2200 Lyndale Ave. N, Faribault MN 55021
(507) 334-2068
Where is Winter?
I love this time of year because we made it through winter and warmer days are ahead, but this year the tone is a bit different. The winter has been so mild (at least as I write this!) and the lack of snow has been fantastic as far as I am concerned. I know that we had a dry fall and we need moisture, but I’m o.k. with rain. The true test will be March!
This year, as in the past, we’ll be holding our Vaccination and Coggins Clinic at the Rice County Fairgrounds on April 14th from 1 to 3 p.m. Mark your calendars and read a bit more about it inside. Everyone is welcome; it’s a great way to save money on your vaccinations and Coggins tests.
I recently attended a disaster-planning workshop. I’ll be the first to admit the thought of a natural disaster affecting my farm is terrifying, particularly with the logistical challenges of livestock, but it made me think of a few critical points that can be worked out in advance. Inside the newsletter, page 3 will talk more about that. Additionally, we’ll be hosting a seminar on March 7th about this topic as well as conditioning your horse for summer riding. Mark your calendar.
On the side of medicine, we are always updating and adding equipment at the Veterinary Clinic. We have purchased new in-house blood work machines. If you have a horse that isn’t feeling well, we have the capability to run blood work to check white blood cell counts for infections, red blood cell counts for anemia, as well as kidney, liver, and intestinal function right in the clinic. With blood work machines available to us, we can get results the same day and have a treatment plan worked out to get your horse back to 100% as quickly as possible.
Additionally, we have updated our computer system, this time with new veterinary software. As a result, our billing and statements look a little different. Our new system also has electronic medical records, allowing us to access medical information in the field on our truck via laptop computer. As in years past, payment at time of service is appreciated and will result in a discount.
If you know of anyone that would like to be added to our newsletter mailings, please give Nicole or Helen a call at the office at (507) 334-2068.
Vaccination and Coggins Clinic
April 14th 1-3 P.M.
Rice County Fairgrounds
The Faribault Veterinary Clinic would like to invite you to attend a Vaccination and Coggins clinic to be held on Saturday April 14th, 1-3 P.M. at the Rice County Fairgrounds. Dr. Anna Wildgrube will be on site to collect blood samples at a reduced rate for Coggins tests and to vaccinate your horses. Coggins testing is performed to screen for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), a viral blood disease. A negative Coggins test is mandatory if you are going to shows, trail rides, or any exhibition within in the state. It is also necessary to have whenever you cross state lines.
All horses, mules, and donkeys are welcome at the vaccination and Coggins clinic. 4-Hers and the general public are all invited to attend. It’s a great way to protect your horse and save a bit for your pocketbook.
Due to the number of horses and time allowed, only vaccinations and Coggins will be performed. Any other services, such as exams, worming or dental work will need to be set up by calling our office. WITH THE SPECIAL RATES, WE ARE ASKING THAT ALL SERVICES BE PAID FOR AT THE TIME PERFORMED. We will be accepting cash, checks, and credit cards on site. You may choose to R.S.V.P. to our special event by calling Nicole or Helen at (507) 334-2068. Mark your calendar for April 14th and we’ll see you there rain or shine!!
Special Rates:
Coggins Test: $27 West Nile $24 Flu/Rhino $19
Sleep/Tetanus $13 Rabies/Potomac $27 Rabies Only $19
Sleep/Tet/West Nile$27 Strangles $21 Potomac Only $21
Best value: Sleeping Sickness (Eastern and Western Encephalitis), Tetanus, and West Nile in combination, pair with flu/rhino and Rabies/Potomac for great protection for a great price!
Summer Conditioning &
If Disaster Strikes…What Should I Do?
Planning for Livestock in an Emergency
We are holding an educational evening seminar on March 7th. The first half hour will be talking about getting those horses into summer riding condition. The second half hour will be disaster planning. No one wants to think about a natural disaster striking your farm. The reality is that fire or tornados do not pick and choose their targets. Topics include emergency housing, feed, logistics of evacuation and transportation.
Join us for a seminar – Summer Riding Conditioning &
Disaster Planning
When: March 7, 2012
Where: GrandStay Hotel – located on the corner of
Hwy 21 and Hwy 3 in Faribault
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 pm
Light refreshments will be served
RSVP to Helen or Nicole at the Clinic: 334-2068 by March 6th
Everyone is invited – bring your friends and neighbors!
Looking to Save a Bit More Money?
Dr. Anna Wildgrube is offering a discounted farm call if you schedule on one of our “regional days”. This year, Dr. Wildgrube will be traveling to regions of the
County. If you schedule on one of the days that she is in your neighborhood, you’ll save $12.50 on the farm call (from $42.50 to $30); an effort to make Dr. Wildgrube a bit more efficient and save you some money!
*April 23rd – April 27th traveling south of Faribault (ex: Medford, Owatonna, etc)
*April 30th – May 4th traveling north of Faribault (ex: Northfield, Lonsdale, etc)
*May 7th – May 11th traveling west of Faribault (ex: Morristown, Kilkenny, etc)
May 14th – May 18th traveling east of Faribault (ex: Kenyon, Nerstrand, etc)
Dates don’t work for you? Team up with your neighbors and split the farm call. Give the office a call at 334-2068 and ask for Helen or Nicole to schedule!
To Grain or Not to Grain…That is the Question!
Does every horse have the same nutritional requirements? The short answer would be “Nope!”
