Back Cove Equine Veterinary Care

28/01/2025

❌Important things to think about when holding your horse for the veterinarian or farrier:❌

🌟1) Stay on the same side of the horse as the equine professional… if there’s an issue, you can protect both of us by pushing the horse away from us!
🌟2)Pay good attention to the horse and procedure…. don’t get distracted (our safety is in your hands!)
🌟3)Make sure you have good control of your horse… no long/loose lead ropes!
🌟4) Remember that your horse may generally be “perfect” handling-wise for what you do to him/her on a daily basis, but our procedures often involve some unwelcome, surprising, and sometimes stressful things for our patients (unfortunately!) and they may react differently!

A trained veterinary technician or assistant should hold your horse for the veterinarian. However, sometimes this is impossible and the veterinarian has to trust you to hold the horse.

24/01/2025

Headed to VMX conference in Orlando (apparently with approximately 27,000 other veterinary professionals!😱) Excited to network with other veterinarians, and learn about the latest in veterinary medicine!

As usual, Katy is in the office to take your calls and texts, and direct you, if needed, to another veterinarian for emergency care.

05/01/2025

As many of you know, our wonderful veterinary technician, Jazmin, is leaving us after 5 years with BCE. Jazmin is a musician, holds a master’s degree in music, and is a professor of music/voice at Bates College (when not working for us!). After 5 years on the road helping care for your horses, she’s ready to explore other career opportunities in the music world! While we are sad to see Jazmin go, we understand one must follow one’s heart… life is so very short. We are excited to see where her musical talents take her, and encourage all of you to go see her perform with her funk band at venues around Maine!

Jazmin will be working one day a week through January as she helps train our newest BCE technician! We’re excited for you to meet our new addition in the coming weeks and we know you (and your horses) will love her!

Thanks for a wonderful 5 years, Jaz. We’ve valued your good care, responsible attention to detail, strong work ethic, but perhaps most of all, we’ve appreciated your gigantic heart and love for ALL animals. We wish you luck in your next chapter! Godspeed!🎶💕🙏🏻💕🎶

05/01/2025

Somewhere on a Maine farm last night, as we finished up calls. January can be so torturous… and then we have dusks like this.💫💕🐎

01/01/2025

Happy New Year from all of us at BCE!

We wish you the best in 2025 and look forward to seeing you (hopefully for non-emergencies) on your farms!

Photo credit📸: Rhion Magee

31/12/2024

Just a reminder about emergencies.🚨🏥🚨

If you have an emergency situation with your horse, (something which requires immediate attention) please CALL the office number (207-370-1645). The voice message will always have the phone number or pager number for the doctor on call. 24/7.

If you are calling during regular business hours (8-5 Monday-Friday), Katy will answer the phone and assist you.

Please DO NOT text the office for emergencies. The office phone is not monitored after-hours or on the weekend.

30/12/2024

💕💕💕💕

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas to all our wonderful clients and friends! We hope you are enjoying this holiday with your family and friends, both 2 and 4-legged!🎄❤️💚🎄

24/12/2024

“Gunther”
Percheron/Morgan Cross
1999-2024
“Oh Gunther, how you will be missed.! You were Big, Black, and Beautiful. You had a personality that was larger than life. I knew from the moment I saw you as a 3-year-old that I needed you in my life! I will always love you and cherish the many memories that we made together: weekends camping, galloping on the beach with friends, and Acadia. One year we even took our turn in the Moxie Day Parade, and last year we dressed you up as a viking horse for Halloween! Even when simply riding in the woods with the dogs, you were always a rockstar! My heart breaks without you. Run wild and free my Beastie! ♥️”

Rest in peace, sweet Gunther. Even when you were unsure what we were doing to you during our veterinary appointments, you were always still a gentleman and such a good, good boy. We’ll miss you, Gunther💕🐴🌈


22/12/2024

Brrr! What a cold day here in Maine!🥶🥶🥶

This is a nice article with tips for managing your horses in winter and in frigid temperatures!

As always: please make sure your horses have plenty of hay to eat….to keep them warm and drinking water. Make sure they have access to clean, unfrozen water, and access to shelter. And please make sure they are drinking and passing regular manure!

Horses acclimated to cold temperatures often prefer and are better off outdoors.

15/12/2024

One of our beloved and very special clients.

Kenna was soft-spoken, kind, and a true animal-lover. We will miss her generous spirit and wonderful stories.

Rest easy, Kenna. We love you❤️

Celebrate the life of Kenna Small, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Lindquist Funeral Home.

07/12/2024

Laredo was truly one of our very first patients, and we were lucky enough to care for him for 21 1/2 years! This guy was such a character and such a good boy to work on. He lived to the ripe old age of 35 on a beautiful farm in western Maine.

