Whether it’s your Champion barrel horse, your child’s first pony or your senior citizen, the team at York Veterinary Services brings a passion for caring for diagnosing, problem solving, and treating the whole horse.
- Physical Exam and Consultation
- Vaccinations
- Oral Examination and Dental
- Fecal Parasite Analysis and Sand Sedimentation
- Coggins Test
- Soundness Assessment
- Complete Blood Count (CBC) and Chemistry Profile
A physical exam is one of a veterinarian’s most valuable diagnostic tools and is one of the most important aspects of routine preventative health care for your horse.
A physical exam includes:
- An evaluation of your horse’s vital parameters (temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate)
- Check heart, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract
- Basic ocular (eye) exam
- Assessment of body condition and a weight tape used to estimate their weight
Following the exam, your veterinarian can consult with you on any significant findings noted on the exam and address any questions or concerns you may have.
In addition to proper management, vaccination is generally considered one of the important and cost effective methods of disease prevention. Your veterinarian will consult with you regarding the vaccination needs of each individual horse.
Most common vaccinations include:
- EWT/WN
- Rabies
- Flu/Rhino
- Strangles
In addition to a physical examination and vaccinations, routine dental care is another important aspect of your horse’s overall health care plan. A thorough oral exam will be performed under standing sedation with an oral speculum to identify more advanced conditions such as a loose or fractured tooth, or periodontal disease.
If deemed necessary, motorized dentistry will be performed to remove any sharp enamel points which have developed and correct any mild abnormalities including hooks, ramps, or wave mouth.
Due to the development of parasitic resistance, our approach to deworming is now based on fecal egg counts. This allows us to determine an individual horse’s parasite burden and develop a deworming program specifically based on that horse’s needs. Every horse should be dewormed twice yearly.
Keeping your horse’s parasite burden low may decrease the risk of colic, anemia, and respiratory problems which can arise due to migrating larvae. Included as part of the fecal analysis is a sand sedimentation test to identify horses carrying a large amount of sand in their gastrointestinal tract.
A Coggins test is a performed to identify the presence of antibodies in the horse’s blood against the Equine Infectious Anemia virus. This virus is transmitted by biting flies and there is no vaccine or cure for this disease. This test is required for most horse shows, boarding facilities, and interstate travel. A Coggins test is good for one year.
A muscular/skeletal exam includes limb palpation, evaluation of your horse on a straight line, and full limb flexions. Further diagnostics or treatment of any lameness noted in the exam will be planned if needed.
This routine CBC is used to identify any signs of anemia, infection, or inflammatory disease. The chemistry profile is an indicator of organ function by measuring enzymes and electrolytes in the blood and comparing them to a standardized range.
