For Your Horse

Providing the highest quality of service in the clinic or on the farm.

Need help at the barn? At the show? In the pasture? NO problem. Our equine practice is based on providing the highest quality of service for your animal whether it is in the clinic or on the farm. We have three fully serviced trucks to meet your ambulatory needs. Prefer to trailer in? We would be happy to accommodate you in our equine facility. Below are links for in-depth information regarding our services. Please check our NEWS page for information regarding travel advisory, disease status across Canada and the USA, and other interesting articles. Follow us on Facebook to stay updated!

2024 Equine Wellness Packages

Introducing Central Vet’s 2024 Equine Wellness Packages! Our proactive approach can assist in the early detection and effective management of potential health concerns. Each package includes a thorough wellness examination, essential core vaccinations, and McMaster fecal egg counts with personalized deworming recommendations. Book at your convenience throughout the year by calling or texting us at 204-275-2038 or emailing us at info@centralvet.ca.

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SAVE MONEY

Combining your horse’s routine health procedures into a single package allows our team to work efficiently and cost-effectively. This approach enables us to extend the cost savings directly to you.

BE PROACTIVE

Our packages are thoughtfully crafted to safeguard your horse’s well-being by shielding them from common infectious diseases and proactively identifying emerging medical concerns before they escalate.

COLLABORATIVE CARE

You’ll have the benefit of discussing any specific concerns, issues, or goals regarding your horse during the initial appointment with your veterinary team.

ON-FARM SERVICE

Emergencies happen anywhere and anytime. We offer 24/7 365 days a year call service for our clients.

We understand not all services need to be performed in a clinic setting, and we perform the majority of our procedures on the farm for your convenience. Often visiting the farm can help us with diagnosing and treating specific diseases when we can see both your horse and their environment. Our service area encompasses a wide range within 30 minutes of the Perimeter Highway and special trips to other communities including Rosenort, Morris, Carman, Beausejour, Stonewall, Steinbach, Treherne, and many other areas. If you would like to know when we are in your area contact us for an appointment.

The doctors and staff of Central Veterinary Services work with owners to decide which vaccines are best for each animal. Our program varies depending on the animal’s age, location, level of competition, exposure to other animals, and requirements of governing bodies (FEI, Equine Canada). When our veterinarians administer vaccinations, it includes a complimentary dental exam, brief physical, and is a great time to discuss deworming, nutrition, or any other medical concerns.

We offer vaccines against the following diseases.

CORE VACCINES

  • Rabies
  • West Nile
  • Eastern and Western Encephalomyelitis
  • Tetanus

RISK-BASED VACCINES

  • Equine Influenza
  • Equine Herpes Virus 1 and 4 (Rhinopneumenitis)
  • Strangles
  • Pneumabort-K (Pregnant mares at 5,7,9 months)

AAEP

For more information on the diseases we are protecting your horse from, please see the American Association of Equine Practitioners VACCINE GUIDELINE

COMFORT, LONGEVITY, AND HEALTH

Routine dental care can dramatically improve the quality of life and, thereby, extend the life and career of your horses. This is especially important for youngsters and senior horses. We handle routine dental floats as well as problem issues, including tooth extraction. During spring vaccination, we give your horse a thorough dental check and make recommendations. Here are a few things to look out for that may mean your horse is due for a dental check-up.

  • Weight loss
  • Recurrent colic
  • Bad breath
  • Tossing head or head shy
  • Dropping feed (Quidding)
  • Self soaking hay
  • Resisting the bit
  • Behaviour problems

Our dental floats are performed with standing sedation to ensure safety and comfort for both owner and horse. We use Powerfloat technology to perform our floats which helps minimize time and discomfort in our patients.

HOW FREQUENTLY SHOULD MY HORSE GET A DENTAL EXAMINATION?

  • Horses greater than 1.5 years old and less than 5 years old: every 6 months. To check for deciduous (baby) teeth that are retained (retained caps) and to ensure proper alignment of the incoming permanent teeth. The first dental should take place at 2-3 years old. Prior to starting any training, it is at this point that the wolf teeth will be removed, unless they have already been taken out during the castration procedure.
  • Horses greater than 5 years old and less than 15 years old: yearly. Unless there is a known problem such as a missing tooth, fractured jaw, or over/under-bite.
  • Horses greater than 15 years old: every 6 months. Check for loose or rotten teeth, as well as spaces between teeth (diastema) that are packing feed material.

