Mariposa Equine Services - Jeanette Mero, DVM

17/05/2024

Last year I made a post about my personal dog when he was snake bit. This year I received an early morning call for a mare with a very young foal at her side that had been snake bit and was experiencing rapidly increasing facial swelling. On arrival this mare was demonstrating the life threatening problem with equine snake bites - the swelling of the nasal tissue can become so extreme the horse can not breath as their airway becomes obstructed from the swollen tissue. Horses are what we call obligate nasal breathers and can not breath through their mouth as many other animals can. Death from asphyxiation is a huge threat in the horse that is snake bite.
A secondary issue of great concern for this mare was the need to get her swelling down and feeling better as quickly as possible so she could continue to produce milk for her young foal.
Once again the Rattler antivenom product came to the rescue. I am so thrilled to have this product now available to help snake bit animals. We used two bags of antivenom, as the mare was clearly in distress, likely received a large dose of venom and we needed to help her recover as quickly as possible for her foal, as well as for her survival. Therefore it was two lives we were concerned for, not just one. We did have one caveat, the antivenom is not labeled for use in pregnant and lactating animals, which doesn’t mean we couldn’t use it, it just means there are no studies supporting its use.
Besides antivenom the mare had a tube placed far enough into her nostrils to keep her airway open and sewn in to secure it. She received pain medications, penicillin, and gentle cleaning of her muzzle area.
I’m thrilled to share the antivenom was so effective at 20 hours post treatment the swelling was already reduced by over 50% and the mare was already able to eat and drink. Getting that swelling down quickly so the animal can start eating, and more importantly drinking on their own, within a day keeps us from having to put the animal on intravenous fluids to keep them hydrated. Another day later the mare is passing air through the opposite nostril and is ready to have her tube pulled. Rattler antivenom again for a huge save!

20/10/2023

UPDATE - sadly we now have Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) in Mariposa county as of today Oct 19. I saw the first case in Mariposa county this afternoon in a horse. Samples have been taken and handed off to the state vets for confirmation, but that’s just a formality. There’s no question the poor horse was affected - fever, drooling, blistered tongue, and not willing to eat. This was another case and location where horses have not left their property in years, and again caused by biting insects. Yesterday’s animals were in the lowlands of Madera County between Mariposa and Raymond. Today’s case was up much higher nearly bordering Sierra National Forest. Until we get some serious cold weather and frosts to kill off these flies and biting insects be vigilant with your fly control. Controlling insects is the only way to fight this virus off.

19/10/2023

I had the unfortunate privilege of seeing my first Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) cases in the flesh this afternoon. Our state has been experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of VS this summer. We had all hoped it would die down shortly as cold weather hopefully arrives soon. The closest cases to us here in the Mariposa/Madera foothills were in Fresno county. Sadly that’s not the case any longer. The horses I saw were in our lower foothill elevations, with another case also noted by CDFA on the valley floor.
The state vet I spoke to today was very helpful and let me know most of our foothill cases have been transmitted by insects only - NOT horse to horse, or by fomites (surfaces, water troughs, feeders, etc) nor people to horses - as can be the case with other versions of this virus.
The horses I saw today will be quarantined for 14 days. They already live an isolated life and have had no known exposure to other horses in years and years - further emphasizing the point the virus was spread to these horses by biting insects - flies, gnats and midges.
Please educate yourselves on this nasty virus spread by biting insects. Fly control is your best defense. Horses almost always recover, they just have a rough few days to a week or so of discomfort from ulcers and lesions in their mouth, tongue, lips and even ears.
They are often noted to be slobbering and are reluctant to eat and drink. Supportive care and NSAIDs as needed is the treatment. Also note worthy infection does NOT confer immunity - horses that were infected and recover can become infected again.
Anyone with a possible case in a horse, sheep, goat, pig, cow, camelid or other exotic hooved animals should contact their veterinarian immediately so
the state can be notified and case tracking can occur.

