Hunt Country Equine Mobile Veterinary Service PLLC

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Tryon, NC
Hunt Country Equine Mobile Veterinary Service PLLC

Dedicated to exceptional service, compassionate patient care and strong client education
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06/25/2024

Call our office today to schedule your July chiropractic appointment with Dr. deBoer to receive 20% off regular pricing! Stay tuned for other promos in the coming months!

06/24/2024

It sure is difficult to focus when your supervisor is always looking over your shoulder

06/23/2024

06/21/2024

"Equine" veterinarian in training

06/20/2024

Wolf teeth are small premolars that sometimes develop in front of the first cheek tooth, or the second premolar. They can develop on the upper and lower jaw, but upper wolf teeth are more common. Not all horses develop them, but when present they usually erupt by around 6 to 12 months of age. As veterinarian's we might recommend extracting them if they are identified in the young horse to prevent potential future discomfort. However, they don't all cause oral discomfort, and some are fine to be left in the mouth. With increasing age, they can become more molar-like and difficult to extract, which is one reason why it's always best to start oral examinations from a young age. Sometimes they do not erupt through the gumline, and these are referred to as "blind" wolf teeth that can be easily missed without careful digital examination of the mouth.

The images below are an example of a wolf tooth that did cause oral discomfort and was best to be extracted. In the first image, the small sharp wolf tooth is hiding up near the palatal fold, but the cheek abrasions caused by the tooth chafing the cheek mucosa during mastication can be easily seen. The second image was taken after the wolf tooth was extracted and better demonstrates how the tooth was sitting in relation to the second premolar and the cheek abrasions. This patient should be much more comfortable with the tooth extracted!

06/19/2024

I could not be more thrilled with the sign for the new clinic!!! I couldn’t even wait for them to remove the supports before I posted it! So excited!!

06/19/2024

Collaboration between your veterinarian and farrier can have huge benefits to your horse's overall health from hoof to velvety nose! Ever heard the old saying "No hoof no horse"? It's so true! Diagnostic tools like radiology can help your veterinarian and farrier work cohesively to determine the best trimming or shoeing plan for your horse to help them feel and perform their best!

06/17/2024

Mini dentals can be quite the ab workout!😂

06/14/2024

Our patients are the brightest part of our day 🥰

06/13/2024

It’s coming along! Can’t wait to announce a grand opening date soon! :)

06/12/2024

With the warmer weather, we’ve been having as we head into summer, it is the time of year when insect bite hypersensitivity can occur. It is commonly caused by Culicoides spp (midges, no-see-ums, gnats), black flies, stable flies, and mosquitoes. The allergy is caused by a protein in the saliva of the insect which is injected into the horse when they are bitten. Clinical signs can vary based on how reactive the horse is,
and can include itching, crusting, hives, hair loss and/or thickening of the skin. It can make the horse’s life miserable, along with the owners, as they try to get the allergies under control.
The main way to control is through insect prevention and management. Keeping stalls cleaned and the manure pile far from the barn, having fans in stalls, and using fly predators and/or feed through insect growth regulators can aid with fly control.
Insect repellents and fly sheets, masks, and boots when a horse is turned out can be helpful, as well as keeping the horse stalled during early morning or dusk when insects such as Culicoides spp. are most active.
In cases where horses are having severe reactions despite management or prevention strategies, steroids and antihistamines can be of help to control symptoms. Antihistamines are very safe and can be used long term (but do have a withdrawal period for USEF recognized shows), but steroids are better for short term use due to potential side effects, especially in insulin resistant or overweight horses. Skin and allergy supplements which contain Omega-3 fatty acids and other anti-inflammatory ingredients, such as MSM are also helpful in reducing skin inflammation and decreasing the need for actual medications. Insect hypersensitivity shots are also an option for the severely affected horses to help with reducing severity of allergies over time. These injections can be life changing for some horses but must be continued long term for maintenance. Starting early on these prevention measures before insects are in full swing is beneficial.
For more information, The Horse has a great in-depth article on insect control strategies.
https://thehorse.com/features/insect-control-strategies-for-horse-owners/

06/10/2024

Dr. deBoer and Dr. Buchanan working together to help our patients feel their best with chiropractic!

