Central Kentucky Small Ruminant Veterinary Services LLC

11/11/2025

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10/24/2025

Little pro tip for those that show a lot.
This summer I went through and put most of my currently owned goats into a spreadsheet. It's a work in progress (want to eventually get show wins in there to make it easier to keep track of "legs" in ADGA land). This is the master list, from which I can then copy individual animals over to other smaller sheets as needed, such as for individual shows.
Once in the spreadsheet it takes me about the same amount of time to do a health certificate for 30 animals as it does for 1 animal because I can just upload the CSV.
At exam animals are checked for health and to verify ID but having a spreadsheet with info makes it very fast to just upload the info since I don't have staff. 😊
And as an exhibitor myself I'm not scrambling last minute to get my animals typed in, they're already in one spot.

(Also please appreciate there really aren't that many goats on the master list 😆🫣)

09/07/2025

Yesterday was a LONG time in the making!

I have always been intrigued by advanced reproductive procedures to include AI and embryo transfer. Not enough to only do repro as I would miss everyday medicine too much, but I do think those tools are a necessary part of a competitive breeding program. I've gotten pretty decent at transcervical AI in my own herd but timing is so critical that I really don't prefer it in client animals, plus there is the occasional animal that is just not a good transcervical AI candidate that might do well with laparoscopic AI.

Been wanting to get this off the ground for a while but ya know, the whole time and money thing- when you have one you don't necessarily have the other, and I've been prioritizing pouring into other areas of the practice.

Got a lot of kinks worked out by end of day and identified some areas to improve efficiency for the future. With that said I am opening up some dates for a limited number of animals each session the rest of the year, starting with 10/11 and 11/15.

*****

Some things to note:
1. I can travel to the farm, but there is an additional $200 setup fee in addition to the regular farm call and the per animal fee. On-farm services can be scheduled individually and not necessarily limited to the dates I will release soon; those dates will be hosted in Harrodsburg with no farm call fee and no setup fee.
2. Per animal fee $50 ea, no drugs included (outside of sedation), protocol provided.
-Drugs can be included for additional cost (synchronization and/or post procedure drugs such as Banamine and antibiotics).
-If upon sedation and exam the animal is a "no go" for whatever reason, 50% of the fee will still apply.
3. Current max of 15-20 animals per day (currently only have 1 cart and just can't move them through that quickly).
4. Deposit due of $100 per farm at signup to hold your spot. If attendance changes for whatever reason, deposit may be partially or fully refunded at my discretion. (Family emergency or goats not coming into heat beforehand vs you just didn't feel like coming anymore - I am pretty easy going but I don't want to limit signups, then have people change their minds.)
5. Above fees and info subject to change; however once you have a deposit down, it is for the prices and policies that were in place when you put that deposit down.

To reserve your spot, please check out my new storefront on the website:
https://www.kygoatvet.com/store
Click "add to cart" under Lap AI signup and enter the indicated info.

08/26/2025

Family first, always.
They might come with me sometimes and we will have to get creative to keep everybody safe. My clients so far have been nothing but supportive in this. 🙌

While on the subject though, a gentle reminder to please keep non-emergency communication to business hours when possible. (Not been too bad lately and this isn't aimed at anybody in particular, I've been wanting to post this for awhile).

What nobody but me and my family can see is when that phone goes off after hours:
-I might be juggling a toddler having a meltdown and nursing a hungry baby while keeping whatever is on the stove from burning
-I could be out on an actual emergency already and the phone going off makes me wonder what insanity I'll have to go deal with next
-Every time my toddler hears the phone ring she yells "Oh NO!" 🤣 And while funny I'm not sure if that's because that's my default reaction after hours, or if she knows there's a decent chance I'll have to leave.

Someday I hope to have some sort of screening set up to triage what can be handled later vs what is truly emergent, and/or a small consultation fee for established clients needing phone support but not necessarily a farm call. Non-client emergencies are a lower priority, and likely to be asked to haul in or wait.

There's a saying, "charge them until you like them." I can't charge a high enough emergency fee to *want* to leave my farm & family. It's a labor of love, a much needed one as more practices trend away from large animal emergencies. One I am glad I can still provide because I have been there, needing a vet at all the inconvenient hours as a producer. But we have to take some steps to keep this sustainable as the practice grows. 🐐🐑🦙

08/19/2025

Today's episode of dumb ways goats try to die (don't worry he walked off fine although I threatened to kill him anyways)

Got home to find my older Ober buck Beau wandering around loose by the house. He's big but not one to cause trouble so my first thought was if you're out, something bad has happened. The other Obers came to greet me when I put him back. Time to walk the fence and find the Boer.