26/05/2023

Fun case today. This little guy was born with a pretty impressive set of “knock knees” or carpal valgus - where the front limbs from the knees or carpus turn
out. To try to help the limbs improve their alignment a set of medial or inside hoof extensions are glued on to his front feet. The extensions contact the ground first when he walks and helps to rotate the upper limbs back outward. These will stay on for two weeks, be left off for another 7-10 days and then most like another set will get glued on.
This guy is aptly named Pistol and it took some heavy sedation and two handlers to manage him while I trimmed up his hooves, got them prepped for the glue ons and then glued on an extension shoe to each front hoof. Hopefully these will really help this guy, as the only other option would be surgery to help correct the deviations.

15/04/2023

Cryptorchid castrations. Or one retained testicle and only one testicle in the sc***um. This is not the view one wants to see when they roll a c**t up to perform a routine castration. It’s been raining testicles all week, typical for spring weather, finally 😉. I helped 7 c**ts in 3 days become better citizens.
This guy was recently purchased and was fairly fresh off running on pasture his whole short life so far. Needless to say he did not appreciate anyone palpating his junk. So we had to wait until he was under anesthesia to sort it out. And as I said this is not the view a field vet wants to see, only one visible testicle. In many cases these young guys have the other testicle just tucked up a little high and they can be found easily enough and removed. Not so in this case.
After some rather deep palpation of the inguinal ring and exploring the scrotal area before an incision was even made - because it is UNETHICAL to remove only one testicle - and with the clock ticking since we only have about 20 minutes of anesthesia, I offered the client a choice and some hope. I thought I could palpate something that resembled some testicular tissue and I was game to make an initial incision in the area and see if we could find it. If we could - terrific I’d save the client nearly two thousand dollars and referral to a surgeon at an equine hospital. If it couldn’t be found after a good effort we’d just stop, leave the one testicle and refer him for a Cryptorchid castration.
This decision making had to all happen in about 5 mint. I then topped off or added a bit more anesthetic to give me time to work and we carried on with the surgery. It was a tough one. But in the end we won the battle and were able to wrestle the little bu**er out of the inguinal ring, got it clamped off and removed, and then we carried on emasculating and removing the normal testicle.
The pictures illustrate the normal testicle next to the retained testicle. The retained testicle is obviously much smaller than the normal one due to being carried high up in the body. Higher body temperature is not friendly to, or a happy environment for testicular tissue. Hence why the “boys” are always swinging in the wind down low and in a much cooler place than in the abdomen.
I’m thankful we got the job done and I’m beyond thankful for the good training I received all those years ago to be prepared enough and to be brave enough to think fast and be ready with plan A B and/ or C if needed. 😉

18/09/2022

It’s been an unusual couple of weeks with strange, difficult, and often intensive cases, capped off in the last two days with the oddities of objects that animals seem to manage to get entrapped in their bodies. But to be honest, this is not all that unusual in the life of a field vet. It’s just always bizarre how we seem to get runs of these kinds of streaks of the “weird.”
Yesterday was a call for a goat that was observed to be non weight bearing on a rear limb. When the owner checked her out he found wire embedded and wrapped multiple times around her lower limb. There was a tag of wire sticking up but the leg was too swollen, the wire too tightly embedded, and the goat too painful to cooperate, for him to get it off on his own.
Indeed, it took multiple doses of heavy sedatives and nearly full general anesthesia, before being able to get the wound clipped, scrubbed, explored and eventually I was able to tease up one layer of the wire, snip it and unwrap all of the rest of the wire. Further wound care, a thick bandage, multiple strong antibiotics, pain relievers and a tetanus booster - and we are hopeful she will heal. It’s gonna be a bit dicey though since the wire did pe*****te nearly to the bone. Recheck planned for next week.
Then this morning, thinking surely I’ve paid enough dues from the past two weeks of work, that I’d have a quiet weekend - but nope just after dawn the phone range with a call about a horse that had some kind of broom or shovel handle, literally sticking out of it’s groin area. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ Really, I thought. I can’t make this stuff up. So off I go and during the drive I’m anticipating all the possible horrible scenarios this one could be (and I’ve dealt with in the past) - a puncture into a main vein or artery, think femoral here, and how would we get it removed without the horse bleeding out, or an abdominal pe*******on with possible intestines being compromised.
Thankfully on arrival the horse was stable, had missed the main blood vessels, and by a stroke of luck it was the blunt end of a shovel handle and it just ran up the inside of his rear limb between the large inner thigh muscles and his abdominal muscles. The handle had broken off and had just punctured the
skin, subcu, fat and other deep tissue, without doing the feared damage we anticipated, although it was still a deep hole - over 12 inches. The handle fell out on its own as we moved the horse to get him to a better place to work on him. And after essentially the same treatment as the goat, with the addition of rolls of sterile gauze soaked in Scarlett oil packed in the hole - another chapter of what will we find sticking out of, or trapped in an animal, comes to a close.
I’m praying the rest of my weekend is quiet. And I’m ready for a boring and dull week coming up of routine dentals and fall vaccinations. 😉

