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Volume
III, Issue II March 2007 IN THIS ISSUE —
Upcoming Events o Meeting about Youth and Adult Horse Activities and Events o Free Grooming Clinic o Yard Sale for the HELP fund —
The Many Benefits
of Spaying and Neutering —
The Equine
Wellness Program at Healing Springs — Essentials of Cow Calving — Horses up for Adoption — Drs Nelson & Melton Put On Demonstration for FFA |
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Upcoming Events |
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Meeting to
discuss horse activities and events: Monday March 5th,
6:30 pm, at the Carroll County 4-H and
Future Farmers of America (FFA) are teaming up to coordinate youth and adult
horse events and activities. A meeting
open to all horse enthusiasts is going to be held to discuss activities and
events such as educational seminars, clinics, camps, shows, trail riding,
horse judging, and other non-riding events such as hippology
and art contests. All those interested
in participating in such events should visit the meeting. |
Order Grooming
Supplies On-Line at the Healing Springs WebStore |
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Free Grooming Clinic March 13, 9 AM to 6
PM, at Healing Springs. Meet Healing Springs professional
groomer, Caroline Hill – more than 2 decades experience in pet grooming. Receive instruction on optimal grooming
techniques for both health and beauty.
Free samples of pet shampoo and flea combs will be
distributed while supplies last.
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Yard Sale
Fundraiser for HELP fund. Donate and shop! Healing Springs HELP fund will hold its
Second Annual HELP Fund Yard Sale Fund Raiser on Saturday, June 16,
2007. Items may be donated at Coordinated
by Jen Roberts Work
Phone (Healing Springs): (276) 236-5103 Home
Phone: (276) 236-0904 |
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The Many Benefits of Spaying & Neutering The If family finances are
limited, two local organizations provide financial assistance for spays and
neuters: the SPCA and the Twin County
Humane Society. Both organizations
work hard to finance spay and neuter surgeries and to educate individuals
about the importance of spaying and neutering. Helps Prevent Some Medical Problems: Spaying and neutering decreases the incidence of reproductive
and mammary gland tumors. Intact
females have a 1 in 4 chance of developing mammary tumors, but female animals
that do not experience their first heat face a mere 1 in 10,000 chance of developing
mammary tumors. (More details
on preventing mammary gland tumors in the September 2006 issue.) Another common medical problem that occurs
in non-spayed females is pyometra. This is an infection of
the uterus that causes the uterus to fill with pus. Pyometras are considered
emergencies and can kill an animal.
The treatment for a pyometra is antibiotics, intravenous fluids and
removing the uterus. This is more
costly than having the female spayed.
If there is no reason to breed a dog or cat, timely spaying will
eliminate any chance of pyometra and almost erase any chance of mammary
tumors. Behavioral Improvements: Animals that do not
have any reproductive hormones are less territorial and less aggressive. They are also better pets because they can
concentrate on being part of the family instead of being
distracted by hormone-inspired behaviors. Neutered animals are also protective of
their pack, family unit or home.
Neutered dogs actually do a better job of guarding than intact animals
because they don’t have the hormonal influences to
interfere with their perceived job. The Obesity Myth: Many people believe
that spaying and neutering will lead to obesity. The truth is that as dogs and cats age, their metabolism slows just like with
humans. The decrease in metabolism
leads to obesity. Overfeeding also
leads to obesity. Most humans show
affection for their animals in the form of treats and table food. This increases the caloric content of a
pet’s diet substantially. Timing for Spays and Neuters: The best time to spay or neuter a dog or cat
is at six months of age. At this age,
the pet is mature enough to cope with the surgery and, in the case of
females, young enough to avoid the first heat. Six months is also the optimal age for
preventing cancers that can occur later in life. Make an appointment for the procedure while
you are getting your vaccines done. If
you have a pet who is older than six months, simply
have the pet spayed or neutered as soon as possible. Any pet that is fit
enough for the surgery is a good candidate for this procedure. Healing Springs sees many stray
and unwanted animals. There are
excessively too many for the current ranks of dog and cat enthusiasts to care
for them all. Every pet accidentally
bred in a person’s home represents one pet that should have
been adopted from the local shelter but that was euthanized
instead. The best answer to an
overpopulation problem is to adopt an animal from your local shelter and have
that animal spayed or neutered. Also,
contribute to local organizations that are trying hard to eradicate our cat
and dog overpopulation problem. Adopt Your Pets at Galax – Carroll – Grayson Animal Shelter Open Tuesday – Saturday (276) 236-8501 |
The Galax –
Carroll – Grayson Animal Shelter euthanizes roughly 85% of all animals
deposited there. Dog
Training Classes hosted by Healing Springs.
Fun and very helpful. Hot Spots –
the skin infection often confused with gunshot wounds |
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How to Change Your Homepage View Springboard |
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The Equine Wellness Program at Healing Springs
Vaccinations are the
cornerstone to disease prevention.
They protect the horse from contagious and insect-borne diseases. The vaccines recommended for this area are
rabies, West Nile virus, Horses should receive a
physical and dental exam with each vaccine.
Horses’ teeth grow continuously and experience wear. Floating a horse’s teeth keeps the teeth in
optimal condition so the horse can chew properly. Teeth with many sharp points may hurt the
horse’s mouth and prevent it from eating well. This will result in weight loss and poor
body condition. Younger horses may require
teeth floating yearly. Older horses
may need only semi-annual floating to keep their mouths healthy. Deworming is an incredibly
important component to keeping a horse healthy. There are many schools of thought regarding
the most appropriate regimen for deworming horses. Some believe that deworming brands should be switched yearly to prevent parasite
resistance. For instance, in 2006, one
might use a Quest product and in 2007 only use an Ivermectin product. Others believe that using multiple dewormers
per year will increase parasite killing.
