Dr. Jordan Grossman, Honest Equine Vet

09/05/2024

New Vermont territory I will be covering! Very excited to see the foliage and the ponies!

09/05/2024

VERMONT!!!! Many of you have inquired about whether or not I could travel to Vermont. I am happy to announce that I am now licensed in Vermont as well as New York! I’ve outlined some areas I intend to visit. If you would like to schedule an appointment, please fill out the New Client Form, which can be found on my website, www.honestequinevet.com and I will reach out to you for scheduling. It is always appreciated when you group visits with neighbors and friends in your area. I look forward to meeting all of you and can’t wait to enjoy the beautiful Vermont foliage! Cheers to beautiful scenery and soon to be fuzzy ponies! See you soon!

Equine veterinarian servicing areas within 1 hour of Saratoga Springs, NY.

08/29/2024

As some of you are aware, there has been an unusual increase in cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in New York. These cases are from UNVACCINATED or NOT PROPERLY VACCINATED horses. Properly vaccinated horses are protected! This vaccine is always part of my recommended spring vaccines and is generally recommended to be given once annually in the spring. Other horses may need special boosters such as horses that travel to the south for the winter, weanlings, broodmares, horses with an unknown vaccine history, and horses that have gone longer than a year without their annual booster.
In the south, we always vaccinated for mosquito borne viruses every 6 months because our mosquito season was longer than in the north. However, these past winters have been relatively mild and I have personally seen mosquitos during the winter around my house in Saratoga Springs. Therefore, I am offering to boost mosquito borne virus vaccines this fall along with your usual fall shots. All of my patients have been vaccinated for these viruses, unless if you specifically declined the vaccines I’ve recommended. If you aren’t sure if your horse is protected, you can review your invoice for a vaccine charge labeled CORE EQ (EEE, WEE, WNV, Tetanus, Rabies). For those of you who have declined this vaccine in the spring and perhaps just opted for rabies vaccine or no vaccine, I want you to understand that your horse is at risk regardless of if your horse travels or was vaccinated in years past. If your horse was not vaccinated for EEE in Spring 2024, your horse is vulnerable. This disease is 90% fatal and it is an awful way to die. The virus infects the brain and the horse becomes progressively neurologic over a period of days until it is no longer able to stand and eventually dies. As someone who has treated and euthanized two cases of EEE in North Carolina, I can promise you, you do not want your horse to ever experience this disease. It is horrifying.
The great news is that this disease is essentially 100% preventable with the vaccine. So, please reach out if you declined recommended vaccines this spring or if you’ve not vaccinated your horses recently. Once your horse is vaccinated, it takes 2 weeks for your horse’s immune system to mount a proper response. Therefore, time is of the essence.

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2024/08/23/eastern-equine-encephalitis-detected-across-new-york-state?cid=app_share&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1w6Clk2JDSyOjZVF0IevvRG4ME9-ilp0I4y8jwCmZLhjg2QP4ia39wsic_aem_LiWqZ9DYdRKIJbwd_zph9g

The state has identified infected horses in seven counties.

04/10/2024

SARCOIDS!!! The most common nodular disease of horses. Sarcoids are a type of locally invasive skin cancer that are notorious for being difficult to manage. If you try to surgically excise one of these bad boys, you risk causing sarcoidosis, which is when the sarcoid comes back bigger and more numerous. This is why we don’t love surgically removing these tumors, because often times it makes things worse.
Lucky for us, there is a product called Immunocidin, which is injected into the tumor every few weeks for a few times and signals the body’s immune system to attack the sarcoid and eliminate it for good! During the “attack phase,” you will notice the tumor looking necrotic/infected. This is a good sign that the drug is working and the body is eating away at the cancerous tumor. Once the ugly phase is over, there is oftentimes no visual sign remaining of the tumor.
It’s best to catch these things as early as possible so that we have a better chance of full resolution. Don’t wait until the tumor has grown so big before calling the vet.
Sarcoids can vary in appearance from just an area of roughened skin with some hair loss to large tumors.
This client noticed there was an area above her horse’s eye that appeared roughened and hairless. She knew she better act fast in order to prevent damage to her horse’s eyesight/eyelid. We treated her sarcoid for a total of 5 times and the results speak for themselves!

