Aspen Veterinary
Service
May 2009 Newsletter
Welcome to the fifth edition
Newsletter brought to you by Aspen
Veterinary Service!
Unless stated otherwise, all
Newsletters will be authored by Dr.
Annie Bowes.
Warm weather has arrived! As we welcome
the sun, don’t forget the bug spray.
Seasonal allergies are common in horses and
can reduce the willingness of your horse to
work. They can also cause spread of disease
in cattle, sheep, and goats. There are many
repellants available, as well as fly sheets and
masks for horses. A good ‘rub bag’ is an
excellent choice for cattle, as well as a sulfur
salt block. Just remember not to mix your
animals on your blocks: some cattle blocks
contain monensin which is fatal to horses,
even in very small doses.
Baby Animals
What can be cuter than ducklings and
chicks? How about frolicking foals or
bucking calves? The harbinger of summer
is baby animals. And here’s some useless
trivia about naming baby animals:
An elephant baby is a calf.
A swan baby is a signet.
A kangaroo baby is joey.
A rabbit baby is a kit.
A baby hare is a leveret.
Fish babies are fry.
An alpaca baby is a cria.
A dove baby is a squab.
A hedgehog baby is a piglet.
A baby platypus is a puggle.
And every wonder why it is that a wolf has a
cub and a dog has a pup? How about the
lion’s cub verses the cat’s kitten? It’s the
English language! Geese, goose, moose,
mouse, mice! How else can you explain it?!
Something for Nothing
Ever been offered a free horse? These days
with the high cost of hay and no commercial
means of destroying old or crippled horses,
there are plenty of ‘free horses’ around. As
Albert Einstein has said, “Sometimes one
pays most for the things one gets for
nothing.” This is especially true if the horse
is past its prime or has some sort of health
problem.
To help you decide if free is a deal or not;
consider having a pre-purchase exam
performed. The examining veterinarian
should have access to the horse’s medical
record prior to the exam. This information
does not have to be extended to the person
receiving the horse; its intent is to help the
veterinarian decide if the horse is sound and
how it should be managed. For example, if
an overweight pony foundered in May
several years ago but hasn’t had a problem
since he’s been stalled; one can assume that
he is not a good candidate for pasture. He
can be safely managed in a dry lot as long as
he did not endure any rotation of the bones
within the hoof wall. This information
combined with the pre-purchase exam can
help the veterinarian decide if radiographs
(x-rays) of the feet are necessary. It will
also help the new owner arrange living
conditions suitable for the pony.
West Nile Virus is May’s Disease
Discussion
Most commonly spread by mosquitoes,
West Nile Virus is as easy to catch as the
flu. And just like the flu, it can have vague
symptoms: fever, loss of appetite, weakness
which can progress to ataxia, coma and even
death. Some horses can be infected and
show no clinical signs. There is no specific
treatment for West Nile Virus except
supportive care; and sometimes the
conditions caused by the disease are
irreversible. Such conditions are caused by
infection in the brain (encephalitis), which is
the most severe form of the disease. Horses
can loose their vision, loose control of their
hind limbs, and if only mildly affected, can
still become unsuitable for riding for the rest
of their life.
For this reason, its best to vaccinate horses
early in the year before mosquitoes become
Got Ideas? Aspen Veterinary Service is
always looking for new topics and great
ideas. If there is something you would like
to know more about, please don’t hesitate to
ask. Dr. Bowes can be reached at
annie@aspenvetservice.com or (208) 6596825. And feel free to share some jokes that
can be published in the next issue!
As always, your animal’s health is very
important to Aspen Veterinary Service and
routine care is a major component of
husbandry. It is the hope that this Newsletter
was helpful and informative; and in keeping
with the mission statement of this company:
Aspen Veterinary Service is dedicated to
preserving a country way of life, and
promoting general farm animal health and
production.
Together, we keep American farms and
ranches going strong.
For additional information about Aspen
Veterinary Service, please visit:
www.aspenvetservice.com
Happy Trails!
Copyright 2009 ©
Aspen Veterinary Service. PLLC Post Falls, Idaho
Aspen Veterinary Service
Quote of the Month:
I wonder if other dogs
think poodles are
members of a weird
religious cult.
Rita Rudner
a problem. One should also consider taking
measures to reduce mosquito larvae in
standing water such as troughs, ponds, and
muddy areas. There are many commercial
products available that can be added safely
to animal drinking water. Other choices are
goldfish, tadpoles, and other larvae eating
aquatic life.
3521 North Greensferry Road
Post Falls, Idaho 83854
Pre-purchase exams can be as brief or as
involved as you can imagine. Some may
include radiographs, ultrasound, and blood
work. During the exam, there may be
findings that require additional diagnostic
testing to be assured the problem isn’t
significant. Because of this, the new owner
and the current owner should be present
during the exam to encourage discussion and
collaborative decision making.