Aspen
Veterinary
Service
July 2009 Newsletter
vaccines, then quarantine of the new animal
may be necessary. The new arrival
shouldn’t be able to have contact closer than
10 feet from any other animal for 10 days if
vaccinated, and at least 30 days or more if
somebody in the herd isn’t vaccinated, or
can’t be vaccinated completely such as a
foal or yearling.
Lastly, make sure everyone is getting plenty
to eat and drink. Sometimes it’s hard to tell
if the new guy is getting to the feed bunk or
water trough routinely. You can circumvent
a problem by providing multiple water
sources and enough feeders for every horse
plus one (i.e. four horses should have five
piles of hay).
Welcome to the seventh edition
Newsletter brought to you by Aspen
Veterinary Service!
Unless stated otherwise, all
Newsletters will be authored by Dr.
Annie Bowes.
Introductions
When introducing new animals to the herd,
there are few precautions that should be
heeded before throwing everyone in
together. First off, is every one vaccinated
and free of disease? If not, vaccines should
be given approximately one month before
arrival, and this goes for the new animal as
well as the existing animals if they haven’t
had their shots in the last twelve months.
And don’t forget to de-worm everybody,
too. If time does not allow for early
but the new guy, they become friends. Just
remember not to put any horse in a situation
that could become dangerous or unsafe for
you to intervene.
Secondly, take it slow. If you have more
than three horses, the new arrival should be
penned alone first, next to the other horses
so they can see and smell each other. Then
the new horse should be allowed to spend
some time in a large paddock or pasture with
the least bossy horse in the herd. Once they
have made a friendship, or tolerate each
other after a week or so, another horse can
be added to the mixture. Continue this
weekly until all the horses are together.
Some herds may be more accepting than
others and the process can go much faster
and smoother. If you find there is a
particular horse that can’t seem to get along,
try leaving that horse until last, or removing
every body else but the new one and the
bossy one. Sometimes the bossy one just
wants to keep all the other horses for himself
and when there’s nobody to hang out with
And remember, it can take several months
for every one to rearrange the pecking order.
Try to be patient and give everyone a chance
to settle in.
Salmonella is July’s Disease Discussion
Every mammal, reptile, avian, and
amphibian is susceptible to salmonella
infection. This is mostly because of the
many strains of salmonella that have been
found and identified. Salmonella is Gram
negative bacteria with a big family: over
2,300 strains and serotypes! Some are
routinely present and cause no disease, such
as those found on the skins of lizards and
turtles. Others, like Salmonella dublin or
enterica can cause diarrhea in cattle, and is
known to be fatal in calves. The focus of
this discussion will be on Salmonella
enteritidis which infects poultry.
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
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!
3521 North Greensferry Road
Post Falls, Idaho 83854
You’ve heard the warning: don’t eat raw
eggs, you could get salmonella. There is
some truth to that, even if you thoroughly
wash the outer shell, because poultry,
specifically chickens, can get infected with
Salmonella enteritidis in their ovaries; and
show no outward signs of disease. This
means that the hen lays eggs with
salmonella INSIDE the shell. This type of
infection is close to impossible to cure and
the recommended treatment is culling. To
test a hen for this type of infection a culture
swab of the cloaca may be necessary, or
submission of a few eggs for culture.
Disease prevention is the best, and is done
by reducing crowding and unsanitary
environments especially in the adolescent
stage of development. Any eggs from
suspected hens should be thoroughly cooked
prior to consumption. Thankfully
Salmonella enteritidis is relatively rare now
days, but if your hens fail to produce fertile
eggs, it should be a consideration.
Quote of the Month:
“The definition of insanity is doing the same
thing over and over again and expecting
different results.”
Albert Einstein
Therefore, if you do what you always did,
you’ll get what you always got.