Ranch Calls – We are happy to provide on-site care for your horses and other large animals. Please be aware not all services are best performed on the farm. Some may still require hauling in to our facility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your animal and our staff.
General Health – Preventative medicine is a passion of ours at Pecan Grove. It is recommended to perform an annual exam along with vaccinations and developing a parasite control strategy each year. There are many diseases and conditions that can be prevented by staying current on wellness exams to identify existing problems before they begin to compound.
Coggins Testing and Health Certificates – We have partnered with Global VetLink and a local Coggins lab to provide quick Coggins testing and digital Coggins results with your horses’ picture on it. This service also allows us to provide e-health certificates for horses and other livestock.
Dental Services – Horses have a unique anatomical and developmental design to their teeth compared to many other species. Due to this and the management practices imposed on performance horses, many horses benefit from an annual dental float. This procedure reduces the sharp points that form against the tongue on the lower arcade and against the cheek on the upper arcade as well as any malocclusions. The most important aspect of the dental is the exam – which allows your veterinarian to identify and target problems that are often not obvious until the horse is relaxed and sedated.
Lameness Examination and Treatment – An accurate lameness diagnosis and treatment is an important part of keeping an equine athlete performing at the highest level possible. A thorough lameness exam includes a musculoskeletal exam and flexion test to evaluate the severity of the lameness and begin localizing the painful areas. From there, diagnostic anesthesia with or without radiographs and/or ultrasound may be indicated to isolate the source of pain and hopefully arrive at a diagnosis, at which point treatment options can be discussed.
Pre-Purchase Examination – Pre-purchase exams are performed on behalf of the buyer and can be highly variable in intensity. A basic pre-purchase examination includes a very thorough physical examination and observation of the horse in motion and flexion tests. This is usually followed by some radiographs if deemed necessary by the physical exam, flexion tests, and veterinarian/buyer. Other components of a pre-purchase can include a reproductive exam, a dental exam, thoracic ultrasound, and abdominal ultrasound, etc.
Digital Radiography – Digital radiography, or digital X-ray, is a step forward from conventional radiography because it creates a digital image that is instantly available to view. It can also be enhanced and modified to improve image quality even under adverse conditions. Radiographs are primarily used in horses for assessing bone, joints, and dental structures. Digital radiography also allows easy access to sharing the image for owner records and for challenging cases where a second opinion is needed.
Ultrasonography – Ultrasonography uses high-frequency sound waves to produce either a linear or cross-sectional image of soft tissue or fluid-filled anatomical structures. It provides an extremely useful tool in many cases of soft tissue lameness and is the primary modality for reproductive, abdominal, thoracic, and ophthalmic imaging.
Laboratory – A full in-house laboratory is available for quick answers to urgent health concerns of your horse.
Reproductive Exam (mare) and artificial insemination – There are many components to breeding your mares and checking for reproductive soundness. The four most common breeding modalities are pasture breeding (or “in hand” breeding), fresh/cooled semen, frozen semen, and embryo transfer. Our facility can perform breeding soundness exams, ultrasonography exams of the reproductive tract to follow a mare’s cycle/detect pregnancy, artificial insemination, and embryo transfer. Each mare is followed for a cycle and prepped for the specific type of breeding you have planned for your mare. If you plan to perform artificial insemination or embryo transfer, it is important to start your reproductive season early and schedule a reproductive exam in January to allow for plenty of time to prep the mare for breeding. If you plan to have embryo transfer (E.T.) performed with your mare, please have a plan for a recipient as we do not house a recipient herd. The embryo will either need to be placed directly into a recipient mare or shipped to a facility that houses recipient mares for transfer.
Ophthalmic Examination – Horses are frequently afflicted by corneal wounds that can become catastrophic if treatment is delayed. Prompt diagnosis involves examination with an ophthalmoscope and the use of special stains and a special type of light to visualize the extent of the damage and form a treatment plan. Other, less common, ophthalmic diseases can also be evaluated with the use of the ophthalmoscope and ultrasound machine.
Internal Medicine: There are many diseases and conditions that can afflict your horse. Viral, bacterial, nervous, autoimmune, and GI disease are just a few examples of internal medicine systems/diseases. Some of the most common internal medicine cases we see are medical colic, upper respiratory diseases, and metabolic diseases. Each treatment plan is tailored by our veterinary team to fit the unique disease/symptoms and the comorbidities of the patient on a case-by-case basis.
Surgery – We are happy to perform castrations, Caslick procedures, and primary wound closures. Other surgical options will be handled on a case-by-case basis. At this time, we do not perform colic surgeries.