Flying Horse Veterinary Practice, LLC

06/10/2024

Wildlife seen crossing the road on our travels today: 2 wild turkey, 1 bunny, 1 groundhog, 1 hawk (eating roadkill), 1 squirrel, 1 chicken (why she crossed the road, I don’t know), and one doe with twins. Anyone else playing “wildlife bingo” today?

(Cute foal for attention)

05/31/2024

It’s awfully hard to go to work when this is waiting at home. Happy Friday everyone!

05/30/2024

Dr. Snedden’s mare, Peaches had a beautiful filly yesterday evening. Both mare and foal are doing well.

05/15/2024

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It’s that time of year…spring vaccines. While you may be able to purchase vaccines independently, they don’t come with an exam and the opportunity to open a dialogue with your veterinarian. Not only do these interactions allow us to spot and prevent possible issues on the rise, but they also create and maintain the Veterinary Client Patient Relationship (VCPR). This relationship allows us to approve prescriptions to treat current problems and keeps you as a client in good standing, eligible for emergency services if needed (we currently only provide after-hours emergency services to current clients). So, schedule your annual appointments now and encourage your horse-owning friends to do the same (you could even bring your horses to one location and split the farm call).

Ps. Despite the reflective bands on the harness/legs, the flag on the carriage and a safety vest on the driver, we still almost got rear ended the one time we tried to drive on the road. Stay safe out there, sometimes an ounce of prevention is still not enough.

05/01/2024

Just over a week ago, Dr. Snedden competed at the Katydid CDE at Tryon International Equestrian Center. They finished first in the Intermediate Single Pony division, finishing their last requirement to move into FEI competitions. Many thanks to the village it takes to get away for the weekend to compete. Thanks to Windmiller Equine for covering emergencies. Parveti Wood, not only is responsible for educating the pony and myself in the intricacies of carriage driving, but also spent the weekend on the back of the carrige, sitting pretty in dressage and cones and keeping me on track with the dirty side down on marathon. Kimberly Keeton took a few days away from her practice to cheer us on and help out in all things horse show. My parents and husband took turns keeping an eye on the next generation and keeping him out of trouble. Onward and upward.

Photo Credit ShannonKBrinkmanPhotography

04/28/2024

We are thrilled that Buttercup is doing so well. It takes a village and dedicated barn help to bring these ponies back from laminitis. We are so happy to play a small role on her care team!

Our little angel is back! Buttercup has had metabolic issues in recent months, and we have been quite worried about her. She is now on an insulin medication that has caused her to suddenly and miraculously make a full recovery, along with farrier help. Coming soon to a lesson near you. She is our specialist for the under 7 set--sweetest little pony in the world!

Before we got the medication just right, her insulin was literally 100X too high. Our wonderful veterinarian has been very patient and steady in working to make sure we give Buttercup every chance.

03/19/2024

No balls down and just 0.3 time penalties.

03/19/2024

Dr. Snedden placed second in a very competitive Intermediate Single Pony division at arguably the biggest combined driving show of the year and at their first time at the level. Second place in dressage with a 47.68 penalties (70.2%) with a 5 judge panel of international judges. 5th in marathon (due to forgetting a particular rule about timing-won’t make that mistake again as we would have finished third in marathon otherwise). First place in cones with just 0.3 penalties.

It takes a village to make this happen. A big shoutout goes to Parveti Wood for producing the pony and teaching her monkey how to drive (and also minimizing the number of poles we bounced off of in the marathon). Thanks to Dr. Lauren McPherson of Windmiller Equine for covering on call while Dr. Snedden was away. Also Dr. Snedden’s husband Steve Hane for managing the chaos at home and her parents for giving Steve a small break and keeping Jacob entertained. Also thanks to the many friends and family supporting Dr. Snedden in her continuing adventures.

03/16/2024

Dr. Snedden had a great dressage test with Mischief Managed, earning second place in a very competitive field. She will be on course around 9:20 tomorrow morning for anyone who wants to cheer them on from afar. You can watch the livestream at https://liveoakinternational.com/watch-live/

03/14/2024

For anyone who wants to watch, Dr. Snedden begins competing tomorrow at 10:12 am.

