PHD Veterinary Service

10/30/2026

🎃🐴 Trick or Treat? Not All Treats Are Horse Friendly! 👻

Halloween means plenty of candy, but what's sweet for us isn't always safe for our horses!

🍫 Chocolate: Contains theobromine, which is toxic to horses and may also cause issues with drug testing in performance horses.

🍬 Sugary Candy: Excess sugar can increase the risk of digestive upset and laminitis, especially in horses with metabolic conditions.

🚫 Artificial Ingredients: Some candy additives may pose health risks.

🍭 Hard Candy & Gum: Can present choking hazards.

🧡 Treat Them Instead With:
🥕 Carrots (in moderation)
🍎 Apple slices (in moderation)
🪮 Extra grooming and attention
🐎 A little extra turnout time

Save the candy for the trick-or-treaters! Your horse will appreciate a healthier treat.

🎃 From all of us at PHD Veterinary Services, have a safe, spooky, and horse friendly Halloween! 👻

10/28/2026

🐴 WHINNY WEDNESDAY: CAPTION THIS! 💬

If this horse could talk, what would it be saying to our tech, Matt? 😂

We want to hear your funniest captions!

👇 Drop yours in the comments. Let's see who can make us laugh the hardest!

10/26/2026

🐴 Just Another Busy Day at PHD Veterinary Services!

Dr. Hodge is busy taking care of a dental patient while our Aqua Pacer guest gets a front row seat to the action! 👀🐎

From routine dental care and performance evaluations to lameness diagnostics, conditioning, and rehabilitation, there's always something happening at PHD!

A friendly reminder to stay ahead of your horse's care! Whether it's time for their annual dental, a performance or lameness evaluation, or you're looking to schedule Aqua Pacer sessions, we're here to help keep your horse healthy, comfortable, and performing at their best.

📞 Call 352-538-9165 to get on our schedule!

10/23/2026

We are just one week away from gathering to celebrate the life, memories, and lasting impact of Gino.

As we finalize preparations, we kindly ask that anyone planning to attend please RSVP through our Facebook event page or visit the link below if you have not already done so.

We look forward to coming together to honor and remember someone who meant so much to so many. 🤍

https://www.facebook.com/events/1068194959146059

10/21/2026

10/19/2026

💙🐴 Happy National Veterinary Technician Week!

A special thank you to Matt, Ella, Sarah, Brooke, Zoe, and Livi for the dedication, compassion, and hard work you bring to PHD Veterinary Services every day!

Your commitment to our patients, support of our veterinarians, and willingness to go above and beyond never go unnoticed.

We appreciate each of you and couldn't do what we do without you! 💙🐴

10/16/2026

🐴 When Was Your Horse’s Last Performance Exam?

Your horse doesn’t have to be visibly lame to benefit from a performance evaluation.

At PHD Veterinary Services, we recommend routine performance exams every 6 months to help monitor your horse’s soundness, comfort, and overall athletic health.

Our comprehensive evaluations go beyond the basics. Dr. Porter assesses your horse’s joints, tendons, muscles, spine, heart, and lungs, utilizing hands-on examinations, flexion tests and additional diagnostics to identify subtle changes that may otherwise go unnoticed.

Why wait until there's a problem? Identifying potential concerns early can help prevent minor issues from becoming more significant setbacks.

Whether your horse is actively competing or simply enjoying regular work, proactive care is an important part of keeping them comfortable and performing at their best.

Contact PHD Veterinary Services to schedule your next performance exam.

352-538-9165
www.phdveterinaryservices.com

10/14/2026

Why Would We Tap the Belly? A Look Inside Part of a Colic Workup

🐴When this horse showed signs of colic, an abdominal ultrasound revealed something abnormal: fluid in the peritoneal cavity, the space surrounding the intestines. That raised a serious question: could something have ruptured?

To get answers, Dr. Porter performed an abdominocentesis, also called a belly tap.

🔍What’s happening in the video?
Using ultrasound to locate any free fluid in the peritoneal cavity, a sterile teat cannula is passed through the abdominal wall and sterile sample is collected for analysis.

