Dusty Moon Veterinary Services

02/19/2026

This!! If you have questions we can help!!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃?

Vaccines protect against diseases that can be devastating — neurologic disease, respiratory outbreaks, fatal infections.

But not every horse needs every vaccine.

At Brazos Valley Equine Hospitals, we divide vaccines into two categories: core and risk-based.

𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

These are recommended for every horse, regardless of lifestyle.

They protect against diseases that are:

• Widespread
• Severe or fatal
• Public health risks
• Not dependent on travel or exposure

Core vaccines include protection against:

• Tetanus
• Eastern & Western Encephalitis
• West Nile Virus
• Rabies

Even the retired pasture horse needs these core vaccines.

𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

These depend on your horse’s exposure and lifestyle.

We consider:

• Travel frequency
• Show participation
• Boarding environment
• Breeding status
• Geographic disease prevalence
• Herd turnover

Risk-based vaccines may include protection against:

• Strangles
• Influenza
• Rhinopneumonitis (EHV)
• Potomac Horse Fever
• Botulism

A traveling show horse has different needs than a retired companion.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬?

It is so important to schedule vaccine appointments with your veterinarian, instead of buying them from online for a few important reasons:

1. Proper Storage and handling- If vaccines sit in the mail box or are mishandled at the feed store- they may be ineffective.

2. Safe Administration- proper technique reduces the risk of injection site reactions.

3. Medical Oversight- If a reaction occurs, a veterinarian can treat it immediately and document it properly, as well as have contact with the manufacturer.

4. Verified medical records- Many shows, boarding facilities and legal situations need proof of veterinarian- administered vaccines.
5. Disease Prevention Strategy-

At BVEH we tailor each protocol based on:

• Age
• Health status
• Metabolic or endocrine disease
• Pregnancy status
• Exposure risk

The goal is smart protection.

Is your horse traveling this year? Boarding somewhere new? Retiring? Breeding? Tell us what their year looks like — we’ll help you build the right plan. — Brazos Valley Equine Hospitals

02/14/2026

Happy Valentine's Day from the youngest member of the Dusty Moon team. 💕

02/11/2026

One of our favorite diagnostics for my colic patients!

02/07/2026

Hannah, Dr Traugott and Nicole are at A&M for some continuing education.

02/06/2026

02/04/2026

DID YOU KNOW? Here are three quick fun facts about equine nutritional requirements as they relate to forage.

1️⃣ Horses prefer to spend AT LEAST 60% of their time grazing.
- Limiting time grazing can lead to behavioral and digestive issues.
- Horses with not enough forage in their gut are predisposed to gastric ulcers.

2️⃣ FORAGE should be 60-100% of the total equine diet.
- Forage should be fed at a rate of 1.5-2% of a horse's body weight per day.

3️⃣ Forage must be no longer than a ¼ of an inch long by the time it is swallowed to maximize digestion.
- Functional teeth are required for proper mastication (chewing) of long stem forage.
- If a horse can't adequately chew, we need to support them in other ways so that they can properly digest forage and avoid choke.

If you have questions about feeding enough quality forage to your specific equine, contact your veterinarian.

Thank you to the Horse Owner Education Committee for providing this information.

02/03/2026

Share! Share! Share!

02/01/2026

Attention Livestock Show Exhibitors: Just a reminder that, per Texas Animal Health Commission rules, Certified Veterinary Inspections (CVIs) are not required for Texas animals participating in the San Antonio Stock Show unless the animal is coming in from out-of-state. All out-of-state animals must have a CVI issued within 30 days of arrival.

For detailed animal health requirements by species, please refer to page 70 of the Premium List.


https://www.sarodeo.com/p/competitive-events

We look forward to seeing you soon!

01/27/2026

Have you heard of Equine Parvovirus-Hepatitis (EqPV-H)? Here's some important information to know about the disease.

How Does It Spread?
• The preponderance of evidence currently suggests direct contact and nasal transmission as the most likely major route of horizontal transmission.
• The virus is shed in nasal secretions, saliva, and f***s of recently infected horses.
• Direct contact or a high burden of biting flies is likely required for transmission.
• In rare situations, it can also be transmitted through biologic products (these are special treatments like plasma, serum, or antitoxins).
• Chronic carriers do not appear to be contagious.

What Should You Watch For?
⚠️ At this time, it is unknown what causes some horses to develop the clinical form. While most horses stay healthy, a small number may develop:
• Tiredness or depression
• Not wanting to eat
• Yellowing of the eyes or gums (jaundice)
• Dark urine
• Unusual behavior or trouble walking (in severe cases)

What Can You Do?
• Watch for any signs of liver trouble, especially if your horse has recently received biologic products.
• Maintain a clean environment and avoid sharing needles or equipment between horses.
• If your horse seems unwell, contact your veterinarian promptly.

Key Takeaways:
• Although we just discovered it, this is not a new virus or new emerging threat to horses. There's no need to panic as some 15-20% of horses are already infected.
• Horses become long-term carriers, so they can test positive for years without any current disease or risk of developing liver disease.
• Horses in early infection and during liver disease are contagious for a few months.
• Carriers with low viral load do NOT appear to be contagious and we don't recommend isolation based on current knowledge.
• Because of the carrier status, a positive test for parvovirus does not mean it is causing disease, other causes of liver disease need to be thoroughly ruled out.
• There’s currently no vaccine for EqPV-H, but the risk of serious illness is low for most horses.

As always, if you have concerns about your specific equine, contact your veterinarian.

📸 Dr. Mason C. Jager (this photo shows a liver biopsy)

01/27/2026

01/23/2026

We are getting the truck prepped for the cold weather. 🥶🥶🥶🥶