Southwest Montana Veterinary Service

21/01/2025

It’s almost here… February is Pet Dental Health Awareness Month!

Dental health is just as important for horses as it is humans! A dental float is a routine procedure that removes sharp enamel points from a horse’s teeth. This ensures that they can chew and process their food properly, painlessly, and maintain their overall health!

During the month of February, we are offering FREE SEDATION on ALL dental floats performed in February! It might be time to bring your horse in if they:
• Have not received a dental in over a year
• Are dropping feed
• Head tilting
• Have nasal discharge/mouth odor
• Have increased salivation

To schedule an appointment please call: (406) 925- 0808

16/01/2025

Vet Assistant Paden Grey getting some practice tattooing heifers on a beautiful January day! 🐮

08/01/2025

As many of you already know, Brucellosis Vaccine was put on back order a few weeks ago due to a manufacturing issue.

Once we ran out of back stock, we started a wait list. Please give us a call so we can add you to the wait list and when more vaccine becomes available we will contact you to get you scheduled. Sorry for the inconvenience! Thank you!

In this week's edition of Why Can't We Have What We Want?

31/12/2024

Happy New Year! We will be closing today at 12 pm and will be closed all of Wednesday January 1st for the holiday. Please call Dr. Igo if you have a large animal emergency. See you in 2025! 🎆

27/12/2024

Hey everyone! With 2025 right around the corner 👀 we wanted to talk about the importance of routine blood work in our equine companions.🩸I know for most of us when it comes to routine care we think vaccines💉, dewormer 🪱, hoof maintenance etc. Bloodwork may not always make the top of that list🥉, however routine bloodwork is just as important in keeping our horses happy☺️, healthy and living their best life. This is especially important in our furry friends as they get older and start to show more wear and tear on their bodies🦽. It helps ensure that everything is functioning properly and can help rule out diseases that can be more common in older horses as well monitor the longterm effects of anti-inflammatory use.💊
It can also indicate important factors like organ function🫀, hydration levels💧, cell count and function🧪. Signs of infection such as; viruses🦠, bacteria🧫, and other more serious diseases🎗.
As well as show us that sometimes an abnormal value❌️ for most can be completely normal for some✔️ and that every patient is different. It can help us later on if that patient gets sick to more accurately evaluate their bloodwork knowing their history📈.
💥With that being said for the month of January we are offering 20% off all in house bloodwork panels per panel.🩺 This includes Comprehensive Chemistry Panel, Equine Plus Chemistry Panel, and Complete Blood Count (CBC). 🏨
Help your horse start their "New Year, New Me" off right!🐎💪😉
Call our office @ 406-925-0808 for any questions and to get your horse scheduled for their appointment! 🐴
Thank you and Happy New Year 🎆🥳
Southwest Montana Vet Staff

23/12/2024

Merry Christmas!!! 🎄We will be closed today Monday December 23 - Wednesday December 25 so our staff can enjoy the holidays with their families. Thank you all for your business!

18/12/2024

If you own horses long enough, sooner or later you are likely to be confronted with a medical emergency—even during the holidays. Are you prepared to act?

Having a clear emergency action plan will help you stay focused and effective if a crisis strikes. Below are some basic guidelines that can help you prepare for an equine emergency:

1. Know how to reach your regular veterinarian after hours. Ask about a back-up or referring veterinarian in case your regular horse doctor is not available for emergencies.

2. Have a plan for transporting the horse if necessary and know in advance the most direct route to an equine surgery center.

3. Prepare a first aid kit and store it in a clean, dry, readily accessible place. Keep a first aid kit in your horse trailer or towing vehicle as well and be sure to check your supplies periodically and restock as needed. First-aid kits can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like; seek your horse doctor's advice on what to add, especially regarding any drugs that could be included and how they should be administered.

02/12/2024

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are thankful for all of you!

Due to the shortage of veterinarians in the area, we will temporarily not be accepting new clients. Also, we will only be able to provide emergency services to current and active clients. To be eligible for emergency services we must have provided routine care in the last 12 months.

We appreciate all of our clients and want to be sure to be available for them. Thank you for understanding!

13/10/2024

Happy Vet Tech Appreciation Week!

Our veterinary technicians and assistants wear many hats; especially in large animal practice.

They are nurses, surgical assistants, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, therapists, receptionists, janitors, babysitters, lab technicians, radiology technicians, dental assistants, and so much more!

We so appreciate our wonderful team and thank all the vet techs out there for their hard work and dedication! If you see one of these lovely gals this week be sure to thank them for all they do!

Taylor Frey, Patsea Farrow, Shawnee Hollenback, Paden Grey, and Winona Wagoner

10/10/2024

*Let's talk about it!*🗣
Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis AKA "Johnes"(pronounced "yo-knees"), is a disease that is becoming more and more prevalent in cattle as well as other species.
🐂🐐🐇🦊🐗
*How is it spread?*🦠
The most common form of transmission is f***s, 💩 but it can be spread through infected milk,🍼as well as contaminated food and water sources,🌾 💧 and can live in the environment for months. It can also be spread through breeding, 🐃 and rarely can be transmitted to the calf in utero.
*What does this look like in cattle?*👀
While most cattle get this disease at a young age, symptoms don't typically appear until around 4-5 years old. That being said it can show up earlier or later in life as it progresses differently in every animal. Symptoms include chronic weight loss 📉 and diarrhea 💩 being the most common, but can also include abnormal coat, immune suppression, 😷as well as the inability to get or stay bred.🚼
*What can we do?*
The best way to fight Johnes disease is to keep your calving environment as clean and aseptic as possible.🧼 Testing any animals showing symptoms is another great way to keep Johnes out of your herd.👩‍🔬🧪🧫 Testing can be done through f***s 💩 or blood 🩸depending on the age of the animal.
Please feel free to call us with any questions!
Thanks!
Southwest Montana Vet Staff
406-925-0808

