The Equine Medical Center of Ocala

01/18/2024

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!

09/15/2023

Interesting findings in this study, where increased intestinal wall thickness was identified following short term administration of firacoxib (Previcox/Equioxx) to a group of horses. Firacoxib is often considered to be safer for the kidneys and GI tract compared to other NSAIDs available for horses, particularly with long term administration. This study raises questions for further investigation.

https://equimanagement.com/research-medical/treatments-medications/large-colon-wall-thickness-with-firocoxib-or-flunixin-meglumine/?fbclid=IwAR3r_EqV2ptgFzEBnfKhMf-QL8YWtER8-wmerZf-HgRFT2M-rO1njndD6Oc

A study reviewed the effects of firocoxib and flunixin administration on colon wall thickness and appearance in horses.

09/09/2023

Our EMCO docs had a great time participating with area veterinarians in the Innaugural Zoetis vs Platinum Performance Kickball Game! Drs Hall, Henry, Talmage and Worden were a part of the **WINNING** Zoetis team. Better luck next time to Drs. Gohman and Phillips! In addition to friendly competition, everyone got to enjoy BBQ from

Thank you, to our reps at and
for such a great time.

09/01/2023

Watch out Lexington! Dr Gohman has arrived to join the veterinary students and practice participants in the renewed Opportunities in Equine Practice. OEPS is designed to host veterinary students interested in pursuing equine practice and demonstrate how our industry is changing. If you're there, stop by and say hello to Dr Gohman and learn a little about our practice and our externship and internship programs.

08/25/2023

Changing things up this week for a little
TGIF

08/17/2023

Internal Medicine Specialists are the Dr House of equine veterinary medicine. Thank you Platinum Performance for showcasing the wide arching skills of this highly trained group of veterinarians.

08/16/2023

Rabies was confirmed in a horse residing in Marion Co Florida last week. This comes within a month of a rabies alert issued after 3 racoons tested positive in the area. We want to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your horses against Rabies. While rare in the US, rabies kills approximately 60,000 people worldwide each year and this single horse resulted in at least 20 human exposures. This particular horse initially presented as if he were proud cut several weeks prior to diagnosis, showed signs of a urinary tract infection, and progressed from headshaking behavior to forebrain disease rapidly over 12 hours. Rabies is nearly always fatal in humans and vaccination of our domestic animals has been and continues to be key in reducing its impact on human life in the United States. Please vaccinate your animals, avoid wildlife, and notify your physician if you have physical contact with racoons, bats, skunks, cats or other wildlife. All horses should be vaccinated against Rabies, Eastern and Western Encephalitis, West Nile Virus and Tetanus. Please schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for the CoreEQ. Protect your horses, protect your family.

08/11/2023

There's just something about the end of summer. 😎 The days are a little slower, the time with patients and owners a bit sweeter....and sweatier.

If you're battling the management of a non-sweater or summer asthma horse, we are praying for cooler weather with you! If you're in need of a Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine evaluation to assess if herbal therapy may benefit your horse, call to schedule with Dr Hall. She has field availability beginning Monday, August 13th.

07/31/2023

Can you tell us what our Internal Medicine Service is up to? What are some clinical indications for this procedure? Check back Wednesday for the answer!!

07/17/2023

Good reminder to keep all of your pets up to date on Rabies vaccination. While Rabies in horses is very rare, it is more commonly seen in dogs and cats and can place your family in significant danger. Rabies is preventable in animals which are vaccinated appropriately. We recommend rabies vaccinations annually in horses.

The Florida Department of Health in Marion County (DOH-Marion) has issued a rabies alert after three raccoons tested positive for the disease.

07/07/2023

Summer weather in Florida seems to be our peak season for complicated eye diseases in our horses. The summer storms, winds from tropical storms, and humidity seem to encourage infection associated with ocular trauma and ulceration. If you observe any issues with your horse's eyes, including tearing, squinting, discharge, swelling or discoloration, please contact your veterinarian immediately for advice and guidance. Eye issues often warrant an emergency visit! Most eye ulcers can be managed in the field by a primary veterinarian if seen early, while delay may get you a visit to our board-certified internists and consulting ophthalmologists.

06/27/2023

The stuff of vet nightmares.

06/21/2023

Rain, rain go away!! As all horse people know -- life doesn't stop because of monsoon like rain. Just gotta show up prepared! Thank you to our barn nurses and crew who are running in and out of barns to keep our patients well cared for in all the rain the last week!

06/20/2023

Not where I thought that was going.

06/15/2023

Saying goodbye is not forever because once an EMCO intern, always . Aside from being awesome doctors, our '22-23 doctoras have provided endless laughs, fun and became wonderful friends. Best of luck in your futures -- don't be strangers! ❤️

Dr Catie Tukdarian. Headed to New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania.
Dr Alex Grobman. Headed to Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center.
Dr Elsa Cuadros. Joining Dr Courtney O'Connell in her Ocala practice.
Dr Courtney McCreary. Joining Dr Weston Davis at Palm Beach Equine.
Dr Anu Sutherland. Headed to Colorado State University.
Dr Rebecca Erwin. Joining Southern Crescent Equine in Georgia.