06/07/2024

Ask our vets!
What topics are you most interested in learning more about? Post below any questions you may have for our veterinarians and stay tuned to our page for posts related to any and all questions you have about equine veterinary medicine!

06/06/2024

Just like humans, horses can be prone to sunburn. Typically, light colored horses are the most likely to experience sunburns especially around their eyes and muzzle where white markings are most common (such as blazes, bald faces, etc). Sunburns in horses are similar to humans with peeling, blisters, and scaly, inflamed skin. To prevent sunburns, it's best to bring horses in from the pasture or provide a shady shelter during the heat of the day. Consider nighttime turnout for the summer months and using fly masks with a long UV protection muzzle will help block some of the sun's rays. It is also recommended if you have a horse with a pink/white muzzle to apply sunscreen daily to help prevent sunburn, especially if your horse is turned out during the day with lots of sun exposure

06/05/2024

Quite a difference can be made with some TLC and time! Check out these large deep cheek ulcers spotted on routine dental examination! As part of the exam we performed focal odontoplasty, which just means we reduced all the sharp edges and occlusal irregularities on individual teeth within the mouth to reduce pain, maximize chewing efficiency/ comfort and keep all the teeth wearing at a similar rate so they hopefully last and don't expire prematurely. Since these ulcers were so large, we recommended a re-check exam to make sure the ulcers healed after the procedure. These images show the original ulcers (blue arrows) and then the healed mouth 2 months later! Just a simple oral exam will identify nagging issues like cheek and tongue ulcers that can be very uncomfortable for our horses!

06/04/2024

We want to keep all of our clients apprised of any disease outbreaks or risk to their horses. The South Carolina state veterinarian's office informed us yesterday of their first positive case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in 2024. They have also had a horse test positive for West Nile Virus in 2024 as well. If you have not had your horses vaccinated for either of these diseases in 2024 please call our office to schedule your vaccinations. Below is the link to the national disease alert program if you would like to check disease outbreak status in other states or to sign up for alerts yourself. please call or email our office at [email protected] if you have any questions.

06/03/2024

These pictures are a visual representation of how helpful chiropractic can be for helping the horse have better biomechanics and posture, so that they can perform their jobs more comfortably and correctly. This is a 10YO QH gelding that was seen for having difficulty cantering and being very stiff and short strided on down hills. You can see in his before picture that he was quite hunched in his low back and had a prominent croup. There was notable improvement at the end of his first treatment, but you can see quite a dramatic and more comfortable look to his posture at the end of his second adjustment 4 weeks later. The owner noticed a huge change in his comfort and willingness to canter and his stride length and mobility in his hind end. We are excited to see how he continues to progress over a few more adjustments!

06/02/2024

Fence is up, stalls are done, doors and cabinets are going in! 😊

05/31/2024

Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis

Next in the vaccine series is Eastern and Western Equine Encephalopathies. These are together because they are very similar viruses.
Eastern and Western equine encephalopathies (EEE and WEE, respectively) have a primary vector of mosquitos. EEE and WEE are caused by an arbovirus, which is in the same family as West Nile Virus. EEE is primarily found in the eastern portion of the United States, however in the past few years there have been cases reported west of the Mississippi river. WEE has not been seen in the USA since the 1990’s, this is likely due to the extensive vaccination efforts by veterinarians. EEE and WEE are zoonotic and can infect humans as well. Humans can become very ill, and have died from this disease.