HOW OFTEN DOES MY HORSE NEED THEIR TEETH DONE?
Most horses require dental work every 1-3 years depending on the use of the horse (pasture pet versus performance horse), age, diet, and any previous abnormalities that may take several dental procedures to become completely corrected.

LAMENESS EVALUATION

Proper lameness evaluation is the key to getting a horse back on its feet. Lameness can be very subtle, from a drop in performance to very obvious, such as a non-weight bearing limb.  Lameness evaluations may include a physical examination, simple trot out, flexion testing, lunging, observation of the horse on different surfaces, or observation under saddle. Each examination is catered towards the individual animal for optimum results.

Once a lame limb has been identified, further diagnostics are often warranted to localize the area for improved treatment. This may include:

  • Nerve blocks
  • Joint Blocks
  • Diagnostic Imaging (Digital Radiology and Ultrasound)
  • Tick-Borne Disease testing (Lyme and Anaplasmosis)
  • Hoof testing

Treatment of lameness can be varied and depend on the specific issue. Patience is the key to a full recovery. We will help with timelines and rehabilitation programs for many different conditions. Treatments may also include:

  • Hydrotherapy
  • Anti-inflammatories
  • Joint Injections
  • Stretching and Massage
  • Farrier Consultation

DIGITAL IMAGING

Technology allows us to be more mobile and versatile when diagnosing specific conditions. Immediate imaging can speed treatment and recovery as well as monitor progress more effectively. We have a full range of diagnostic capabilities, including digital radiology, digital ultrasound, and endoscopy.

Digital Radiology – Portable x-ray that can be brought on-site for a fast accurate diagnosis. Used in a variety of applications from lameness to thorough dental examinations.

 

Digital Ultrasound – Also portable, ultrasound can be used for on-site reproductive examinations or in advanced lameness diagnosis.

 

Endoscopy – Allows for upper airway examination including guttural pouches.

PRE-PURCHASE EXAMINATION

Buying a horse, whether for competition or pleasure, is an important investment for now and the future. A pre-purchase examination is designed to look for any current or potential problems in a horse. Pre-purchase exams are not limited by age, and include both a history, discussion of past and future expectations of the horse, a thorough physical examination, and lameness evaluation. Depending on the initial results of the exam, further diagnostics may be warranted, such as x-rays or ultrasound. If it is a mare that is being purchased for breeding, an examination of her reproductive potential is also included. The forms below are the standards of our practice for examination and our expectations of the buyer and seller. Please contact us for equine pre-purchase buyer and seller history forms.

Surgery in horses can range from very simple to extremely complex. Diagnosing and treating a surgical condition is a trying time for both the horse and the owner, and we work with you to ensure that your companion is looked after from start to finish. The following is a list of routine and emergency procedures.

  • Castrations
  • Cryptorchid (retained testicle in the abdomen)
  • Cuts/Traumatic injuries
  • Sequestrum removal
  • Cryotherapy and freeze branding
  • Urethrostomies
  • Sarcoid removal
  • Ophthalmic procedures

We perform surgery both on-farm and in-clinic, depending on the complexity of the procedure. In certain cases or orthopedic conditions, we will refer surgeries to a specialist.

PARASITE MANAGEMENT

Deworming is important to maintaining the health and well-being of your horse from foaling to retirement. There are numerous dewormers on the market, and they are readily available in various locations from your local veterinary clinic to local hardware store. All present dewormers are orally administered and come in liquid, paste, or gel form. Dewormers can vary in their efficacy in eliminating the various parasites, the various stages of the parasite they control, and the duration of control they offer. A proper, scientific choice is best made in consultation.  A good plan incorporates judicious use of dewormers to prevent resistance and monitoring of your herd. We recommend checking fecal egg counts in Spring and Fall to accurately identify parasites and prevent the development of resistance. 

Resistance to common dewormers is becoming an issue and can have significant implications for the general horse population. 

