Unlike the natural diet and all-day grazing pattern of wild horses, today's horses often eat softer forage, are supplemented with grain or concentrated feed, and generally eat only two or three times a day. This contemporary lifestyle can adversely impact the health of your horse's teeth. In addition, horses are living longer than ever before, allowing ample time to develop dental problems later in life.
Vaccination
Vaccinations are an essential tool in protecting your horse, and the local equine community, from disease. While we always develop a vaccination plan that is specific to each horse we treat, below are some of the core vaccines we may recommend...
Veterinary Ophthalmology
Acute and chronic eye problems need careful evaluation. Dr. Rydgig has taken advanced courses in ophthalmology and would be happy to provide more advanced diagnostics for your horse's eye conditions.
Nutritional Counseling
Weight —Older horses often show signs of weight loss. This can be caused by a number of factors, including long or loose teeth, dietary intake, or systemic illness. If you notice your horse is losing weight, please contact us so that we can take a closer look at what may be causing this weight loss.
Comprehensive Examination
In order to keep your horse's mouth in good condition, we perform a thorough oral inspection at every wellness exam. From newborn foal all the way through a horse's senior years, dental exams are a vital part of our overall care for your horse.
We will base your horse's deworming program on the environment your horse lives in. Whether your horse lives in a stall, a paddock, or multi-horse pasture, we can tailor a program to fit your horse's needs. Periodic fecal egg counts can be done, if needed, to determine your horse's parasite load.
Skin Condition and Allergy Treatment
Acupuncture is indicated mainly for functional problems such as paralysis, noninfectious inflammation (allergies), and pain. Some general conditions may be musculoskeletal (sore backs), nervous system (suprascapular nerve paralysis "Sweeney"), skin problems, respiratory problems, gastrointestinal (non surgical colic), and reproductive disorders.
In addition, we offer digital radiographs, endoscopy, blood work, and digital ultrasound. Our digital technology allows the radiographs to be reviewed on site at the time of the exam.
X-Ray
Access to advanced imaging and diagnostic technology plays an important role in the care of your horse. At Progressive Equine, we bring the technology to you with our state-of-the-art digital radiography capability. Our veterinarians are skilled at capturing the necessary images and interpreting them so that the right treatment is recommended for your horse's particular medical needs.
Dental Radiology
Dental X-rays—We can take digital X-rays of your horse's mouth, if needed, to look for infected or diseased teeth, sinus infection, tumors, or wolf tooth fragments.