Amarillo Equine Chiropractic & Veterinary Services

04/06/2024

Hitting the road with your horse, either for pleasure or for business/competition?

Most horse owners know that a negative Coggins test is a must-have for crossing state lines or entering competitions (or even boarding at someone's barn). But let’s not forget that even homebodies need it!

A "Coggins" is a blood test that checks for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), a serious blood-borne disease. EIA is transmitted by biting flies, particularly horseflies, so your horse is at risk even it never leaves the property or lives in a closed herd.

The clinical signs of the disease can vary dramatically, from an acute infection to an inapparent form that presents mild to no symptoms. No treatment or vaccine exist for EIA at the moment, and infected horses become lifelong carriers. Therefore, to ensure that large outbreaks of the disease don’t take place, horses that test positive for EIA must be quarantined and isolated for the rest of their life or humanely euthanized.

Get your horse tested annually, regardless of travel plans. To learn more about EIA, consult your veterinarian or visit our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/equine-infectious-anemia

03/01/2024

Have you ever thought of becoming a certified veterinary assistant? Veterinary assistants are important team members of every veterinary clinic, and we couldn’t function without them! Our next round of clinical instruction is starting soon! Give us a call or send us a message for more information about our program and to get signed up!

01/16/2024

It’s been a cold weekend but temperatures are looking better soon! Don’t forget to get your horses scheduled for their spring vaccines and Coggins tests. Warmer weather means getting back in the saddle and disease carrying flies and mosquitoes are coming soon. Don’t let a required Coggins test for competition take you by surprise either! Text or call Dr. Hardy to get scheduled.

11/30/2023

Only a couple appointment openings left this year! Please message or call Dr. Hardy at 515-322-9819 soon to get your horse scheduled if they need an appointment in December!

09/09/2023

Our current session for CVA training is under way and it’s started off warm for sure! Have you ever thought about becoming a Certified Veterinary Assistant? Come join us for an equine focused program and get started with your future career!

08/27/2023

Reminder: Dr. Hardy will be outside of cell range from August 29 to September 8. She will do her best to return, phone calls, and messages if they are able to come through and as soon as she is back to civilization.

Have a happy Labor Day!

11/22/2022

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! As the holidays approach, appointments are filling up for the end of the year! Call us to get scheduled right away if you need an appointment before 2023!

06/16/2022

Lately our phone has not been alerting us of your messages for DAYS after your calls! As always please send a text for faster response!

01/27/2022

We’ve seen a lot of EPM at Amarillo Equine in the last year unfortunately. If you think your horse might be having any neurotic symptoms or weird lameness issues, please call to schedule an appointment to have them evaluated!

Surely you’ve heard of neurologic examinations in horses, but do you actually know what they are and how they are performed?

Our friends at UC Davis Center for Equine Health dedicated their latest issue of “Horse Report” to the topic of equine neurology. Below is what they have to say about the neurological examination in the horse:

Equine neurological examinations evaluate horses from head to tail. They are performed to evaluate signs consistent with neurologic disease or to establish that a horse is neurologically normal, such as during a pre-purchase exam.

A neurological exam can be divided into two parts:

• A static examination, which occurs while the horse is standing still; the animal is observed and palpated to determine its behavior, posture, any abnormal reflexes or pain, loss of muscle, numbness, localized heat and swelling.
• A dynamic examination, which occurs while the horse is in motion on the ground but not while riding. The horse is asked to perform some specific steps (see photos below) to determine if the animal knows where its feet are and can control its limbs without, for example, stepping on itself, misplacing its feet, dragging its toes, losing balance or exhibiting other gait abnormalities.
Please note that these steps outline a general neurological examination, and individual veterinarians may favor slight modifications.

If you’d like to read more about equine neurologic conditions, the full issue of UC Davis’s “Horse Report” dedicated to equine neurology is available athttps://cehhorsereport.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk9021/files/inline-files/Horse_Report_Fall_21_web.pdf

11/19/2021

Exciting announcement! Amarillo Equine is now offering X-rays! Have you wondered if your horse has kissing spines, Navicular, or ringbone? Call Dr. Hardy at 515-322-9819 to schedule an appointment for your horse and find out!

10/19/2021

Thank you to all my veterinary technicians this week and every week! This picture adequately describes me without my crew. Thank you for the hard work and the long hours you all put in every day!