East Coast Equine Veterinary Service

01/28/2025

It is so nice to have our dogs and cats around us in the barn!

However, our equine friends are on certain medications that are not meant for other animals such as dogs and cats. Accidents happen and it is always good to be in the know with how to approach certain situations!

We’ve had quite a few calls the past couple of weeks regarding dogs and cats that have gotten themselves into some medications not meant for them. Here’s what you should know:

Most medications that horses are on are not used in small animals, and are toxic to them. It is very important that you call your regular or emergency small animal veterinarian as soon as you can following the ingestion of any equine medications, as they can advise you of the best course of action to help your dog or cat!

Show us a cute picture of your horse with their small animal friends in the comments!

01/19/2025

With the winter storm and extreme cold temperatures anticipated this week, here are some helpful tips for caring for our equine partners.

As the cold winter weather trudges on, Dr. Sarah Reuss, AAEP Vice President and a horse owner herself, shares the following advice to keep your horse safe during extreme weather.

1. While lots of hay is ideal for horses to eat to keep warm, now is NOT the time to introduce a round bale if they’ve never had access to one before. It may be more work, but keep throwing them their normal hay source, just more frequently.

2. Similarly, if your horse is not used to being in a stall, now is NOT the time. The stress of a major change and the decreased activity can be risk factors for colic. Be sure they have access to shelter, hay, and drinkable water but let them move around if they choose to do so.

3. Horses that are thin, older, or fully body clipped are those most at risk in extreme weather.

4. Well-fitting blankets are great but be sure that horses do not get sweaty under them, or that the blankets don’t soak through if snow or rain covered. Wet, cold and covered is worse that dry, cold and naked.

5. Some of the highest risk times are when the temperatures hover right around freezing, as that can result in sleet/freezing rain/ice that can make horses wet and therefore colder. Slippery footing is a concern, too.

6. If using electric water heaters, be sure they are functioning and not shocking horses. Take your gloves off and stick your hand in the water (briefly!!!) to double check.

7. Entice your horses to consume extra water by flavoring a bucket, adding electrolytes to their meals, or soaking their meals in warm water. If you’ve never fed beet pulp before, be sure to add LOTS of warm water. Dry beet pulp is a common source of choke.

8. The tips of your horses' ears can be at risk for frostbite. Putting on a waterproof, jumper-style ear bonnet or other waterproof ear cover can protect them from wind chills.

If you have any questions or concerns about keeping your horses safe this winter, contact your veterinarian for advice.

01/14/2025

We are very proud to have veterinarians that are certified in Acupuncture and EVMM!

Accupuncture and EVMM go hand in hand, as acupuncture releases the muscle tension and EVMM restores ful range of motion of the vertebrae and allowing the inflammation to subside.

*Dr. Alex Ciuffitelli does the Acupuncture at ECEVS!

Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in the following conditions-

•Musculoskeletal problems: muscle soreness, back pain, osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease, neck pain

•Neurologic disorders: laryngeal hemiplegia, facial and radial nerve paralysis

•Other chronic conditions: anhidrosis, inflammatory airway disease, cough, uveitis, geriatric weakness, skin problems

Performance enhancement and prevention of disease
Treatments usually take about one hour. Acupoints may be stimulated in a variety of ways including dry needling, aqu-acupuncture, electro-stimulation, and moxibustion. The number of treatments needed/recommended is based on the severity and duration of the condition. A single treatment may be enough for an acute condition, and usually a series of 3-10 treatments can resolve a chronic problem. Some degenerative conditions may need monthly treatments to show a consistent effect.

*Dr. Tracy Mandrona does the EVMM (chiropractic) at ECEVS!

Equine Veterinary Medical Manipulation (EVMM) or commonly called "chiropractic" is a form of diagnosis and therapy that focuses on assessing and correcting disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous system.

During a routine EVMM appointment, the horse will be watched in motion to check for alterations in gait or carriage. This is followed by palpation and motioning of individual joints to check for “restrictions” or loss of normal range of motion. Once the evaluation is complete, adjustments will be made by applying a direct thrust to immobilized areas; in effort to restore and optimize normal range of motion in all motion segments of your horses body. Chiropractic care can help to increase circulation and eliminate lactic acid. It reduces muscle spasms and adhesions and inturn increases flexibility and improves overall performance

Signs it may time for an adjustment:

•Trouble changing or maintaining leads
•Shortened stride
•Difficulty bending
•Stiff behind
•Poor topline
•Back soreness

If you think your horse would benefit from one, or both of these therapies, please give the office a call at 908-852-1300 for more information and to get on our schedule for 2025!

01/01/2025

Happy New Year!!!

We are wishing you all a wonderful, happy, and safe new year!

The office will be closed today, and we will reopen tomorrow morning!

As always, a veterinarian will be on call for your emergencies by dialing 201-874-4737.

