We are pleased to offer the full spectrum of equine services both in clinic and on farm
Preventative Healthcare
We believe that even our larger friends need regular healthcare as well. We are fully equipped to see horses in our facility but also have a work truck so we can see them out on the farm as well. During an annual physical we will check teeth, look at body condition, listen to the heart and address any concerns you may have to name a few. We will also look at what your horses’ lifestyle consists of and help you pick the appropriate vaccines. We carry a few different options for deworming, and our friendly staff will let you know which is more appropriate for the different seasons. We also have a variety of supplements and nutraceuticals. Like our small four legged friends we offer after hour emergency care. We also work very closely with referral facilities if your horse needs something that we are not equipped to handle.
Surgical Services
Dr. Kouwenberg and Dr. Helvoigt doing an hernia surgery.
We are fully set up to do certain surgical procedures in the clinic. We have a surgical suite that is nicknamed the rubber room since it is padded to try to make the laying down and recovery as nice as possible. One of the most common surgeries we do, that we also do commonly out in the field is castrations. If your stallion is a cryptorchidic (which means he has a retained testicle) we can do that surgery as well but since it is longer we will not do it out in the field. Other surgeries that we offer are hernia repair, a procedure known as nerving a horse, wound management, injecting/tapping joints, and hoof care.
Dental Services
Floating is the term used when we file down sharp points on a horses tooth. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to dealing with a horses teeth. During an annual oral exam we also look for missing teeth, overgrown teeth, hooks/ramps, and pocketing. We then do what is needed to fix the problem. We use an electric drill that has a special diamond tipped file to take down sharp points, and reduce overgrown teeth. If there is a spot that is catching food due to a space between teeth then we can drill out what is called a diastema which causes the spot to be opened up so food does not get stuck and start to rot. Loose teeth are a little more difficult. We do have a full set of extraction tools to deal with broken teeth, but this is an area where we often have to refer out due to the natural and design of the equine tooth. Floatings are nice since we can do them anywhere there is power so we often go out the farm.
Diagnostics
We have a full in house laboratory. We have special machines that can do a complete chemistry (so looking at kidney and liver values), as well as a complete blood count (also known as a CBC, so looking at red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets). We can also can run a test that is special to horses…fibrinogen. We also have a snap test that can be used to determine if a foal got enough colostrum. We also use our microscope for looking at a fine needle aspirate (looking at cells from a lump), impression smears, or to identify parasites found on your pet. We also look for parasites found within your horse by running a fecal. We use a special method known as the McMaster Method. This uses a special slide that gives us a quantitative number so we can label your horse as a low, medium or high shedder which changes how often you should deworm.
Our digital radiograph
We also have a DR radiograph system. The special feature about this system is that when we are out in the field we can take a radiograph and have it show up instantly on a portable computer. This means that we do not have to go back to the clinic and find out that we did not get the shot that we wanted, we can make corrections right away. We also have a portable ultrasound machine. With both of these systems we can save pictures if needed and send them to a specialist.
Reproductive Services
Pregnancy ultrasound.
A large part of our spring is dedicated to reproduction. We can do it all from start to finish. We can assist you and your mare by determining when she is at the optimal time to be bred. We do artificial insemination either with chilled semen or frozen semen. If you are going the frozen semen route we have a liquid nitrogen tank made especially for storing semen at the optimal temperature. Once your mare has been bred, we can do an ultrasound to determine if she has caught, look for twins, and when the time is right look for the beating heart of a brand new foal. While we like to say we are done here, if your mare has problems during the delivery we can step in to assist, either with the actual delivery or afterwards with a retained placenta. Other reproductive services we offer is caslicks if needed in the mare, or plasma for those foals that have a rough start and do not get the colostrum they needed. While not fully a reproductive service, if you have a mare that is a little frisky when she is in heat we have a wide range of options that you can try to settle her down, one of which is ear staples.
Other Services
Dr. Kouwenberg injecting a sarcoid.
It seems that the list of what we can do for you equine friend will go on forever so a few of the more common ones are these: We do full lameness exams, which include nerve blocks, radiographs and tapping a joint if needed. Also pre purchase exams, full colic workups, and have a vet on staff that will do chiro. Sarcoids are fairly common on horses and we offer a wide range of treatments that include ointments, cryotherapy (applying liquid nitrogen to area), or injections. Treatment depends on the location and the size of the lesion. We are fully set up with two outdoor stalls so we can board horses when we have treatments that are needed over a few days. We also have an indoor stall if needed. And for our clients that are a little bit further away we will make day trips out to Creston, Fernie, and Invermere.