“Laredo taught us many things over the years…mostly the importance of being patient with him. He did things his own way. What a wonderful life he had on the farm, with his other horse friends including Tonde, Jasmine and Leroy. It was harder than I expected even though we knew (at his senior age) that this day was coming.”

Rest in peace, Laredo. We are going to miss you so very much! 💚♥️🧡

05/12/2024

Apolo was another gentle, quiet soul whom we helped over the rainbow bridge recently. Not a complainer, Apolo was easy to handle and very trusting of his humans. In the end, his body was tired and winter was around the corner. His humans made the most loving, unselfish, but very difficult decision to let him go.

“Apolo was the most gentle soul. Everyone who entered our farm gravitated toward him and will remember his sweet curiosity and kindness. He truly loved his family and his herd. He will forever live on in our memories.”

Rest in peace, Apolo. We will miss your handsome face and gentle demeanor. It was our honor to care for you.♥️

30/11/2024

Caesar was a patient of ours for nearly 20 years. He was always one of 4 horses in the barn, and he often just blended into the background compared to the other boys, because he was just so stoic and easy to deal with. He never complained about anything.

Caesar started out in life as a carriage horse at Colonial Williamsburg. In his later years, he was mostly a companion horse and a man of leisure here in Maine. He was so very loved, and diligently cared for.

“They say there's no such thing as perfect, but Caesar came pretty darn close. By the time he was 5 years old, he had already experienced more than most horses will in their lifetime. This wisdom combined with his heart of gold made him one of the most special animals I've ever met, and the lynchpin of our farm. He is missed dearly by horses and humans alike.”

Rest in peace, dear handsome Caesar. It was an honor to care for you, sir. You were a gentleman in every way and we will all miss you so!♥️

28/11/2024

Happy Thanksgiving, from all of us at BCE!

We are grateful for our wonderful clients and patients… all year long!🙏🏻🐴♥️

We hope you enjoy this day with family and friends!

15/11/2024

As our fall season of loss continues, tonight we memorialize Smokey, who was the beloved companion of Kim.

Smokey was one of the “Neglected Nine” group of horses who came to the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals 8 years ago. He came through the MSSPA’s shelter doors a broken and emaciated soul. After rehabilitation and good care at the Society, he was welcomed into Kim’s family and he never again knew neglect nor hunger. She attended to his longterm medical issues with constant care, dedication, and deep thought. Smokey was truly a lucky boy.

“I’m struggling for words right now, but I love this picture of him the morning he was set free 💙Smokey was one in a million, my best friend and the horse of a lifetime. He will be so greatly missed and forever loved. I remember the day I adopted him, Rachel came up to me and said please take care of him…he is a special one. I took that to heart, never forgot it, and did my best to give him everything he could ever need.”

We were privileged to be his veterinary team from the day he was rescued, and we sure loved this boy! Our hearts go out to Kim. Such a gut-wrenching decision for us humans, but ultimately the right one for this wonderful creature. Rest in Peace, Smokes…. We love you forever.♥️💙💜💛💚🐎🌈

13/11/2024

As some of you may have heard, our wonderful Jazmin will be leaving BCE the end of this year. My talented sidekick will be moving on to utilize her musical talents and training to their full potential at Colby College.

Of course, this is difficult news for all of us (if any of you clients need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here!). As one client said yesterday…. “Oh my gosh… Rachel, what are you going to do?!” Well, onward we go, of course, as our clients and their horses need us!

That being said, we are looking for someone to fill Jaz’ shoes: a horse-savvy person who is responsible, hard-working, self-motivated, strong, and professional. Prior medical/veterinary work or knowledge is not necessary. As many of you have noticed, we can have an unpredictable schedule and some long hours… so that also factors into one’s suitability for this job.

Also, if you looked at this picture and thought, “hmm…that looks pretty normal!”, you might not be the best candidate for the job. Just saying.

Please email us for more information, and please share with other folks who might be suitable for this job: [email protected]

11/11/2024

Another pair of animals made their way to heaven recently🌈

Bo and Blake (an alpaca and a goat) lived at a local farm for many years, where they were loved and doted-on by all who met them. In the end, age and arthritis got the better of them, and their owner made the difficult decision to let them go…on a bright, beautiful, sunny fall day.

“Bo and Blake lived with us for about 10 years. They brought so many smiles and laughter to all who met them! We miss them very much, but have so many fond memories that they will forever live on in our hearts.”

Here’s a short video of Bo and Blake with their owner’s grandson. It’s obvious they brought joy to many!

Rest in peace, boys! You are so missed!♥️🦙🐐💔