Farm & Field Mobile Veterinary Services PC

Farm & Field Mobile Veterinary Services PC We are a 100% ambulatory large animal practice located in northeastern NC

02/01/2026

FOALING SEASON IS UPON US!

Are you ready to assist your broodmare? Here are some tried and true guidelines to remember during foaling:

• Unless there's an emergency, allow the foal time to break the fetal membranes. Once the foal breaks through, be sure it’s breathing.

• Generally, it’s not recommended to cut or break the umbilical cord. If it has not broken during delivery, it will usually break when the mare or foal gets up.

• Encourage the mare and foal to rest as long as possible. Give them an opportunity to bond undisturbed.

• Following birth of the foal, the mare and her newborn should be monitored for normal breathing, brightness and alertness. The mare should be non-aggressive, curious and accepting of the foal.

• The foal should stand and nurse within two hours of birth. If the foal has not nursed within three hours, call your veterinarian. The foal may be weak and in need of assistance or medical attention.

• By the third hour, the mare should pass the placenta, and the foal should pass meconium. Once the placenta has been expelled, examine it to make sure it is intact, particularly at the tips of the horns. The afterbirth will be Y-shaped and should have only the hole through which the foal emerged.

• A foal must receive colostrum (the mare's first milk) within the first eight to 12 hours of life in order to absorb the antibodies. If a foal is too weak to nurse, it may be necessary to milk the mare and give the colostrum to the foal via a stomach tube.

Contact your veterinarian to learn more so you can be prepared to help the new mother and foal get off to a great start! If your mare and foal are not meeting these milestones in the appropriate timeframe, call your vet immediately.

02/01/2026

Are you (or your kids) ready to level up your showmanship game? Whether you’re just starting out or have a few years under your belt, the NC Showmanship Clinic is the place to be this February!

Where: Lenoir County Livestock Arena, Kinston, NC

📅 When: February 14, 2026

🎯 Who: Youth ages 8–19 (Beginner level: 0–5 years experience)
This is a hands-on, "start-to-finish" guide for showing Sheep and Meat Goats.

⏰ Deadline to register: February 6, 2026

🔗 Link https://youthlivestock.ces.ncsu.edu/2026/01/nc-showmanship-clinic/

12/17/2025

As we gear up for a break from school...what a better time to work on an application for summer camp! NC State is excited to be hosting Livestock Science Camp again this summer. There is no better way for a teen considering going to college for Animal Science to experience and explore like attending this camp.

12/17/2025

FOALING SEASON IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER! Is your foaling kit stocked and ready to go?

If this is your first foaling or you don’t know where to start, this graphic lists a few essentials for you to include. Having these items ready several weeks before your mare’s due date will mean less stress and scrambling at the last minute trying to acquire what you need.

As always, your veterinarian is your best source of information. Consult your horse doctor for additional recommendations for your kit and for training on how to properly use these tools to assist your mare during and after delivery!

12/17/2025

Our next question on the Equine Cervical Neck -
How does arthritis in the neck affect hoof handling of both front and hind feet? Thank You, Monique L

If your horse struggles with their farrier work or afterward, there could be a reason unrelated to the trim/shoeing.
• Pain with sustained positioning.
Farrier work requires the horse to hold a limb up and often slightly flexed for several minutes at a time. For a horse with lower cervical (neck) arthritis, this prolonged positioning acts like a long flexion test, stressing painful joints and surrounding soft tissues.

• Nerve involvement (especially in the front limbs).
The nerves that supply the front legs originate in the lower neck and brachial plexus. Arthritis can irritate or compress these nerves. Vibrations from rasping and hammering travel up the limb and can amplify nerve pain, making hoof work very uncomfortable.

• Shoulder girdle strain.
Lifting and holding a front leg requires stabilization through the neck and shoulder girdle. If the neck is arthritic, this effort can trigger pain that persists for days after farrier work, sometimes mimicking lameness caused by the trim or shoeing.

• Hind feet are affected too.
Although the hind limbs are not directly innervated by the brachial plexus, holding a hind leg up requires the horse to brace through the neck and back to maintain balance. Neck pain makes this difficult, so the horse may resist, fidget, or become sore afterward.

• Delayed soreness after farrier work.
Horses with cervical arthritis may appear fine during trimming but become lame or stiff for 2–4 days afterward, leading to farriers being blamed for issues like “taking too much off” or nail pain, when the real source is cervical discomfort.

Bottom line:
If a horse consistently struggles with farrier work—front or hind—especially with signs of soreness afterward, resistance to holding legs up, or sensitivity to vibration, the neck is an important place to investigate, particularly for arthritis or nerve-related pain.



Address

1405 Nixonton Road
Elizabeth City, NC
27909

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+12522730440

Website

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