An acquaintance of mine called home at 9:00 at night to find out where the vets office was. The phone was then given to me to discuss the problem with his dog.
As he told me what was going on I asked how long this "lump" had been there. I was told about a week. It started out the size of his thumb and over the last 2 days turned into the size of a grapefruit!
As it turns out the dog went into surgery to remove a hardend abcess.
This inceident got me to thinking about how many people wait until the last possible minute to take their animals to the vet, and some dont take them at all.
When I worked at the local vet clinic it was one of the biggest complaints we had. It was extreamly typical for an owner to wait at least a week or more before bring in the suffering animal to get treatment.
One of the causes of this was money related, but it seemed that the worst cause was just plain stupidity!
You love your animals, thats why you have them, right? So why not take care of them? If you dont know how, there are ways to find that information out. You need to go to a local vet, its free to talk to your vet, or a very minimal charge for a full consultation, but trust me it is worth it. Talk to neighbrors, or other animal owners. Trainers, farriers, or riders, go to the library, or if your reading this, look on the internet while your logged on! Talk to someone at the feed store.
There is alot of work to keeping horses, and until you know what your doing,(which you never stop learning how), you need to make sure that you keep a proffesionals phone number handy, they wont mind helping you out if it means the welfare of the horse!
Just having a place where your horse can get out of the weather and a pen doesn't mean you are properly taking care of them. They must have a clean and injury free area to be in that is big enough to get proper exercise and not be injured. Also, you need to make sure that your feeders and waterers are safe and appropriately made for what you are using them for. Old bathtubs, or 55 gallon garbage cans do not make good waters or feeders! They can be very hazardous.
There are plenty of avenues by which you can get a multitude of information about how to care for your animals.
Keep your horse or other pets away from the vets office by taking the time to properly research the type of pet and how to properly care for the animal BEFORE you buy it.
Don't wait to long to take them in to see the vet, when in doubt, call your vet to see if you need to bring them in or if there is something you can do at home. You may not think its serious, but your vet paid thousands of dollars on the education to know, not think!
Veterinarians in Buena Vista and Salida
Large animal - -
Peak Vet Service - Leslie Harrison 3956250
Cottonwood Vet Services - Joel Stahlecker 395-8900
Mountian Shadows - Kit Riff 539-2533
Small Animal - -
Cottonwood Vet Service - Joel Stahlecker 395-8900
Buena Vista Vet Clinic - Greg Kettering 395-8239
Best Friends Mobile Vet Service Beth Ritchie - 395-0968
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We have had just a ton of snow here in BV this weekend. It started snowing on Friday and it snowed off and on until yestreday December the 11th! In town it was report that we had a total accumulation of about 28 inches! Up higher near the foothills, they reported 40+ inches! The snow plows have been VERY busy and very backed up! Most everyone has survived the onslaught of snow with a moderation of emotion. Most stayed inside away from the roads, and those who had to get out either had plows and 4 wheel drives or had to wait for a commercial plow company to make their way to them.
Today the roads are clearing up and traffic is resuming to its normal flow. The temps have been steady around the low 30's and dipping down into the low teens or single digits.
Is everyone ready for Christmas? We are quickly gaining on it with only 13 more days left! I thankfully have all of my shopping done. I am cursed with the ability to get done quickly if not through out the year. No last minute stuff for me. Of course I do all of my shopping online or local. I hate the malls, and I don't see the point in giving my hard earned money to a corporation. Plus, people in the malls are just there to spend money and they really don't care about the Christmas Season.
Well, good luck to everyone who still has shopping to do. Be careful out there, both on the roads and in the stores.
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2007 3rd Annual Equine Christmas Parade
photo courtesy of Sheila Johnson
Buena Vista woke up to be very surprised by the lack of snow on the ground, as was predicted by the national weather forecasters, and instead got to enjoy a beautiful ground drenching rain!
Everyone was in good holiday spirits despite the weather and were plenty of riders and spectators to help ring in the Christmas season and welcome Santa from the North Pole!
Even our own Beth Caldwell wowed the spectators in her beautiful Victorian Holiday regalia and horse Phantom.
Photo courtesy of Cherie Haarberg
Each year the Chaffee County Carriage Club hosts this ever growing event. Please check out their web page at www.thewoollybear.com/GigPage.aspx?PageID=1469 , if you would like to get involved with the carriage club or the Christmas parade next year!
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Buena Vista woke up to find the first snow of the year blanketing the ground! It was a very beautiful and welcome sight for most of the valley residents.
With about 1-2 inches of dry snow, it did make for slick road conditions which resulted in one minor auto accident in the early morning hours. Please remember that even though you may not see any ice on the road, doesn't mean it's not there. And if you have 4 wheel drive, you aren't able to drive on the slick roads at faster or even, sometimes, normal speeds. Please be courteous and safe, slow down & drive cautiously.
Even with the ground conditions in desperate need of the moister, there are mixed emotions from the community. Skiers are excited to see the snow fall & anticipating the opening of Monarch and Ski Cooper, while some contractors wish it could stay away a bit longer to finish current projects before the big storms come.
Go take time to go have fun this year!
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Winter living at 7,954 high in the Rocky Mountains can be daunting, especially for the horse owner. Proper care and nutrition during the winter months is vital to keeping your horse in good flesh and healthy. You must make sure to have open access to a shelter, and plenty of good food and warm drinking water.
Making sure that your horse is fed properly is very important. Most people increase their horse’s intake of grain during the winter months, but you should actually increase his roughage, this should be grass hay or soaked beet pulp added to the grain to obtain calories from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Adding beet pulp also helps to slow down the eating time.
Your horse should have plenty of water at all times. Horses increase their intake of water during the winter months. Providing lukewarm water (35 to 45° F) is another good way to increase water consumption and help prevent impaction colic. A good way to heat your horse’s water is to insert a tank heater or use a heated water bucket. This also insures that no ice forms and the water is available at all times. These can be purchased at your local feed or farm store. Adding electrolytes can be an extra added benefit.
Blanketing has always been one of the first things that most horsemen think of for helping to winterize horses. Unfortunately, it may actually be hindering your horse from staying warm. Most veterinarians are actually advising against blankets since horses grow their own blankets natrually in the winter to help them retain heat. Avoid blankets if at all possible. If your horse is clipped then use a good turnout blanket and remember to unblanket when the temperatures get to warm.
Keep up with your horse’s health program, even in the winter. Make sure that you worm every 60 days, and vaccinations should be given as well before the cold, wet weather of the fall and repeated every 90 days for horses constantly exposed to situations associated with respiratory infections.
Winter-specific stresses include cold, wet, wind, lack of exercise, and owner disinterest. Make sure that you keep not only yourself active, but your horse as well; their mental health requires it just as your does, too. Riding in the winter can be difficult. If you can’t get out riding, find something to do at the barn. Grooming can be very beneficial, as can various training games. Remember, when you work with your horse, that you don’t over do it. A long haired horse sweats faster than a summer coated one, and a sweaty horse in the winter chill can spell disaster if not taken care of properly. Make sure that you cool out your horse properly if you have given them an extreme winter workout.
Have a great and healthy winter!
(Note: All information was researched and compiled by Sheila Johnson, and is not endorsed by any licensed veterinarian. You should always talk to your animal’s veterinarian about how to properly care for your individual horse or horses.)
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