04/08/2024

If you see Hannah this week, please wish her luck running her second marathon this weekend. She will be taking the day off Friday to travel to Rhode Island for the event. I like to think that all the horse jogging has really helped her prep for the race. 🏃🏽‍♀️💨🐎

04/07/2024

Did you know horses can get lice? Randy presented for bilateral nasal discharge, fever, pruritis (itchiness), and alopecia (hair loss). We quickly resolved his respiratory infection with antibiotics and now his owner is going to focus on getting rid of these unwanted guests. In the comment section, you will find close up videos of the lice!

Lice infestation is called pediculosis and is more common in sick, debilitated, possibly under conditioned, immunosuppressed animals. Pediculosis in horses is characterized by pruritus (scratching, rubbing, biting, etc), skin irritation, unthrifty appearance, a rough ‘unkept’ hair coat, and possibly a loss of body condition. In severe infestations, hair loss and skin scarification are often seen, and in the case of sucking lice, anemia may be present. Although both types of lice can be found anywhere on the horse, the chewing lice are more common on the head, mane, tail base, and shoulders; whereas the sucking lice are more commonly found in shorter haired regions of the horse (eg. head, neck, back, and inner thigh). Lice infestations and subsequent clinical signs are more common in late winter and early spring.

Equine lice are not contagious to humans and can be treated with ivermectin/moxidectin and/or topical insecticides.

Read this article to learn more about equine lice:https://aaep.org/sites/default/files/2021-02/Lice.pdf

04/06/2024

*Read until the end to learn about huge giveaway opportunity*

Nobody wants to start Spring off with an upset tummy. Let's get your horse's stomach feeling as good as gold before riding season kicks back into gear for most of us.

I offer on-farm gastroscopy, an endoscopic exam that involves passing a flexible camera through the nose and into the stomach. All you need to do is fast your pony friend overnight by pulling hay the night before and we will see you in the morning! Our exam takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish. Cost of initial gastroscopy is $300 and discounts can be obtained by scheduling multiple horses at a time.

How does gastroscopy work? The scope is attached to an air pump and suction. Once inside of the stomach, we inflate with air so we can visualize the entire surface area of the stomach. We then navigate around the stomach with handheld controls. Air is removed after exam is completed. Four weeks after initiation of therapy, a second gastroscopy is performed to confirm resolution of gastric ulcers.

Possible findings on gastroscopy include: painful gastric ulcers, polyps obstructing outflow of stomach, cancerous tumors inside of the stomach, botfly larva infestation, gastric impactions, irregularities of the esophagus causing/resulting from esophageal obstruction (choke), and even some upper airway abnormalities can be seen on our way in and out of the stomach.
Other advantages of gastroscopy include preventing colic, improved performance/behavior/comfort, weight gain, ability to obtain medical insurance coverage for diagnosis and treatment as well as product guarantee from the pharmaceutical company. If your horse is due for a dental and already planning on being sedated for dental exam/float, we can easily scope right after the dental procedure. Save $$ on multiple trip fees and sedation by grouping dentals, sheath cleanings, and gastroscopies!

In partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim Equine Health, Honest Equine Veterinary Services has been able to donate $5,000 worth of Ulcergard to horses in need. We've been especially thankful to be able to help one of our dearest non-profit organizations, A Dapple A Day Equine Center, which provides therapeutic horseback riding to people with emotional, social, cognitive, and physical disabilities. Even better news is that we have the ability to help several more horses while supplies last. Shoot me an email at [email protected] to find out how you can save hundreds of dollars on gastric ulcer treatment for your equine companion and discuss ways to keep ulcers away for good.

04/02/2024

Current Prascend, Equioxx, and Gastrogard rebates!

03/30/2024

So glad Peaches is starting to feel better 💕

03/25/2024

Very sad case today of a 3 year old sweetheart with severe debilitating stifle arthritis . We hope to get this girl some comfort with adequan and joint injections. Our goal is for her to be pasture sound with good quality of life. Follow her story on The Horse Sanctuary at Germantown Farms page.

02/05/2024

Panda wants to know when we are upgrading to a larger SUV.

01/11/2024

Everyone is matching today, even Panda!