Incidence numbers as of 2021 (most update to numbers found) for Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis:
North Carolina - 3 cases
South Carolina - 2 cases
Georgia - 1 case
Virginia - 1 case

Symptoms: Symptoms typically start to occur 9-11 days after infection
Head pressing
High fever
Severe depression
Circling
Impaired vision
Aimless wandering
Inability to swallow
Ataxia
Among other symptoms

Diagnosis:
Clinical presentation - coupled with number of other cases and risk associated with the mosquito population in that area, and vaccination status of the patient
Serum blood test

Treatment and Prognosis
There is no cure or antibiotics
Supportive therapy only - intravenous fluids, anti-inflammatories, etc.
In unvaccinated horses, the mortality rate is as high as 90%. Those that do survive may have permanent brain damage.

Prevention:
Vaccinate, at least annually
Blood serum titers are available, however there are no USDA recommended titer levels in horses to guarantee that your horse is protected. Meaning, when assessing the titer levels to this disease, if the titers are high, it is suggestive that your horse is protected, but according to the USDA, there is no guarantee that your horse is protected.
The financial burden associated with sending blood titers is hundreds more than the vaccination. Additionally, each titer only tests for an individual disease, not multiple diseases.
Control mosquito populations - prevent standing water around stables, ensure that troughs or other water sources are clean, etc.

Bibliography:
About Eastern equine encephalitis (no date) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/eastern-equine-encephalitis/about/index.html (Accessed: 23 May 2024).
Eastern Equine encephalitis (EEE) (2024) AAEP. Available at: https://aaep.org/resource/eastern-equine-encephalitis-eee/ (Accessed: 23 May 2024).
Vector-borne equine encephalitides (no date) Disease Alert: Equine Encephalitis (EEE/WEE/VEE). Available at: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/equine/encephalitides (Accessed: 23 May 2024).

Young, A. (2023) Eastern Equine encephalitis (EEE), School of Veterinary Medicine. Available at: https://ceh.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/health-topics/eastern-equine-encephalitis-eee (Accessed: 23 May 2024).

05/29/2024

It’s been a while since I’ve done an update. Things have been moving painfully slow for the past few months, but we are in the home stretch now! Fence being installed this week. Sign this weekend, we have paint, and cabinets will be starting next week! Stay tuned for lots of new updates in the next few weeks and hopefully an open house date soon! Thanks to all our awesome clients and friends for being patient and being on this journey with us! Can’t wait to give you all a tour of the finished product!!

05/27/2024

Please join us in wishing our veterinary assistant, Christian a wonderful birthday! Christian works as Dr. Thornbury's truck assistant and helps his day run smoothly. He is passionate about everything equine and we are lucky to have him on the team! We hope he has a wonderful day celebrating with his family!

05/23/2024

We are excited to announce that Dr. Mina deBoer has completed her chiropractic training and is now accepting patients! We are thrilled to have another veterinarian at Hunt Country Equine helping our equine companions feel their best through chiropractic!

05/22/2024

Please join us in welcoming Claiborne to our team! Claiborne is helping us over the summer part time on both the trucks and in the office. She grew up in Greenville, SC and has been riding since she was 6 years old. She is currently majoring in environmental science at Wofford College.

These are her answers to our get to know you questionnaire!

Do you have any pets? 3 cats, 4 horses
Favorite food? Pasta or chicken marsala
Favorite place to visit? Edisto Beach
Describe yourself in one word? Adventurous
Hobbies? Riding horses
Introvert or extrovert? Introvert until I get to know you!
What breed of dog would you be? Bulldog
Do you ride? Yes, since I was 6 years old
What interests you most about veterinary medicine? Acupuncture and chiropractic
Favorite breed of horse? Mustang or thoroughbred

05/21/2024

A few weeks ago, Dr. Meliah Carrel and two of our veterinary assistants, Christian and Danielle participated in training through 4Hooves hosted by PEER (Polk Equine Emergency Rescue). We are so lucky to live in a place that provides equine emergency rescue training to the community! Thank you, 4Hooves and PEER!

