Bayside Veterinary Services

14/02/2025

Happy Valentine’s Day to our wonderful clients and patients!

11/02/2025

Did you know February is dental month? 🦷 🐴 Dr. Kurtz offers a dental special of 20% off all Feb long for our horsie patients! Text or call the office number to get scheduled, we are filling up fast!!

24/01/2025

The office will be closed for appointments Monday Jan 27th till Wednesday Jan 29th due to Dr. Kurtz being out of town for a conference.

🐴We will still be able to be reached through the office number for questions or scheduling.

17/01/2025

Is your horse’s nighttime vision better than your daytime vision?

When comparing equine vision to human vision, the horse has a smaller visible spectrum (see image) which means they see a smaller range of colors than we do. However, horses have a structure in the back of their eye—called the tapetum lucidum—that humans do not have. This enhances vision in low light conditions and allows a horse to see better in the dark than a human does. However, reflections from the tapetum lucidum can also blur images and lead to poor depth perception at night.

Dilation of the pupil allows all species to see better in the dark. This process takes longer in a horse (45 minutes) than it does in humans (25 minutes). So, when a horse is asked to do something in a dark environment, it’s important to allow their vision proper time to fully accommodate.

Overall, the nighttime vision of a horse is better than the nighttime vision of a human. However, the horse’s nighttime vision is NOT better than the daytime vision of a human. Anytime you are asking your horse to function in a dim light situation, give them time to adjust. And if they are fearful, be patient and try to understand how things look from their perspective!
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14/01/2025

Did you know that horses breathe about 10 times a minute at rest? But once they hit the gallop, they can take up to 140 breaths per minute! That's a whopping 15 liters of air with each breath! 🐴💨 These majestic creatures never cease to amaze! 💖🐎

13/01/2025

06/01/2025

Since we’re about to get some very cold weather for us Floridians, how about some cold weather facts for our furry horse friends!

🌾 Hindgut digestion of hay produces the most heat, acting as a small furnace inside of the horse. This is why free choice; good quality hay is so important in the winter.

💪 Horses have a huge muscle mass and muscle activity produces heat. This includes running and playing and even shivering if their body temperature starts to drop. It is important to remember that these activities also will result in a bigger caloric demand so free choice hay and in some cases, grain, is often needed.

🧥 To blanket or not to blanket is a constant debate but either way, as it starts to get cold your horse will grow a thicker coat. If you decide to leave your horse unblanketed you may notice that they look “fluffy”. This is due to a phenomenon called piloerection where the hair stands up to better trap air within. Two layers of the coat also help with warmth. The inner layer is softer and has air pockets to create an insulating layer. The outer layer is coarse and has oils that keep moisture from penetrating the insulating layer and keep the horse warm.

🦵Their distal limbs (below the knees and hocks) are made of mostly bones and tendons, tissues that are resistant to the cold temperatures.

01/01/2025

Goodmorning and Happy New Year! Our office is closed today, we will resume normal hours tomorrow!

25/12/2024

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas 🎄 ❤️

23/12/2024

*Holiday Hours*

Our office will be closed starting Tuesday Dec 24 till Thursday Dec 26. We wish you a wonderful Christmas! 🎄 We will resume normal business hours Friday, December 27!

23/12/2024

Please help us wish our wonderful Dr. Kurtz a Happy Birthday today!

16/12/2024

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!

02/12/2024

As the weather cools down, allowing yourself an ample amount of time to cool out your horse after a cold ride is essential to ensure that you don’t jeopardize your horses' health by allowing them to catch a chill.

Our friends at Equus Magazine have some useful tips to share for cooling out your horses this winter. You can read the full article on their website at https://equusmagazine.com/riding/coolingout-10486/

28/11/2024

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🍁

27/11/2024

Thanksgiving Closure Announcement 🦃🍂

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, our office will be closed Thursday and Friday. We’ll resume normal hours on Monday. Please make sure to pick up any medications ahead of time, and remember to keep your pets safe during the holiday!

11/11/2024

Our office is closed today in observance of Veterans Day.

We will be back open tomorrow with our normal hours ❤️🇺🇸