Friend Veterinary Services LLC

10/07/2024

Happy National Farriers week to all farriers especially those who keep all our clients’ horses trimmed, balanced, and/or shod so darn well! Our horses would not be the same or nearly as sound, without your knowledge and hard work! Have a great week dedicated to you!

22/06/2024

Anyone around the Carrollton, OH area, please keep your eyes on the sky for Mr. Chicken. We met his family this morning at the fairgrounds on the search for him. They miss him and would love to have him back home in the nice cool A/C.

01/06/2024

It’s a beautiful weekend to have a horse camp! The three of us at FVS had the opportunity to provide a vaccination/wellness clinic at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds during the Jefferson 4-H camp. Drs Rutan and Liggett provided a demonstration to the campers on equine first-aid, bandaging, and colic and what can be done until their animals can be seen. Thank you for the opportunity Jefferson County 4-H, we hope you left with a little more preparation in handing some common equine issues.

26/04/2024

What better way to celebrate it being a beautiful, sunny Friday than to receive this photo from our two new, soon to be doctors, Maria and Cole. They are only a week away from taking their veterinary oath and becoming Dr. Rutan and Dr. Liggett. We cannot be any more proud and excited for them to start, and bring their new, fresh knowledge of veterinary medicine here to our loyal clients in the Ohio Valley! For all your large animal needs there will soon be three of us for you and your herds! We can be reached at 740-491-2685 to schedule, and please note, we have been very busy lately (Why we need these two!) so please be patient and know all calls are triaged and emergencies will take priority. Have a great weekend, and again, congratulations to these two on their successful completion of vet school (20th grade!)!!

26/03/2024

When we were celebrating our 5 year anniversary, we said to stay tuned for some big news, well, HERE IT IS!! Continue to stay with us for more to come as time goes on, but we are very excited to share what we've been working so hard on!
As always, thank you to all our loyal clients, we couldn't do any of this without your support!

04/03/2024

Hard to believe it has been 5 years since Friend Veterinary Services began serving the Ohio Valley! Thank you to all of our clients who have entrusted us with caring for your animals!

29/01/2024

Thought I would share a case from an exciting Sunday night. This little heifer presented last night for "something coming out of its head," as her owner said. So, after examination, it was determined this calf has what is called exencephaly. This is a condition in large animals where the brain, meninges (layers of tissue protecting the brain), or both can pop out from a defect in the skull. This little heifer was normal based upon a neurologic exam, however if this tissue is left open to the environment it means certain death. Examination did reveal a small hole at the base of the tissue leading directly into the skull as well. The calf did not exhibit any neurologic abnormalities with manipulation of the tissue, so her owners elected to attempt closure of the hole and removal of some of the tissue to cover the remaining in order to protect it from the environment. Unfortunately this little calf did not recover well from anesthesia and did not make it. So, not the ending we were hoping for, but a very interesting case nonetheless. The cause of exencephaly is not directly known but there has been some evidence to suggest if pregnant animals are exposed to high levels of Vitamin A this can be result in their offspring. This herd is fed a balanced ration so the cause in this little heifer's case is unknown and could be congenital.

21/12/2023

It’s that time of the year where we are all trying to get ready for the holidays while still managing a busy work schedule. If you’ve tried calling the past couple days and have had trouble getting ahold of Dr. Friend please understand the trip north to make sure Santa’s crew is ready for their busy night is a long one and full of areas without cell service. Good news, the big guy in red is good to go and ready for his long night of deliveries. His reindeer are ready for all their carrots and won’t leave behind any illnesses, just the happiness and joy that goes along with everything under your tree! Merry Christmas to you and your families and thank you from us here at FVS for another wonderful year serving all your large aninal needs!

Friend Veterinary Services is a large animal ambulatory practice located in Hopedale, OH.

08/12/2023

Having a relationship with a veterinarian you can trust is of paramount importance in today’s world! Due to the changes in federal law requiring a valid VCPR in order for producers to gain access to any and all antibiotics for livestock, it is key to have a relationship with a veterinarian. At the same time, utilization of veterinarians in rural America for more than emergency services may help prevent the need for as many antibiotics as well. Work with your local veterinarian to develop proper vaccination protocols for your specific herd, discuss nutrition and husbandry, and establish protocols where you as the producer may be able to handle certain situations on your own because you have have protocols in place from your vet. That being said, yes vaccines and other medications may be cheaper from an online pharmacy, but support your veterinarian. Try to order and purchase vaccines and medications from them. This keeps their supply chain intact and may actually bring their prices down as well. As they order more product from their distributors they can receive volume discounts bringing their overhead down which will then bring the price down for the producer. As the article stated, the number of vets in rural America are at the lowest they have ever been. Support those who are still in the field and show your support locally which may also help the possibility of expansion of their practices in your area to compete with corporate owned practices and compete to draw young vets into the area. If you do not already have a valid veterinary client patient relationship (VCPR) with a veterinarian, meaning they have not been to your farm/property in the past 12 months, it is highly recommended you set something up before it’s an emergency. Teamwork makes the dream work, utilize your vet!

As all medically important antibiotics transition to prescription only and rural veterinarian numbers dwindle, livestock producers are caught in the crossfire.