Equine Mobile Veterinary Services, David Hayes, DVM

06/18/2024

UC Davis is hiring veterinary professionals to exciting career positions on our large animal care teams. Horses, cattle, goats, and other large animals will benefit from your knowledge and technical skills. Join one of the most innovative and comprehensive veterinary hospitals in the world, with positions open in multiple equine and livestock services. We offer a generous benefits package including premium health insurance, retirement plans, paid holidays, and vacation/sick time. Explore our large animal opportunities: https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/hospital/recruitment

06/10/2024

Just the basics!

Knowing your horse's normal vital signs is VITAL —pun intended!— to detecting distress and a possible emergency! 🩺

Practice taking your horse's vitals often (T.P.R.: temperature, pulse, respiration rate) so you can get to know what's normal for your equine friends and recognize what is abnormal. If your horse seems a little "off" and his values are outside the normal range, a call to your equine veterinarian is definitely warranted!

The typical ranges for adult horses are as follows:
🌡️Temperature: 99.0-101.5°F
❤️Heart rate: 28-40 beats/minute
🫁Respiration rate: 12-16 breaths/minute

Keep in mid that very hot and humid conditions may cause small variations, so be sure to have a conversation with your horse doctor about what is acceptable and about how to properly assess your horse's vital signs.

Thank you to the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee for providing this information!

05/22/2024

Really helpful triaging!

05/15/2024

If you believe that horses need grain in their diet to meet their nutritional needs, you are not alone. However, horses should get most of their nutrients from a good quality forage source such as grass, hay, hay pellets, or a complete feed.

Horses generally eat between 1.5-2% of their body weight each day, so an average size 1,000 lbs horse should eat 15- 20 lbs of hay daily. To help fill any nutrient gaps such as essential vitamins or minerals, a ration balancer may be beneficial. Depending on breed, body condition, and exercise level, concentrates may be added in to provide additional energy but are often not needed.

When deciding on what to feed your horse, it is best to invest in high quality forages as the foundation of your feeding plan. You can even have your hay tested to see exactly what nutrients it is providing. Please consult with your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist about your horse's diet before making any major changes, and remember that any changes should be made gradually over time to avoid GI upset.
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Brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

05/08/2024

It’s the season to understand a horse’s respiratory system, DUST! And other issues!

Respiratory health is essential to horse performance, yet it's often under-appreciated or misunderstood. The equine respiratory system is much different than the human’s and it has some limitations, to the point where even a little bit of inflammation or obstruction anywhere in the respiratory tract has a big impact on your horse's performance.

Conditions on the equine asthma spectrum have different manifestations and degrees of severity, so much so you may not even recognize that your equine friend's poor performance issues are related to respiratory health. For example, "feeling heavy,” lack of energy, and slow recovery times are all symptoms that could indicate a condition in the milder end of the equine asthma spectrum.

Reducing dust in the horse’s environment (including bacteria, endotoxins, mites, mold, and fungal spores) is the priority when it comes to both prevention and treatment. Some sources of respirable dust are very predictable (e.g., hay), but things like chickens or chemical spray on nearby fields are also among the many possibilities that could trigger an allergic respiratory response in a horse.

Identifying asthma triggers requires veterinarians and owners to work together, so be sure to consult your veterinarian to learn more about improving your horse’s environment and respiratory health!

05/02/2024

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!

04/27/2024

Dr. Hayes’ Alma Mater!

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine continues to be recognized for its global leadership in the field of veterinary science in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, released today (April 10).Quacquarelli Symonds, or QS, considered one of the most influential international authorit...

04/27/2024

Join us as we celebrate and all the incredible individuals who dedicate their lives to animal health, especially those who care for our equine companions!

From the racetrack to the show grounds, and all the way to your own backyard—equine veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and support staff ensure the well-being of our beloved horses at every stage of life. THANK YOU, horse doctors, for your passion, expertise, and tireless work!

Do you have a favorite thing about your equine veterinarian? Please share in the comments!

04/24/2024

VERY USEFUL INFO TO HELP YOU AND YOUR FARRIER DI A BETTER JOB!