22/05/2022

Update on Handsome the snakebite horse. Within 12 hours the swelling was greatly improved. At 24 hours the swelling was reduced by half and by 48 hours the swelling was almost gone and he was happily trotting around his pasture playing with his pet mule again. The pictures show the sequential improvements over time. Another win for MG Biologics Rattler Antivenim. Now to order more asap Monday morning. Impressive how fast this horse turned around.

20/05/2022

This is Handsome and he must have tangled with either one very large, very peeved rattlesnake, or possibly even multiple snakes. He was found at pasture not wanting to move and with a grotesquely swollen RF leg.
On exam he was reasonably stable, but the lower limb was draining blood and serum from multiple sites, with the upper limb hugely hot, swollen and very painful to touch. When asked to walk a few steps he could bear weight on the limb and he was not running a fever - both signs which helped to rule out a deep skin infection called cellulitis. But to be sure I ultrasounded his upper limb looking for any signs of an abscess or pus pockets, but I only found generalized edema swelling. I clipped the lower limb to get a better view and surprisingly found what looked like two very large sets of fang marks, with a few single puncture sites as well.
Being in the middle of a field with no ability to get labs I had to just go with my gut and I opted to treat for a snake bite. We were able to reach the owner on the phone, she was en route home, her terrific caretaker noted that something was wrong in the first place, and I gave the owner treatment options. Luckily for Handsome, his owner allowed me to use every tool in my tool box including two vials of MG Biologics Rattler Antivenim. . This stuff is the best and usually works quickly to stabilize horses and reduce the crazy swelling. Most of the time I only need one vial but this horse was in rough shape and likely had received a very large dose of venom. When I boosted him for tetanus, the small vaccine injection site started bleeding and drained blood and serum for some time afterwards - a clear indication the horse’s system was suffering from the affects of the snake venom. Hopefully by tomorrow the Rattler antivenom will work it’s magic and Handsome will be on the mend.

19/04/2022

Wild case at the end of the day today. This 22 year old QH mare presented with the rather dramatic facial swelling seen on the right side of her face, extending down to the corner of her jaw. The mare had been examined a couple years ago for a much smaller swelling (golf ball size) and the previous vet and owner had elected to just monitor it. Recently though the swelling had increased dramatically prompting the reason for the visit today.
After sedation, clipping, and sterile prep of the site - a needle aspirate revealed a very foul smelling fluid. Being the field veterinarian I am, in practice for almost 30 years, I elected to just be bold and open that monster up! Even though we didn’t know what the heck was going on, I figured at least getting that foul fluid out was better than just hemming and hawing and hoping for the best and attempting to drain through a needle. Wow. The stink about knocked us over it was so bad, nearly a liter of it.

