Pioneer Equine Hospital

09/04/2026

The office will be closed Monday, September 7th for Labor Day!
We hope everyone has a safe long weekend! We are open 24/7 for emergencies!

09/04/2026

📢 Calling all third year veterinary students attending Opportunities in Equine Practice Seminar! 📢 Come check out Pioneer Equine Hospital and chat with Dr. Cameron to learn about our practice!

08/11/2026

‼️ 📢 Colic Awareness 📢 ‼️

We had a major uptick in colic exams in the last 2 months. Over 75 colics were seen by our team in hospital or in the field, almost double from last year. While we love seeing our clients and patients, we wanted to give some pointers on colic prevention to help keep our patients healthy from afar.
1. 💧 💧 Hydration- Keeping horses hydrated is a key in colic prevention. Make sure your horse has access to free-choice clean water every day. Horses should drink anywhere from 5-12 gallons of water a day and up to 30 gallons during the hot weather we are currently getting.
2. 🏝️ Sand Prevention- We have sandy soil here in California and that can accumulate in horses’ colons. Feeding horses away from sandy areas, feeding on rubber mats or in rubber bins, and monthly sand prevention like SandClear (or every 6-12 months for ColiClenz) are ideal ways to prevent sand accumulation that can cause colic.
3. Avoiding rapid feeding changes- Horses get their energy from volatile fatty acids (VFAs) that are produced from fermentation in their hindgut or colon and cecum. Rapid changes of feed can increase gas production secondary to increases in certain populations of microflora 🦠 in response to new sources of feedstuffs. Slow changes in feed (over 5 to 7 days or longer) is ideal to prevent gas colic and more serious displacements of the colon.
4. 🌾 Alfalfa- Alfalfa has many positive side effects in horses including a high calorie feed source, some protection from gastric ulcers, and sometimes is lower in non-structural carbohydrates compared to grass hay. However, feeding more than 50% of the diet in alfalfa in the state of California can lead to entrolith formation or “stones” in the colon. We typically recommend 1/3 of their diet of alfalfa in California. This is a geographic related problem that also occurs in Florida. (Continued in comments)

07/29/2026

📢 📢 Important announcement from United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) for those that show at USEF events 📢 📢  
 
There are new guidelines for cetirizine (Zyrtec) and methocarbamol.

07/15/2026

Last, but certainly not least, in our intern introductions is Dr. Georgia Jellen! 
 
I am from Seattle, WA. I grew up riding horses and showing in 4-H when I was younger. I went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for undergrad, and pursued my passion for equine veterinary medicine further there, enjoying foaling, c**t starting, breeding, and working at The Equine Center, SLO. Seeing the difference that horses make in the lives of their people, I grew a strong passion for supporting the bond between people and their equine companions. I attended Washington State University for veterinary school, and I am excited to be back in the sunshine with a wonderful team at Pioneer Equine. I plan to go into general practice after internship. My two horses, Tulsa and Chessie, have come with me on all of the adventures, and I likely will be found riding them between evening emergencies throughout the year.   
  
What are you most looking forward to for your internship?  
I am looking forward to the vast variety of learning opportunities to come and am grateful for all of the horses I get to learn so much from.   
  
If you could be any animal for a day, what would you be?  
I would be a cat for a day so that I could take a nap in the sunshine.   
  
If you could get a free lifetime supply of anything, what would it be?  
Gluten free cheez its 

07/09/2026

Next up in our intern introductions, join us in welcoming Dr. Audrey DeZell!  
 
I am originally from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science at Montana State University and completed my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Minnesota. During vet school, I was president of surgery club and was also involved in the business management and equine clubs. I am interested in sports medicine and surgery and am considering doing a large animal surgery residency following my internship. In my free time, I enjoy cooking and baking, hiking, fishing, reading, and taking care of my many plants.   
  
What are you most looking forward to for your internship?  
I’m excited to learn something new every day, continue developing my clinical skills, and work alongside experienced and passionate clinicians while caring for a diverse equine caseload.  
  
What is your favorite book or movie?  
Favorite movie - Ratatouille 👩🏼‍🍳  
  
If you could be any animal for a day, what would you be?  
I would be a dolphin for a day to get to see what life is like underwater and experience echolocation.   
  
If you could get a free lifetime supply of anything from Costco or Trader Joes, what would it be?  
Sour strawberry belts from Trader Joe’s   
Rotisserie chicken 🍗 from Costco. There’s nothing better than a rotisserie chicken. 

07/03/2026

07/02/2026

⭐️Happy 4th of July Weekend⭐️

The office will be closed on Friday and Saturday for the holiday. Please leave a message to be received Monday morning for any Non-Emergency needs.

If you have an Emergency, please call our normal number 209-847-5951, Press Zero and you will be transferred to our Answering Service!

Have a Safe and Fun weekend! 💙❤️
-Your Pioneer Family

07/02/2026

We are pleased to introduce our 2026-2027 intern team. First up in our intern introductions is Dr Lucas Thacker.  
 
I am from Lompoc, California. I got my B.S. in Kinesiology at Cal Poly SLO. During my undergraduate I worked at The Equine Center in SLO and Alamo Pintado before going to vet school at UC Davis. While at Davis I worked in Livestock barn all 3 years prior to clinics. In my free time I enjoy exercising, golfing, fishing, hiking and snowboarding. My career goals are to become an ambulatory equine general practitioner with special interests in reproduction and sports medicine.  
 
What are you most looking forward to during your internship 🐎 ? 
I look forward to building new skills to grow as a practitioner  
 
What is your favorite movie 🎥 or book 📕 ? 
Movie Banshees of Inisherin 
 
If you could be any animal for a day, what would it be and why? 
I would be a blue whale to explore the ocean and experience sea life as a part of it.  🐋
 
If you could get a free lifetime supply of anything from Costco or Trader Joe’s, what would it be? 
Muffins from Costco

06/26/2026

⭐️ Early Reminder: We will be closed next Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th⭐️

All regularly scheduled appointments and the office will be closed for those two days. Please plan ahead if you are needing to schedule an appointment or pick up prescriptions.
As always, we are open 24/7 for emergencies! Please call 209-847-5951, Press Zero, and you will be directed to our answering service!