When I saw him in that position motionless my first thought was great, it's just barely too late in the morning to get the dead truck out today, it's gonna be hot, that's a lot of meat, I wonder how long ago he died and if I can still salvage something 😂 (you've got to have a dark sense of humor in this field). When he heard me get closer he started talking to me. His head was buried in the brush from struggling and his foot was cold. But he wasn't bloated and mostly had given up struggling. Was able to locate some wire cutters and find a good spot to cut the vertical wire that had gotten wrapped around a toe. After a few steps he isn't limping. Now to watch if blood supply took too much of a hit or if he really does get off totally lucky.

Freaking goats, about as bad as horses. 🤦‍♀️
"How" and "why" are two questions that generally go unanswered daily.
This is also why I'm a big advocate for getting bucks collected. This guy probably won't be as he's just a commercial to make some crossbreds for me when the dairy goat market sucks like it has this year. But it's an inexpensive insurance policy.

06/05/2025

🎉 Big Announcement! 🎉

We’re so excited to share some news with you!

You asked—and we listened.
We’ll now be adding goats to our buying days!

Stay tuned for more details—we can’t wait to serve you in this new way!

06/03/2025

I feel like a broken record at this point but it's shaping up to be another bad parasite year. 🪱

❗ If you notice an animal acting "off," one of your first steps should be checking FAMACHA score (there are resources online for how to do this, it is difficult to do it perfectly while taking a picture 😂).
❗ Deworm only when needed based on factors such as FAMACHA score, f***l egg count, body condition, etc. Do not deworm just because it's been a month since you last dewormed, and put some thought into what you are using. Consult your vet for what is working and what is not; better yet, you can submit f***ls before and after deworming to get an estimate of how well your dewormer is working in your flock or herd.
❗ Ideally check FAMACHA score at least monthly on all animals this time of year. Low-risk groups are those that are exclusively on dry lot fed only hay and grain off the ground, and those in an intensive rotational grazing system set up to reduce parasite risk. The group in between (on pasture, "plenty" of grass) is at higher risk because even with plenty to graze they will likely cover the same areas day after day and ingest infective Haemonchus contortus (barber pole worm) larvae.

More about parasite management on wormx.info, or consult your local veterinarian.

04/18/2025

Welcome to our page! We are glad you are here.

We are the Salvisa Livestock Station. Located in Central Kentucky, we are locally owned & operated by Thompson Family Farms, LLC.

We are seeking to be your friendly, local, and reliable livestock buying station while providing the seller with a more secure estimate of profits. No commission on animals, a guaranteed competitive price, quick payment, and working with local farmers to support the industry.

Share with your farming friends and inquire about our next buying day!!

04/03/2025

That time of year where I'm doing lots of disbudding. Recently have added sedation & local blocks to my protocol, and in my own animals I try to do tattoos & microchips at the same time.

Sharing this survey from the UK about disbudding procedures - anybody can participate.

GVS Disbudding of Goats Consultation: Questionnaire Dear Contributor, As you may know, within the UK, the act of disbudding goat kids can only be undertaken by a Veterinary Surgeon. Whilst the majority of UK milking goat kids are disbudded, this is by no means the case internationally. With a greate...

03/11/2025

To my valued clients:

Tomorrow I will be unavailable for calls most of the day. I'm dealing with a non-compete lawsuit brought against me by my former employer.
I'm fighting for everyone's right to choose their veterinarian, whichever one best fits their needs and can offer a timely response. I'm also fighting for the basic availability of large animal veterinary care, given the rural vet shortage situation across Kentucky; there is more than enough work to go around and we should be working together when possible.

I debated about whether to post anything but think it's important folks know what is going on, because if this goes through it will impact my ability to continue my practice.

Happy Springtime 🐐🐑

**Edited to add I can't comment on details, this has been and will continue to be a long ongoing process.**

02/03/2025

Simpsonville area
Anybody missing a young Nigerian Dwarf type goat?

01/28/2025

Good tips that apply to lambs and kids, too!

What should you do if a calf needs resuscitation? What is the proper calf recovery position? 🧰 We have you covered with our one-stop toolbox with helpful resources such as this calf recovery checklist at www.BeefResearch.ca/calf911.

📺Watch our video demonstrating effective calf resuscitation strategies: https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/calf-911-new-video-demonstrates-effective-calf-resuscitation-strategies/