list rabies as one of the “core vaccines” that should be given to all equines annually to maintain immunity (read the full AAEP vaccination guidelines here: https://aaep.org/guidelines/vaccination-guidelines).

Equine rabies is a real risk for all horses, and a public health concern as well. Be sure to set up a regular vaccination schedule with your veterinarian if you haven’t already done so. Remember that strange behavior on behalf of your equine friend is always a valid reason to check in with your veterinarian!

07/27/2025

https://www.google.com/search?q=When+is+too+hot+and+humid+for+horses+to+be+outside&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

07/25/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19YNTutwX6/?mibextid=wwXIfr

with .repost
・・・
When the U.S. Equestrian Federation announced an extraordinary rule change to allow hair testing, it also released a new list of banned substances the test will target. Veterinarians say these drugs should never appear in horses fit to compete.

One, the barbiturate pentobarbital, which is commonly used in humane euthanasia, should never show up in any living animal, and the others are only very rarely used in horses. Although there might be times—under very specific circumstances—where a veterinarian would reach for one of them for a legitimate medical reason, those situations would not arise in horses who are healthy enough for a show ring, experts said.

Read on at COTH.com or at the link in our Stories.

07/24/2025

07/24/2025

https://bi-animalhealth.com/equine/joint-health/legend

Learn more about protecting your horse with Legend (hyaluronate sodium). Explore products and talk to your vet about Legend.

04/26/2025