On-Call / Vet

Most horse owners I know have at least one "easy keeper". These horses seem to require very little in terms of nutrition to maintain their body condition. Often the battle is in keeping them from becoming obese and horse owners go to great lengths, even what seems like near starvation to prevent these "easy keepers" from getting fat. As with all species, unchecked obesity comes with great health risks and for horses, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is a condition not too uncommon for the overweight horse.

The holidays always result in multiple calls to my clinic. This is the time of year that pets get into trouble eating things they should not. One of the most common toxins that we encounter is chocolate. Small animals seem to really enjoy consuming candy including wrappers. Many candies contain the toxin known as theobromine. The bitter cooking chocolate is higher in theobromine than the sweet. This is such a common problem I have an app, which allows me to calculate in a matter of a few minutes. A 30-pound dog consuming 2 ounces of baking chocolate is enough to be fatal. If your pet should consume chocolate contact your veterinarian immediately.

Recently there has been increased emphasis on controlling leptospirosis in cattle with special consideration for the serovar Leptospira Hardjo-bovis.

Recently in southwest Missouri we have seen an increase in number of herds affected with Trichomoniasis. This disease is a reproductive nightmare. It can be devastating to the owner. Reducing the calf crop and eliminating any significant income for that herd.

Once again this year we are seeing a rise in the number of cases of rabies in our state. This year according to the Missouri Department of Health, the state has had 23 cases compared to 17 cases at this same time last year. Currently, four counties are on alert those counties are Bollinger, Howell, Oregon and Wayne. Alerts are issued when the disease has been reported in domestic animals. The majority of cases this year has been in skunks, with 15 positive. The remainder of these cases have been in domestic animals including horses, dogs and cats.

Testing for persistent infected bovine viral diarrhea in cattle can be beneficial.

New rules regarding identification of livestock from one state to another became effective on March 11, 2013.  These rules were designed to assist with traceability of livestock in the event of a disease outbreak in the United States. The new rules were originally posted on January 9, 2013, but were postponed until March while revisions were made after several comments from the public. The new rules apply primarily to cattle and include several changes in recording identification for health certificates accompanying cattle transported across state lines. The new rules describe the classes of animals required to have official identification, the types of official identification allowed and the record keeping and documentation requirements for the new identification rules.