26/09/2024

Hey cattle clients it's that time of year where we start vaccinating our pregnant livestock for fetal protection. 🐮With that being said we are now working with Zoetis to offer Cattlemaster and Scourguard 4KC at $0.50 off per dose. That's $1 per head! The promotion runs from September 1st, 2024 through December 31st, 2024. Get in contact with our office if you have any questions or would like us to set something aside for you. Please try and keep in mind that for larger orders we may need to order more product in and to please try and give us atleast three days notice. Thanks and Happy Fall!🍁
Southwest Montana Vet Staff
406-925-0808

31/08/2024

Congratulations Piper Hollenback! Thank you for letting us buy your 4H pig!

29/08/2024

In light of the tragedy that recently occurred in Oklahoma where 70 horses were killed because of accidental monensin addition to their equine feed, we thought we'd share some information regarding ionophores.

Ionophores are a great tool to keep livestock healthy and efficiently growing, but be sure of where you are getting your feed, be careful when you are mingling and feeding horses and cattle together, and reach out to your veterinarian as soon as possible if your horses may have been exposed to monensin.

Our hearts go out to the Beutler & Son Rodeo Company during this difficult time ♥️

Because of the questions I've gotten the past couple of days, I thought this article was appropriate to share.

My deepest sympathy to those currently in this potential situation and to those who have encountered it in the past. 💔

27/08/2024

With our mornings feeling more crisp, fall is starting to creep up on us.🍁 Along with that comes all the fall cattle things.🐮

RFIDs (electronic tags) have become more and more popular as a form of official ID. Starting November 5th, 2024 ALL cattle needing official ID will have to get an RFID/electronic tag due to new rules from the Department of Livestock. Any metal clips or other official ID tag applied to cattle/bison before November 5th, 2024 can still be used as official ID on health certificates and other paperwork.📝 However, if an animal loses that tag after November 5th, 2024 it must be replaced with a new RFID(electronic) tag. This includes, but is NOT limited to any cattle/bison; shipping to another state, being tested or vaccinated for brucellosis💉, being tested for trichomoniasis or tuberculosis. 🧪🧫These are just a few examples where official ID is needed.

Unfortunately, we have had a hard time getting a hold of the state provided RFID(electronic) tags because of limited supply due to a shortage of funding supplied to the state. 💵This means we will only be able to supply RFIDs at no cost when brucellosis vaccinating for the time being. We have a limited supply of the state provided brucellosis RFID tags so they will be first come first serve. We do have RFIDs that we purchased,(not state provided), unfortunately this means we have to charge for them as well.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact our office at 406-925-0808, or the Montana Department of Livestock at 406-444-2976
Thanks! Southwest Montana Vet Staff

21/08/2024

Congratulations to our vet assistant Morgan and her husband Blaine on the arrival of their baby boy this last weekend! We appreciate the years Morgan was a part of our team and we wish her and her family all the best in this new chapter!

19/08/2024

As summer is winding down, we are starting to think about pregnancy testing cows!

We have already started making appointments through the fall, so give us a call to get on our schedule so we can do our best to get you booked for the day you prefer. (406)925-0808

We appreciate your business!

15/08/2024

Congratulations to our very own Taylor Frey! As many of you know, Taylor has been a Certified Veterinary Technician for the past 6 years. Today she officially received her status as a Licensed Veterinary Technician from the state of Montana. Taylor's compassion and knowledge makes her a tremendous asset to our clinic, clients, and community. If you see Taylor Frey, LVT around, give her a pat on the back for her accomplishment!

29/07/2024

Equine pre-purchase exams: what to expect

GOAL OF THE PRE-PURCHASE EXAM
• A pre-purchase exam is an assessment of the overall health and soundness of a horse at the time of the exam. Veterinarians evaluate the risk associated with the purchase for the horses intended use. They will not be able to make any guarantees for the horses future health.

PRE-VISIT CONVERSATION
•Before the pre-purchase exam, a conversation about expectations, cost, use of the animal and relevant test is very important.
•Previous use, vaccination/deworming/dental history, previous medical concerns and medications.
•Farrier work- recent farrier work can affect exam if done immediately prior.

EXAMINATION
•Durning the exam, the veterinarian checks all major body systems for abnormalities and risk factors for potential future issues, including but not limited to:
*Cardio: Murmurs and arrhythmias.
*Respiratory: Lung sound and function.
*Gastrointestinal: Normal movement.
*Dermatologic: Masses, dermatitis, scar, ectoparasites and wounds.
*Oral: Dental abnormalities.
*Ophthalmic: Vision, ocular abnormalities.
*Musculoskeletal: Lameness baseline and flexion tests, hoof testers, conformation and gait, pain/swelling of limbs, back, neck and joints.
*Neurologic: Normal reflexes and responses, muscle atrophy and coordination.

RADIOGRAPHS AND OTHER OPTIONAL DIAGNOSTICS
•The number of x-rays a veterinarian will suggest depends on the level of information the client wants.
•Assessment of preclinical navicular disease.
•Bloodwork coggins for travel.
•Basline CBC, chem for overall wellness +\- any other tests pending exam.
•Reproductive exam if horse is intended for breeding purposes.

*No veterinarian can predict the future on a pre-purchase exam. We do our best to give information based on facts presented and likely prognoses.

If you are interested in having a pre-purchase exam before your next purchase, please call with any question!