Acorn Equine Veterinary Service

21/08/2024

Have you ever wondered if your horse has gastric ulcers? If there’s a reason behind their grumpy and girthy behavior, or colic episodes?
Now is your chance to see the inside of your horse’s stomach firsthand AND at a reduced cost!
Acorn Equine, Cross Creek Equestrian Center, and Boehringer Ingelheim are hosting a gastroscopy clinic one week from today- on August 28th 2024!
Limited haul in appointments are available- contact us ([email protected]) today to have your horse added to the list!

24/04/2024

The spring babies are popping- Joe B***o got some snuggles from Hannah during his newborn checkup 😍

06/03/2024

🐴 💩 March is F***l Month! F***l egg count (FEC) tests help ensure you target the right parasites at the right time without over treating your horse to help prevent parasite resistance. As the soil warms and grass begins to grow is the perfect time to test your horses.

Let us know if you'd like to add f***l testing to your spring wellness visit or you can drop off a sample at your convenience and we'll create an individual deworming protocol for the year based on the results.

06/02/2024

Has your horse been sore this winter? We’ve been seeing an increase in laminitis cases recently. Though we commonly think of laminitis in association with fresh spring grass, horses can also have an insulin level increase during the winter months, which can unfortunately affect their feet. Check your laminitis knowledge using this quiz from the American Farriers Journal, and as always, reach out with any concerns!

American Farriers Journal is completely devoted to proper hoof care. Web and print content provides news and tips for farriers about hoof care, forging, horseshoeing and farrier business advice.

08/12/2023

They may look fluffy but our long eared friends come from warm, desert regions and those ears are extremely prone to frostbite! Having a place where they can get out of the wind in cold weather is crucial.

Baby it’s cold outside! ❄️⛄️

Many people think of donkeys as hardy, low-maintenance “small horses.” However, while they have similarities, donkeys are a completely different species and as such have a different physical, mental, and emotional make-up.

As the weather gets colder, it’s important to remember that donkeys are more sensitive to changes in temperature than their equine friends. They don’t grow a winter coat like horses and their hair is less waterproof, so they require shelter from the elements (like a run-in shed or a waterproof blanket). Being stoic animals, they also won’t show signs of discomfort and hypothermia until they are very sick.

Remember that every animal is different depending on age, breed, and other health conditions, so be sure with your primary veterinarian to address any concerns or questions!
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Brough to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

27/11/2023

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and spent some quality time with family and friends.
As a heads up - Dr. Heikkila will be traveling to the American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention for some continuing education starting later this week and will be gone Wednesday Nov. 29th through Sunday Dec. 3rd. Regular farm calls will resume again Dec. 4th!
She will still be checking emails and texts while at the convention, and should you have any urgent needs while she is away, Miamitown Equine (513)715-2600 and Dr. Karin Clark (513)284-2770 are providing ER coverage to our regular clients.

22/09/2023

Barely a week old and already knows where the scritches come from 😍

22/08/2023

It’s long past time to officially welcome Hannah Brewer to the team! Hannah is Acorn Equine’s newest vet assistant- taking over for Andie O’Brien who has started her veterinary career at Lincoln Memorial. Check out Hannah’s full bio on our website. Best wishes to both of these ladies on starting new chapters in their lives!

27/04/2023

Shouting HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to vet assistant extraordinaire Andie O'Brien who was recently accepted into vet school starting this fall! 🎉🎉🎉

21/04/2023

Absolutely in love with this little cutie from yesterday! 😍

16/03/2023

Starting today and running through July 15th- rebates on Prascend! Stock up and save :)

31/01/2023

Have you purchased Equioxx from us recently? SAVE THIS COUPON! Orders made from the Acorn Equine MyVetStoreOnline Pharmacy also qualify for rebates!

Prascend users- stay tuned, there will be a coupon for you coming in March! :)

23/01/2023

Gotta love a client with a sense of humor! 🤣

21/12/2022

The weather forecasted for late this week will be extremely challenging for our equine friends and all who care for them! 🥶 Mild temperatures and rain will give way to high winds and single digit temps within the span of only a few hours.
Please!! Make sure your ponies have access to a dry place out of the wind for Thursday into Friday (a three sided shelter oriented to block the wind works just fine). Soaking wet winter haircoats and a sudden temperature drop can lead to hypothermia; high winds and chilly temps can cause frost bitten ear tips; and the dreaded risk of impaction colic rises whenever horses aren’t inclined to drink freezing cold water during a sudden temperature swing.

