Sturgis Veterinary Hospital & Equine Center

01/09/2024

As colder temperatures settle in across the region later this week, shelter, extra dietary energy (ideally through forage), and potentially blanketing can help keep your horses warm and healthy. 🐴❄

For more info, visit: z.umn.edu/winterhorsecare

01/04/2024

12/29/2023

Only Equine emergency services will be available thru the holiday.

12/21/2023

Happy Holidays!

12/21/2023

Water remains as important for your horse in cold weather as it is in the summer. As a matter of fact, decreased water consumption in the winter is thought to be the primary inducing factor for impaction colic — although there are other predisposing factors such as poor hay quality, lack of exercise, internal parasites and dental problems.

Impaction colic is essentially constipation and most often includes the accumulation of hard, dry f***l material in the colon. The usual signs of impending impaction colic are depression, a decreased appetite, and decreased production and dryness of manure.

Studies demonstrate that you can increase your horse's winter water consumption if you provide access to heated water, but ONLY if that is the only source of water available. As always, if you have any questions about preventing colic in your horse, your local veterinarian remains your best source of information!

12/14/2023

Only 6 days left for our 20% OFF Equine Dental Promotion!!
Make your appt today and save $$$

12/13/2023

In this webinar, we'll delve into the effects of blankets on horse hair growth, hay consumption, shelter preferences, and the ideal environmental conditions for blanket use.

12/06/2023

Just a reminder this holiday season...

12/06/2023

Happy National Cat Lovers' Month from all of us at PetDesk! 🎊 We're excited to dedicate this month to celebrating the joy and companionship cats bring into our lives. Share your favorite cat moments with us! 🐱💗

12/06/2023

As blanket season is in full force upon us, here is a very important reminder courtesy of the horse doctors at Miamitown Equine Veterinary Services:

"When securing blankets, make sure that the snaps/clips are facing inward, toward the horse! If they are facing out, they can easily become stuck on something, like the hay net in the picture."

11/28/2023

Sturgis Veterinary Hospital & Equine Center Veterinarian Dr. Jesica Harvey attends Annual Chiropractic Conference in Texas

Dr. Jesica Harvey, a veterinarian practicing at Sturgis Veterinary Hospital & Equine Center recently attended the 2023 American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) Annual Conference and General Membership Meeting held at Richardson, Texas.
The annual conference offers advanced learning for doctors certified in animal chiropractic by the Animal Chiropractic Certification Commission (ACCC) of the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA).
Licensed doctors of chiropractic and licensed doctors of veterinary medicine who have passed a postgraduate program in animal chiropractic approved by the AVCA are eligible to sit
for the ACCC/AVCA Certification Examinations. In order to become ACCC/AVCA certified in animal chiropractic, a graduate from one of the approved programs must pass both the ACCC
Comprehensive Written and Clinical Competency Examination. An ACCC/AVCA Certified Doctor is required 30 hours of continuing education every three years to keep certification current.
The AVCA was established in 1989. Chiropractic is a drug-free approach to pet health care. It deals with the nervous system housed inside the spinal column.
If you are seeking health care treatment for neuromusculoskeletal function or dysfunction in your animal, or would like more information on animal chiropractic, call Dr. Harvey at: 605-347-4436 or visit the AVCA web site at www.animalchiropractic.org.

11/22/2023

Remember this holiday.. Happy Thanksgiving!

11/22/2023

As we enter Thanksgiving week in the US, many of your vets will be out of town or spending much needed time with their families.
It’s times like these that horse owners need to practice 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.

During this holiday time, as an emergency only vet, I recommend the following:

- 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 deworm your horse right now.
- 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 start a new feed right now.
- 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 get a new round bale of coastal hay right now if you’ve let the last one go to dust (give small amounts at a time or mix with a stemmy hay until they’ve had their fill, then give the round bale).
- 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 change schedules.
- 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 vaccinate your horse right now, especially if you have a known reactor.
- 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 be in a rush and fail to soak your feed for long enough (choke risk) - especially if you’re late to feed due to holiday errands/get togethers.
- If you have visitors, limit treats. Ensure gates are closed. Make sure feed doors and bins locked. 𝐁𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥!

There is already a shortage of equine vets - and the few we do have will likely be out of town or trying to enjoy the holiday.

Let’s all have a very 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠. And let’s let our vets stay home with family!

Remember: 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝑷𝒐𝒕𝒍𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒔! 😂🥴

11/15/2023

Save 20% off your dental... book today!

11/08/2023

Are you looking for a great Thanksgiving Day hostess gift?
Or is your "pet friendly" home in need of a little pick me up... smell wise????
Our Pet Odor candles are the best!
These sell for $13-18 on Amazon... we sell them for only $9.00+ tax!
Holiday scents include Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Spice, Apple Cinnamon, Apple Orchard, Berry Cherry Pie, Blueberry Cobbler, Falling Leaves, and so many more!

Stop in TODAY to grab your favorites while we have them!
Available in BOTH small animal and equine offices

11/07/2023

Great practical information courtesy of the horse doctors at Barrow Veterinary Service:

NORMAL: NOT JUST A SETTING ON THE DRYER!
If your horse seems a little "off," do you know what his "normal" is? One of the best ways you can determine if your horse is ill is to know his normal vitals—temperature, breaths per minute, heart rate, and capillary refill time. If they are outside the normal range, a call to your equine veterinarian is definitely warranted! Any refusal to eat a meal or to get up from a recumbent position is also a clue that you and your equine friend need assistance.

11/07/2023

Knowing your horse's weight prior to the onset of winter is paramount for nutrition and medication management!

11/07/2023

Horses are generally content and compliant animals—unlike humans, they don’t typically have “bad days” that negatively affect their personalities due to emotional duress. Furthermore, as a prey animal they are cognitively designed NOT to show stress or injury, or else they will be recognized as a target by a predator, or bumped down the herd hierarchy.

If a horse is acting differently, it is almost undoubtedly due to a medical issue. We can appreciate this as lameness, but typically the behavioral signs preclude an obvious gait abnormality. Sometimes these behaviors seem chronic (e.g., “He/she always pins their ears when we tighten the girth, or bites at my leg when I ask for more effort.”), but it is important to remember that many horses live with chronic pain. It is rare that a horse is angry or cranky as a result of its genetic nature. Admittedly, some horses “train” their people to back off if they demonstrate a particular behavior, but pain absolutely should be ruled out before coming to this conclusion.

Therefore, if your horse is acting differently, or comes out stiff or lame, it is necessary to consider medical reasons for this behavior, even if your equine friend “works out of it.” As pain is generated, the horse’s body releases pain modifying agents in order to perform its job—which once again goes back to being a prey animal.

As the guardians of these magnificent animals, it is imperative that we “listen” to what the horse is trying to tell us and at the very least get a medical expert’s non-biased opinion about what could be going on, in order to rule out injury or illness as a contributing factor. We owe it to the horse.

Brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee
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Want to learn more? Watch the documentary based on Dr. Sue Dyson’s groundbreaking work on signs of pain in the ridden horse here: https://equimanagement.com/news/dr-sue-dyson-featured-in-new-equine-documentary-on-the-24-behaviors-of-the-ridden-horse-in-pain/

10/31/2023

This one is good too!

10/31/2023

Please chose your favorite Pet Costume and LIKE the photo!! Winner chosen at 1pm TODAY!!!

You still have time to submit YOUR photo!

The MOST LIKES wins!!!
please like your favorite photos..

10/31/2023

10/30/2023

Weasel Cummings

10/30/2023

Windy LuLu Finn