03/04/2024

I have a client with a down donkey in Norwich needing transport to OSU tonight. If anyone has a trailer and would be willing to haul (for a fee), please call our emergency number (740)527-0080 to connect.

I believe have found someone to transport the donkey. Thank you everyone!

01/26/2024

Fact or Fiction:
If a horse is in good weight/fat his teeth are probably fine?
Let us know what you think and check back tomorrow for our answer.

Fiction:

Well done everyone! While some horses may show signs of oral discomfort with a variety of dental issues, many simply adjust to discomfort. This is why a sedated oral exam with speculum is essential to keeping your horse’s mouth in the best shape possible and fixing issues before they cause problems.

12/28/2023

A Tale of Two Sheaths
Owners of 2 geldings called with complaints of sheath swelling this past weekend. Let’s look at what information you should have before calling your vet about a swollen sheath and some underlying causes as well as the individual cases. (See photos below)


What to do before calling the vet
1 Note any other swelling (legs, belly)
2 Take the horse’s temperature.
3 Palpate the sheath (if tolerated by the gelding, be careful and stay by the shoulder as you start to glide your hand down from the flank towards the sheath).
4 Exercise the horse and see if the swelling improves.

Reasons for sheath swelling:
1). Lack of movement/obesity (this is the most common thing I see with mildly to moderately swollen sheaths that are not painful and often improve with minor exercise)
2). Tick/insect bite (often higher up on the sheath) can cause moderate swelling (
3). Dirty Sheath? While this is often a concern, I often don't see a significant change post cleaning.
4). Infection/Laceration/Abrasion - These are often the most swollen and painful/reactive.

The first gelding had a mildly to moderately swollen sheath, with no heat/pain and tolerate to owner palpation and no fever. On review, the owner found a small scab on the outside of the sheath which would be consistent with a tick bite (see photo in the comments). We were able to discuss the issue over the phone and have them watch it.

The second gelding, on the other hand, was quite sore and objected to the owner palpating that sensitive region. He also had swelling extending in front of the sheath but no fever. That case did require veterinary intervention and sedation for a full exam. No obvious cause was established but there were some abrasions on the bottom of the sheath. Based on swelling and heat, an infection was suspected. This is still an ongoing case, so we can update you with a resolution hopefully soon.

Have you ever experienced a swollen sheath with one of your horses? What was the cause?

12/24/2023

Merry Christmas Eve from Charlie Elf!

12/22/2023

What to do when sending pictures of wounds to the vet:

Send at least 2 photos, one close up and one farther away to show relative location and size of the wound.
If the horse will tolerate being clipped, try to clip hair around the wound first and then flush with water or saline before taking pictures.
Try to avoid blurry pictures (we know not all equines like to stand still; bribery may be needed to get them to cooperate🍎).
Make sure there is adequate lighting when taking pictures (if it looks dark to you, we probably won't be able gage the severity of the wound in question).

12/22/2023

Wounds
What to do and what not to do with wounds.

Please do not use peroxide to clean wounds on equines.
Do not use colored sprays/ ointments such as furazone, blue kote or scarlet oil.
Do not ignore wounds (especially leg or eye wounds).

Do: Call your vet when you notice the wound.
Clip edges around the wound (try to keep hair out of it) if it is safe to do so.
Clean the wound by flushing with either water or saline.
Send pictures of the wound to the vet.

12/22/2023

First Aid Kit for Equines

Most of us have first aid kits for people, do you have one for your equine?

Horse first aid kits should include products such as vet wrap, gauze 4x4s, Epsom Salt paste and Alu Spray which can all be found at your local TSC or feed store.

First aid kits should also include items such as exam gloves, thermometer, duct tape, triple antibiotic ointment, telfa/non-stick pads and rolled gauze which can be found at stores such as Walmart or a local drug store.

Other items could include a stethoscope, hemostats, bandage scissors, saline, syringes and needles which can be purchased from Valley Vet, Chewy or other online pharmacies.

First aid items that you can purchase from your vet include Silver Sulfadiazine cream, antibiotic ointment, Triple Antibiotic Ophthalmic ointment, Saline, Elasticon, Banamine and Dorm gel (use as directed).

