Okanagan Equine Veterinary Services

05/19/2026

Hi everyone, just an update going forward, if you need to get in touch with the office please contact the office phone at 250-764-9888. Rain is back from holidays and can be reached at our regular office phone number.
Thank you!

05/17/2026

This is a very common cause of fatal colic in older horses.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1PmdtAU9NW/?mibextid=wwXIfr

05/09/2026

The U.S. has reported the finding of Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) in the State of Colorado. The following restrictions have been implemented by the CFIA.

A) The importation of horses, swine and ruminants, from the State of Colorado, for all end-uses will be prohibited, effective immediately (since 8 May).
B) For US origin horses, swine and ruminants , for all end-uses, from all other states, the following requirement applies:

The animal(s) must be certified as follows:
All states in which the animal(s) have resided in the past twenty-one (21) days must have been free from clinical and epidemiological evidence of vesicular stomatitis during the twenty-one (21) days immediately prior to export to Canada.

C) CANADIAN HORSES, SWINE AND RUMINANTS RETURNING TO CANADA will not be able to enter Canada after a stay in Colorado in the last 21 days. They will have to be moved to a non-infected state, stay there for at least 21 days and be certified by USDA as follows:

All states in which the animal(s) have resided in the past twenty-one (21) days must have been free from clinical and epidemiological evidence of vesicular stomatitis during the twenty-one (21) days immediately prior to export to Canada.

Various U.S. states may also prohibit movement into state without permit/certification/testing/post-entry testing. The Canadian horse/ swine/ruminant owner should check state requirements before movement.

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Les États-Unis (É.-U) ont déclaré la découverte de stomatite vésiculeuse dans l’état de le Colorado. Les restrictions suivantes ont été mises en place par l’ACIA.

A) L’importation de chevaux, de porcs et de ruminants de l’état de le Colorado, quelle que soit l’utilisation finale, est interdite. Ceci s’applique immédiatement(depuis le 8 mai).
B) Pour les chevaux, les porcs et les ruminants originaires des É.-U, en provenance d’états autres, les exigences suivantes s’appliquent :

Les animaux doivent être certifiés de la façon suivante :
Tous les états dans lesquels les animaux ont séjourné pendant les vingt-et-un (21) derniers jours doivent avoir été exempts de signes cliniques et épidémiologiques de stomatite vésiculeuse durant les vingt-et-un (21) jours précédant immédiatement l’exportation vers le Canada.

C) Pour les chevaux, porcs et ruminants canadiens retournant au Canada :
S’ils ont séjourné dans l’état de le Colorado pendant les 21 jours précédant immédiatement leur retour au Canada, l’importation est interdite. Ils devront être déplacés vers un état exempt de la maladie où ils demeureront au moins 21 jours et être certifiés par l’USDA comme suit :

Tous les états dans lesquels les animaux ont séjourné au cours des vingt-et-un (21) derniers jours doivent avoir été exempts de signes cliniques et épidémiologiques de stomatite vésiculeuse durant les vingt-et-un (21) jours précédant immédiatement l’exportation vers le Canada.

Plusieurs états pourraient interdire les mouvements/déplacements d’animaux sans permis/certification/tests et tests post-entrée. Les propriétaires canadiens de cheveux/porcs/ruminants devraient vérifier les exigences pour chaque état avant les déplacements.

05/07/2026

Excellent work by dr. Molly Rice!

Periodontal (gum) disease is a common disease process that we encounter in our equine patients. Horse gum disease is not entirely the same as it is in humans, however!

Humans get periodontal (gum) disease when we don't follow good oral hygiene practices. If you quit brushing your teeth every day, this allows plaque to build up on your teeth which coats your teeth and gums with a bacteria-laden film that can then eventually harden into tartar. Ongoing accumulation of tartar then creates localized gum inflammation. If you stop brushing your teeth for a LONG time, then the gum inflammation eventually leads to gum recession and bone recession which can lead to early tooth loss.

