Harmony Veterinary Services, LLC

18/04/2025

Explore the reasons behind the high incidence of veterinarian su***de rates in the U.S.

18/04/2025

Horse owners, remember to make sure your horses get their annual vaccinations to keep them happy, healthy, and safe!

18/04/2025

Don't touch! Many of our snakes have tested positive for Paranannizziopsis fungus, an infection that cause lesions and deformities. This is an area unknown to have it before last year, so we are helping with a study by briefly capturing snakes, swabbing lesions for samples to send to a lab, and tagging some to watch them over time. We are careful to take precautions so we don't spread the infection. Wildlife may NOT be handled at this refuge without a permit. Leave them be-- but do report any snakes you observe that appear to have damaged skin.

Photo credit: Ryan Munes/USFWS

16/04/2025

Personalized care for all of our patients!

15/04/2025

A number of folks have asked us lately for boarding facilities locally in the Coupeville area. We’re told that Iron Mills Ranch has a couple of openings right now. Lovely arena, pasture turnout, full care with run-ins and separate paddocks, on-site owner and a view you can’t beat. Trail riding from the property gives you miles of places to work your horse. 🐴 (714) 488-8550

14/04/2025

Really proud of our owners and patients this weekend hitting the high marks in their FEI tests in California! 👑💕

13/04/2025

IT’S HAPPENING! Up to 130M birds are predicted to migrate across the U.S. each night this weekend!

Lights at night can be very disorienting to birds during their long spring migration. To help prevent deadly bird collisions, turn off or dim unnecessary lights!

Graphic: BirdCast

09/04/2025

MIDWEEK MYTHBUSTER! 📢

Many people think that horses can safely eat grass clippings (grass is grass, right?) but that is a pretty common misconception and grass clippings actually pose a number of dangers to our equine friends.

While grass is meant to be slowly picked, ripped and chewed by the horse, grass clippings can quickly clump and cause choke if the animal ingests too many too fast. Grass clippings are also prone to fermentation which can cause colic, stomach and intestinal impactions, founder and laminitis.

Take-home message: Keep your horse away from grass clippings and in general never feed horses any food without the owner’s permission.

Thank you to the Horse Owner Education Committee for providing this information.

08/04/2025

Long toes only affect the navicular right?

The leg has a series of joints. The metacarpo-phalangeal joint (fetlock), the proximal interphalangeal joint and distal interphalangeal joint (Pastern and coffin). Each one of these joints is a centre of rotation and because of how the digit is not underneath the limb, but in front off, each of these joints is profoundly affected by the distance from its centre of rotation to the point at which the ground acts through the hoof. In the form of the turning force (moment).
An increased turning force must be counteracted by whatever keeps those joints from descending under the load, the tendons AND ligaments.

Hence why long toes affect ALL of the soft tissue structures on the back of the leg. Both tendons and the suspensory!

If you would like this information clarified, explained in simpler terms and would like an introductory lesson in equine digit biomechanics then join myself and The study of the equine hoof on the 3rd Oct at 7pm BST where I will be doing just that.

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/digit-biomechanics-101

08/04/2025

Muscle diseases can in some cases be found by genetic testing. Ongoing research on equine muscle issues are recognizing new disorders all the time. Feed your sport horse to improve the quality of their muscle; fats, proteins, amino acids, minerals and vitamin E are the mainstay of healthy muscle and a sounder horse. 🐴

06/04/2025

Huge congratulations to KD Thoroughbred Farm on their beautiful little filly! 💕💕

04/04/2025

04/04/2025

Sweet old Yodelai is up and about again after being downed for a few days by nerve damage and arthritis pain. After some imaging, Dr. Sandi said her bones were all basically fine but that she was likely experiencing increased pain due to her advancing arthritis (both joints, and her fused sternum where she was likely kicked many years ago) and decreased leg strength due to a possible nerve issue. She recommended a semi flexible front leg compression brace meant for dogs and wow was she right or what. It took Yodelai less than 2 days to get used to it before she was walking all other the place again. It gives her enough flex that her leg doesn't drag on the ground but enough rigidity that she can put it under herself to support her weight.

Dr. Sandi is seriously a miracle worker and I don't know what we would do without her!

📷




(Posted by )

02/04/2025

Refresh your knowledge

01/04/2025

Reminder for those with air ferns and metabolic horses 🌾

DO YOU KNOW WHAT CAUSES GRASS FOUNDER?

Spring is a wonderful time of the year, but it may be the beginning of some serious problems for horses vulnerable to grass founder — like horses that are over the age of 10, easy keepers, overweight or cresty-necked.

Laminitis or founder, as it is commonly called, is inflammation of the laminae of the horse’s foot. Laminae are the delicate, accordion-like tissues that attach the inner surface of the hoof wall to the coffin bone (the bone in the foot). A horse suffering from laminitis experiences a decrease in blood flow to the laminae, which in turn begin to die and separate. The final result is hoof wall separation, rotation of the coffin bone and extreme pain. In severe cases, the coffin bone will actually rotate through the sole of the horse’s hoof where it becomes infected and can ultimately lead to the horse having to be euthanized.

Laminitis can be triggered by different causes, like repeated concussion on hard ground (road founder), grain overload, retained placenta, hormonal imbalance (Cushing’s syndrome), obesity, and lush grass.

In cases of grass founder, the sugar fructans produced by rapidly growing grass stimulates an overgrowth of bacteria in the horse’s large intestine. The bacteria produce and release toxins (endotoxins) that are carried by the bloodstream to the foot where they cause damage to the laminae and small blood vessels.

The best way to deal with laminitis is preventing and managing the causes under your control. Consult your equine practitioner for further information and to formulate a plan tailored to your horse's individual situation. If you suspect laminitis, consider it a medical emergency and notify your veterinarian immediately.

01/04/2025