05/18/2024

Check out the latest issue of THE HORSE for an article written by Dr. Buchanan! She was honored to write an article for the AAEP forum portion of THE HORSE on how to prepare for and what to expect from a chiropractic appointment for you horse.

05/01/2024

Any ideas on what this conversation was about?🥰

04/29/2024

We are excited to introduce our newest veterinary assistant, Danielle! Be sure to say hello when you see her out on the farm!

Danielle grew up in CA and has traveled around the country (and Belgium) working with horses. We are excited to have her on our team! Below are her answers to our "get to know you questionnaire."

**Do you have any pets? Yes, a cat named Daisy and my horse, Teddy!
**Favorite Food? Mediterranean
**Favorite place to visit? My Family, wherever they may be
**Describe yourself in one word? Lively
**Hobbies? I enjoy hiking, mountain biking, cooking, playing cards and riding/caring for my horse.
**Introvert or Extrovert? I'm an introverted extrovert!
**What breed of dog would you be? A golden retriever but I'd prefer to be a cat
**Where did you grow up? Monterey Bay, CA
**Do you ride? Yes, I started with eventing and now have more of a focus on dressage
**What interests you most about veterinary medicine? It allows a deeper understanding of the animals we love!
**Favorite breed of horse? There are too many to love!

04/25/2024

Please join us in wishing our amazing practice manager Rachael Bradley a very happy birthday! We are so thankful for Rachael and how she keeps the practice organized and running smoothly. We couldn't do it without her!! We hope you have an amazing day Rachael!

Address

1669 Hugh Champion Road
Tryon, NC
28782

Telephone

+18288942627

Website

http://www.huntcountryequine.com/

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Videos

Spring has sprung and it’s foal season! Nothing brightens the mood like a playful baby ☺️

The first video clip (shown in the previous post) shows the original presentation of a patient diagnosed with EPM (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis) based on clinical neurological examination and blood testing. This second clip shows the patient after just a month of treatment. Notice how much more steady she is on her feet! Neurological signs are not always so obvious and a thorough clinical evaluation is critical to accurately identify significant neurological issues. Some diagnostics, such as radiographs and blood tests, can be done in the field. Other more complex diagnostics may necessitate referral to a hospital. Thank you to our client for allowing us to share these video clips!

Neurological issues in horses can be a safety risk for both horse and rider. When we perform a neurological examination in the field, we use a series of tests to assess the patient's proprioception, looking for signs of incoordination and weakness. Does the horse know where his/ her limbs are in space? A severely neurological horse will appear unsteady and may reach for the ground in front of them, sway, trip or even stumble. Covering the patient's field of vision, as in the video clips below, can make proprioceptive deficits more obvious. The first video clip shows the original presentation of a patient diagnosed with EPM (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis) based on clinical neurological examination and blood testing. In the next post, the second clip shows the patient after just a month of treatment. Notice how much more steady she is on her feet! Neurological signs are not always so obvious and a thorough clinical evaluation is critical to accurately identify significant neurological issues. Some diagnostics, such as radiographs and blood tests, can be done in the field. Other more complex diagnostics may necessitate referral to a hospital. Thank you to our client for allowing us to share these video clips! (This is the first clip!)

Turns out our vet trucks are good for more than just carrying medical supplies! They also make a great back scratcher

Fonteyn showing off her pearly whites ✨

Happy Hump Day!

Happy hump day!!