12/14/2023

Here is my Charlie pony that I posted about at the beginning of the year who was initially so laminitic that he could barely stand. He is actually the sire of the other little grey pony that I compete. He was originally a herd stallion, and then a pet after being castrated at age 5. His previous owner made the initial heroic efforts to bring him back from his last (and worst) bout of laminitis through the month of January last year. He then came to my facility for further treatment and rehab. By May, at the age of 11, he was sound enough to start into training for the first time. He has been a challenge, even in the very talented hands of my friend and trainer Tuffie Victory, but has finally given in to the idea of having a job. I think he is going to be brilliant! We definitely got lucky that he had minimal rotation, despite his initial degree of lameness. It goes to show that with the right team (special shout out to my talented farrier Brian Smith)and lots of hard work/strict dietary management, it is possible to bring some of these ponies back and give them a second chance.

12/13/2023

https://www.facebook.com/TimTetrickRacing/videos/1493603331201991/

Who will win!?!

10/14/2023

Dr. Snedden is out in St. Louis at the Purina Equine Veterinary Conference learning about equine nutrition and business management. Looking forward to bringing back new information back tomorrow.

10/02/2023

Dr. Snedden had a great weekend competing at the Indiana Combined Driving Event at the Hoosier Horse Park. She had a personal best dressage score of 34.11 penalties (78.6%) to take the lead. She continued with a double clear cones course and was second place in the marathon phase to finish first overall.

Many thanks to the village that it takes including Parveti Wood (Tuffie Victory) for her excellent teaching a navigating, Dr. Lauren McPhearson of Windmiller Equine for covering emergencies. The Indiana Whips and Wheels Carriage Driving Club for putting on an excellent show and Dr. Snedden’s family for all of the support throughout.

07/26/2023

Dr. Snedden spent last weekend competing at the Kentucky Classic finishing in 4th place in a very competitive field. Many thanks to Parveti Wood for all of her coaching (including a FaceTime lesson from Italy), Kristen Astorian for her excellent grooming and navigating skills, and Windmiller Equine for covering emergencies while Dr. Snedden was out of town.

04/26/2023

Dr. Snedden made the trek down to the beautiful Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina to compete at the Katydid CDE (combined driving event). Mischief Managed (Miss) was very solid all weekend, leading through all three phases (dressage, marathon and cones) in a competitive preliminary single pony division to win. A special thanks goes out to Parveti Wood for her coaching, grooming and navigating skills this weekend. Also, thanks to Steve Hane for his support and Dr. Lauren McPherson for covering on call duties. Onward and upward!

02/25/2023

Dr. Snedden is looking forward to the talk today starting shortly at 11am at the main branch of the Licking County Library!

02/24/2023

Picking up snacks for the talk tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the library at 11:00 tomorrow.

02/16/2023

Join Dr. Lauren McPherson and Dr. Brandy Snedden for an educational afternoon. Snacks will be provided.

If interested please RSVP via this link to help with estimates for food. https://www.emailmeform.com/builder/form/XF5p2Z6OzU6ol4816927H63

02/15/2023

Here are some of Charlie’s radiographs. On the left side of each pair is the initial radiograph from January. The image on the right is from Monday. Radiographs taken to help both track progress and guide trimming. You can see we have already made some progress, but still have room to improve. Any questions?

02/13/2023

Meet Charlie. He is an 11 year old Welsh pony gelding initially seen just before Christmas as he was spending most of his time down and when up only moved very stiffly with his weight shifted back to his heels. Given this history, what would you diagnose?

01/08/2023

Save the date: Saturday, February 25 we will be teaming up with Dr. McPherson to do an owner education talk at the Newark Library. Thoughts for topics include the following:

A: What are we vaccinating against again?
B: Updates on diseases for today’s horses
C: EPM and other alphabet soup EEE, WNV etc).
D: other ideas

Also we could have the talk from 11:00-1:00 or 12:00-2:00.

Please comment with your preference for topic (or suggestion) and time preference (I’d applicable). Looking forward to seeing you there.

01/05/2023

“It was a dark and stormy night” is a classic story opening, however have you ever tried to locate a new address in the dark, or even during daylight hours with traffic backing up behind you? Please take a minute to check out your mailbox. Are there large numbers easily visible from both directions? Do you have a shared driveway with multiple mail boxes? Does GPS reliably end up at your door? Please let us know any landmarks or special considerations for locating your horse.