Northern Lights Veterinary Service

01/09/2026

Did you know that we offer lameness exams, veterinary spinal manipulation, targeted joint injections, laser therapy, and shockwave therapy for dogs and cats? There are several rehabilitation modes that can be used to manage osteoarthritis or injuries - joint injections, laser, and shockwave have yielded the most dramatic positive results.

We have been seeing excellent results with our shockwave therapy in dogs! Shockwave uses high-energy, targeted sound waves to pe*****te deep into injured tissue. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is unique in that it can reach deeper tissue and target arthritic joints, and it is one of the best treatment options for damaged tendons or ligaments to aid in healing. The treatment stimulates many cellular responses that aid in healing and regeneration, it decreases pain, speeds healing times, and promotes more appropriate and quality healing of bone and tendons.

Shockwave offers a practical solution: three or four treatments, then months of relief before the next session.

On the farm veterinary care for horses, goats, sheep, and other large animals in the central UP. Now offering Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Therapy for small and large animals.

01/08/2026

Vitamin E
Vitamin E functions as a biological antioxidant that serves to maintain normal neuromuscular function. Young horses deficient in Vitamin E can have nutritional myodegeneration in conjunction with selenium deficiency, equine neuroaxonal dystrophy (eNAD), and equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM). Adult horses deficient in Vitamin E may develop a Vitamin E deficient myopathy or equine motor neuron disease (EMND). Some horses are just fine without additional supplementation beyond that in hay and your regular grain and some horses have much higher requirements, so testing each horse is important.

Horses get Vitamin E from fresh grass. Unfortunately, the UP does not provide fresh grass year-round and Vitamin E levels drop off quickly in hay as it ages. So, we must provide it. Check back next week for more information on HOW to provide Vitamin E for the best absorption.
The worst problems we see are in the winter and early spring. We recommend routine testing of Vitamin E and selenium yearly in the spring (to catch the lowest levels) and more frequently if your horse has low levels until they are maintaining normally.

This picture shows two serum samples (what we use to test Vitamin E) - the one on the left is from a donkey and they naturally have a paler color to the serum. The one on the right is from a horse and the yellow color is normal.

01/07/2026

It’s slippery out there!!

❄️ Ice & Snow Management for Horses ❄️

⚠️ Ice and snow create serious slip hazards for both horses and handlers.

🚜 Snow management
✔️ Plow or blow snow into areas where meltwater can drain away from paddocks and alleyways
⚠️ Melting after snow removal can refreeze and create slick surfaces

🧊 Managing existing ice
✔️ Improve traction with poultry grit, sand, or fresh manure
❌ Avoid straw, hay, or fresh shavings—they slide over ice and don’t provide consistent footing

🍽️ Feeding & ingestion safety
✔️ Feed horses away from sand or grit
✔️ Use raised feeders to reduce accidental ingestion

🧂 Salt use
✔️ Use pure salt sparingly in milder temperatures
⚠️ Effects on hooves are not well researched
❌ Do not use salt and sand together - horses may lick the salt and accidentally eat sand

🐴 Hoof traction
✔️ Regularly remove packed snow and ice from hooves to improve grip and reduce slipping

❄️ Careful ice and snow management helps keep horses and people safe all winter long.

01/06/2026

It's 2026! We are already thinking about our spring schedule coming up. We are accepting new clients for equine wellness, dentistry, and sports medicine (lameness workups, injections, shockwave, etc). We are the only large animal clinic based in Marquette county and have two veterinarians to serve your animals! Watch this space and your email for scheduling reminders and make sure to contact us early if you have specific timelines we need to keep in mind.

On the farm veterinary care for horses, goats, sheep, and other large animals in the central UP. Now offering Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Therapy for small and large animals.

01/02/2026

We are excited to share that we now have a digital dental camera to better visualize dental abnormalities! This was Dr. Lara's Christmas present to herself and the horses in our practice. It comes in clutch for extractions, periodontal treatments, diastema widening procedures, and evaluating complicated oral exams. We can share the images on our iPads and phones so we can see everything in blown up detail, save pictures for dental records, AND you the owner can see what we're seeing instead of getting really up close and personal to the doctors like you have in the past. Check out these pictures we've taken on the maiden voyage last week!

12/31/2025

We are available for emergencies now through Monday. Wishing you a lovely start to the New Year!

12/29/2025

The office will be closed today due to weather. Appointments will be rescheduled. If you have a dire emergency, please call the office number, leave a message, and send a text message to ensure we got it.

12/25/2025

Happy Holiday greetings from our team to you!

12/22/2025

A thorough oral exam includes sedation and a mirror EVERY TIME. Check out this wild case of poor performance in the UK that utilized a specialized dental endoscope to identify some big problems that were not evident before.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1QoYdNiyvq/

12/21/2025

We have some holiday closures coming up to allow staff members to spend time with family. Christmas Eve/Day and New Year's Eve/Day we will be emergency only. We will be running on limited staff on December 26th and January 2nd. We are available for large animal emergencies throughout!

12/19/2025

Teddy says its not too late to get a gift certificate for your favorite animal lover. We are offering prepaid gift certificates this year that you can give to cover the cost of medical care and supplies for current clients. Contact the office for more information!

12/18/2025

This wet weather will freeze leaving some icy spots in the fields and barns. Check out these traction tips!

🌧️ Rain now and colder temps ahead may cause icy spots on some Minnesota farms ❄️. If it does, applying traction materials can help improve footing and reduce the risk of you or your horse slipping 🐴🥾

Learn more at z.umn.edu/icypaddocks