12/30/2024

From big to small, we do them all!

East Coast Equine’s dental special is going on through February 28th!

When is the last time your horse had a full oral exam and dental performed?

Is your horse dropping feed and/or clumps of hay? Chewing with their head tilted? Are they fussy with the bridle or being sensitive around their mouth?

If you’ve answered “Yes” to any of these questions, it may be time for an annual dental float.

Please give the office a call to schedule your horses dental! Our Dental Special pricing is applicable on 3 or more dentals at the same barn, when payment is made at time of service!

12/25/2024

Elf is one his way back to the North Pole! Can’t wait to see what tricks he comes back with next year….

Merry Christmas!!!

12/24/2024

Elf is here for a few minutes to announce this weeks holiday hours!

The office will be closed today, December 24th through Thursday, December 26th for Christmas!

We hope you have a wonderful holiday, spent with your loved ones.

12/23/2024

It really stinks for whoever has to run that f***l!!!
Pee-YOU!! 💩

12/21/2024

Naughty or nice??
Elf has his list…. 🪨

12/19/2024

Oh boy… Elf must be up to no good over at the office while we’ve been out celebrating the holidays together this afternoon! Thank you to everyone for your patience while we spent time together this afternoon!

12/19/2024

We will be closing today December 19th at 12:30 for our staff Christmas party!!!


As for the rest of our Holiday Hours:

For Christmas, the office will be closed from December 23rd through December 26th. We will re-open on December 27th.

For New Year's, the office will be closed on New Year's Day, January 1st. We will re-open on January 2nd.

Don't worry, a veterinarian will be on call for all of your emergencies, as always!
You can reach our on call veterinarian out of office hours at 201-874-4737.

Otherwise, we will be operating on normal hours through the holidays:
Monday-Friday: 8am-4:30pm
Saturday: 8am-12pm

We appreciate all of you!
Happy holidays!!!
We hope you have a wonderful time spent with family and loved ones!

12/18/2024

Anything for some cold air for Elf!

He just had to join Dr. Ashely for her Cryotherapy appointment!

12/17/2024

Oh boy….. Maybe we should do an Oral Sugar test on Elf now??

12/16/2024

Elf wass hitting the slopes this morning since we finally got a hint of the North Pole conditions!

12/12/2024

When we hear the word Cushings, we often think of the particularly wooly horse or pony in the barn with the cresty neck, but there is more to it than that.

Cushings disease is otherwise referred to as Pituitary Pare Intermediate Dysfunction. It is a hormonal disorder that affects the pituitary gland in horses.
PPID is not exclusive to the geriatric crown either, horses in their mid-early teens can begin showing signs as well.

Some of the clinical signs of PPID include:
•Muscle\weight Loss
•Immune system dysfunction
•Tendon/ligament weakness
•Laminitis
•Loose Manure
•Excessive urination
•Abnormal thirst
•Lethargy

How to we treat PPID?
While there is no cure, treatment is indicated to reduce clinical signs of the disease and must be continued throughout the remainder of the horses life to manage symptoms. In most cases, PPID can be easily managed with an oral tablet of medication called Prascend

To get to this point, we recommend a blood test to evaluate their ACTH, Glucose, Cortisol, and Insulin levels. At that time, we will also perform a TRH Stim test (Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone). A baseline ACTH sample is collected, and then TRH is administered intravenously (IV), and then another ACTH sample is collected 10 minutes later.

For this test, horses do not have to fully fast (except in special cases). They are allowed to eat hay prior to having their blood drawn, just not grain or ration balancer. These appointments are commonly scheduled as our first appointment of the day so the horse can have their normal grain right after.
Horses already on Prascend in the morning, should still receive their Prascend in the morning before bloodwork.

When to test?
Now is the perfect time of year!

The best time to test is from December through June.
There is a natural elevation during the fall in most horses ACTH, up to 3 times their baseline! Therefore we do not perform TRH stim tests from Mid-July through November as the reference ranges are not established for the “fall-rise”.

Important things to note with Prascend!
Once your horse/pony begins treatment with Prascend, here are a few tips to remember:

•Try to avoid handling the medication with bare hands
•Do not open the blister pack until you are ready to administer the tablet, as exposure to air can cause a rapid breakdown of the medication
•It is helpful to administer the Prascend separate from any NSAIDS for better efficacy
•if your horse is on more than 1 tablet of Prascend, you can try splitting the dose into 2 feedings for better results

Retesting is recommended 1-2 months after starting Prascend to ensure they are receiving the proper dose. After that, annual testing is ideal. Some horses can do very well on 1 tablet daily, while others require 2,3, or more tablets daily. And then there is the occasional horse who will not be able to be fully controlled, but we can certainly reduce the severity of their symptoms.

If you have any questions about PPID, testing, or medications, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Give the office a call to get your horse on our schedule!