Lone Q Equine Veterinary Services

19/05/2025

🚨 Heads up 🚨
Next week is going to be a bit of doozy.

Dr. Christy’s availability is as follows:
Mon 5/27: Emergency Only
Tues 5/27- Wed 5/28: Normal hours/availability
Thurs 5/29: NOT available/unreachable
Fri 5/30 - Tues 6/3: Telehealth only
Wed 6/4: Return to normal businesses hours.

Reminder that in order to provide telehealth services, Dr. Christy legally needs to have done an exam on your horse in the past 12 months.

17/05/2025

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and I think it’s an important thing to touch on.

Veterinary professionals face a high rate of mental health challenges. There’s a number of reasons that contribute to this but it boils down the fact that we just care a whole heck of a lot.
I create boundaries that help me provide you and your horses the best care possible while also allowing me to care for my own mental health. This is important so I can continue to provide local equine care for years to come. I sincerely appreciate each and every one of my cleints who not only respect and understand these boundaries, but encouage them.
It does not go unnoticed.

But, the real thing I want to touch on is YOU.

A number of you have felt comfortable sharing your mental health struggles with me especially when it comes to how it affects the care and treatment plans for your horses.
THANK YOU.
I want to create a plan that combines a realistic and effective way for you to care for your horses. Your honesty and realness allows me to help you help your horse. I know it’s not easy and I imagine you haven’t always been met with kindness.
You will be here.
I also know how many of you can get anxious googling things. I mean it when I say, let’s chat about it before you panic or worry about it. (If you’re reading this thinking “Oh god, she’s talking about me.” I assure you, there are more than a few of you that I’ve had this same discussion with 😉.) It may be something worth looking into more, but more than likely, I can can give you the reasons we don’t need to be worried about it. Telehealth appointments are PERFECT for this. I know it comes from a place of wanting to take good care of your horse and I’m happy to help ease your worry.

Please know that your mental health matters.

If you need immediate emotional or mental health support in Minnesota - call or text 988.

https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/suicide/988/systems.html

12/05/2025

I know it’s tempting to turn those horses out but it’s safer for your horses and better for your pastures to hold off a bit longer!

🐴 Hold your horses! Before turning them out to pasture, here’s what you need to know:

🛑 Wait until plant heights average 6 to 8 inches. Waiting allows plants to recover from winter, produce leaves necessary for regrowth, and reach lower nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) levels.
🌾 Slowly ease horses onto pastures in 15-minute daily increments.

⏰ Begin with 15 minutes of grazing on the first day, 30 minutes the second day, etc until you reach 5 hours. After that, unrestricted grazing can occur if adequate forage is available. Slow transitions in diet provide time for the horses' microbes to adjust, which reduces the chance of laminitis and colic.

🍽️ To further support a slow transition, feed hay prior to pasture turnout to discourage horses from overconsumption early on.

ℹ️ https://extension.umn.edu/horse-pastures-and-facilities/fall-and-spring-pasture-do-lists -your-pasture-for-grazing-in-spring-69710

09/05/2025

I ALMOST missed world donkey day! What a tragedy that would have been. 🫏

We love a good set of long ears around here!
I provide regular work for a good number of outrageously adorable ones. Post your donkey below in the comments so we can all love on them 🩶

This is Felicia, Dr. Christy’s mini donkey. And yes, she 1000% knows she’s fabulous and has no problem putting you in your place if you have the nerve to think otherwise 💅

27/04/2025

With severe weather headed our way tomorrow, I thought I’d post a list of what I do/consider for my own herd.

I always get asked: Should I leave my horses in or out?
This is a personal question without a right answer. If there is large hail, ideally horses are inside and protected. If there is a tornado, outside may be the better option as there’s a risk of building falling on/trapping them.

‼️What I WILL say about this choice: make a choice and DO NOT run out to change it last minute. We all love our horses but there is not a horse in this world worth more than your life. Please stay safe. ‼️

Otherwise here’s a list of what I consider each time before a storm comes:

🌪️ Hay can help some of your anxious horses.
🌪️ Halters in multiple spots in case you can’t get to the one spot they are in.
🌪️ I’ve seen lots of people lose barn doors and windows in high winds because they aren’t properly latched.
🌪️ Decrease as many flyable hazards as possible with high winds.
🌪️ If your horses do get out, make it easy for people to find who they belong to. Waterproof tag (paper wrapped in packing tape with a ribbon/binder) braided into the mane works great. Do NOT leave halters on horses- if they get out, they will be around hazards.
🌪️ Fill all your buckets and troughs. If you lose power, many of us will lose access to water which means risk of colic. You can always dump em out after the storm.

If you have more helpful hints/reminders, drop them in the comments!

21/04/2025

🚨 Heads up! 🚨

I will be unavailable and unreachable for 24 hours.
Break out the bubble wrap and make sure you’ve got a trailer ready to haul should you have an emergency.

19/04/2025

You see that new green stuff growing? That means it’s time to take your metabolic and Cushings/PPID positive horses/ponies/donkeys off of pasture access and put them into a dry lot. This includes any horse that is OVERWEIGHT!
(Eyeballing a good number of you right now 👀😆)

This early spring grass is stressed and has a very high level of sugar in it. Inappropriate access to grass is the number one reason I see horses experience laminitis/founder.
PLEASE don’t risk your horses comfort (and potentially their life) over them giving you the sad eyeballs that they can’t eat grass.

Prevention is so much easier and more effective than treatment.

Grass should be at least 6-8 inches in length before you turn ANY horse out on it. ESPECIALLY any metobolic or Cushings/PPID horse.

Please know that grass will always (at any length) pose a risk for any horse that is prone to laminitis. Consider making those dry lots a permanent pen for these at-risk horses.

Questions about if your horse is at risk? Let’s set up an appointment to chat about it!

17/04/2025

Reminder: ALL wounds over joints/tendons are an emergency.

What can look like a small scratch can be the precursor to something awful if it communicates with a synovial structure. Joint infections are not something to mess with.

ALWAYS discuss with a veterinarian right away when you have a deep wound anywhere on the body or any sort of wound below the elbow/stifle. Location of these wounds matter so much as VERY important things lie right under the skin in horses legs and the sooner it’s treated, the better your outcome will likely be.

This top horse was lucky and the wound didn’t communicate with the fetlock joint nor tendon sheath. The lower horse wasn’t as lucky with the wound communicating with the hock joint. Both horses were evaluated right away and are healed and doing well thanks to their owners prompt action in getting them seen!

09/04/2025

Happy mud season!

I so appreciate you having your horse(s) in a dry area and cleaned of mud before I get there (especially if we are planning to do Chiro or lameness work).

Warmer days are on the horizon ☀️

14/02/2025

💗 Happy Valentines Day! 💗

It’s clear that Dr. Christy has a huge soft spot for a sassy mare but we can’t leave the boys out of the fun.

Show me all those lovable geldings in the comments. 💕

13/02/2025

Happy Galentine’s Day 💞
Show me your favorite spicy mare in the comments!