One thing I have learned the hard way is never let a mass, or pocket like this go without getting the opening big enough to be able to explore the inside with a finger. It took a bit, as the wall of the mass was over an inch thick, but eventually I got a finger in there and was able to do a sweep. As I was exploring and determining if the mass at the jaw communicated with the mass on the cheek (they did), my finger hit a rock hard structure at the base of the jaw. Another dose of sedation, some alligator forceps, and much wrangling and finagling and I was finally able to get the biggest salivary stone I’ve ever dealt with out! Over two inches in length and half an inch wide. While I had a hunch it could have been a stone all along, I’ve never seen one cause that much swelling, or cause an infected, foul smelling fluid to build up, or not be able to palpate the stone pre surgery. I figured it was just as likely we’d find a foreign body or some other reason for the abscess. Pretty cool case. And while I doubt the mare’s face will ever be normal again and we might have more drama with the distorted, distended, probably destroyed salivary duct - it’s gotta feel better for her tonight and at some point healing should finally occur and improve her situation.
Just another example of when you take a phone call requesting you go see a horse and what you think is going on, or what you might encounter, turns out to be something totally other!

16/03/2022

Update. Another two weeks, until March 31, recommended postponement of all non essential equine movement.

15/03/2022

The state as released case numbers current as of March 14, 2022, for the ongoing outbreak.

09/03/2022

The latest statistics confirm a total of 11 EHM cases, and 86 EHV-1 cases with fever and/or mild signs only.

04/03/2022

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION**

Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) has been detected in multiple horses in several counties in California. To reduce disease spread, the California State Veterinarian recommends that all hunter/jumper events (the most affected group) be postponed for the next 28 days, all equine events be postponed for the next 14 days, and all non-essential horse movements postponed for at least 14 days.

Additional information about the EHM incidents and related EHV-1 cases in California, including a map of affected counties, can be found here:

https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS/Animal_Health/equine_herpes_virus.html

Additional information:
Equineherpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) has been detected in multiple horses in several counties in California. If not controlled, it can have significant consequences to the horse industry, infecting thousands of horses due to the extensive mixing of horses at statewide, national, and international horse events.
Equine herpesvirus causes respiratory disease, abortion, neonatal death, and the neurological disease known as EHM. It spreads in aerosolized secretions, by direct contact, and by contact with surfaces containing infected secretions. Shedding of the virus generally occurs for 7-10 days.
To reduce disease spread, the California State Veterinarian recommends that all hunter/jumper events (the most affected group) be postponed for the next 28 days, all equine events be postponed for the next 14 days, and all non-essential horse movements postponed for at least 14 days.
Horse owners must immediately isolate any horses exhibiting neurologic signs and consult their veterinarian; EHM has mandatory State reporting requirements. Owners must practice good biosecurity when they move horses in emergency situations or for veterinary care; avoid other horses and don’t share tack/equipment that hasn’t been properly cleaned and disinfected, including farrier and veterinary equipment.
For more information visit https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/animal_health/ equine_herpes_virus.html.
This recommendation considers an event when horses from different home premises are brought together at a single location and include, but are not limited to: competitions of any discipline (in state or out of state), rodeos, educational riding clinics, and any travel of horses to an outside facility for lessons or casual/social gathering, etc. Sanctioned horse racing tracks are exempt from this recommendation.

If you have any questions or concerns about EHV / EHM we are always here to help you and your horses! You may reach us at 916-652-7645 or email us at [email protected]
…

04/03/2022

More helpful resources.

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION**

Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) has been detected in multiple horses in several counties in California. To reduce disease spread, the California State Veterinarian recommends that all hunter/jumper events (the most affected group) be postponed for the next 28 days, all equine events be postponed for the next 14 days, and all non-essential horse movements postponed for at least 14 days.

