Backyard Farm Animal Q&A: Real Answers from Vets

She has started to naw on her flank. I have checked for injuries, but I can't find anything.

nawing on her flank can be caused by various reasons such as fleas, mites ,fungal infection, bacterial infection and allergies. the first 4 needs to be ruled out before we start treating for allergies. in order to do that first de-flea Piano with a high quality flea treatment such as advantage spot on, if it doesn't help - take her to the vet in order to check for/treat the other possibilities. If everything is ruled out, then an allergy treatment can be started. Usually an hypoallergenic food is a good way to start together with anti histamines. if it doesn't help - the best solution is a medication called Apoquel which treats allergies with great success and without side effects.

I just moved to Chile and I'm on a farm. We have horses and many other animals. I heard someone mention giving the horses ketamine. I would like to know what ketamine is used for, is the animal sick or for what purposes is ketamine used for? Also, does a vet need to come to our barn or can it be purchased in a pharmacy. I hope you know about Chilean rules, please help

Hello, & thank you for using Boop by Petco. Ketamine is a sedative, used primarily in horses & small animals for anesthesia. I know the rules about controlled drugs are pretty lax in SA, so all you can do is ask. If you develop any type of relationship with a veterinarian in your area, they are more apt to help someone out than a complete stranger. Laws about controlled drugs are changing rapidly in the region.

I was hired to clean steals at the stable I board two horses. Today I got to this particular horse stall and found this wound on his belly. It has been this way all through the summer from what the stable owner said today, it is full of debris pus and flies. This condition is unacceptable to me so I would like to know how to clean it up and get it healed

It would be best to have a vet come out and take a look at the wound to properly clean it and prescribe any antibiotics or medications to help it heal. If the horse is not yours, you will need to get into contact with the owner first as it is their responsibility to care for the horse, and there can be legal issues around attempting to care for an animal that is not yours. If the owner refuses to provide care and you feel the horse is suffering, contacting your local animal control or animal shelter for assistance is best.

Hi iv rescude a mare who is pregnant i was tould the stalion got to her in late jan early feb and also again in julie fore the last week her teet are getting biger evry day and yestoday she seemed more restless she has rain scold that where trying to get rid of cause she is rolling to scrach her back also am getting worried as its my first foal and i dont no an exact date or even week

I would have an equine vet come out to examine Cleiopatra. The vet can do a rectal exam and ultrasound to confirm if she is pregnant or not. If she is pregnant, I would say she would be due soon if she was mated in late January/early February as a horse's gestation lasts 335-360 days. Along with c confirming the pregnancy, the vet can give you an estimate of how far along she is in the pregnancy. While there, the vet can treat her rain scald as well. Please have an equine vet come and see her in the next day or two. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Recently Rosie has become really bad with having her saddle put on and girth done up. Yesterday she was kicking out, trying to bite and being very aggressive...this is completely out of character! I think she may have ulcers, how can I treat these cheaply without getting a vet if possible? I’m also going to get a physio to check her back but I do think it’s ulcers and I don’t have a high budget to solve this

Hi there. First it’s important to make sure that your saddle fits properly-you aren’t pinching when you tighten your girth or tightening too quickly-both of which can cause discomfort in your mare. It really is best to have her scoped by a vet to check for ulcers, as well as an oral exam to make sure there is no pain in the mouth-sometimes they just associate pain with riding and it doesn’t matter the source of the pain (saddle, bit, etc) they just know it hurts them. Gastrogard is usually what I try first for ulcers. It is commercially available in many stores as well as online. If you suspect ulcers, you may also want to reevaluate how much grain you are feeding. If you have further questions, please feel free to ask. Hope this helps.

I'm sick of having to catch Lucy everytime I need to put her back into her stable even when I have food she doesn't want to come her previous owner neglected her and she was really underweight almost starved to death how can I let her know that she can trust me even when I'm giving the other horses treats and cuddles she doesn't want to join in also why is it that everytime she sees a car she goes bonkers butWhenIdoCatchHerShesFineAndLetMeStrokeHerButSheWontVolenterallyComeToMe

Poor Lucy! She may be afraid of vehicles. This takes time and good horsemanship to overcome. If you can work with her in a small area like a corral or pen by herself, it will be much easier to allow her to get to know you without having the other horses interfere. Give her time, and if you can try your best not to scare her she will come around.

Im doing a project on horses and I need to know the annual vaccination fee. Also how much is and annual vet bill.

Fees vary greatly depending on the practice, and area in which you live. I suggest you call your local horse vet and ask him nicely to meet with you because you are doing a project and have a lot of questions. Veterinarians are usually very nice and if they have the time to spare, will gladly give you information. Maybe you can even ask to see practice with him for a day.

Molly's foal died this morning idk what might of happened to him when I went out to the feild I found him lying there he was normal and happy yesterday playing leaping kicking would a male horse kill a foal? I put anchor in the same paddock as Molly last night because he was scaring Lucy my Shetland pony idk if tiddler was sick but he did seem healthy yesterday if anchor did kill tiddler why would he do it tiddler wasn't his foal could that be the reason? Or was tiddler just sick

The foal may have had failure of passive transfer, which is when the foal doesn't get enough colostrum from the mare's milk right away, and therefore doesn't have enough antibodies to ward off infections. If the foal doesn't nurse within the first 2-4 hours of life, it will not do well without getting intravenous replacement plasma and other supportive care.

Hi, Today i turned my horse out in the field and she had a locking stifle. she has never ever had an issue like this before and is in full work and very healthy. what would your advise be? give her a couple of days to rest or ride her like normal? i do have a sponsored 10 mile ride on monday that i want to make sure that she is able to do. She is currently out in the field and walking on it but is a little stiff in the trot. If more info is required then feel free to give me a call.

A locking stifle is also known as an upward fixation of the patella. I would have the vet come out to see Sapphire today to confirm that she does have a locking stifle. Typically diagnosis is pretty straight forward, but the vet can determine if she has a mild case or not. The important is diagnosing if it's a mild case or not is that dictates the treatment program. Mild cases can be helped with exercise and balanced hoof trims, and severe cases may need the farrier to apply corrective shoes or pads to help the hoof break over before the locking occurs. In very severe cases, surgery is needed to resolve this issue. Have the vet come out today or tomorrow to examine Sapphire and discuss treatment options for her. I hope this helps!