Animal Clinic of Ava

08/20/2025

Did you know you can estimate a kitten’s age just by looking at their teeth?

Baby teeth appear by 2–3 weeks, start falling out around 14–16 weeks, and are fully replaced by adult teeth by about 6 months.

We use this in Shelter Medicine to help determine if kittens are old enough for certain vaccines and now you can use this chart to impress your friends with your kitten-age guessing skills!

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) SAVMA Feline Veterinary Medical Association Humane Society for Greater Lafayette Almost Home Humane Society Purdue University

08/20/2025

We are so proud of our community always showing up for our youth in BIG ways ❤️ Come have some fun, food and show your love, too!

Head on over to the 9th Annual Ava FFA Booster Club Auction & Dinner page to see all the auction items and sponsors rolling in!

Interested in donating or sponsoring this year? Please let us know.💙💛

08/18/2025

The disease is spread through the bite of a native midge. Outbreaks usually happen July into October and reporting helps MDC track cases.

08/16/2025

Two cats who ingested the dog allergy medication experienced acute kidney injury and required 4 rounds of hemodialysis.

08/15/2025

On , we're sharing a few important reminders on the importance of microchips - such as:

➡ 1 in 3 family pets will get lost
➡ Microchipped dogs are more than twice as likely to be returned to their owners and microchipped cats are more than 20 times as likely to be returned to their owners

And remember - while microchips greatly increase the chances that pets will be reunited with their families if they are lost or stolen…a microchip only works if its registration information is accurate. Visit avma.org/CheckTheChip to learn more.

08/13/2025

We are only a few weeks away from our favorite event of the year!💙💛

9th Annual Ava FFA Booster Club Auction & Dinner

08/12/2025

08/11/2025

08/05/2025

07/31/2025

📣 Introducing the Legacy Championship – A Class Like No Other

The MFTHBA is proud to support and host The Legacy Championship at the 2025 World Show and Celebration! We’re excited to partner with those working to elevate the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse through this first-of-its-kind, single-class competition.

🏆 The Legacy Championship – What It Is & Why It Matters

Created to celebrate the best of the breed, this exclusive, money-added class is open to horses aged three and older and welcomes both Open and Amateur riders. The class will be judged by individuals randomly selected from exhibitor-nominated judges, ensuring a transparent, fair, and community-driven process.

But this is more than just a class.

✅ It’s a movement to elevate the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse.
✅ A platform to spotlight top-level horses, trainers, and riders.
✅ A commitment to a new standard—prestige, prize money, and purpose.

With over $10,000 already committed to the purse and growing daily through entries, sponsorships, and donations, the Legacy Championship is positioned to be a bold new benchmark for excellence in our breed.

At its heart, it’s about honoring the past while building the future—creating a legacy worthy of the horses we love and the people who have shaped this breed with passion and perseverance.

🌟 Whether you're riding, donating, or cheering from the stands, you’re helping to make history.

🔗 For more information, contact Beau Mantle at 417-379-1412.

07/31/2025

THE MORE YOU KNOW...

Did you know that humans can be exposed to Rabies WITHOUT sustaining a bite from an infected equine? This is because contact of skin or mucosa with the saliva could be enough to transmit the disease.

Rabies has many faces, but they are all deadly—once a horse shows clinical signs, the animal invariably dies within a few days as there is no treatment.

The good news is that modern vaccines are highly effective and current AAEP recommendations list rabies as one of the “core vaccines” that should be given to all equines annually to maintain immunity (read the full AAEP vaccination guidelines here: https://aaep.org/guidelines/vaccination-guidelines).

Equine rabies is a real risk for all horses, and a public health concern as well. Be sure to set up a regular vaccination schedule with your veterinarian if you haven’t already done so. Remember that strange behavior on behalf of your equine friend is always a valid reason to check in with your veterinarian!

07/29/2025

Did you know tigers are the largest cat species in the world, and the third-largest carnivore on land? In fact, Siberian tigers are the largest subspecies of tigers and weigh up to 660 pounds.

On , let us celebrate these striped felines and give a very big shout out to all the zoo, wildlife, and other veterinary professionals out there caring for these big cats!