06/10/2023

Congratulations on your historic Belmont win with Arcangelo! .

06/06/2023

Say hello and welcome to our newest veterinarians! We are honored that each of you chose to join for the next year 💪

Dr Taylor Tuso, Auburn University
Dr Grace Carpenter, University of Florida
Dr Paige Gabrielson, Colorado State University
Dr Erica Smith, University of Georgia
Dr Kaylin Henry, Auburn University
Dr Tess Talmage, St George's University via Texas A&M

05/31/2023

Beautiful morning for an exercising ECG! We may perform exercising ECG as part of an evaluation for poor performance, to assess significance of some murmurs, or when an arrhythmia is noted during a vet check. The information provided can help us determine if a cardiac condition may limit the level of performance.

05/30/2023

Sharing this message from

These tips aren't just good for a new graduate but for all veterinarians. Welcome to the profession 2023 Grads!

We would add to the list the recommendation to find your tribe of classmates/colleagues to stay in touch with regularly. Text them when you've had a bad day, hard client interaction, or need reassurance on a tough case. Hopefully you find a colleague like this within your practice but until then, the support of other professionals cannot be emphasized enough!

See stories for link!

https://fvma.org/10-rules-for-life-after-graduation/

05/08/2023

Our prayers are with the Serfass family as they celebrate Hannah's life today. Hannah's sister is a much loved member of our EMCO team and our hearts our broken for her and her family. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to a Junior Rider Fund created in Hannah's name. (see stories for link)

05/05/2023

Best of luck 🥂 to all of the Ocala Connections with horses running at Churchill Downs this weekend. We will be celebrating with you!

04/26/2023

It's Administrative Professionals Day. Thank you to our staff who work extra long hours this time of year assisting clients and keeping our doctors' days running!

04/19/2023

We love the oak lined roads of Ocala!! 🌳 We are out early checking mares, seeing newborn foals, and will be at OBS the next two weeks for the April 2 yr old sale. Always so much to do in the Horse Capital of the World 🌍

04/10/2023

Pardon our absence on all the socials! So busy with babies, breeding, training and show season that we haven't had our client education hats on! We will be back but enjoy our sweet patients and beautiful truck views in the meantime ☺️

03/28/2023

Last week we celebrated Mildred, Paula and Dr Hall. Each of these ladies reached their 10 year anniversary with EMCO during the first quarter of 2023. 🍾 Not only is that 10 years of serving the clients, patients and employees of EMCO, but that's over 55 intern veterinarians who have been influenced by these ladies! 🤩 Thank you for your dedication to our practice values!

03/15/2023

It's our favorite time of year!!! So many things to do, but lost an hour to do them in --- good thing our efficiency increases with the caseload. 😄 A lot is happening with the EMCO crew these days and this video doesn't capture even half of it. Shout out to our amazing team for the work they do. 💗

03/13/2023

Join Team EMCO!! We are filling a number of positions and would love for you to check out our website link to learn more and apply.
https://www.emcocala.com/employment-opportunities

Our group is dynamic and dedicated to the horses we serve. Current positions available, include:

Hospital Technician. Care for our inpatient cases and assist in outpatient appointments and emergency admissions.

Imaging Technician. This is a primarily ambulatory position obtaining radiographs and administering shock wave and laser therapy.

Facilities and Horse Care. Join a hard working team that helps insure quality care for our horses by supplying for their basic needs and keeping our hospital up and running.

Office Assistant/Receptionist. Full or part - time opportunity as one of the first encounters clients have with our practice, including answering phone calls, greeting appointments, scheduling and follow up contacts.

03/08/2023

Why do we do belly taps? Aka....abdominocentesis. Sampling the fluid that surrounds the abdominal organs provides a lot of information regarding the health of the abdomen, intestine, and organs. This information can help guide decision making, development of therapeutic plans and estimate the need for and prognosis related to surgery. The procedure is low risk and performed under standing sedation often by ultrasound guidance. In this video the color of the belly fluid is initially normal and progresses through different stages of intestinal health with the last sample being serosanguinous.

03/03/2023

We waited a long time for this lovely filly to make her entrance! Did you know we foal out mares? We do! EMCO offers foal watch services for both routine and high risk pregnancies. Mares are monitored round the clock for signs of approaching parturition and births are attended by an on-site veterinarian and trained technical/nursing staff. We aim to allow natural foaling and bonding without intervention but immediately intervene with any signs of trouble. If you would love to pass off the hours of foal watch anxiety and have it handled by a team of veterinary professionals, contact the office today!

02/28/2023

It's show season y'all.