Millington Equine

09/18/2025

Wishing the best of luck to our clients as they head up to the Big E for the 4-H Horse Show! They will compete with 4-H youth from around New England and show off all the hard work they’ve put into their equine projects.

09/11/2025

Sharing for our clients who live in the Colchester area. While rabies is rare, it can pose a significant health risk to unvaccinated animals - including horses. Report suspicious wildlife behavior to the health department or your local animal control.

A skunk in Colchester tested positive for rabies and the Chatham Health District is warning people to stay away from wild animals and strangers’ pets as well. The skunk was found in the area of Caverly Mill Road and Norwich Avenue. The Chatham Health District is urging people not to approach or co...

09/10/2025

Although they’re only needed in tiny amounts, trace minerals like cobalt, selenium, iron, and iodine have a big impact on your equine’s health. From a shiny coat and strong joints to a resilient immune system, these minerals work behind the scenes to keep your equine thriving.

But here’s the catch: While deficiencies can cause health problems, too much of a good thing can also be harmful. That’s why it’s important to test when appropriate, tailor supplementation to your horse’s needs, and work with your vet to build a balanced diet. After all, every equine is unique, and their mineral needs should be too!

09/04/2025

Introducing another member of our four-legged equine family: Our Dragon King (aka Dragon)! This 14-year-old Standardbred gelding is owned by Dr. Berman's family and had a pretty impressive harness racing career before retiring from the track in 2019. He won over $700,000 total and even set an all-age all-time track record!

After his time on the track, he was an Amish cart horse and eventually came to Dr. Berman's family through the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program. He has walked, trotted, paced, cantered, and galloped his way into the hearts of his humans and spends his days on leisurely trail rides or giving carriage rides to family and friends around town. Dragon is extremely food-motivated and can be seen spending time with his best friend, a playful 4-year-old donkey jenny.

Dragon has sold Dr. Berman on retired standardbreds. Their good-natured and can-do attitude can make them great horses for both casual and competitive riders alike. Dragon is certainly proof of that!

08/28/2025

🚨 Attention horse owners! 🚨

Over the past two weeks, Dr. Berman and Dr. Trawick have identified and treated many cases of habronemiasis, aka summer sores, in our area. These sores are common in the Southeastern U.S., but they also crop up in this region during the summer months. They are caused by the larvae of Habronema nematodes, which are transmitted into wounds or open skin by flies (gross — we know). The larvae can cause a localized inflammatory reaction in the skin, leading to granulation tissue, which we call proud flesh.

In most cases, the wounds and larvae can be treated (potentially through veterinary debridement, depending on the case) without causing major, long-term damage to the health of the equine. However, the healing process and the potential for secondary infection can be a headache for horse owners.

Luckily, there are many ways you can help prevent summer sores:
🩹 Protect small wounds from fly contact. AluShield (silver spray) is not sufficient. Covering wounds with bandages or topical ointments is preferable, as they can form a better barrier against the larvae.
🪰 Get ahead on manure control to curb fly populations.
🔍 Regularly inspect your equine for proud flesh or wounds that are not healing as expected. Topical steroids and systemic oral deworming are potential treatment pathways for managing summer sores, but they should be done under veterinary guidance.

We are hopeful that the fall weather will conclude the fly and summer sore season.

08/26/2025

Bow wow! 🐶 Wishing all of the precious pooches out there a happy National Dog Day, from our favorite canines to yours!

08/12/2025

Honestly, we can all relate to this face when it’s time for a trip to the dentist. Luckily, our resident tooth fairy, Dr. Emily, makes everything from routine floats to simple extractions a breeze for our patients. If only our own dentists were this good!

08/06/2025

We love getting to see our patients in action! Dr. T got to watch Victoria Hatt and Patrona from Rock Hill Farm at the Boyd Martin clinic at Falls Creek Farm this morning. This ever-expressive mare was declared to be "wild after the jumps," bringing a smile to all of our faces. Fabulous job, Victoria! ⭐

07/29/2025

Rye — who’s not a horse but still very cute — is just about as over this heat and humidity as we are. We’re hoping all the humans out there and their four-legged friends are staying cool and hydrated during these sweltering days. 🥵

07/27/2025

Mark your calendars! 📅 The American Association of Equine Practitioners is hosting a Mythbusters webinar examining some of the most common equine vet med myths and misconceptions. If you're a horse owner, you won't want to miss out!
This no-cost webinar requires pre-registration; you can also watch the recording if you are unable to attend virtually.

Link to register is below ⬇️

07/25/2025

As breeding season winds down, many of our broodmare patients are reaching exciting milestones. This little embryo is now several months along in the surrogate mare - growing strong and steady!

The donor mare is a barn favorite, especially among the kiddos, so we gave them a chance to learn about the process and shower her with some extra love. They even understood why she had to skip the show during flush week. After all, helping bring a baby horse into the world is just as exciting!

02/17/2025

We commonly see signs of sleep deprivation in our senior patients who struggle to get up and down comfortably. The term "narcolepsy" gets thrown around but it is more appropriate to consider the ways we are not meeting our horse's physical and social needs to allow them quality rest!

Dr. Joe Bertone reviewed features and categories of equine sleep deprivation based on more than 1,000 cases he’s seen since 1998.