Choptank Equine, LLC

04/16/2025

04/09/2025

Excellent explanation of laminitis.
We will follow along and share this series.

03/26/2025

Please read, we are getting more and more calls from people that we have not seen in years or people we have never seen.
We are accepting new clients and would gladly get you set up, but an emergency is not the time to build or repair your relationship with a vet.

Our emergency/after hours services are for our current clients only. This means you’re paid up and we have seen you for something routine in the last year.

Please be respectful of this, we are happy to come and provide emergency services for our current clients, but with only two of us we are splitting call 50/50 and Dr Harris is on call 24/7 for reproduction and it’s an unfair ask to not only cover our clients but anyone who calls. That’s being tied to your phone and leaving your family/plans, not being able to go away for half the year or more Please be considerate, we are human andd deserve to be treated as such.

🚨Emergencies! 🚨Please take the time to read this post.

First PLEASE only use the emergency line for emergencies ONLY! This means there is immediate danger to their welfare, lots of blood, choking, colic, major poor life decisions that horses like to make etc NOT routine non-urgent questions. Please hold all other questions, requests until normal business hours. If you call/text/email non-urgent requests, please know they will not be addressed until the next business day.
We are on call 24/7/365 for over 1000 clients, many with multiple animals. So if it isn't urgent please be respectful of our time after hours. Even after hours we are never "off," we can get called out and away from our families and plans at any moment, and this happens multiple times a week. Again, texts, emails and our regular voicemail is not monitored after hours.

Our policies
1. Emergency services are reserved for our CURRENT CLIENTS ONLY, this means we have seen your horse/goat for a ROUTINE visit within the last YEAR and there is no outstanding balance over 30 days.
2. There is an emergency fee associated with after-hours calls
3. As always payment is expected at the time of service
4. CALL for emergency service, again texts, email and regular voicemail is not monitored after hours.
5. Calls made to the emergency line for non-emergency questions are subject to a consultation fee.

We pride ourselves on being there for our clients and are always willing to come help in emergency situations, this is why even when Dr. Harris is away we make sure to have someone working for you.

In order for us to provide the best service we can we need to time spend with our family and be "off" as much as one can be while on call, so again please be respectful of the time afterhours and hold non-urgent things until the next business day. This industry is extremely difficult and there are fewer of us to go around these days.

Some situations may not be black and white as far as urgent or not and that's ok. If it's bad enough you're questioning, it's bad enough to call and talk to us.
We would love to help prepare you for emergencies and make sure you have basic supplies and medications on hand just ask or we can have a chat about it next time we are out for a visit. Prevention and preparation help everyone in these situations.

We LOVE taking care of you and your animals and want to continue to do so for years to come, thank you for your help and respect.

Dr. Harris

03/14/2025

Forgot to take a photo of the first official pregnancy of 2025 🤦🏻‍♀️, so here’s our second pregnancy of 2025!!
Can’t wait to meet you next year small one!

03/08/2025

Happy to have been able to assist in getting this fella out of a sticky situation. Thankful for a great team effort and a good outcome!

02/12/2025

But why is it so true 😂😂😂

Credit

02/11/2025

With the forecasted inclement weather we are operating on an urgent/emergency basis tonight/tomorrow for the safety of our doctors. If you need us as always we are available, please understand that the road conditions may limit our response time.
The office will be open as normal.☃️

02/07/2025

Susan the sheep is pregnant and due any time now.
What do you think she’s will have? Boy or girl?

01/31/2025

❓Did you know that up to 30% of aged horses may be diagnosed with Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID, also known as equine Cushing’s) in their lifetime? This disease brings many challenges with senior horse care to both horse owners and veterinarians. 🐴

🔬 Researchers at the University of Minnesota and University of Florida are motivated to better understand this disease through investigating the genetics associated with PPID risk and pergolide response in horses. 🧬

👉 Do you have a horse being treated for PPID? We could use your help! In order to properly answer the genetic questions surrounding disease risk and drug response, we are continuing to enroll horses with PPID (diagnosed by a veterinarian) that are being treated with pergolide.

