2013 Fall New & Notes

 High Desert Veterinary Service

Fall 2013 News and Notes:
Chrysann Collatos VMD, PhD, DACVIM

775-969-3495 (Office)          742-2823 (Cell)

hidvet@gmail.com

HighDesertEquine.com

• Vaccination Clinic Schedule   
• Interstate Travel Regulations
• Colic: Thinking Ahead

End of summer greetings to you all!

The smoke is clearing and it is time to prepare for great autumn riding and oncoming winter months.  Don’t shortchange your equine companions.  Schedule your clinic appointment so we can be sure they are ready for the season change.  For the health of the horse,

Dr.Chrysann

Fall Vaccination Clinic Schedule

I am always here to answer your questions.. Fall health care includes Flu/Rhino vaccination plus deworming or fecal examination, an oral exam, and sheath cleaning.  Also West Nile Vaccination if not given in spring!

To reserve an appointment, call the office and leave:

Name, Phone #, Clinic Date,

Number of Animals, and Services requested.

We will return your call three days before your clinic with an estimated time of arrival at your address.  Please be sure horses are caught and haltered 30 minutes beforehand!

Location                                             Date

Rancho Haven/Sierra Ranchos1         Fri  Sep 6 

Rancho Haven/Sierra Ranchos2         Sat Sep 14

Red Rock North/Silver Knolls 1            Sun Sep 8

Red Rock North/Silver Knolls 2            Sat Sep 21

Span Springs/Palomino Valley 1        Sat Sep 7

Span Springs/Palomino Valley 2        Fri Sep 13

Antelope/Golden/Lemmon Valley 1    Sun Sep 15

Antelope/Golden/Lemmon Valley 2    Fri Sep 20    

South & West Reno 1                Sun Sep 22 

South & West Reno 2                Fri Sep 27

Sierra Valley/California                       Sat Sep 28

Reduced Prices - Clinic Dates Only
Farm Call/Fall Exam                   $18.00

West Nile                                   $32.00

FluRhino                                     $27.00

Rabies                                        $21.00

Tetanus/ Encephalitis                $18.00

Intranasal Strangles                   $32.00

Ivermectin Deworm                    $14.00

Coggins Test                               $27.00

Sheath Clean w/sedation            $45.00

Fecal parasite exam                    $18.00

Oral Exam (w/o sedation)          No charge!

Interstate Travel Regulations

I am fielding lots of calls about increased scrutiny of paperwork at the California border.  I spoke with an official at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)  last week to clarify their enforcement policy regarding horse transport.  First of all, despite a lot of buzz on the internet earlier this year, there has been NO CHANGE in the law regarding interstate horse transport.  The federal government is gearing up to get involved in regulating animal movement, but that HAS NOT YET HAPPENED.  Interstate transport of horses is still regulated at the state level. 

Both Nevada and California require a Coggins (Equine Infectious Anemia) test current within 6 months, and an interstate health certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) issued within 30 days. Nevada also requires a brand inspection.

The people at the California border inspection stations are not authorized to detain you or fine you if your paperwork is not in order.  They do have a form which they are supposed to fill out that identifies you and establishes that your brand inspection, CVI, and coggins are in order.  If they find that your paperwork is not correct, then they contact a CDFA Health Inspector and pass along your information.  It is the Health Inspector’s job to track you down and issue a warning or citation as they see fit.  In Nevada, brand inspectors travelling on the highways can pull over any vehicle transporting horses and ask to see paperwork and issue warnings and fines.

The CDFA official I spoke with explained that the California inspection station border guards can use their discretion regarding completion of the livestock identification form for horses. If they are busy, they may verbally question you, ask to see Coggins or CVI, or just wave you on through. However, they do have the right to ask you to pull over, come inside, produce your paper work and supply personal identification information which they will record. 

Bottom line: if you chose to transport your horse across state lines without current Coggins, CVI, and brand inspection, you are liable to be fined.  You are required to pull over and answer questions at the California border stations at the border guards’ request.

Finally, there is a certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) issued in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana that is good for 6 months.  California does not issue 6 month CVI’s but they do accept them.  Nevada does not issue or recognize the 6 month CVI.  

Colic

Just like you, I dread the thought that one of my horses may show signs of colic one day.  I spent 4 years studying equine colic completing my PhD research, I accepted literally hundreds of colic emergencies into the hospital during my clinical residency, and I now have 20+ years experience treating colic in the field.  And still, I can’t guarantee that your horse with colic will not experience a serious complication.

Treating colic can be expensive.  A routine after hours colic call in my practice costs about $250. This includes an emergency call fee, physical exam and rectal palpation, sedation,  medication to reduce pain and enhance gastrointestinal motiliy , and nasogastric intubation.  About 80% of horses recover uneventfully after a single visit, if that visit occurs within the first hour of onset of signs.  More serious cases, or those in which initial treatment is delayed, can require multiple visits or warrant hospitalization.  Complicated medical cases and surgical colics can cost $6000-$10,000.

Early intervention is the key to successful treatment.  So what can YOU do to help ensure that your horse recovers from a colic episode and save money at the same time?  Be observant, and learn to do a basic physical examination!  Get a cheap stethoscope at the local nursing supply store. Buy a digital thermometer at the drug store.  And then ASK ME to teach you during your fall clinic appointment.  How many  of you “experienced horsemen” know how to do a physical??

If you can get temperature, pulse , respiration, and evaluate gut sounds and oral mucous membranes you can convey critical information on your first call to me at the onset of signs of colic. High heart rate, no gut sounds, and escalating pain indicate the need for intensive veterinary treatment.  In milder cases, after we review  your clinical findings it may be reasonable for you to administer medication orally to your horse.  Discuss the option of having oral Banamine paste on your property with me. 

When I evaluate your colicky horse, in addition to history and physical exam findings, I will perform a rectal palpation and pass a stomach tube.  This will provide me with information that you cannot obtain which  will guide specific treatment decisions.

Until I teach you how to do a complete physical examinantion, here are the basics:

v  What to watch for (in order of severity):

Ø  Poor appetite

Ø  Reduced manure production

Ø  Lying down more than normal

Ø  Stretching out as if trying to urinate

Ø  Pawing, getting up and down, looking at flank

Ø  Rolling violently

v  What to do:

Ø  CALL YOUR VETERINARIAN IMMEDIATELY

Ø  Take food away

Ø  Walk your horse if he attempts  to lie down/roll

Colic is serious, but in most cases treatable.  When a serious colic strikes, it happens very quickly.  I urge you to think ahead – establish a savings account for your horses if you can, look into equine medical insurance and Care Credit (CareCredit.com), and decide now how much you can afford to spend in a critical situation.  Planning in advance makes those difficult decisions a little easier in times of crisis.

 Take advantage of your fall clinic appointment to ask me more specific questions about colic prevention and treatment, and to get your physical exam training!

Educate yourself, for the health of the horse.

See you in September,

Dr. Chrysann