Young horses have deciduous, or baby, incisors and premolars that are pushed out and shed as their permanent teeth erupt. Unfortunately, those baby teeth do not always shed appropriately. Retained baby teeth can cause a number of problems. First and foremost, they can cause lacerations of the cheeks and tongue. The video attached demonstrates an oral endoscopic exam of the upper left cheek teeth in an approximately 3 year old colt. In the video, there is retention of part of the deciduous 3rd premolar, which has created a deep laceration in the cheek mucosa. Ouch! Aside from soft tissue damage, retention of baby teeth can predispose horses to onset of periodontal disease by disrupting the eruption pathway of permanent teeth, causing affected teeth to be out of alignment. When teeth do not erupt in the proper position food is easily caught between the misaligned teeth, where it will rot! Rotting food material can cause gingivitis and eventually bone loss around affected teeth. Retention of baby teeth can also lead to malocclusions like steps and wave mouth. All of these problems can be addressed, managed (and potentially reversed) if identified early. Equine dentistry is most effective when started at a young age and regularly performed throughout the patient's life. Biannual examinations are ideal in the young horse, when they are losing their baby teeth and erupting permanent teeth!

This is a follow-up post from our previous post on gastroscopy! The video clip below shows the pylorus, which is a sphincter or valve that allows gastric contents to exit the base of the stomach and enter the small intestines. Movement of gastric contents through the pylorus and into the small intestines is controlled by rhythmic contractions called peristalsis. This region of the stomach has acid producing glands and so is referred to as glandular. While less common than classic squamous ulcers, horses can develop ulcerative lesions of the glandular region of the stomach. We call this glandular gastric disease. Clinical signs of glandular gastric disease can be vague but may include poor condition/ weight loss, poor performance, nervousness or aggression, or intermittent mild colic. The development of glandular gastric disease is not fully understood, but (unlike squamous ulcers) it is not solely a result of acid exposure. When performing a gastroscopy, we assess both the squamous and glandular regions of the stomach to screen for ulcerative disease presence. Treatment recommendations may vary depending on if there is evidence of only squamous disease, evidence of only glandular disease, or evidence of both.

Gastroscopy is a procedure used to view the inside of your horse's stomach. We schedule them first thing in the morning because the patient needs to be fasted the night before the procedure so the stomach can be visualized in its entirety, free of feed material. Standing sedation is utilized to minimize stress on the patient and to keep them comfortable and relaxed for the procedure, which usually takes around 15-20 minutes. A 3-meter long endoscope with a camera is passed through the nose into the esophagus and down to the stomach, where we can objectively assess the health of the stomach lining. Gastroscopy is the only way to accurately diagnose stomach ulcers and monitor their treatment response. Stomach ulcers can be a common cause of girthiness, teeth grinding, behavior changes and performance issues. The video below shows a gastroscope once the scope has been passed through the esophagus into the stomach. You can see the difference between the squamous (non-glandular) and glandular mucosae. The squamous portion is the lighter color and the glandular portion is the darker pink. Most stomach ulcers are found in the squamous portion of the stomach but occasionally we will find ulcers in the glandular portion. Our scope allows us to examine the entire stomach all the way down to the pylorus (entrance of the small intestine.)

Just like vaccinations and de-worming, dental exams are important for health management and are ideally performed routinely as a preventative procedure prior to the development of any significant pathology. Horses’ teeth are very different from humans. Horses have what are called hypsodont teeth, meaning that they have deep crowns and short roots that continuously erupt as the chewing surface is worn down from normal grinding of feedstuffs. The frequency of dental exams is determined on an individual basis and subject to age, diet, use, as well as other factors. In general, yearly dental exams are recommended as part of a routine wellness plan. A dental exam should be performed on foals to rule out developmental problems. Deciduous (baby) incisors and premolars are shed and replaced by permanent teeth from the ages of 2 to 5 years old. It may be advisable to perform dental exams on a bi-annual basis in the young horse to evaluate for abnormalities such as retained baby teeth that could disrupt the normal eruption pathway of the permanent teeth and predispose the individual to the development of gingivitis and gum disease. Issues like these, if left unidentified and unmanaged, can lead to larger problems that may require more invasive treatment like diastema widening for managing gum disease or potentially extraction of compromised and diseased teeth. Both procedures have been performed in the video below. Routine dental care started early in life will improve oral health, increase quality of life, and reduce the risk of other major health problems like colic and choke.