  • Spring
    • Fecal Egg Count
    • Deworming if required
  • Summer
    • Additional dewormings not required until next Fecal Egg Count
  • Fall
    • Fecal Egg Count
    • A deworming in the fall is key for both prevention and MUST be an Ivermectin or Moxidectin based dewormer (Eqvalan and Quest are two commercially available)

DIET AND NUTRITION

Nutrition plays an important role in the health, longevity, and performance of our equine companions.  A good relationship with your veterinarian or nutritionist is key to developing a diet that is right for your animals.  Here are a few key things to look at when determining if your horse is on the right feed:

Weight

  • Overweight

  • Underweight

  • Routine Body Condition Scoring

Coat quality

  • Length

  • Sheen

Attitude and performance

  • Lethargic

  • Too hot

Age

  • Foal vs Weanling, Weanling vs Adult, Adult vs Senior

It is also important to differentiate nutritional problems from medical conditions that may be having an effect on your horse’s health. We look at the horse as a whole and make sure that deworming, dental health, wellness, and nutrition are all in line for your horse’s well-being.

METABOLIC DISEASE

Nutrition and your horse’s management can be affected by ongoing diseases as well. Certain conditions can predispose to laminitis, weight loss, weight gain, or general unthriftiness. Most of these conditions can be managed with proper diet, supplementation, or medication. Below is a list of common nutritional issues or diseases commonly found in the horse that can affect their quality of life:

1. Insulin Resistance

2. Equine Metabolic Syndome

3. Cushings Disease (PPID)

4. Hypothyroidism

5. Biotin deficiency

6. Heaves (RAO)

Does your horse need help rehabilitating from an injury?

Have you and your veterinarian completed x-rays, nerve blocks, etc and are struggling to find the root cause of your horses lameness?

Is your performance horse tight or just low on energy or willingness to work?

It might be time to look at some great alternative therapies we offer at Central Vet! We offer acupuncture, herbal therapy and our Class IV laser therapy. Though we still recommend doing a full workup with Western Medicine modalities, this is another way we can support the treatment of your horse to improve and speed up their healing.

Acupuncture is based in Traditional Chinese Medicine which looks at the whole body and treating the root cause versus the symptom. It is also great in that even if we do not know the exact location of an injury, we can still treat the horse and get good outcomes. Sometimes it requires removing stiffness from other areas of the body that have been compensating long term to the point where they are not even showing the original injury anymore. We slowly peel back the layers to get them comfortable and moving well again. Acupuncture is not limited to lameness but anything that is medically or behaviourally wrong.

The first acupuncture appointment includes collecting information about your horse’s history, medical information, their personality and the changes you have seen that require addressing. The next step is a very interesting one, it is called the ‘acupoint scan’. Because of their size and skin movement we can use a blunt instrument such as a needle cap to run along the acupoints of the horse. Based on their response to gentle touch at these points – ranging from a slight flinch to a full stomp in anger – we can figure out where they may be sore, and this information can direct us to more internal issues as well like stomach ulcers which can show up as many different signs in a horse! Then from there we can make a diagnosis and treat the horse’s whole body to resolve the deeper root of the issue. We use around 10-25 needles, which most horses tolerate very well and leave them in for around 15-20 minutes. We may also use our Class IV laser with the needles or on its own in specific areas or just to help sooth the sore muscles. Similar to massage many horses get quite snoozy as we move through the process. We may also add herbals to this treatment to enhance our outcomes or prolong the effects as needed. We always strive for collaborative care and consideration, so if it is your preference to provide focal treatment to the location of an injury we can limit treatment to just focal laser therapy. This is especially used when there has been an acute injury, such as a suspensory tear.

Here are some examples of things we can treat with acupuncture, laser and herbal therapy:

  • Any tendon or ligament tears – speeds up healing of suspensory tears
  • To improve performance
  • Stomach/hind gut ulcers
  • Laminitis
  • Uveitis or other eye issues
  • Behavioural issues – ex) mares with extreme aggression during heats
  • Arthritis
  • Neck pain
  • Nerve injury – facial nerve, radial nerve, Roarer’s (Laryngeal Hemiplegia)
  • Navicular pain
If you think this may be something your horse could benefit from or if you want more information, please give us a call at 204-275-2038, or request an appointment.