Ascent Veterinary Health

03/16/2026

Give us a call *always leave a voicemail* or shoot us a text today to schedule an appointment 828 222 6900

02/26/2026

Rabies alert!

One of the vaccines we encourage for all horses, whether they travel or not is Rabies. We suggest they recieve this annually to maintain good protection. Our equine friends live outdoors and may not always be able to avoid exposure. Is your horse up to date on its Rabies vaccine? If not please reach out and we would be happy to help you protect your pasture mates!

https://www.facebook.com/share/18KrWAFwH2/

The State Laboratory has notified us that a raccoon submitted for testing was infected with the rabies virus.
The raccoon was found on Echo Drive in a horse pasture. There is no evidence to believe the horses had physical contact with the raccoon. This is the first confirmed rabies case in the county this year.
Visit to https://nc-caldwellcounty.civicplus.com/197/Rabies to learn how to protect your pets from rabies.

02/20/2026

Preparing for a vet visit during the wet/muddy season.

If you have an appointment, it is helpful to us if the horses are clean and dry prior to our arrival. They don't need to be flawless, but getting off excess mud from their legs and body can help us be able to see anything that may be amiss more clearly. Having them clean and dry for appointments is absolutely a love language for your vet and farrier alike!

02/18/2026

The ice and snow has melted leading us into probably my least favorite season...muddy season.

Mud can lead to a ton of issues for our animals, foot/hoof issues being one. Foot root, abscesses, thrush... the mud packs into the hoof or between the claws and creates a breeding ground for bacteria.

For our equine friends, make sure we're cleaning out hooves daily, really picking out the mud that gets caught up around the frog and heel area. We hate to say it, but for our feathered horse friends, consider trimming them up to prevent pastern dermatitis from them holding in the mud and moisture.

For goats, sheep, and cattle it can be hard as we don't work with their feet the same way we do for horses so making sure that their pasture has areas that aren't mud is where your work as owners comes into play. Rotating pastures or not putting hay in the same spot every time, having enough gravel that they have to walk on around their water trough helps wear hooves and keep mud at bay.

And as with most things early treatment of foot rot and abscesses can greatly improve healing out comes. If you are having issues, feel free to reach out and we will see if we can help.

02/06/2026

Hey, y'all!
An important reminder to our goat clients for when we find ourselves feeding more forage and grain to our animals. Goats love to eat almost anything and we love to make them happy and friendly by feeding them what they really enjoy! Grain tastes so good to them and while a happy fed goat is a good thing it is crucial to remember that a goat's diet should be roughage based. The best diet for our small ruminants focuses on grazing or high quality hay. Most of our pet male goats, really should not have any grain. Females typically don't need grain either but male goats are especially prone to creating stones in their bladder that can block their ability to urinate. This will cause their bladder to fill and distend their abdomen as well as be extremely painful. They will scream, grunt, grind their teeth and strain to try and p*e. It can be truly heartbreaking as this often can be a fatal condition. Unfortunately, sometimes treatment in the field can be unrewarding either due to the location of the blockage or sheer number of stones. Surgery in a hospital setting may be the only way to encourage a positive outcome. As with any ruminant forage is best for these guys! And for treats, give them some alfalfa or hey pellets, they'll love it as much as anything else. And if you do need grain them, limit their access to what is necessary and supplement them with ammonium chloride to help keep them from forming the stones.

01/30/2026

Hey everyone. Wanted to send out a quick housekeeping update. For the last five years we have accepted cash, check and credit card transactions for payment equally. During this time we have seen most every other business around us, including our pharmacy and equipment vendors institute a credit card fee. As well as the percentage of payments we receive via credit card rise from about 35% to about 70%. As of March 1st we will be instituting a 3% credit card processing fee on all invoice payments as well. We will continue to accept cash or check without this fee. As always, payment is expected at time of service.

Regards,
Dr. Brett

01/28/2026

Do you know about the 1-2-3 rule for newborn horses?

After a foal is born, we want to see that baby up and standing within one hour, nursing (staying on for 10 + seconds at a time) within two hours, and the mare passing its placenta within the first three hours. If your foal and mare are not meeting these benchmarks then we strongly encourage calling for assistance as soon as possible. If everything goes well we would like to see the foal and mare and check on them within 24-36 hours to ensure both are healthy.

01/23/2026

Winter weather is coming. Our number one priority is for safety, both for you, us and your animals. We are available for established client if you have emergencies over the weekend. That being said if road conditions are not safe to travel, then we may not be able to reach you until conditions improve. Stay safe, stay warm and be sure to give electrolytes and extra hay to your critters!

Dr. Brett and the Ascent Vet team

01/21/2026

Are you prepared for our weather this weekend? Your animals need 3 things to brave out a winter storm.

1. Hay. When the weather gets cold and especially if the grass gets buried in the snow hay is critical. Our patients relay on hay to stay warm as they digest and ferment the forage in their digestive system. Throwing extra hay during bitter cold and snow is important.

2. Water. Cold temperatures not only can freeze your animals water sources, but will discourage them from drinking. To help prevent dehydration and colic there are 3 steps we recommend. 1- make sure there is good access to water at all times, this can be with water tank heaters, breaking ice on troughs or replacing with fresh water regularly. 2- adding supplemental electrolytes to feed can encourage drinking. 3- feeding wet mashes with their meals to add more water to their diet.

3. Shelter. We feel that the most important thing to consider is a wind break. Next would be the ability to get out of the precipitation. Not everyone has a barn and that is okay. A woodline that blocks the wind may provide the windbreak needed. Out west farmers often stack large hay bales to create a 2 sided wind break towards the prevailing wind. For our horses a good blanket may be appropriate shelter for them. It is important to check under blankets to make sure they are not sweating or wet and change as necessary. For our smaller critters, straw or deep bedding may be important to provide the warmth needed.

As with every storm, plan ahead and take steps before its arrival.

Stay warm everyone!
Dr. Brett

01/19/2026

Scours & Dehydration

If you have a calf with diarrhea and seems to be lethargic, don't wait and see. This is a serious issue that requires urgent attention. Dehydration can be severe in young calves who have no reserve and can lead to death. Appropriate feeding and early treatment of the cause and adequate supportive care is critical. Weakened or orphaned calves need a decent amount of attention to help them recuperate especially in winter months. If your calves are having an issue call for assistance as soon as you can so that we can assist you.

828-222-6900

01/14/2026

Foot Rot and Thrush issues are super prevalent when their environment is particularly wet. Moisture tends to breed bacteria, especially when the foot isn't cleaned out often enough. Keeping their living quarters dry by offering shelter with either fresh straw or shavings and keeping your horses hooves cleaned out/picked out helps. Sometimes these issues may need antibiotic intervention to help clear up the infection.

Signs of a foot issue in goats, sheep, or cattle is sudden, intense lameness and should be assessed as soon as the lameness is noticeable while they're out in the pasture.

This sudden lameness can also be true for horses, but as we tend to handle our horses more often, please be aware that thrush can have a pretty strong odor, so if you smell something stinky around your horses hoof and they're pretty tender, it's definitely time to clean, dry, and apply some thrush buster. If it seems significant please give us a text or call so we can evaluate and get the proper medication into the areas of concern.