PADDOCK BOARD

$402 PER CYCLE *  COOLED SEMEN (includes paddock board, ultrasound exams, 1 dose pro-ovulatory agent, artificial insemination and one pregnancy check) – mare goes home between breeding and 14 day pregnancy check.

$585 PER CYCLE *  FROZEN SEMEN (includes paddock board, ultrasound exams, 1 dose pro-ovulatory agent, two artificial inseminations and one pregnancy check) – mare goes home between breeding and 14 day pregnancy check.

STALL BOARD

$495 PER CYCLE *  COOLED SEMEN (includes stall board, ultrasound exams, 1 dose pro-ovulatory agent, artificial insemination and one pregnancy check– mare goes home between breeding and 14 day pregnancy check. 

$679 PER CYCLE *  FROZEN SEMEN (includes stall board, ultrasound exams, 1 dose pro-ovulatory agent, two artificial inseminations and one pregnancy check) – mare goes home between breeding and 14 day pregnancy check.

* These fees are on a per cycle basis.  If additional cycles are necessary to obtain a pregnancy, additional fees apply.  Package prices do not include extra procedures such as culture, biopsy, uterine flushing or treatments, prostin, caslick, regumate, etc.

You can also download the 2012 Breeding Package as a PDF.

Or Surf, sand, and colic??
By Diane Rhodes, DVM

If you have owned horses long enough, you have likely had to deal with an episode of colic.  Colic is a general term used to describe a horse with gastrointestinal up-set.  There are many potential causes of colic, but for the purpose of this discussion we will focus on sand colic.

Intestinal sand accumulation is a common cause of colic in this region in the late summer and early fall when the majority of pastures are dry and lacking vegetation.  Horses that are fed directly on the ground are likely to ingest significant amounts of sand as are horses that graze the remaining vegetation.

Many of the clinical signs of sand colic are similar to other potential causes of colic, including pawing, rolling, inappetance, lethargy, and flank watching.  In addition, horses with sand colic may have an unthrifty appearance, a low-grade fever, a history of chronic colic, and a history of soft to cow pie manure.  When listening to your horses gut sounds, the veterinarian may be able to auscult sand in the ventral part of the abdomen. This can sound like “waves on the beach”.  Not hearing sand, however, does not rule this out as a cause of colic.

Diagnosing a horse with sand colic starts with a thorough physical exam.  A sample of feces may be collected and floated in water to check for sand in the manure.  In some cases, ultrasound of the GI tract may show some evidence of colon wall thickening as the sand is physically irritating to the intestine.  The best test for confirming the presence of sand is abdominal radiographs.  Sand appears bright white on the x-ray and can usually be seen in the ventral part of the abdomen. These bright deposits are seen in the following radiographs:

Treatment of a horse with sand colic depends on the severity of the clinical signs and the amount of sand present within the large intestine.  A typical treatment plan includes, but is not limited to, an anti-inflammatory drug for pain control and passing a stomach tube multiple times to administer oil and water to assist with the passage of sand. Careful monitoring of the patient’s comfort level and fecal output is important as some horses will obstruct with sand, or their colon may become displaced due to gas accumulation.  In some cases, surgery may be required to remove the sand from the large intestine.  Sand colic surgery generally carries a good prognosis for recovery.

The best way to prevent sand colic is to completely eliminate sand from the diet.  This may require feeding horses in stalls on floor mats. Horses fed in feeders outside may still knock the hay out of the feeder onto the ground where they can pick up sand.  Rubber mats can be placed around the feeders, but these need to be swept daily to prevent the accumulation of sand on the mats.  For horses that tend to graze and “vacuum” the ground  (regardless if food is present), a grazing muzzle may be applied to prevent sand accumulation.  There are products on the market that contain psyllium seeds or husks that are meant to be fed monthly to help remove sand from the GI tract.  Pysllium seed is mostly soluble fiber which forms a gel and helps to physically remove sand.

Colic is a frustrating and scary condition for horse owners, but with the right prevention strategies, sand colic can be avoided.  Unfortunately, the key to prevention is eliminating access to sand, which is often easier said than done.

