Western Montana Equine

11/20/2025

There have been lots of posts going around talking about Neurogenic EHV-1/EHM in Montana.

🚨 As of last night, the Montana State Veterinarian issued a notice stating that there are NO KNOWN CLINICAL HORSES OR CONFIRMED CASES IN MONTANA 🚨

However, in order to minimize the risk of infecting horses in Montana the Department of Livestock is issuing an emergency rule that all horses entering Montana are required to have their CVI (Health Certificate) issued within 72 hours of entering. This also means that they have disabled all EECVI (6 month extended Health Certificates) for horses entering Montana.

There are a number of horses who attended affected events and have entered Montana, but the state is reaching out directly to those owners to watch for clinical signs. Again, no cases have been confirmed in Montana.

‼️ What you can do:

•Keep your horses at home and don’t travel unless you absolutely need to.

• If you are traveling with your horse, we recommend vaccinating them at least 2 weeks prior to travel. The EHV vaccine will not prevent your horse from contracting EHM but it may reduce severity of the disease.

•If your horses don’t travel, but you yourself travel to other barns or equine facilities your horses are still at risk and it would be a good idea to vaccinate them.

•The Fluvac Innovator EHV 4/1 is what we give most of our client’s horses and it has a 6 month efficacy. So even if you vaccinated in Spring, it’s time to booster it this Fall/Winter.

• If we vaccinate your horses (as opposed to store bought vaccines), the vaccine company stands behind the efficacy when administered by a vet. This means if your horse does end up with a fever, you could get reimbursed for treatment.
Just be mindful of the exposure your horses have and take the necessary precautions to protect them.

11/17/2025

We hope everyone is having a wonderful Fall, and getting prepped for Winter. We know this prep includes care for our horses—getting hay, testing out our water trough heaters and… deworming 🪱

Schedule your deworming and fall vaccinations with us before the snow flies!

Remember you can text us, and we just have one number for the clinic now!

(406) 728-5667

10/24/2025

It’s Spooky Season and you know what that means?

Changing seasons, cooler temperatures and one of the scariest terms for horse owners….

C O L I C 👻

Here are some tips to help you navigate the seasonal changes and hopefully avoid colic:

•HYDRATION 💦 Horses can be very picky about water temperatures. Sometimes after getting used to temped water temps all summer, they aren’t enthused about drinking colder water (listen, we know it’s a little “prima donna” and not very “survival instinct”) but we can help them out by sticking our tank heaters in a little early and supplementing with a daily feed through salt.

• LET US KNOW AS SOON AS YOU KNOW 📲 Know what’s normal behavior for your horse and what’s not. This video is a perfect example of a classic colic symptoms (kicking at their belly, head shaking, no interest in feed, circling or pacing, flehmen response, laying down and or rolling). If you notice something is off, give us a heads up! We’d rather have it on our radar than a brutal midnight call for something that could have been seen at 3pm. Your prognosis is usually a lot better if we can see them earlier as well!

•HAVE BANAMINE ON HAND 🚑 Make sure to grab a tube from us during one of your regular check up appointments to have on hand. Best case scenario, you let us know what’s going on, we advise giving your horse a dose of banamine, you walk them and give it an hour to kick in, and they start feeling a whole lot better!

•MASHES ARE YOUR FRIEND 🥣 Until your horse is pooping normally, it’s a good idea to refrain from feeding a regular meal of hay. Sometimes the banamine makes them feel so good they go back to eating. This is great! But if they’re plugged up we don’t want to contribute to the blockage. Things need to move out the back end before going in the front end 😇. Try feeding a small soupy soaked hay pellets first AFTER manure is passed. And if your horse is back to pooping normally, SLOWLY introduce hay back in to their meals. Hand grazing in small increments is also a good thing. (We know they’re hangry 😡, but it’s better to be hungry than not having things move through!).

Stay hydrated out there!
🐎

09/16/2025

⚠️ Remember ⚠️if your senior horse seems to do well in the Spring or Summer months, but has a hard time keeping weight on in the Winter—it’s not just because they’re old!

There are a number of things we can help you with to keep them healthier through the colder months.

If you have an older horse you’d like care and advice on getting through the winter, let us know. We can do a dental, run bloodwork, talk about feed and diet, and how to keep them warm and comfortable.

We only have one number for the clinic now, and yes—you can text us to schedule appointments!
(406) 728-5667

07/23/2025

Did you know Dr. Witzel is also a plastic surgeon?

This pony came in with a kick to the head that resulted in a broken face 😱

We were able to get him pieced back together 😎

07/09/2025

Thank you to all the amazing farriers that we have the pleasure of working with!

It’s ! 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 an essential part of your equine's healthcare team, keeping your 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. Be sure to let your farriers know they are appreciated!

06/25/2025

Happy Birthday to Dr. Witzel!
We appreciate everything you do for us and our favorite equines.
🎂🎈🎉🐴🩺

06/24/2025

Breeding season is winding down but over the course of this spring I’ve really become partial to my weekend staff 😋

06/10/2025

Things are heating up early here in Montana!

Make sure your horse is drinking plenty of water 💦 to prevent colic.

Dehydration is one of the biggest leading factors of colic and can be brought on by these dramatic weather changes.

Some tips to ensure your horse is staying adequately hydrated:

💧 Make sure you have a constant supply of clean, fresh water. Sometimes if it’s murky or too hot horses won’t drink as much—can you blame them though?

💧 We recommend feeding through your daily salt or electrolyte mineral supplement as opposed to offering it free choice. This way you can ensure your horse is getting an appropriate amount. Ever notice how some horses stay away from salt blocks and others devour them?

💧 Remember, if you see any warning signs for colic we’d rather hear about it sooner rather than later. We have a better chance of helping your horse through it if we know about it as soon as it starts.

06/03/2025

How our team usually looks by Fridays…

Thank you to all of clients for working with our busy schedule and hauling in more for appointments! We appreciate you.

On another note: if you are looking for supplement recommendations Platinum Performance has some really great options. Talk to us about some potential discount pricing!

03/10/2025

Thank you to everyone who participated in our February Dental Special Month!

As much fun as we had with all of you, Dr. Witzel is looking forward to a little rest from doing 10+ dentals a day!

We also appreciate everyone’s patience with the weather and those who were able to coordinate larger groups.

😊🦷🐴

02/19/2025

We hope everyone is staying warm and cozy out there! Spring is right around the corner 😁