Perhaps the best way to determine effectiveness of your deworming
program is to have fecal samples run quarterly. This will allow you to gauge the success of
your deworming program. Quest is a moxidectin product that can be used
every three months. Quest Plus has a
product that also kills tapeworms.
Ivermectin comes under many trade names. This product must be used
every other month. Equimax is an
Ivermectin combined with Praziquantel to kill
tapeworms. Strongid has to be used every month or used daily if you use the Strongid-C
formula. A double dose of Strongid
will kill tapeworms. All horses need
to be dewormed with a Moxidectin
or Ivermectin product in the fall to kill bots, and horses should be dewormed
with a product that kills tapeworms in the winter (the end of the grazing
season). An example of a dewoming program for adult horses would be: January 1: Moxidectin plus Praziquantel
(kills tapeworms) April 1: Ivermectin product June 1: Ivermectin product August 1: Ivermectin product October
1: Moxidectin product. This deworming schedule
applies to horses greater than one year of age. Foals have a different deworming
strategy. Foals should
be dewormed monthly with a Strongid product for the first five
months. At month seven, deworm with an
Ivermectin product. Month eight, use
Strongid. Month nine, use Ivermectin. Month ten, use Strongid. Month eleven, use Ivermectin. Month twelve, use Strongid. After the foal is a year old, adopt the
adult horse deworming schedule. |
Understanding
Founder and Laminitis in Horses Vaccinations
for Pregnant Mares |
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Essentials of Cow Calving The beginning of the spring calving
season is upon us. Farmers need to be
vigilant and check their cows often this time of year. Farmers need to know the signs of a cow
nearing the time of birth, how to recognize labor, the parameters of a normal
birth, and how to identify problematic calve positions during birth. Ideally, your herd was
pregnancy tested in the fall and you have an idea of when the cows will begin
calving. If you do not know the due
date, the areas of the cow’s body to watch are the udder and the hips. The udder will start to enlarge when the
cow is late in her gestation. As her
due date nears, her udder will look more engorged. There will also be colostrum development. Thick, yellow milk indicates that the due
date is close. The hips will start to
relax to accommodate the calf through the pelvis, and the vulva will
lengthen. Cows will isolate themselves
as their labor gets started. They may
be far from the herd or toward the back of the herd. They may lie down and get up
frequently. They will stop chewing
their cud. They will demonstrate
reluctance to come eat, and sometimes they will completely refuse to come
eat. This first step can last 2-6
hours. At this period of restlessness,
the cervix is starting to dilate, and they will have a vaginal discharge of
clear mucus. The second stage of their
labor is the expulsion of the fetus.
This period can last up to two hours in a heifer and up to an hour in
a cow. At this period, the fetus is
lined up with the pelvic canal and moving into the pelvis. One may see 4-8 contractions in 10
minutes. The cow will be lying down
and straining. Ideally, the head
should come first. The cow may take a
rest before pushing the rest of the calf’s body through the pelvic
canal. The third and final stage is
the expulsion of the placenta. This
should occur some time between the birth of the calf and up to eight hours
after birth. A retained placenta is
any placenta in the cow longer than eight hours. Most cows calve without
human intervention. What farmers need
to watch for is those that are having trouble. The cardinal rule of a cow calf operation is never go
to bed when a cow is in labor. If a cow has progressed into her
second stage of labor for more than two hours and there
is no calf, one must check her. This can be accomplished by the producer or by a
veterinarian. Get the cow into a
working area and restrain her. Clean
her vulva with ivory soap and water.
Place a long glove on the hand of your choice and enter her
vulva. You want to feel a head and two
hooves. If you are able to assist the
cow in her delivery then do so. If it
has been over two hours do not give her more time. If you are not able to assist her, then
call During birth, the calf can
present in one of many problematic positions: head back, breach, one leg
back, back legs first, sideways, head with no feet, and poll in pelvis. There different
approaches to each abnormal position.
Some are harder to correct than others. The ability of the producer to correct
each abnormal position depends on his/her expertise. Never use vehicles or farm machinery to pull calves. A calf jack or no more than three people is all the force that can be safely applied when pulling a
calf. If more force is necessary than
what is created by a calf jack or three people, the cow requires a
C-section. If you are uncomfortable
with an abnormal position, call Healing Springs. If a producer is vigilant and takes action,
they will increase their chances of having a live calf. Waiting for a cow to do her job alone after
two hours or after a problematic position has been
identified will only decrease your live calf percentages. If a cow is in labor, check the time and
watch her closely. The sooner a farmer
or veterinarian intervenes in a potential difficult birth, the better. |
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Horses for Adoption
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Community Service
Click photo to enlarge. |
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The Animal Health Bulletin is a FREE service of Healing (276) 236-5103 Visit our website at www.HealingSpringsAnimalHospital.com |
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Administrative: Request an article topic. Click
Here. To ask questions about a
specific pet, call Healing Springs at (276) 236-5103. You have permission to forward this bulletin in its
entirety to a friend. If you did not receive the Animal Health Bulletin
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update your e-mail preferences or unsubscribe. The Animal Health Bulletin is developed and
distributed with the assistance of Brazzell Marketing Agency specializing in healthcare marketing. © BMA 2007 |
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