5 Tips for Preparing for a Visit from Your Veterinarian

In my years as an equine practitioner, I have found that having a good idea of the number of horses I will be seeing and the procedures I will be carrying out, and having the client be well prepared for our appointment, was invaluable in making the farm call run smoothly, efficiently and cost effectively.  Here are a few tips for how you can prepare for you veterinarian’s visit.

1. Prepare a list of all horses that need to be seen by the veterinarian.  Include any concerns or observations you may have about their health that you would like the veterinarian to pay attention to.  Next, make your appointment and notify the office as to the number of horses that need to be seen and for what.  This will ensure that the appointment slot allots plenty of time to address all issues and the veterinarian brings the right supplies, equipment, medications etc.  This kind of preparation will often times remove the need for further visits to finish up all of the work.  You may also want to have your horses’ medical records handy in case information about past veterinary visits is needed.

The newest Purina Research Team Member!

Our first foal arrived early Wednesday morning and he is up, nursing, running around and doing great.  He has arrived just in time for a major snow and ice storm, so he has yet to be introduced to the outside world.  And since its only 28°F in the barn, he’s got his blanket on to help him stay warm.  Brrrrr! This year, our mares and babies are being fed our Ultium Growth feed, as we continue a large multi-year study monitoring mare gestation and young horse growth on a high fat and fiber concentrate.  This foal doesn’t have a barn name yet, but he does have an official research number, 1301. He’s quite the scrappy fellow and tries to kick at you when you scratch his rear end, and that’s how we like them!  Of course he will be trained to behave more appropriately in the coming days, but some spunk is a good sign in a newborn foal.  We are expecting 8 more babies in the next few weeks, hopefully not all will arrive in the middle of snow and ice. Maybe this foal should be named Stormy….

5 Reasons to try the NEW Purina Horse Supplements

Like the Purina Hydration Hay Original Horse Hay Block, we can finally start talking about the BRAND NEW Purina Horse Supplements! Specifically, there are four new supplements that hit the market in January 2013; Purina FreedomFlex Joint Health Product, HydraSalt Salt Supplement, ElectroEase Electrolyte Supplement, and ElectroEase Electrolyte Paste Supplement. They are so new that you probably have not heard much about them. The new Purina supplement website is a great place to find all of the technical information about these new supplements. Here, I want to highlight some special features and unique technology that sets these supplements apart from what is already available on the market. 

The New Purina Horse Supplements

1. Scientific Research

When we first started discussing the possibility of developing a supplement line, we decided very early on that it was important to have scientific data behind any supplement we sold. This was a key reason why we chose to partner with Science Supplements, an established and reputable supplement company based in the UK. We looked at the extensive research that they had already performed, and built upon that with our own studies conducted at the Purina Animal Nutrition Center. This gave us the confidence to bring these products to the U.S. market, knowing that their formulas are backed by sound scientific principles.