By Eduardo De La Cruz, DVM

Full Skull View Caps Wave Step Points Missing Tooth

Equine dentistry has evolved over the years, and it has become an integral part of the yearly wellness exam. Without dental care, horses in captivity can develop tooth abnormalities, such as points, hooks, and fractures. The horse’s dental arcades can also develop waves, steps, shear mouths, or any combination thereof. Proper dental care can diminish the likelihood of developing oral ulcers, choke, colic, weight loss, and general poor doing. Many of these problems can be addressed with routine teeth floating, but some cases require tooth extraction. We will briefly discuss why a veterinarian would recommend extracting a tooth, some extraction techniques, and the aftercare required. A veterinarian may elect to extract a tooth for multiple reasons. One example would be, retained deciduous teeth, aka caps, which do not fall on their own and can affect alignment of the upcoming permanent teeth. The first premolars, aka wolf teeth, may potentially cause bitting problems and head tossing as the bit contacts the tooth. Premolars and molars, aka cheek teeth, that are fractured, infected, loose, malpositioned / malaligned, etc. can predispose the horse to sinusitis, oral pain, and other dental abnormalities such as waves and steps. Sinusitis is a common problem that is caused by the infection of the tooth root, the surrounding bone, or both. The clinical signs of sinusitis in horses typically include mucus nasal discharge with foul odor. There are different techniques used by veterinarians to remove unhealthy teeth. In most cases, the tooth is removed by sedating the horse, anesthetizing (numbing) the gum and tooth, freeing the tooth from the gum line, and finally rocking the tooth until it becomes free. If the aforementioned approach is not possible, the veterinarian may opt to make a hole into the sinus of the horse and punch out the tooth with surgical instruments in a retrograde fashion. Another approach is to fully anesthetize the horse, cut the bone over the sinus in a square to create a window, and then remove the tooth with surgical instruments. Root canals in horses are also possible, but not performed regularly. After extracting a tooth, the cavity left behind is usually filled and covered temporarily with dental impression material. This impression material needs to be checked periodically by the veterinarian to ensure proper placement. Furthermore, oral examinations need to be performed more frequently in these horses due to the likelihood of the teeth shifting. Overgrowth of the opposing tooth is common and needs to be addressed with regular floating. The use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs will depend on the reason for the tooth extraction. Diet changes such as switching to pellets may also be part of the aftercare. In summary, a minimum of a yearly oral examination is recommended for the average horse. Horses with teeth abnormalities may require more aggressive treatment and an increased frequency in examinations. There are many reasons that horses’ teeth may need to be extracted, but the goal of the veterinarian is to detect the problems early to prevent tooth extraction. In the end, proper maintenance of the horses’ mouth will lead to a better overall health and comfort for your horse.

Miranda Walker, one of the stalwarts of the LBEMC front office, has always been fascinated with horses and ponies, and, in fact, her father traded a car for her first horse, a “mostly” Morgan mare. Miranda admits that her young, impressionable mind was heavily influenced by books such as The Black Stallion and Misty of Chincoteague and all their sequels. With this background in mind, it seemed only natural that Miranda and her daughter Cassandra would take their annual mother-daughter trip travelling to Virginia.Their destination was the 84th Annual Pony Swim and Auction in Chincoteague. This tradition started in 1924 as a means of raising money for the volunteer fire department. The story goes that the ponies are either the descendants of shipwrecked Spanish horses or of the horses of 17th century American colonists. The ponies live on Assateague island about ¼ mile offshore where they are vaccinated annually, dewormed, and have their hooves trimmed twice a year.

However, the event that drew Miranda and thousands of others to this small coastal Virginia town, is the roundup and swimming of the pony mares and their weanling foals from the island to the village. The swim is accompanied by rescue boats which are prepared to assist any youngster having trouble with the swim. Miranda and Cassandra arrived at 6:30am (for the 10AM swim) and even wore rubber boots to wade into a swampy area that provided the best view of the swimmers. Once ashore, the mares and weanlings were separated and, the following morning, the foals were to be auctioned. There were 62 foals in this year’s auction.

