Annual health and dental exams, vaccinations and deworming.
Within link-A good preventative care program is essential to your horse’s health. This program consists of annual health and dental exams, vaccinations, and deworming. Call or email us about a comprehensive and cost-effective health plan for your horse or barn.
Health Exams
A yearly health exam or pre-season soundness exam can optimize your horse’s overall wellness and performance. These exams can give you a baseline and help identify future health risk factors, so they can be addressed early on. We examine the heart, lungs, gastrointestinal system, temperature, dental health, eyes, weight, and the horse’s overall condition. We’ll discuss your goals and concerns, and work with you on strategies to ensure your horse’s optimal performance and comfort.
Vaccinations
Our vaccination programs are established for individual horses based on their age, risk of exposure, use, geographic area and environment. Vaccines can minimize risk and severity of infectious diseases.
Recommended vaccinations for show horses:
- Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Western Equine Encephalitis, West Nile Virus (booster every 6 months)
- Tetanus (annual)
- Strangles (annual)
- Rhinotracheitis/Influenza (annual)
- Rabies (annual)
Recommended vaccinations for home-kept horses:
- Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Western Equine Encephalitis, West Nile Virus (booster every 6 months)
- Tetanus (annual)
- Rabies (annual)
Optional Vaccinations pending risk exposure:
- Lyme
- Leptospirosis
- Potomac Horse Fever
Deworming
Internal parasites are a constant threat to your horse’s health. Parasites can cause extensive internal damage, lower resistance to disease and absorption of essential nutrients, as well as cause colic and death. Deworming programs are designed by considering your geographic location, pasture management, number and age of horses, and management practices. Contact us to establish the best program for your horse or barn.
Fecal Egg Count Testing
Most owners already have a deworming program in place for their horse. However, for smaller closed herds deworming may not be necessary. AVMS offers Fecal Egg Count testing, which will allow owners to know what kind and how many parasites currently affect their horses. This service allows AVMS clients to create a tailor-made deworming program for their farms.
A fecal egg count measures the number of parasite eggs each horse is passing in each gram of its manure. When a sample is submitted to your veterinarian or independent laboratory, you get back a number like 50 EPG (eggs per gram) or 500 EPG. This number will allow AVMS to inform the client if deworming is necessary and the most appropriate deworming products to use.