Additional information about the EHM incidents and related EHV-1 cases in California, including a map of affected counties, can be found here:

https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS/Animal_Health/equine_herpes_virus.html

Additional information:
Equineherpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) has been detected in multiple horses in several counties in California. If not controlled, it can have significant consequences to the horse industry, infecting thousands of horses due to the extensive mixing of horses at statewide, national, and international horse events.
Equine herpesvirus causes respiratory disease, abortion, neonatal death, and the neurological disease known as EHM. It spreads in aerosolized secretions, by direct contact, and by contact with surfaces containing infected secretions. Shedding of the virus generally occurs for 7-10 days.
To reduce disease spread, the California State Veterinarian recommends that all hunter/jumper events (the most affected group) be postponed for the next 28 days, all equine events be postponed for the next 14 days, and all non-essential horse movements postponed for at least 14 days.
Horse owners must immediately isolate any horses exhibiting neurologic signs and consult their veterinarian; EHM has mandatory State reporting requirements. Owners must practice good biosecurity when they move horses in emergency situations or for veterinary care; avoid other horses and don’t share tack/equipment that hasn’t been properly cleaned and disinfected, including farrier and veterinary equipment.
For more information visit https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/animal_health/ equine_herpes_virus.html.
This recommendation considers an event when horses from different home premises are brought together at a single location and include, but are not limited to: competitions of any discipline (in state or out of state), rodeos, educational riding clinics, and any travel of horses to an outside facility for lessons or casual/social gathering, etc. Sanctioned horse racing tracks are exempt from this recommendation.

If you have any questions or concerns about EHV / EHM we are always here to help you and your horses! You may reach us at 916-652-7645 or email us at [email protected]
…

04/03/2022

04/03/2022

Recommendations from CDFA. We do not have any occurrences of EHV in our area. But we should all be cautious.

25/11/2021

Happy Thanksgiving to all my clients and friends. I’m very thankful and feel blessed to care for your animals, live and work in our gorgeous foothill area, and to call you all friends. Best wishes from my family to yours.

05/11/2021

It’s been a particularly trying couple of weeks. Yesterday we had to bury a grand old mare that I struggled literally ten days to save - daily drives to check on and treat the mare, two rounds of IV fluid therapy in the field, consults with an internal medicine specialist friend who got as emotionally attached as I was, lab work, etc. Basically we did everything we could short of a long term hospital stay, that was just not practical or financially feasible for this mare. It was never about the money and about 5 days in when things were getting grim we tried one last Hail Mary of IV fluids again. I was so invested emotionally I offered to do that for just the cost of supplies, because I couldn’t bring myself to put her down without trying one more time and I didn’t want money to be the barrier to that last effort. In reality the true costs of the time, effort, medical supplies and fuel for the vet truck will never be recouped. But it’s not about that. Being a veterinarian - it’s not about the money, at least for me and the majority of my colleagues.
At one point I told my specialist friend I was so glad after my internship I did not in fact pursue an internal medicine residency, as I had seriously considered. I realized this week the constant grind of these complicated medical cases, that often as not, even with intense intervention end up with euthanasia, I just couldn’t do that week after week, and I consider myself fairly tough minded. She told me she couldn’t do what I do - “being on the front lines” as she called it. I don’t know.
I don’t what’s worse slaving over a case day in and day out, trying every intervention up your sleeve, or losing a case in a sudden episode - which also happened this week to me. Got a call for another horse that collapsed suddenly. After an exam and some medications and some time to be sure I couldn’t bring him back or do anything for him - I had to euthanize him. Both scenarios - the slow moving freight train of disaster, or a sudden onset crash - are horrible for the owners and for me the vet.
Yesterday after I had to euthanize and facilitate the burial for the old mare, I still had a full day of more patients and clients to see, just as I have every day. Life goes on and it becomes necessary to just shake off and turn off the tough emotions and grief and just carry on, providing care for others who had no idea myself and two other clients just suffered horrendous loss. This is the behind the scenes part of the profession that many never see, understand or appreciate. This stress only adds to the incredible emotional toll on veterinarians, that is fueling the recent increase in mental health crises for veterinarians. I consider myself very blessed and lucky to practice in an area where I am surrounded by clients who are genuinely good people and who appreciate me and what I do for them and their animals. I am sheltered from a lot of the bad behavior owners have been throwing at veterinarians, especially during these trying pandemic times. I now more than ever feel grateful to be “just a ranch vet,” traveling to clients homes and ranches, and having these clients become dear friends and not just clients. My relationships with my clients/friends have enriched my life in ways I never expected. Being just a ranch vet that is an embedded part of the fabric of our community helps shelter me and gives me a safe haven to withstand the grief and trauma of my job. Thank you to all my beloved clients and patients. I am spoiled and I know it. Not all my colleagues live and work in such a special area.

