Eastern Prairie Veterinary Service - Dr. Nanci Richards

08/07/2025

Summer brings long days of sunshine and outdoor adventure and for many dogs, that means backyard play, long hikes, training sessions, or athletic competitions. But with rising temperatures comes a real danger: heat injury. Just as you might crave air conditioning and ice water after time outside, yo...

01/07/2025

This is to let you know that I will be away from the veterinary practice, on vacation, starting this Thursday, July 3rd and I will return on Thursday, July 24th. If you have an animal situation during that time, please contact your next closest veterinarian.

13/05/2025

NOTICE: I will be away from the practice beginning Thursday, May 15th and will return on Wednesday, May 22nd.

06/03/2025

FINAL UPDATE: My cell phone is now back in my hands and appears to be working normally, so you should be able to reach me as normal.

UPDATE: I am now completely without a phone as it is being repaired. You can email me, leave a message here or call my office 217-469-2767. Please know there will more than likely be a significant delay in my response time.

My phone is not working properly currently, so if you are trying to contact me, I can accept live only phone calls right now. No texts, etc. can be viewed and I can't check email unless I am near my computer. I'm not sure if I can even access voicemails at this time, either. Sorry for the inconvenience. I will let you know when things are resolved.

27/01/2025

Please Do Not Text your vet after hours if it is not an emergency! Write yourself a note to text us during business hours if need to. Consider that once we receive the text our minds are on it and it adds to the burn out rate that veterinarians, especially those in large animal medicine who are in short supply already, are dealing with.

Though we wish our horse doctors could be there for our equine friends in any emergency, the reality is that our horses' primary veterinarian cannot be available 24/7 and still juggle the needs of their own personal lives, health and happiness.

The most significant pain point for many veterinarians is caring for their clients during regular business hours and then also being on call for emergencies after hours. For single-doctor or small practices, this traditionally has been the case most nights of the week.

However, private veterinary practices and veterinary schools have more recently focused on developing new models for emergency care which ease the strain on individual practitioners. This includes the growth of emergency cooperatives where two or more practices in a geographic area work together to share after-hours care, as well as more emergency-only practices and the use of tele-triage services to address client concerns after normal business hours.

As equine veterinarians reevaluate what after-hours care looks like for their practices, the support of their clients is critical to creating a balance that works for both parties. If your horse doctor talks with you about changes in how after-hours care is delivered, we hope you’ll welcome the adjustments. This evolution of emergency care must take place in order for equine veterinarians to avoid burnout and continue to be at their best to treat all of your equine friends.

16/11/2024

It's that time of year, folks, when between travel and meetings, I will be away from the vet practice for several days at a time. Upcoming, I will be away from the practice beginning Wednesday, November 20th and will not return until Monday, December 2nd. Please make your plans for veterinary service accordingly. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Attached is just a video of a red tail hawk that you might enjoy.

30/10/2024

Happy Halloween! 🎃

I will be away from the vet practice from Thursday, October 31st until Wednesday, November 6th.

24/09/2024

***ALERT!***
Due to new regulations regarding business websites, we will be closing our vet practice website www.easternprairievet.com early in 2025. This also means that the email address associated with it, ([email protected]), will no longer exist when that happens.

Please note the new email address as listed on this page as well as the automatic reply that you will receive if you email us at the email address above between now and early next year. Be sure to update your address book with the new email address.

(This page will not be affected!)

Mon-Fri: 8am - 5pm (CT) 217-469-2767 Emergency service available for current, active clients

12/09/2024

A quick note to let you know that between now and the end of the year I have VERY limited openings for scheduled appointments. Please contact me 3-4 WEEKS AHEAD to get on my schedule. (I know that sounds crazy, but it's become a common occurence in veterinary medicine and especially with large animal vets as we are becoming fewer and further between.) Thank you!

29/04/2024

ATTENTION CLIENTS: Beginning this Wednesday, May 1st, I will be away from the practice for two weeks - resuming veterinary calls and appointments on Wednesday, May 15th. If you have a sick or injured animal during this time, please contact your closest veterinarian. Thank you.

(Picture of the family hooligans, just because)

25/04/2024

Hey, Y'all! Just a few things I wanted to mention on this brisk Spring morning.

First, as you may know, I reduced my hours last July and I've even thrown the around the word 'semi-retired' at times as I'm only seeing appointments certain days of the week. Please rest assured that I am NOT retired, I have just been cutting back a little bit. So, I am still happy to help you with your large animal veterinary needs.

Secondly, this year is building up to be a particularly buggy year. (Although this morning's frost might help a little bit for a short while.) So, if you haven't already gotten your fly and insect control measures in place, this may include feed through fly growth inhibitors, parasitic wasps, even your fly wipes and sprays, now is the time!

Also think about and prepare the options you have for shelter, shade and cooling for your animals.

And, always, always, always provide fresh clean water!

Regards,
Dr. Nanci Richards, DVM

(Borrowed photo from Scotland, photographer unknown)

05/04/2024

Hitting the road with your horse, either for pleasure or for business/competition?

Most horse owners know that a negative Coggins test is a must-have for crossing state lines or entering competitions (or even boarding at someone's barn). But let’s not forget that even homebodies need it!

A "Coggins" is a blood test that checks for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), a serious blood-borne disease. EIA is transmitted by biting flies, particularly horseflies, so your horse is at risk even it never leaves the property or lives in a closed herd.

The clinical signs of the disease can vary dramatically, from an acute infection to an inapparent form that presents mild to no symptoms. No treatment or vaccine exist for EIA at the moment, and infected horses become lifelong carriers. Therefore, to ensure that large outbreaks of the disease don’t take place, horses that test positive for EIA must be quarantined and isolated for the rest of their life or humanely euthanized.

Get your horse tested annually, regardless of travel plans. To learn more about EIA, consult your veterinarian or visit our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/equine-infectious-anemia