Haymarket Veterinary Service

05/22/2026

Memorial Day Weekend reminder!

The office will close at 2pm on Saturday May 23 and be closed until Tuesday May 26. On call veterinarians are available for emergencies as always

Have a safe and dry holiday!

05/18/2026

HVS in the saddle!

Thanks to Crystal at Tamarack Stables Rivers Edge for hosting the team yesterday for a Sunday afternoon trail ride! It was a gorgeous afternoon to spend time with our horses ✨

05/06/2026

Answer!!
This young horse has a CATARACT in his lens, the round crystal opacity with sparkling around it is in the lens behind his pupil. Likely this is congenital and shouldn’t affect his vision if it stays this small. We will keep a close eye 👀 on this finding throughout his life!

Test your knowledge⁉️

Check out this picture from a 2yo Appaloosa gelding.

This was an incidental finding on a routine wellness exam. The patient was showing no pain or concerns with the eye or any decrease in vision.

What do you see in the picture that you think our team discussed with the owner?

04/27/2026

HVS in the saddle!

Dr. Kaylin Beatty and her new teammate, Honest Smile, had a super weekend at the Loudon Hunt Pony Club Spring Trials. This was their first official USEA recognized event as a team👏👏

04/25/2026

✨ Saturday Staff Spotlight ✨

Welcome to the HVS team, Collin! Collin is stepping into the busy role of managing our pharmacy and being a jack of all trades in the office. You may even catch him on the road with one of our teams during appointments!

Read a little introduction from our newest team member:

“I’ve been local to the northern Virginia area practically my whole life. I first started helping at Haymarket Veterinary temporarily 4 years ago, moving from the old office to the current one, and doing some med drops when I could before starting my position 6 months ago. I’m very new to the horse world but I find it very exciting and love to learn new things about it. When I’m not working, you can find me hanging out with friends or spending time at home with my three dogs.”

04/19/2026

We are keeping a close eye on the evolving EHV-1/EHM exposure at HITS Culpeper this week. Our thoughts are with those affected.

To our clients with possible exposures, please keep us updated on concerns of fevers, respiratory signs like nasal discharge, or neurologic signs like stumbling or weakness.

Equine herpesvirus (EHV) is a family of equine viruses named by numbers including EHV-1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 with EHV-1,3,4 posing the most risk for domestic horses. EHV is a common DNA virus that occurs in horse populations worldwide. The two most common species are EHV-1 and EHV-4.

04/15/2026

Wishing one of our patients, Havanna, a happy 30th birthday! She is reaching a huge milestone and looking fabulous while doing it ✨

Spring visits bring time to celebrate our senior friends. We are so fortunate to have many 30+ year old patients in our family which speaks to the immaculate care their owners have given!

04/12/2026

A reminder that we are just three weeks away from the end of our 🌸 Spring Special 🌸

We are offering free farm calls, discounted vaccines, and bloodwork packages through ✨May 1st✨ this year!

Check in with the front desk this week to make sure your equine friends are up to date on wellness care and ready for the warm weather.

703-754-3309
[email protected]

04/01/2026

The office is fielding calls about the green grass! So when is the safest time of the day for our horses to graze?

The answer is *early morning* after the grass plant has used much of the stored sugars overnight.

Horses that may be extra sensitive to the sugar content of grass:
- “easy keepers”
- ones with fat pads behind their shoulders/around the tail head
- horses with large crests

The safest course of action is performing blood work to check insulin levels and rule out metabolic disease or insulin dysregulation. Spring vaccine appointments are a great time to address these concerns!

703-754-3309
[email protected]

DO YOU KNOW WHAT CAUSES GRASS FOUNDER?

Spring is a wonderful time of the year, but it may be the beginning of some serious problems for horses vulnerable to grass founder — like horses that are over the age of 10, easy keepers, overweight or cresty-necked.

Laminitis or founder, as it is commonly called, is inflammation of the laminae of the horse’s foot. Laminae are the delicate, accordion-like tissues that attach the inner surface of the hoof wall to the coffin bone (the bone in the foot). A horse suffering from laminitis experiences a decrease in blood flow to the laminae, which in turn begin to die and separate. The final result is hoof wall separation, rotation of the coffin bone and extreme pain. In severe cases, the coffin bone will actually rotate through the sole of the horse’s hoof where it becomes infected and can ultimately lead to the horse having to be euthanized.

Laminitis can be triggered by different causes, like repeated concussion on hard ground (road founder), grain overload, retained placenta, hormonal imbalance (Cushing’s syndrome), obesity, and lush grass.

In cases of grass founder, the sugar fructans produced by rapidly growing grass stimulates an overgrowth of bacteria in the horse’s large intestine. The bacteria produce and release toxins (endotoxins) that are carried by the bloodstream to the foot where they cause damage to the laminae and small blood vessels.

The best way to deal with laminitis is preventing and managing the causes under your control. Consult your equine practitioner for further information and to formulate a plan tailored to your horse's individual situation. If you suspect laminitis, consider it a medical emergency and notify your veterinarian immediately.

03/28/2026

Spring is in the air 🌸🌼🌻Get your horse ready for warm weather trail rides and horse show season!

Starting April 1st, the Adequan rebate is back. $20 back when you purchase 7 doses!