Large Animal Services

The Animal Hospital of Smithson Valley is thrilled to add large animal medicine to the services we offer our clients.

equine-services

Large Animal Services

Dr. Shannon Puype is highly experienced and enjoys working with large animals including horses, cows, sheep, goats, and pigs. If you are looking for a partner to help you care for your livestock animals, look no further.

Equine Services

Annual physical exams, vaccines, and deworming programs are provided to keep your horse healthy and protected.

If you will be traveling with your horse or bringing a new horse into your stable/property, a Coggins test is highly recommended and may be required to attend a competition or event. A Coggins test is a blood test to determine if a horse is a carrier of Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), a viral disease found in horses. EIA is usually spread by horse flies biting an infected horse, then biting a healthy horse. Symptoms include a high fever, labored breathing, exhaustion, and anemia. A recovered horse will usually be a carrier for their entire life and remain a threat to other horses. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Puype for this important blood work.

Bovine Services

A preventative herd health plan will include herd or individual exams, vaccines, pregnancy checks, castrations, and a deworming program. During their lives, cattle develop two types of immunity: passive immunity and active immunity. Passive immunity is passed from a cow to her calf in colostrum. Active immunity is developed as the result of a good immunization program or exposure to a disease. A good herd health program begins in the cow herd prior to calves being born. The vaccines will stimulate the immune response in the cow which allows her to pass the immunity on to her calf.

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Caprine and Ovine Services

A good preventative herd health program for goats and sheep will include exams, vaccines, deworming program, and recommended feed/nutrition program.

At The Animal Hospital of Smithson Valley, we offer disbudding and dehorning services. Dehorning is the removal of the horn in order to reduce potential injury to other animals or people. If this procedure is performed under two months of age, before the horns have fully attached to the skull, it is termed disbudding.

Overgrown hooves can make walking difficult or even painful. Animals with overgrown hooves may develop arthritis which causes them to be susceptible to joint and tendon problems. Hoof trimming is recommended about every two months for both sheep and goats.

Porcine Services

An annual exam, vaccines, and a deworming program are recommended to keep your pigs healthy and parasite free.

Pig castration is important to prevent boar taint. Boar taint is an offensive odor and flavor found in the meat of some entire male pigs. Early surgical castration also prevents male aggression and unwanted mating.

Hoof trimming is recommended for pigs about every six months and sometimes more frequently for young pigs.

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