Pet Health & Wellness for Horses in Flagstaff
Annual exams are an important part of determining your horse’s overall health and wellness. Regular exams are the best way to ensure that any potential health concerns are caught early so that they can be adequately and promptly treated. Common health concerns that veterinarians check for during an equine wellness exam are:
- Body Condition Score
- Heart Murmurs and other abnormalities
- Equine Cushing’s Disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Uveitis
- Masses & Growths
- Oral Health
- Lameness
This comprehensive horse health and wellness exam package is the best way to ensure professional care and quality treatment of your horse. The best part is that Continental Animal Wellness Center brings the equine medical equipment to you, so you do not have to worry about bringing your horse into the clinic.
Equine Physical Exam
An equine physical exam is the base component of any horse exam. During the physical exam, a veterinarian will run down a horse health checklist to ensure that there are no abnormalities in your horse’s temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, coat health, or body composition. Although physical exams can be modified depending on each animal’s specific circumstances, you can expect an average exam to consist of body weight measurement and body condition scoring, dental evaluation, ocular (eye) exam, and hoof care. Your veterinarian will also use a stethoscope to listen to your horse’s heart, lungs, and gut. Your veterinarian may complete other evaluations and procedures, such as teeth floating, fecal examinations, and vaccinations in conjunction with the annual physical exam.
Equine Power Float With Sedation
Annual checkups are the perfect time to get your horse’s teeth floated. The time between floating procedures will differ depending on the individual horse, but yearly checkups are a good time to meet your horse’s dental needs. Continental Animal Wellness Center’s veterinarians use power floats along with sedation to efficiently, comfortably and safely float your horse’s teeth. Floating teeth is the process of removing the sharp points from a horse’s teeth, making an even grinding pattern for chewing. This process is an essential part of horse wellness and ensures that, by having properly balanced teeth, they will last longer, leading to a longer life expectancy.
McMasters Fecal Exam
Horses are unable to talk to their owners about things that are bothering them. Sometimes the problem is not visible and can be hard to miss. In the case of parasite infections, fecal exams are the best method of identifying, quantifying, and diagnosing the number and severity of parasites in your horse. The McMasters fecal exam is one way that veterinarians recover and count the eggs of parasites present in your horse’s fecal sample. To perform the exam, a sample must be collected from the horse’s stool and examined microscopically. Using the known weight of feces and the volume of flotation solution used, then the number of eggs per gram of feces can be calculated.
Our Equine Vaccinations
Rabies Vaccine
Rabis is a neurologic disease transmitted through the bite of another infected animal. Common wildlife sources that may transfer rabies include raccoons, foxes, skunks, and bats. Although the incidence of rabies in horses is low, it is still important to get your horse vaccinated for the disease as it is always fatal and is considered a significant public health concern. The Rabis vaccine is a core vaccine and should be administered annually to ensure that your horse is protected.
Eastern & Western Encephalomyelitis Virus, Tetanus & Influenza Vaccine
Eastern and western encephalomyelitis are viral disorders usually transmitted by blood-feeding insects like mosquitoes. The virus affects the central nervous system and has a moderate to high mortality rate. We recommend annual revaccination in the spring before peak insect vector season. Tetanus and Influenza vaccines are also considered to be equine core vaccines and suggested to be re-administered on an annual basis. If you have any concerns regarding your horse’s vaccines or any other equine vet questions, contact us here at Continental Animal Wellness Center. Our professional staff will answer any questions you may have and provide exceptional care for your pets.
West Nile Virus Vaccine
West Nile virus is one of the leading causes of arbovirus encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, in horses. West Nile virus has been identified throughout all of the continental United States, as well as Mexico and Canada. Approximately one-third of all equine West Nile cases are fatal. Even if a horse survives the virus, it can exhibit residual effects like gait and behavioral abnormalities. The West Nile virus is primarily spread through insects like mosquitoes, so it is recommended for horses to be vaccinated annually in the spring, before the peak insect activity levels. All of the current West Nile vaccine options offer a one-year duration of immunity.