The next chapter in this saga was undoubtedly predestined. How can you go to Chincoteague and not bid on a pony, especially if there is a pony-age granddaughter back in California. Miranda resisted with all her will, but her husband helped to convince her that she needed a pony that “had made the swim.” She did hold out for awhile but finally succumbed when she raised her hand to bid on #40, a little bay pinto colt.

Grandma’s Insanity Joe (G.I. Joe), which was now his name, had some difficulty reaching his new home. When the transporter called from a layover in Iowa, he reported to Miranda that her little brown pony, #4, was doing fine and would soon be in California. The mix-up was corrected and G.I. Joe arrived a few days later at Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center and was given a clean bill of health by the veterinary staff. He is now at home in Lincoln, growing and becoming a family member and also a souvenir of a vacation that will not soon be forgotten.

Take a look at prices for our breeding packages.

Download PDF

Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center is pleased to announce that we are now welcoming alpaca and llama patients to our practice. We are a primarily equine practice, but several of our doctors are beginning to see camelid patients as well. We enjoy working with alpacas and llamas and are always willing to learn more about them, as they are still fairly new to us. Dr. Molly Dinucci is currently accepting ranch calls and in-house appointments. Dr. Jill Higgins and Dr. Langdon Fielding will also be seeing some routine in-house appointments, but will primarily be seeing the more critically ill hospitalized patients. Beginning in August 2008, we will be welcoming another surgeon to our staff, Dr. Jason Errico. He will be offering surgical services for our camelid patients as well. We are very excited to be offering this service, as there is a great demand in our area for veterinarians that will work on camelids. Please call and schedule an appointment with us today!

Camelid Pricing

Travel Fees

Area 1 – Loomis Basin $52
Area 2 – Lincoln, Ophir, Auburn, Roseville $60
Area 3 – Christian Valley, Meadow Vista $66
Area 4 – North Highlands, Fair Oaks, Pleasant Grove, Sheridan, Applegate, Cool $74
Area 5 – Weimer, Rio Linda, Carmichael $81
Area 6 – Pilot Hill, Rescue, Elverta $89
Area 6a – Marysville, Yuba City, Live Oak ($60 Tuesdays) $89-$110
Area 7 – Greenwood, Colfax, Upper Salmon Falls Rd. $99
Area 8 – Foresthill $108
Area 9 – Garden Valley, Georgetown, Grass Valley $117

Vaccinations: (recommended vaccines listed)

CD/T $15
West Nile Virus (Ft Dodge) $30
Rabies $18

Deworming

Ivermectin (injectable) $15
Corid $12

Teeth: (prices do not include sedation; sedation only used if necessary)

Incisor reduction $40
Fighting teeth $50

Foot Trim: $35

Castration: $190 (includes anesthesia)

Routine Examination Fee: $66

Fecal Exam: (Modified Stolls – sent to UC Davis Parasitology) $74

Fecal Float: (in-house) $29

BEFORE FOALING

Fetal Ultrasound – $225
Evaluates fetal heartbeat, foal size, placental thickness, and placental fluids
Fetal ECG – $29
Evaluates fetal heart rate and rhythm
Predict-a-Foal – $29
Helps time the foaling using the mare’s milk

AFTER FOALING

(Strongly recommended within the first 24 hours)
Post–Partum Exam – $87
Foal IgG – $41

FOALING OUT YOUR MARE AT LBEMC

Routine Doctor-Assisted Foaling
(Mares with no history of complications) – $575

• 5 days of board
• Doctor-assisted delivery
• Foal IgG the following day
• Post partum exam of mare and foal the following day

High-Risk Pregnancy
(Sick mare or history of complications with prior delivery) – $1075

• 5 days of board with daily fetal ECGs and treatments/monitoring
• Fetal ultrasound at admission
• Doctor attended delivery
• Foal IgG the following day
• Post partum exam of mare and foal the following day

Please book early as space is limited!