Equine Medical Services

Congratulations to Michelle Hamilton on your first foal by RN Highbrow Lena! We're all excited to see the first foal crop from this awesome stud.

Dr. Loncar had a very unusual patient today! Miss Kaldi definitely didn't fit in the stocks for her exam. Verdict . . . . pregnant!

Merry Christmas! Our office will be open until noon on Christmas Eve but closed on Christmas Day. As always, we are available for emergencies. We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

It's time to put mares under lights! Although the weather is getting colder, it's time to start looking forward to the upcoming breeding season. Mares are seasonally polyestrous, meaning that they stop cycling in the winter as the days get shorter and then start cycling again in the spring as the days get longer. For those of us in Missouri this is usually around late April/early May. If we want early foals, we need to put our broodmares under lights to mimic longer days. A s...tandard lightbulb in a stall will work, as long as the light reaches every corner and is bright enough to read a newspaper by. We want to provide our mares with 16 hours of daylight which generally means turning the lights on before dusk and turning them off around 11 pm. It is important to provide 8 hours of darkness and not just have lights on 24 hours a day. Generally it takes about 60 days for a mare to respond and start cycling so we start on December 1st in order to have our mares cycling by Feb 15 when most of the stallions begin shipping semen. As always feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns and we'll be happy to help you set up a program for your mares.

For all interested, here is a beautiful equine holiday event! The horses as well as the lights are on display! (And COVID safe)

Here’s hoping everyone and their horses are staying happy and healthy!

This is a very important stage in the breeding process. Does anyone know what this is AND why it is so important? #breedingseason

Let’s play a guessing game!! Can you correctly guess the age of Magic owned by Stephanie Drouin? Magic saw Dr. Bailey today for his yearly check-up and vaccinations. He got a clean bill of health! He is ready to take advantage of the beautiful Missouri trails.

EMS loves getting to see our recipient mares with their babies! Good job Marvel! Congratulations Virgil Helm Stables on your gorgeous filly.

EMS is open to care for your equine patient We will remain open to provide services to our clients during this difficult time. We are available for routine and emergency appointments.

Edit 10/29: THE PHONES ARE WORKING! #thankgoodness Unfortunately we are experiencing troubles with our phone system due to a regional outage. Please email us at [email protected] and request a call back. We will do our best to get in touch as soon as possible. Madison and Tracy are working with Century Link to get us back up and running as quickly as possible! Sorry for any inconvenience, thank you!

**IMPORTANT UPDATE** EMS would like to update our clients on the current status of the Vesicular Stomatitis outbreaks in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and (now) OKLAHOMA. All hooved animals (re)entering Missouri are required to have a permit issued by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and a health certificate written by a veterinarian from the state of origin. A health certificate examination needs to be within 72 hours of shipment. ... For horses now traveling to any of these outbreak areas, the Missouri Department of Agriculture is restricting movement from an area within 10 miles of quarantined facilities. Animals entering Missouri must not be near there for 30 days prior to entry. Vesicular Stomatitis can affect all livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, horses, deer, etc) and horses are most often affected. Symptoms include erosions of the gums, tongue, mouth, ears, around the feet, genitalia, and mammary glands. Affected animals may also develop a fever and stop eating or drinking. If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to call the office (573-443-4414).

Let’s play.... CAPTION THIS! We want to see your best caption for this scene Dr. Bailey captured this morning on her way to a farm call.

We appreciate everyone who contacted EMS this morning following the storms yesterday. We are thankful to report everyone is safe and sound. No injuries or damage occurred at EMS. Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by the storm.

Teeth floating should be thought of as doing the dishes. Why?? Because proper dental care should be performed on a routine basis. If you do the dishes everyday it’s a lot easier to maintain vs doing the dishes once a month. Yearly dental exams and floats are crucial for maintaining optimal health for your horse. Doing a small amount of dental work each year not only encourages excellent health but it also generally prevents future problems that could be avoided. ... Our ambulatory veterinarians are experienced in dental examinations and floating techniques. It’s imperative not to wait until your horse has trouble eating to address those teeth!! Schedule a dental exam for your horse today! 573-443-4414

Did you know that forage (hay/grass) should be fed on a weight basis? Horse require at least 1% of their body weight in forage a day. Ideal amount of forage per day is 1.5-2% of body weight. That means an average 1000 lb horse should eat 10-20 POUNDS of forage a day. ... Make sure your horse is getting the proper amount of hay a day by weighing your hay flakes! This is a great set up to know your horse is getting the proper nutrition. Your equine partner needs the right nutrition to perform at his/her best! Need any additional tips and information on equine nutrition? We are here to answer any of your questions you might have. Contact us today, 573-443-4414

A little help can go a long way! Dr. Bailey had a very enthusiastic helper while injecting some hock joints. She did have to educate her cute little helper on proper horse safety though.

As spring settles in, flowers begin to bloom, grass starts to grow, the temperature begins to rise, but your horse or pony may be at serious risk! Be careful this spring with the new grass growth. An overconsumption of rich, green grass can lead to grass founder and excessive weight gain. It’s very important to monitor your equine partner for any signs of exuberant weight gain, tenderness while walking, increased digital pulses, and heat in the hooves. A grazing muzzle is a... great way to allow your horse plenty of turn out time in the beautiful spring season but limit the amount of grass they can consume. This may help limit weight gain and decrease the risk of laminitis/founder. Need additional information on proper springtime care? Our veterinarians are here for you! Contact us today!