If you are an average horse owner, you depend on the services of a professional farrier rather than attempt your own shoeing. And, as such, you should be interested in how to secure the best possible service from the man you employ, just as he should be interested in giving you the best service of which he is capable.

This flashback from August 1955 provides some ideas that will help build a better relationship between you and your horseshoer and result in better care for your horse.

⬇️ Link in comments

Illustration by Dale Kaiser

01/20/2024

FUN FACT FRIDAY! Are you familiar with the many adaptations that help your horse stay warm during the cold winter months?

🌾 Hindgut digestion of hay produces the most heat, acting as a small furnace inside of the horse. This is why free choice, good quality hay is so important in the winter.

💪 Horses have a huge muscle mass and muscle activity produces heat. This includes running and playing and even shivering if their body temperature starts to drop. It is important to remember that these activities also will result in a bigger caloric demand so free choice hay and in some cases, grain, is often needed.

🧥 To blanket or not to blanket is a constant debate but either way, as it starts to get cold your horse will grow a thicker coat. If you decide to leave your horse unblanketed you may notice that they look “fluffy”. This is due to a phenomenon called piloerection where the hair stands up to better trap air within. Two layers of the coat also help with warmth. The inner layer is softer and has air pockets to create an insulating layer. The outer layer is coarse and has oils that keep moisture from penetrating the insulating layer and keep the horse warm.

⚖️ Wild horses go into the winter heavier than ideal and the fat serves as an extra layer of insulation. However, if a horse is going to be kept heavily blanketed and in a barn during the cold weather months this is unnecessary and can lead to obesity related issues.

🦵Their distal limbs (below the knees and hocks) are made of mostly bones and tendons, tissues that are resistant to the cold temperatures.

🦶The hooves have an alternative route of blood circulation through larger vessels that can be used in low temperatures. This is why horses can stand in snow without detrimental effects.

👃A horse’s nose has a robust blood supply and is rounded so that it is less susceptible to frostbite than a human’s nose.
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Courtesy of the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

01/17/2024

GREAT AND HELPFUL INFO!

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING (A FOAL) 🐴

If your mare has made it through 11 months of pregnancy, you're almost there. Labor and delivery, while momentous, are generally uncomplicated — however, being a prepared and informed owner will help you keep your anxiety in check so you can assist the new mother and foal get off to a great start.

Here are some things you can do to prepare for the arrival of the foal:

• Consult with your veterinarian well in advance of the birth. Know how to reach your regular veterinarian after hours and ask about a back-up or referring veterinarian in case your regular horse doctor is not available.

• Clean and disinfect the stall as thoroughly as possible. Provide adequate bedding.

• Wash the mare's udder, v***a and hindquarters with a mild soap and rinse thoroughly.

• Wrap the mare's tail with a clean wrap when you observe the first stage of labor. Be sure that the wrap is not applied too tightly or left on too long, as it can cut off circulation and permanently damage the tail.

• Time each stage of labor, to help you keep accurate track of the mare's progress. Take written notes! When you're worried or anxious, your perception of time can become distorted.

As always, these are general guidelines and you should contact your veterinarian for more information specific to your situation. Good luck!

01/05/2024

During these cold winter days you may be thinking about offering bran mashes to your horse as a warm, comforting treat and also as a way to help prevent colic due to the higher fiber content of bran. This, however, is an outdated concept and nutritionists point out several potential problems associated with feeding bran mash too often—namely, an imbalance of the dietary calcium-phosphorus ratio that could lead to bone disorders, and a disruption of the healthy fermentation patterns in the horse’s intestinal tract.

The best way to help your horse stay warm this winter is by increasing forage 🌾 and providing shelter 🏠 during a cold snap. And as far as the risk of colic, your first line of defense is to provide plenty of water to keep your horse hydrated. 💦

As always, your equine veterinarian remains your best source of information; contact them to learn more about feeding mashes (they are typically not an issue if fed as the occasional treat) and colic prevention this winter.
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Brough to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

12/22/2023

SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR FREE VACCINES BY FEB. 1!

The Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign (UHVRC) is a non-profit partnership between Merck Animal Health and the AAEP to safeguard the health of rescue horses and facilitate their adoption. Since its inception in 2008, the UHVRC has provided more than 46,000 doses of core vaccines to protect horses in need!

To learn more and to submit an application through this campaign, visit https://aaep.org/horse-owners/unwanted-horse-veterinary-relief-campaign
**Please note that applicants must be a “not-for-profit” 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization in the United States, and eligible facilities must coordinate the application with an AAEP-member veterinarian.**

12/21/2023

Water remains as important for your horse in cold weather as it is in the summer. As a matter of fact, decreased water consumption in the winter is thought to be the primary inducing factor for impaction colic — although there are other predisposing factors such as poor hay quality, lack of exercise, internal parasites and dental problems.

Impaction colic is essentially constipation and most often includes the accumulation of hard, dry f***l material in the colon. The usual signs of impending impaction colic are depression, a decreased appetite, and decreased production and dryness of manure.

Studies demonstrate that you can increase your horse's winter water consumption if you provide access to heated water, but ONLY if that is the only source of water available. As always, if you have any questions about preventing colic in your horse, your local veterinarian remains your best source of information!

12/14/2023

When you're a horse doctor and/or a horse person, every day is . But even so, are we really going to turn down an easy excuse to celebrate our favorite animals and the many ways they make our lives better?!

Here’s to horses, and to the professionals who dedicate their body (literally!) and soul to keeping our equine friends healthy!

11/03/2023

BASIC “MUST KNOW” INFO!

Great practical information courtesy of the horse doctors at Barrow Veterinary Service:

NORMAL: NOT JUST A SETTING ON THE DRYER!
If your horse seems a little "off," do you know what his "normal" is? One of the best ways you can determine if your horse is ill is to know his normal vitals—temperature, breaths per minute, heart rate, and capillary refill time. If they are outside the normal range, a call to your equine veterinarian is definitely warranted! Any refusal to eat a meal or to get up from a recumbent position is also a clue that you and your equine friend need assistance.

10/19/2023

FALL/WINTER CHECKLIST!

Fall is officially in full swing! Now is the time to crack down on housing, nutrition, and preventative health strategies suitable for the arrival of winter.

The graphic below lists some essential items on the horse owner's fall to-do checklist, but there is much more that needs to be done—like having your horse rugs repaired and waterproofed; securing and storing hay properly; assessing your shelters for safety and soundness; etc.)

Your equine veterinarian is one of your greatest allies this season: be sure to give them a call soon to discuss vaccination and deworming protocols appropriate for your horse’s situation; use this opportunity to chat about recommended changes in nutrition and exercise program as well!

10/05/2023

While it’s a common equine emergency, espophageal 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 occur when horses eat concentrated feed too quickly without chewing it 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, chokes 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.

Read more about this condition on our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/understanding-choke-horses

09/27/2023

08/16/2023

A little for you: Puncture wounds in the foot qualify as medical **emergencies,** due to the amount of vital structures just beneath the sole that can be physically damaged and/or contaminated with bacteria when they are penetrated by a sharp object.

If your horse steps on a nail or other sharp object and it remains embedded in the hoof, resist the temptation to pull the nail out and consult with your veterinarian first. Leaving the nail in place will allow the vet to take x-rays of the foot before removal, which helps to identify exactly what structures have been penetrated, and to plan the most appropriate strategy for dealing with the situation.

Penetrating hoof wounds can be extremely serious and shouldn’t be underestimated. The prognosis for successful recovery depends on quick action to identify the path of the nail, treatment of potential infection and mechanical damage to the foot, and proper aftercare.

As always, our favorite piece of advice is to consult your horse doctor directly for more information!

08/16/2023

We’re finished! Orchard Grass baled and ready to go! PM me! Your horses will love you! Montour, pick up out of the field!

07/28/2023

Hot summer weather puts horses at risk not only for dehydration and heat stress but also the skin damage and discomfort that accompany a sunburn— just like humans.

Equestrians love some chrome on a horse but we need to remember that those beautiful white patches and the non-pigmented pink skin underneath are more likely to suffer from sunburn, especially in areas where the skin is more sensitive — like around the eyes and the nostrils. In addition to the pain and discomfort, horses that are prone to recurrent sunburn may also face other long-term consequences, like the increased likelihood of developing squamous cell carcinoma (a common cancer).