12/07/2021

River Fire Evacuation Information. For Mariposa County call the Mariposa Sheriff Office at 209-966-3615. The Central CA Animal Disaster Team will assist Madera County residents.

23/06/2021

12 hour update. Amazing what anti venom can do. Shout out to MG Biologics and their Rattler Anti Venom product. I’ve never had a snake bite be able to eat and drink that fast. The swelling is already at least 50 % reduced.

23/06/2021

Oh the look of summer! This poor guy had huge fang marks on his nose and was in respiratory distress on my arrival, barely able to breath past the swelling. Luckily an hour and a half later, with syringe cases placed to open up his airway, an IV bag of anti venom on board and some meds to further stabilize him - he was feeling a whole lot better. Hopefully by tomorrow the anti venom will reduce the facial swelling enough he will be able to eat and drink, at least some.

04/05/2021

This sweet dog needs a home. She’s an intact female, mix breed, medium sized (60-70 pounds), young (best guess 1-2 years). She was involved in a fire in Mariposa county and was part of a law enforcement case. I examined her for Animal Control and we all agreed she was too sweet and young to not find her a home once we were cleared to do so. She has some burns that will need continued care, which I will advise the adoptee on. But she will heal up just fine. All she needs is some daily wound cleaning and care with a appropriate wound ointment, nothing too difficult or cumbersome. We are adopting her this way instead of through the ASPCA since she needs daily treatments. Please message me or contact me directly on my business line at 209-966-6497.

30/03/2021

Since the 2018 Dummy foal post just recently went viral again, the owner and I thought you’d all appreciate some current pics of Nash. He got his spring check up and vaccinations today. Nash has been doing well, despite some further bumps in the road in of his growth and development and is much beloved by his same owner from his birth. In fact his owner is so dedicated to Nash, when he suffered from severe angular limb deformities of his front limbs in his yearling year, that we just could not get controlled despite all treatment efforts on the ranch, she agreed to send him for a surgery that had no guarantee of fixing his limbs. But as it worked out the surgeon at Pioneer Equine Hospital did brilliant work and Nash healed up and his limbs returned to functional soundness. He’s now in training and has the sweetest, most easy going temperament. Happy endings are always a great reward in this profession.

08/03/2021

This is Chip. Poor Chip got kicked in the face today, (bad mare 😡😡😡) which left him with a broken right lower jaw and two displaced teeth. On examination one tooth was dangling and the most outside lower tooth was still attached but the lower jaw was fractured up the middle at least 4 inches long and gaping.
While it probably wasn’t much fun for Chip, it was a super interesting case, and after about an hour and a half we had things cleaned up, realigned, sutured and wired back together. Of course he was heavily sedated, and was administered NSAIDs and antibiotics. The fracture was sutured back together under the tongue, across the mucosa, with the thickest, toughest suture available on the truck. The stuff we close abdominal walls with. While that helped it still wasn’t going to give us enough holding power to keep him from displacing his jaw and teeth again while eating. So we have to get creative and I had thrown wire in the truck when I got the call, anticipating needing it. We used the wire to anchor the fractured side to the healthy left side of his jaw. And with both those repairs things were pretty sturdy by the time we were done, except for the one tooth that was only hanging on by threads. With a little luck this guy will have a functional right lower jaw in a month or two. Although good chance we might still loose that one tooth. Not an uncommon injury that often results in missing teeth and deformed jaws, but this time we had just enough healthy tissue to work with and an owner that was invested in trying to repair the damage. Cool way to spend a Sunday afternoon.