🔗 Please check out our website to learn how you can enroll in this study and help us to help the horses you love! We are excited about this project and its potential impact to improve quality of life in many senior horses. ⬇🐴💖

z.umn.edu/pergolidestudy

01/21/2025

Given the frigid temperatures this week lets go over some winter weather tips courtesy of the American Association of Equine Practitioners

1. While lots of hay is ideal for horses to eat to keep warm, now is NOT the time to introduce a round bale if they’ve never had access to one before. It may be more work, but keep throwing them their normal hay source, just more frequently.

2. Similarly, if your horse is not used to being in a stall, now is NOT the time. The stress of a major change and the decreased activity can be risk factors for colic. Be sure they have access to shelter, hay, and drinkable water but let them move around if they choose to do so.

3. Horses that are thin, older, or fully body clipped are those most at risk in extreme weather.

4. Well-fitting blankets are great but be sure that horses do not get sweaty under them, or that the blankets don’t soak through if snow or rain covered. Wet, cold and covered is worse that dry, cold and naked.

5. Some of the highest risk times are when the temperatures hover right around freezing, as that can result in sleet/freezing rain/ice that can make horses wet and therefore colder. Slippery footing is a concern, too.

6. If using electric water heaters, be sure they are functioning and not shocking horses. Take your gloves off and stick your hand in the water (briefly!!!) to double check.

7. Entice your horses to consume extra water by flavoring a bucket, adding electrolytes to their meals, or soaking their meals in warm water. If you’ve never fed beet pulp before, be sure to add LOTS of warm water. Dry beet pulp is a common source of choke.

8. The tips of your horses' ears can be at risk for frostbite. Putting on a waterproof, jumper-style ear bonnet or other waterproof ear cover can protect them from wind chills.

If you have any questions or concerns about keeping your horses safe this winter please give us a call!

01/12/2025

01/06/2025

With the storm coming we will be rescheduling tomorrow’s appointments, 1/6/25, and be seeing emergencies only.

Please be understanding of our limitations responding given the road conditions etc, we will get to you as soon as we safely can.

Our office will be open for administrative needs and booking appointments as usual.
As always please CALL if you have an emergency and choose the option to be put through to our veterinarian on call.
410-429-7347

Enjoy the snow and stay safe!

01/03/2025

Looks like we are in for some really cold weather and some snow in the coming days. Make sure your horses are ready for it!
The number one emergency we see during these times is impaction colic.

Why is this?
🐴 Horses tend to drink less when it’s this cold out especially if not provided with fresh like warm water
🐴Increased dry matter (hay) intake
🐴Less movement, many are confined to stalls to keep them out of the weather

All of these impact the horses delicate gastrointestinal system and the good news is we can help

🌟Make sure your horses have access to water that is not cold, studies show they like water around 50 degrees. You can also offer some flavored water. Molasses, Gatorade, etc in addition to their regular water can help encourage drinking

🌟If possible keep them moving. Hand walks, turn out in an indoor or turn out is best. They don’t need to be kept in if they have access to forage and a shelter and adequate blankets if necessary

🌟Feed can we soaked to increase water consumption and you can add table salt to their ration to increase thirst as well

12/30/2024

Our office will be closing at noon on 12/31 and will remain closed on 01/01/205 for the New Year Holiday.

We would like to thank everyone for another great year and we look forward to seeing you in 2025. Thank you all for your loyalty and support and we look forward to caring do you and your equine partners for years to come!

As always during this time we will have a doctor on call should you have an emergency. In the event of an emergency PLEASE CALL. Text messages and emails are not monitored when our office is closed.

12/24/2024

We want to remind everyone the office will be closed on Christmas Eve through the 26th. We will also have very limited appointments on New Year’s Eve and are closed New Year’s Day!

As always, we have a doctor on call for emergencies. CALL if you have an emergency, texts and emails are not monitored after hours or when the office is closed.

We know we look forward to this time of the year to recharge with our families before starting the new year, we hope you get to find some peace and happiness this holiday season!

12/22/2024

12/18/2024

Christmas is just around the corner!

We want to remind everyone the office will be closed on Christmas Eve through the 26th. We will also have very limited appointments on New Year’s Eve and are closed New Year’s Day!

As always, we have a doctor on call for emergencies.

We know we look forward to this time of the year to recharge with our families before starting the new year, we hope you get to find some peace and happiness this holiday season!