Large Animal Care
Our clinic routinely provides medical care for horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, alpacas, llamas, and whitetail deer. We offer ambulatory services within a 20-mile radius as well as the option to haul animals into our facility for procedures. The clinic is equipped to work cattle through a chute system, contains stocks for equine restraint, has stalls for surgical procedures and recovery, and has the equipment to perform specialized services such as floating teeth and laparoscopic artificial insemination.
Large Animal Medicine
This branch of veterinary medicine deals with the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and injuries of animals and includes treating many species for specific health problems.
- Herd Health: Successful herd health practices occur when the veterinarian and producer are able to work together to build a plan specific to the problems and situations within their herd. We routinely schedule annual herd health appointments for dairy and beef herds. Beef herd health is a little more involved as the cattle are handled much less frequently than dairy cows. During these annual visits, the overall health of the animals is assessed and management recommendations are made to the producer. Cows are rectally palpated to determine if pregnant; calves are dehorned, castrated, tagged, tattooed, and sorted (processed); and all cattle are dewormed and vaccinated.
- Immunizations: Many of our clients oversee the management of their large animal pets and livestock. We recommend that animals receive vaccinations based on the amount of risk to which an animal will be exposed. Our veterinarians recommend that animals receive vaccinations based on anticipated exposure, environmental factors, geographic location, age, breed, sex, and use of the animal. We try to educate our clients upon the type of coverage necessary for their individual animals and the importance of administering booster vaccines to naive animals. If you want more information, please contact our office to discuss starting a vaccine program today.
- Routine Fecal Examinations: We recommend running annual fecal evaluations on your animals and collectively on your herd to check for internal parasites and determine whether changes need to be made to the animals deworming protocol. Fresh samples should be brought into the clinic during business hours. We appreciate a call ahead. Usually, our trained staff can perform the fecal test in-house and have results while you wait or within one business day depending on our caseload at the time of sample arrival.
- Lameness Examinations: Lameness is one of the most common problems we see with horses and occasionally cattle. We offer lameness examinations and digital radiology to evaluate the situation further.
- Equine Dentistry: During routine equine physical examinations, the veterinarian will attempt to evaluate the condition of the teeth and may recommend having a float performed. Conditions that might warrant this without examination is if the horse has been losing weight, the onset of bad or unusual breath, dropping grain or making “hay balls”, holding the head to the side, or having problems with the bit. Dental work in horses requires sedation for proper evaluation and correction. A power float and hand float tools are available for the veterinarian to rectify any abnormalities. More involved dental work or extractions may require referral.
- Diagnostic Imaging: Digital Radiology, or x-rays, helps veterinarians evaluate muscular-skeletal problems in large animals. Our office is equipped with a portable unit that is used primarily for ambulatory equine calls. The clinic also has a portable ultrasound unit for determining pregnancy status in horses and less frequently, cattle, sheep, goats, and alpacas.
- Health Certificates: By law, any animal traveling across state lines are required to have had a veterinarian examine and assess their health and complete a health certificate, within 10-30 days of travel. This is done more frequently on animals that are being sold and transported across the country. Many large animal health certificates require additional permits, testing, and information to accompany the initial certificate of inspection. If you plan on traveling and are unsure whether or not you are in need of a health paper, please contact our office for assistance.