If your horse is susceptible to sunburn, contact your veterinarian for more information about sun damage and recommendations to keep your horse protected this summer.

More information about sunburn and photosensitization is available on our website at https://aaep.org/issue/sunburn-photosensitivity

07/24/2023

GREAT BASIC INFO!✔️

WHY DO HORSES GET ULCERS?

Equine gastric ulcers can affect any horse at any age. Up to 90% of racehorses and 60% of show horses, as well as non-performance horses and even foals are affected by equine gastric ulcers, which are the result of the erosion of the lining of the stomach due to a prolonged exposure to the normal acid in the stomach. Unlike ulcers in humans, bacteria do not appear to cause equine gastric ulcers and this condition is often a man-made disease.

Please note that the only way to definitively diagnose ulcers is through gastroscopy, and that a qualified equine veterinarian should be consulted in any case of suspected gastric ulcers to determine the best course of action and treatment for the individual horse. Prevention of ulcers is the key in helping your horse, as neutralizing the production of stomach acid is nature’s best antacid.

Contact your veterinarian for more information, or read more on equine gastric ulcers on our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/equine-gastric-ulcers-special-care-and-nutrition

07/17/2023

HOOF ABSCESSES EXPLAINED

Sooner or later, nearly all horse owners will deal with a hoof abscess. But what does "hoof abscess" actually mean?

Although most commonly seen during the wet winter and spring months, hoof abscesses can plague horses year-round and usually occur when debris and bacteria enter the foot through hoof cracks and wounds, even horseshoeing holes. The bacteria then get trapped between the sensitive laminae (the tissue layer that bonds the hoof capsule to the coffin bone) and the hoof wall or sole and create pus; the pus builds up over the course of time and puts pressure behind the hoof wall or sole, until it causes the sudden onset of acute lameness when the pain finally becomes too great.
(The diagram below shows a simplified view of the equine hoof to help you visualize the structures involved in this process.)

Hoof abscesses can mimic other more serious diseases or injuries, so involving your veterinarian early on in the diagnosis and prompt treatment of this condition is always a good idea. Some abscesses will be uncomplicated and rupture on their own like a large pimple at the coronary band or heel bulbs; other abscesses, however, could require radiographs and will need to be surgically drained.

Read more about hoof abscesses on our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/hoof-abscesses or better yet consult your primary veterinarian for more information!

07/16/2023

As comes to a close, let’s take a moment to celebrate and thank our farriers! Proper foot care is the cornerstone of maintaining a sound horse and a good farrier is instrumental in keeping the horse’s feet balanced and well-supported. Farriers and veterinarians often work together for the best interests of the horse, so a skilled farrier is both a necessity and a tremendous asset for your horse care dream team. Be sure to let your farriers know they are appreciated!

05/29/2023

As we approach Memorial Day we remember Sergeant Reckless – a war horse for the Marines during the Korean War. The mare carried both ammunition and wounded soldiers from the front lines to the return trip. Sgt. Reckless was loved and respected by the Marines she served with and because of her amazing performance throughout the war, she was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant. She was also given two Purple Hearts along with many other military decorations for her service.

05/08/2023

NO ON GRASS CLIPPINGS!!!!

Many people think that horses can safely eat grass clippings (grass is grass, right?) but that is a pretty common misconception and grass clippings actually pose a number of dangers to our equine friends.

While grass is meant to be slowly picked, ripped and chewed by the horse, grass clippings can quickly clump and cause choke if the animal ingests too many too fast. Grass clippings are also prone to fermentation which can cause colics, stomach and intestinal impactions, founder and laminitis.

Take-home message: Keep your horse away from grass clippings and in general never feed horses any food without the owner’s permission.

Source: Dr. Jenna Moline, a member of the AAEP Horse Owner Education member. In memory of Chula, a much-loved horse who recently passed away after eating grass clippings thrown into her pasture by a neighbor; shared with the blessing of Chula’s family with hopes to prevent this tragedy from happening to any other horse owners.