About Our Clinic

• Where is your clinic located?
• What are your hours of operation?
• What should I do if there is an emergency and your clinic isn't open?
• How often should I deworm my horse?
• How do I decide on what vaccines to ask for with so many available? Will my horse react poorly if I give too many vaccines?
• How do I know if I have an equine emergency?
• Is butasone harmful to my horse?
• How often should I have my horses teeth checked?
• Why are some lamenesses so hard to diagnose?
• How is mileage determined and how do you split it with mutilple clients in one area?

The clinic is located at the intersection of the McNeely Bypass and Hwy. 29 north (to Almonte) at the north east edge of Carleton Place. From Ashton take Hwy. #7 west to the first Carleton Place lights and turn right on McNeely Bypass. The clinic is located at the end of the bypass directly in front of you. From Carleton Place/Perth take Townline west/7b towards Almonte and the clinic is located on the left side after the tracks on the way out of town. If you are travelling from Almonte, the clinic is located on the right side as you enter town.

Mon. and Fri. 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
Tues. Wed. and Thurs. 8:30 am to 8:00 pm

Please call the clinic number (613) 257-3202 and you will be directed to the veterinarian on call.  Non-urgent messages may be left on the answering machine and will be returned in the morning. 

The answer varies with the management situation for each stable, however every 3 months is a good general rule. If you have a large number of horses in a small area and they are ground fed- more often may be required. If the horses are in individual paddocks that are regularly mucked, it may be required less often. The best way to tell if your worming program is effective is to do fecal checks for parasite eggs 1-2 times yearly.

There are two core vaccinations, rabies and tetanus toxoid. If your horses show or board where there are alot of horses in and out, your vet will recommend the vaccines for contagious respiratory diseases such as Influenza and Rhinopneumonitis. These are associated with local swelling and fever of a few days duration in some horses, as are Potomac Horse Fever and West Nile vaccine. Please ask your vet what your horse needs for its lifestyle and locale and what the potential harmful reactions may be. There are many vaccines on the market, and some of these may not be needed for animals staying in Ontario

Please acquaint yourself with what the normal pulse, temperature and gum color of a horse are. This will be valuable in recognizing abnormals. In general, cuts where bone, tendon or large tissue deficits are present should be looked at immediately, as should cuts with persistent hemhorrage. Colic or abdominal pain that prevents the animal from walking causes sweating or severe elevation of pulse should be seen immediately. Laminitis is an emergency and the horse will exhibit severe foot pain and stand in a stiff sawhorse position or lie down at abnormal times. A retained placenta of over 3 hours in a mare who has just foaled is just cause for paging the vet. Ask your veterinarian to give a talk to your equine group regarding these types of emergencies and reading vital signs.

Butasone is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that treats pain and inflammation and lowers a fever. It is used extensively to treat arthritis in equine athletes. Many horse tolerate butasone well for years on and off. A few animals will develop gastric ulcers or elevated kidney enzymes with even short treatment. The risk to benefit ratio of butasone is very low, however be sure to ask your vet what to watch for should either of these problems develop in your horse.

Even young horses benefit from an oral exam to assess their dentition- many have wolf teeth or overbites and these may need early attention. Some two and three year olds eat poorly due to retained baby teeth (caps) which can be removed. The older horse needs regular dental exams to see if broken or sharp teeth are causing abnormal chewing. Once a year is a good average interval to check teeth, but a vet should be called if the horse shows any change in the way it is chewing, or has excess saliva or a foul odour from its mouth. Also bear in mind that a very thin horse, or one that’s hard to get weight on may need its teeth floated

There are many causes of lameness in the horse that are difficult to palpate with your hands or image with X-rays. These include subtle tendon and ligament strains as well as joint capsule and cartilage disorders. We can freeze, or nerve block, areas of the limb to try to find the painful area, however this is not possible for all areas of the limb. In some cases, your vet will refer the horse to a university level referral facility for a bone or back scan or an M.R.I. when the lameness cannot be diagnosed with conventional techniques. Life would be much more simple if horses could talk

The mileage to each farm is calculated at 1.50/km the first time the vet visits you. Stables we commonly visit may be included in a radius or area fee and are easy to quote . The fee to each client is entered in the computer and tends to stay the same no matter what route we take to get there. When several clients are seen in one area they each get charged a reduced mileage. When ten or more horses are seen at one facility for herd health, we do not charge mileage