🧪What are we looking for?
Healthy peritoneal fluid is clear to pale yellow and there isn’t much of it. A rupture of the stomach or intestine leaks gut contents into the abdomen, which changes the fluid dramatically:
Color & clarity: Cloudy, brown, or green-tinged fluid is a red flag
Plant material or bacteria: Seeing feed particles or bacteria under the microscope strongly suggests a rupture
Cell counts & protein: Very high numbers point to severe inflammation or infection
Lactate: Elevated levels can mean the gut isn’t getting enough blood flow

⚖️Why it matters
A gastrointestinal rupture is an emergency with a grave prognosis, so confirming or ruling it out quickly is critical. The belly tap gives us fast, concrete information to guide the next step, whether that’s medical treatment, referral for surgery, or a difficult conversation with the owner.

🐴Is it safe?
Yes. It’s a quick, routine procedure, usually done standing with light sedation, and it carries a low risk of complications.

Colic is always an emergency. If your horse is showing signs, call us right away at 352-538-9165.

10/12/2026

Educated Owners. Informed Decisions. Better Care. 🐴

At PHD Veterinary Services, we believe that understanding your horse's care is just as important as the care itself.

Our goal is never to simply recommend a treatment. We want our clients to understand why we're recommending it, what the procedure involves, and how it may benefit their horse.

In today's reel, we're giving you a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what happens during a sacroiliac (SI) injection. As you watch this snippet of the procedure, Dr. Porter takes the time to explain to the horse owner what the procedure involves, helping them better understand their horse's treatment and care.

We believe that when horse owners are educated and informed, they feel more confident making decisions about their horse's health.

Because exceptional veterinary care goes beyond treatment. It includes communication, education, and a partnership built on trust.

🐴 PHD Veterinary Services
📞 352-538-9165

Providing exceptional equine veterinary care through education, communication, and a commitment to your horse's health.

10/08/2026

🐴 The Horse You Tried… Is It the Horse You're Bringing Home? 🧪

Recently, our team has seen an uptick in pre-purchase toxicology screens coming back positive for trazodone, a medication that can have a calming, sedating effect on horses.

🤔 Why does this matter?

A horse with trazodone in its system may seem quieter and more reserved during your trial. Slower, Less reactive to the leg and the external stimuli and ultimately easygoing in a new environment.

But once the medication wears off, the horse that arrives at your barn may have a lot more energy than the one you rode, and may not be the right fit for you, your goals, or your program.

🧪 What toxicology testing does
During your pre-purchase exam, we pull a small blood sample that's screened for calming agents, pain medications, and other substances that could mask a horse's true temperament or soundness. The blood sample is then prepped to be sent off to a specialized equine toxicology lab. This gives you a clearer picture of the horse you're actually committing to.

🔬 How the testing works
Your horse's blood sample is sent to a specialized equine toxicology lab, where it's analyzed using LC/MS/MS (liquid chromatography/ mass spectrometry/ mass spectrometry). This means the lab separates the sample into its individual components and identifies them with a high degree of accuracy. It's the same type of highly sensitive technology used in competition drug testing.

Our standard pre-purchase screen checks for more than 30 drugs, including common sedatives, tranquilizers, anti-inflammatories, pain relievers, corticosteroids, and local anesthetics.

💊 Common substances that can change what you see:

🔹 Bute (phenylbutazone): An anti-inflammatory pain reliever that can hide lameness or discomfort during your trial and exam.

🔹 Ace (acepromazine): A tranquilizer that can make a horse appear calmer and more laid-back than normal.

🔹 Dormosedan (detomidine): A sedative that can dull a horse's reactions and energy level.

🔹 Rompun (xylazine): A commonly used sedative that can make a horse seem quieter and less responsive.

🔹 Reserpine: A longer-acting tranquilizer that can keep a horse subdued for days.

🔹 Trazodone: A calming medication we've been seeing more often, which can take the edge off a horse's natural energy.

Any of these can change how a horse looks, moves, or behaves, which means the horse you fall in love with during your trial may not be the same horse once it's home.

💡 Our recommendation
Yes, it's an added cost. But compared to the investment of a purchase or lease, and the time, training, and safety that come with finding the right match, it's a small price for peace of mind.

✅ Buying? Add toxicology to your PPE.
✅ Leasing? Add toxicology to your PPE.
Never skip this step.

📞 Planning a pre-purchase exam? Contact PHD Veterinary Services at 352-538-9165