Everyone knows that horses don't brush their teeth daily, so you may be asking yourself how the process differs for them! The first answer is that chewing hay is actually a fairly effective tooth brush! The coarseness of hay combined with the grinding motion that horse make when they chew makes plaque and tartar build-up on the cheek teeth actually quite rare! Horses get gum disease when they have spaces that occur in between their cheek teeth which should be packed very tightly together. This can happen for a variety of reasons:
⭐ Maleruption of a tooth--the tooth may come in crooked or tipped
⭐ Loss of a tooth which may cause shifting of the neighboring teeth
⭐ Narrowing of the crown of the tooth in older horses--part of normal aging
⭐ Shifting of the cheek teeth which can start to happen in older horses
⭐ Poor anatomy--some horses are born with a broken blueprint! If they lack
the normal angulation of their teeth they can be predisposed to diastema
(space) formation which can lead to gum disease at an early age.

The picture shows a case that we treated recently for gum disease. The horse had several small diastemata (spaces with feed packing) that was creating pockets in the gums. One of the treatments that we perform in these horses is debridement of the pockets to remove the feed material followed by packing the pockets with a rubber-like impression material bridge. This keeps the food out of the pocket and improves the oral comfort of the horse when chewing. It will not reverse the gum disease, but will hopefully slow down the progression of the disease.

05/03/2026

Have you heard of the Madigan Squeeze?

The Madigan foal squeeze is a veterinarian-performed technique that uses a soft rope arranged in a specific way to apply steady, snug pressure around a newborn foal’s chest/ribcage. Many foals respond to this firm pressure by lying down (“flopping”) and entering a quiet, sleep-like state (slow-wave sleep).

It’s used as an aid for foals with neonatal maladjustment syndrome (“dummy foal”), and it’s also used in healthy foals (typically < 3 days old) to make procedures like plasma administration, ultrasound exams, or other minor procedures easier and less stressful. The squeeze is usually maintained for about 20 minutes (generally limited to 20–30 minutes) while the foal’s breathing, heart rate, and mucous membrane color are monitored.

After the squeeze, the rope is released, and the foal is allowed to stay down or get up on its own. For maladjusted foals, the team then observes alertness and nursing behavior; in some cases, the squeeze may be repeated every 2–4 hours if needed.

Important safety note: this is not anesthesia, and a foal can arouse and kick, so it should only be done by skilled clinicians. It’s not recommended with suspected rib fractures, respiratory distress, septic shock, severe prematurity with floppy chests, severe neuromuscular disease affecting breathing, or congenital anomalies.

If you have questions or concerns about your own foal, contact your veterinarian.

📸 Photo courtesy of Pine Ridge Equine Hospital

04/28/2026

This is next level amazing… thank you Catie Simas. Your cookies are amazing!!

04/23/2026

Very relevant for us at this time.

Strangles is one of the most commonly contagious diseases of the horse (worldwide) and in 2017 it became a nationally monitored disease.

This condition is caused by bacterial infection with "Streptococcus equi subspecies equi" (referred to as "S. equi”), which typically infects the upper airway and lymph nodes of the head and neck, and is highly contagious in horse populations—particularly affecting young horses. Classic signs of the disease include sudden onset of fever as high as 106 degrees F, thick yellow nasal discharge, and swollen lymph nodes under the jaw.

Transfer from horse to horse usually involves direct face-to-face contact, or exposure to things such as contaminated feed, water, hands, veterinary instruments or grooming tools. A stall or van recently used to house or transport a horse that is shedding the organism may also be a source of infection.

WATCH OUT FOR ASYMPTOMATIC CARRIERS!

It is not uncommon for strangles infections to recur on a farm with previous outbreaks of the disease, and the primary source of recurrent infections are most likely asymptomatic carrier horses. These are animals who display no clinical signs but may continue to shed the bacteria for months to even years, serving as a continual source of new infections.

If you suspect a strangles outbreak, be sure to involve your veterinarian right away to determine the diagnosis and the best control practices for your particular farm. Without control and biosecurity measures, a strangles outbreak will ultimately affect all susceptible horses, last longer, and have a greater chance of leading to complications.
**Please note that strangles is a reportable disease in some states.**

And as always, contact your veterinarian for more information as they remain the best source of advice!