The following blog post from SmartPak vet Dr. Gray has some great simple tips for increasing your horses’ winter water consumption. https://blog.smartpakequine.com/2009/01/getting-horses-to-drink-in-the-winter/

Some additional thoughts from Dr. Sophie:

Try experimenting with adding a bit of water to your horse‘s regular feed to make a mash or adding a few handful of well soaked hay pellets to see if they like it BEFORE the miserable weather arrives.

Check that your heated buckets and trough heaters are functioning NOW, and remember to disconnect and bring your hoses inside before the weather changes Thursday night.

An electric tea kettle for use in the barn is a great way to provide hot water on the spot for warm mashes/thawing buckets.

Once the winds calm down again- get your ponies out of their stalls and moving. Exercise/turnout keeps their digestive tracts moving and prevents boredom. They handle the cold much better than we do and will appreciate the time to stretch their legs.

12/12/2022

URGENT PSA: check your hay cubes if you feed this brand!!

11/11/2022

Spending a moment reflecting on the meaning of this day and being grateful to our veterans.

Many of you have asked where the name and logo of this business came from, and at its core the inspiration was my grandfather’s army unit symbol. He was a proud WWII veteran who stormed the beach at Normandy and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. He was also a farmer, and his work ethic (like much of the greatest generation) was second to none. Oak leaves and acorns have popped up in my life repeatedly, but that will be a story for a different day.

Another veteran has been in my thoughts this week; a special patient who is a retired US cavalry horse (how cool is that?!). He is newly diagnosed with PPID/ Cushing’s and his mama (also a veteran) is gathering ideas for keeping his weight up with aging teeth and a bit of a picky streak.

Since it is also appropriate for the weather shift this weekend- please share your favorite hints and tricks for keeping your horses hydrated and getting more forage into your tooth challenged senior horses diets- There’s a pair of veterans who could benefit from your advice!

31/10/2022

Happy Halloween! Let’s see your best horse costumes! We’ll go first….

07/10/2022

A somber note for your Friday afternoon, but so important!
Please take the time this fall to critically evaluate your senior horses’ health and body condition as we head toward winter. The impending cooler temperatures make it even harder to maintain weight and move around on creaky arthritic joints. Reach out to your veterinarian- we have lots of options for feeding, dentistry, and joint care that allow many horses to be active and comfortable well into their golden years. And if you decide another winter isn’t in the cards for your old friend we’ll be there too. Thank you for making the hardest and kindest decision to let them go with dignity. ❤️

23/09/2022

One of the best parts about going to a conference is the camaraderie with other professionals. Loving the setup of NAEP bringing veterinarians and farriers together!

14/09/2022

Online pharmacy is LIVE! Stock up on essentials and first aid supplies, and even set up automatic shipments for your horses prescriptions shipped directly to you!

13/09/2022

Friendly heads up to our wonderful clients- Dr. Heikkila will be traveling to Saratoga NY next week for a veterinary conference/continuing education Tuesday September 20th through Saturday September 24th. Please check your supply of medications, and make your refill requests and time sensitive appointments this week! Dr. H will still be available by text and email while at the conference, and if any emergencies arise the docs at Miamitown Equine will be covering call. Excited to bring back some tips and tricks to help your ponies! (Photo from another CE event learning from Dr. Genovese - pioneer of equine ultrasound!)

01/09/2022

PSA! If you are feeding soaked hay cubes or pellets to your older horses- make sure you are fully soaking and breaking them up prior to feeding. This monster pellet was found in a bag of hay cubes by a client. This bad boy didn’t soften up even after 3 hours of soaking! A large hard chunk like this poses a serious choke hazard. 

Hay cubes and pellets are an excellent way to supplement older horses forage needs when they can’t properly chew normal hay. However, a little extra care is needed to ensure they are fully soaked and safe for your horse to eat.

29/08/2022

All smiles from the veterinary team at the start of the Summer Breeze endurance ride Saturday morning (despite a late Friday night running fluids to a crampy horse!)

20/08/2022

Spending the first official day in business helping at the SouthWestern Ohio Farriers Association competition at the gorgeous new Miami University indoor arena. Best of luck to all competitors!