Buffalo Veterinary Service
Owner: Dr. Rusty Waide
Location: Buffalo, Mo.
History: “The business started in 1990,” veterinarian Dr. Rusty Waide shared the recent history of his Dallas County practice. “That’s when I bought the business from Charles Moore. I was working at a race track in West Virginia with thoroughbred race horses when I came through here at Thanksgiving and saw the practice for sale. I liked the change of pace and it was a big change from where I was living.”
Services: “The practice here breaks down into about 30 percent cattle, 30 percent equine and 40 percent small animal care,” he continued. “Our primary services include reproductive services in horses and cattle and preventative care for all animals. I do surgery, x-rays, dental, ultra sound and in-house lab services – more than most would expect from a small town vet office, I think.
“One of the areas that is really important but little known, I think, is equine dentistry. Equine dentistry has been greatly overlooked in the past and practiced by a lot of laymen, some of whom are pretty good, but by law it has to be done by a licensed practitioner. You can solve a lot of behavior problems in horses, like head shaking and bad turns and even what we sometimes think of as just plain ornery behavior, by resolving a horse’s dental problems.”
A Different Perspective: “A small investment in better preventative care or obstetric care can save the farmer a lot of money on his cows or horses in the long run. That is the change I’d like to see in people’s attitude about veterinary care.”
Story and Photo by Laura L. Valenti
