Skillman Veterinary Services

10/27/2026

Don’t be scared! 😱 🎃👻 Here’s what you should know:

1. Start with smooth, wrinkle free padding
2. Keep tension even, but not too tight
3. Maintain consistent overlap with each pass
4. Keep the wrap smooth from top to bottom
5. Check for slipping or uneven pressure

When in doubt, ask your vet to show you how!

10/23/2026

Your equine friend might be telling you something at the feed bucket. 🦷 Taking longer to finish a meal, dropping wads of hay, or leaving feed behind can be more than a picky eating habit. These subtle changes may point to dental discomfort.

Horses’ teeth continuously change with wear, making routine dental examinations an important part of preventative care. Even horses that maintain their weight and eat normally can have dental issues that go unnoticed.

Keep an eye out for changes in chewing, eating habits, weight and comfort under saddle.

10/21/2026

Don't let hydration slip this fall! 💧

- Monitor Manure & Drinking Habits: Keep an eye on water consumption and manure production. Reduced manure can be an early warning sign of dehydration or impaction colic.

- Keep Water Fresh: Provide clean, fresh water at all times and check buckets and troughs daily.

- Encourage Water Intake: Offer slightly warmed water during colder weather, as some horses prefer it.

Consistent hydration is essential for digestive health, even as temperatures drop.

10/19/2026

Noticing changes? 🤔 If your horse seems stiff after standing, takes longer to warm up, or isn’t moving quite like they used to, joint health may be worth a closer look!

Arthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD), is a common cause of lameness in horses. As joint cartilage deteriorates, inflammation and pain can develop, affecting comfort, mobility and performance. While arthritis is progressive, early recognition and veterinary care can help manage discomfort and maintain your horse’s quality of life.

🦴 Signs to watch for include:

- Stiffness after rest
- Lameness that improves with movement
- Heat or swelling around the joints
- A shortened stride or reluctance to move
- Changes in performance or attitude

Even subtle changes in movement, attitude or performance can be early signs of joint discomfort. If you notice anything unusual, such as stiffness, lameness or joint swelling, schedule a veterinary evaluation.

Depending on the diagnosis, treatment may include anti-inflammatory medications, joint injections and adjustments to your horse’s exercise and management routine.

Learn more about equine veterinary care at skillmanvet.com.

10/16/2026

🥶 With overnight lows forecast near 35°F across parts of Indiana this weekend, now is the time to prepare your horse for the colder weather ahead.

From housing and blanketing to nutrition, fresh water, and preventative healthcare, a few seasonal adjustments can help keep your horse healthy and comfortable as we head into winter.

Here's how Dr. Skillman can help you prepare your horse for the colder months:

1. Fall Vaccinations: Review your horse's vaccination schedule and determine which vaccines are appropriate for the season.

2. Targeted Deworming: Develop a deworming plan based on f***l testing and your horse's individual needs.

3. Dental Exams and Floating: Address dental issues that may affect chewing, comfort, and body condition.

4. Winter Health Assessment: Evaluate laminitis risk factors and other health conditions that may require additional monitoring through the winter.

A little preparation now can go a long way toward supporting your horse's health throughout the winter season. Contact Skillman Veterinary Services to discuss your horse's seasonal healthcare needs.

10/14/2026

🪰 🤮 That is a parasitic bot fly!

Bot flies lay tiny yellow eggs on horses’ front legs and other areas of the body. When horses lick or groom themselves, the eggs hatch and the larvae are swallowed, eventually attaching to the stomach lining.

Bot larvae can irritate the stomach, cause inflammation, and can contribute to digestive issues and colic.

Regularly removing eggs and following your veterinarian’s deworming recommendations can help keep these pests under control!

10/12/2026

𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘀 𝗨𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆
Skillman Veterinary Services now offers shockwave therapy as an advanced treatment option for equine patients. This extraordinary veterinary modality uses high-energy acoustic waves directed into targeted areas of injured or painful tissue.
Shockwave therapy may be incorporated into the management of a variety of orthopedic and soft-tissue conditions, including:

• Tendon and ligament injuries
• Osteoarthritis and degenerative joint conditions
• Musculoskeletal pain
• Certain bone injuries and conditions
• Chronic or poorly healing soft-tissue injuries
• Delayed tissue healing
• Selected cases of delayed wound healing

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸?
Rather than simply addressing the sensation of pain, shockwave therapy is intended to stimulate biological processes involved in tissue repair. The acoustic waves are delivered directly to the affected area, where they can promote local circulation and cellular responses associated with healing and tissue remodeling.

Treatment protocols vary depending on the diagnosis, location, severity, and stage of the injury. A veterinary examination and appropriate diagnostic workup are important before beginning treatment to determine whether shockwave therapy is indicated.

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻
Shockwave therapy is not a replacement for an accurate diagnosis or a complete rehabilitation program. Depending on the individual case, it may be used in combination with controlled exercise, rest, therapeutic farriery, medication, rehabilitation or other veterinary treatments.

For performance horses, developing an appropriate treatment and rehabilitation plan is particularly important. Our goal is to identify the underlying cause of lameness and develop an evidence-based approach to help the horse return to comfortable, functional movement.

10/12/2026

10/08/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

A horse’s hoof is a complex structure, and what we see on the outside does not always tell the full story. Collaboration between your veterinarian and farrier can provide valuable insight into the internal structures of the foot and help guide more informed trimming and shoeing decisions.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐬 𝐁𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝?

Radiographs can provide an inside view of the hoof and help evaluate:

• Coffin bone position and alignment
• Hoof-pastern axis and overall angles
• Sole depth and protection
• Coffin joint space
• Changes, rotation or sinking of the coffin bone
• Bone remodeling or arthritic changes
• Previous or current hoof-related injuries
• Changes associated with laminitis or other hoof disease

This information can be especially valuable when managing chronic lameness, laminitis, thin soles, abnormal hoof conformation, recurrent hoof problems or a horse that is not responding as expected to routine farrier care.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Radiographs allow the veterinarian to evaluate the internal structures while the farrier can use that information to make precise adjustments to the external hoof. When both professionals communicate and work from the same information, trimming and shoeing decisions can be better tailored to the individual horse.

For the horse owner, this means a more complete understanding of what is happening inside the hoof. For the veterinarian, it provides an opportunity to incorporate the farrier’s knowledge of the horse’s hoof history, conformation and response to previous shoeing. For the farrier, it provides valuable information that cannot be determined from the outside alone.

10/05/2026

Is your herd up to date? 🐴 Horses vaccinated prior to March 2026 may be overdue for their fall boosters!

https://skillmanvet.com/