“Grain” comes is a variety of options for horses and as horse owners, sometimes is hard to sort out what is the best thing to feed your horse. While there is no cookbook recipe that works for all horses, there are several things to consider.
1) What is the body condition score of the horse that I am feeding? What is the body condition score of each horse in the herd?
2) What is the workload of my horse? What am I asking my horse to do?
3) What is the cost? What about convenience? Will my horse eat it?
Body condition scoring is a universal system that evaluates horses using a 1-9 scale, with 1 being extremely thin, 4-5 being ideal, and 9 being obese. Body condition is important because its really how to start evaluating your feeding program.
The “average” horse workload is a couple of hours per week. If the horse has a performance career (barrel racing, team roping, trail riding thru mountains, etc), the nutritional requirements are much different than the weekend horse.
Like people, the trend is moving towards obese horses. Obese horses are more prone to injury, health issues, and metabolic problems. The majority of horses need good quality hay (mostly grass or grass mix) at approximately 2% of their body weight, free choice fresh water, and vitamins and minerals to balance their diets.
Cost is certainly a factor. Cost must be calculated on a per-serving basis, as often a bag of diet balancer (a vitamin and mineral source for horses that don’t need grain) seems more expensive but each horse requires a small amount, making it cost effective.
Some horses are picky about texture and won’t eat certain forms (rolled, textured, crimped, whole, etc). With busy lives, convenience matters. Is it easy to feed?
The challenge comes when skinny mini lives with Ms. Piggy. Have additional questions? Ask Dr. Anna Wildgrube when she’s at your farm or give the office a call.
Is That Poisonous?
Springtime is right around the corner and its time to start thinking about the health of your pastures. There are some common plants found in many pastures that can be very poisonous to horses if ingested.
The common cocklebur is a pasture toxin that not everyone knows about. The cocklebur (not to be confused with burdock) is toxic in the growing form. Some horses will eat the young growing leaves as they appear in the spring, prior to pasture grass really growing. The cocklebur contains a substance that commonly causes colic signs, depression, or lethargy in the horse.
We field lots of calls in the late autumn about horses that are excessively drooling. This is commonly due to weather conditions – if the weather in late August is humid (isn’t it always?) it can cause a mold to form on the underside of Red Clover. Horses love clover and will pick it out of the pasture to eat. This mold has a chemical called Slaframine poisoning (Slobbers) should be considered, especially in a cooler and wetter spring or fall. Spring and fall provide ideal environmental conditions for the proliferation of clovers in pastures. It can be present on both pasture and in stored dry hay. The fungus persists on infected fields from year to year. Slaframine can be active in stored hay for 10 months or more; however, its biological activity does decrease. Fresh hay can contain the equivalent of 50-100 ppm slaframine, which can decrease after 10 months by 10-fold to 7 ppm. Concentrations above 10 ppm may be associated with clinical signs. The treatment for slobbers is to remove the source, provide the horse with plenty of fresh water and a salt block to replace lost electrolytes.
There are other plants that are toxic to horses. The University of Minnesota Extension Service has an excellent website with pictures that can be a great reference for horse owners.
As always, we welcome questions. Give the office a call anytime!
Winter Pet Care
Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it can be hard on people. Sometimes owners forget that their pets are just as accustomed to the warm shelter of the indoors as they are. Some owners will leave their animals outside for extended periods of time, thinking that all animals are adapted to live outdoors. This can put their pets in danger of serious illness. There are things you can do to keep your animal warm and safe.
Take your animals for a winter check-up before winter kicks in. Your veterinarian can check to make sure they don’t have any medical problems that will make them more vulnerable to the cold.
Keep your pets inside as much as you can when the mercury drops. If you have to take them out, stay outside with them. When you’re cold enough to go inside, they probably are too. If you absolutely must leave them outside for a significant length of time, make sure they have a warm, solid shelter against the wind, thick bedding (hay is a great insulator that they can snuggle down in), and plenty of non-frozen water. Try leaving out a hot water bottle, wrapped in a towel so it won’t burn your pet’s skin.
Some animals can remain outside safely longer in the winter than others. In some cases, it’s just common sense: long-haired breeds like Huskies will do better in cold weather than short-haired breeds like Dachshunds. Cats and small dogs that have to wade shoulder-deep in the snow will feel the cold sooner than larger animals. Your pet’s health will also affect how long she can stay out. Conditions like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and hormonal imbalances can compromise a pet’s ability to regulate her own body heat. Animals that are not generally in good health shouldn’t be exposed to winter weather for a long period of time. Very young and very old animals are vulnerable to the cold as well. Regardless of their health, though, no pets should stay outside for unlimited amounts of time in freezing cold weather. If you have any questions about how long your pet should be out this winter, ask your veterinarian.
Cats will curl up against almost anything to stay warm--including car engines. Cats caught in moving engine parts can be seriously hurt or killed. Before you turn your engine on, check beneath the car or make a lot of noise by honking the horn or rapping on the hood.
If you live near a pond or lake, be very cautious about letting your dog off the leash. Animals can easily fall through the ice, and it is very difficult for them to escape on their own. If you must let your dogs loose near open water, stay with them at all times.
If you light a fire or plug in a space heater to keep your home toasty warm, remember that the heat will be as attractive to your pets as to you. As your dog or cat snuggles up to the warmth, keep an eye out to make sure that no tails or paws come in contact with flames, heating coils, or hot surfaces. Pets can either burn themselves or knock a heat source over and put the entire household in danger
