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Check the Vet & Update
Horse Care & Health
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Rene Wright
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Check the Vet & Update

It's always a good idea to see what services your vet will perform on a farm call and if they require payment when services are rendered or if they will bill you with a deposit. 

A lesson I recently learned when scheduling Cookie's vet visit albeit a little late. I was glad when the vet called me when he was on his way back to town. While I would have saved some on a farm call, I found out he required full payment after services were rendered. I also learned that he said he almost always uses a sedative when palpating a mare and that costs more. So, I rescheduled for the following week because I didn't have quite enough to cover it all. 

I also have made a decision to not have her palpated. I think nearly $200 for the farm call, the palpation and sedative is a bit much and that money can go towards something else she might need like precious pedicures. I don't have a trailer or means to haul her and the few folks I know around here would charge just as much to haul her to the vet as it would be the farm call. 

So, provided things work out the way I believe they will (and hope they will) come Monday morning, Cookie will be receiving her Vaccines. I don't think it's quite fair the vet will charge a farm call when he has to drive right by my house in order to go back to the office, but that's ok. Maybe he'll cut it in half. lol  

I do know I'll be shopping around for another vet in the event of an emergency because I need someone who will work with me in regards to the bill. 

In doing some research.. by asking a few friends and my sister about fat horses vs pregnant mares, I have found that mares in general just get grouchy from time to time and they can even give off signals of coming into heat when pregnant. So neither of those are real good signs of pregnancy. Unless the colt is doing summersaults, which is possible, a mare's belly doesn't really change shape much during the day, although it is possible. I have no real way of knowing when she would have been bred, so it's a guessing game as to when she would deliver unless I get an ultrasound for her. That is certainly not something I can afford. 

So for at least the next several months... I'll be watching, taking pics and waiting to see if there will be a fuzzy bundle of joy coming. I do know that when it comes time to give birth, her belly will be as big as a house her udder will fill, her teats will wax and it won't be long after that when there will be a baby on the ground. Lord willing it will all go smoothly and without any hitches or glitches. 

 

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  1. autumnap
    autumnap
    Voted. Vet's fees seem to get higher and higher! By the time you've added VAT and all the 'extras', it adds up to a fortune. I'm sure it'll all be worth it when the little bundle of joy arrives! x
    1. Rene Wright
      Rene Wright
      Thanks! They sure do! It's unreal how fast they're climbing too.
  2. tink2670
    I livein Texas and I am only half a mile from a very large horse vet / hospital. I save money by going 10 miles down the road to a smal and large animal vet Only $60 for an US and that is with palpation and he will do farm calls for $50. You can also save money if you buy your vacc from the feed store and if you are unable to give them yourself maybe you have a friend who could do so. My farrier who is also my trainer and a friend gives mine all the shots they need other than rabies and the coggins test. I does make me feel better to know that the hospital is near by if we ever have something going on that may need them. Our vet has treat everything from infected bite marks deep cuts to moms and baby and floats teeth as well.
    1. jst4horses
      I too save money, but when necessary, I pay it. We all give our own shots, we have all vet teched for large show and racing barns. However, there are a few substances that none of us likes to deal with BECAUSE of allergic reactions. We know when to have the vet and pay the money, if you need a vet due to an allergic reaction to a wormer, or vaccination, by the time they page you back, your horse is likely to be dead. Shots are a lot more than shoving in a needly. You need to know which are intervenous, and which are intermuscular, and which can change in allergic reactions. Many people do not know that some of the WORMERS actually can be used time after time, and then cause a really nasty reaction, and some will cause your dogs to die if they eat the manure in the day or two after worming if the dog has an allergy to the wormer ingredients. I feel much safer to have a vet right there when 1200 to 1800 pounds stiffens and drops over on the stall floor, rather than have to call a vet and watch the horse die waiting for a page back.
    2. jst4horses
      I too save money, but when necessary, I pay it. We all give our own shots, we have all vet teched for large show and racing barns. However, there are a few substances that none of us likes to deal with BECAUSE of allergic reactions. We know when to have the vet and pay the money, if you need a vet due to an allergic reaction to a wormer, or vaccination, by the time they page you back, your horse is likely to be dead. Shots are a lot more than shoving in a needly. You need to know which are intervenous, and which are intermuscular, and which can change in allergic reactions. Many people do not know that some of the WORMERS actually can be used time after time, and then cause a really nasty reaction, and some will cause your dogs to die if they eat the manure in the day or two after worming if the dog has an allergy to the wormer ingredients. I feel much safer to have a vet right there when 1200 to 1800 pounds stiffens and drops over on the stall floor, rather than have to call a vet and watch the horse die waiting for a page back.

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