Pioneer Equine Hospital

07/29/2026

📢 📢 Important announcement from United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) for those that show at USEF events 📢 📢  
 
There are new guidelines for cetirizine (Zyrtec) and methocarbamol.

07/15/2026

Last, but certainly not least, in our intern introductions is Dr. Georgia Jellen! 
 
I am from Seattle, WA. I grew up riding horses and showing in 4-H when I was younger. I went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for undergrad, and pursued my passion for equine veterinary medicine further there, enjoying foaling, c**t starting, breeding, and working at The Equine Center, SLO. Seeing the difference that horses make in the lives of their people, I grew a strong passion for supporting the bond between people and their equine companions. I attended Washington State University for veterinary school, and I am excited to be back in the sunshine with a wonderful team at Pioneer Equine. I plan to go into general practice after internship. My two horses, Tulsa and Chessie, have come with me on all of the adventures, and I likely will be found riding them between evening emergencies throughout the year.   
  
What are you most looking forward to for your internship?  
I am looking forward to the vast variety of learning opportunities to come and am grateful for all of the horses I get to learn so much from.   
  
If you could be any animal for a day, what would you be?  
I would be a cat for a day so that I could take a nap in the sunshine.   
  
If you could get a free lifetime supply of anything, what would it be?  
Gluten free cheez its 

07/09/2026

Next up in our intern introductions, join us in welcoming Dr. Audrey DeZell!  
 
I am originally from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science at Montana State University and completed my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Minnesota. During vet school, I was president of surgery club and was also involved in the business management and equine clubs. I am interested in sports medicine and surgery and am considering doing a large animal surgery residency following my internship. In my free time, I enjoy cooking and baking, hiking, fishing, reading, and taking care of my many plants.   
  
What are you most looking forward to for your internship?  
I’m excited to learn something new every day, continue developing my clinical skills, and work alongside experienced and passionate clinicians while caring for a diverse equine caseload.  
  
What is your favorite book or movie?  
Favorite movie - Ratatouille 👩🏼‍🍳  
  
If you could be any animal for a day, what would you be?  
I would be a dolphin for a day to get to see what life is like underwater and experience echolocation.   
  
If you could get a free lifetime supply of anything from Costco or Trader Joes, what would it be?  
Sour strawberry belts from Trader Joe’s   
Rotisserie chicken 🍗 from Costco. There’s nothing better than a rotisserie chicken. 

07/03/2026

07/02/2026

⭐️Happy 4th of July Weekend⭐️

The office will be closed on Friday and Saturday for the holiday. Please leave a message to be received Monday morning for any Non-Emergency needs.

If you have an Emergency, please call our normal number 209-847-5951, Press Zero and you will be transferred to our Answering Service!

Have a Safe and Fun weekend! 💙❤️
-Your Pioneer Family

07/02/2026

We are pleased to introduce our 2026-2027 intern team. First up in our intern introductions is Dr Lucas Thacker.  
 
I am from Lompoc, California. I got my B.S. in Kinesiology at Cal Poly SLO. During my undergraduate I worked at The Equine Center in SLO and Alamo Pintado before going to vet school at UC Davis. While at Davis I worked in Livestock barn all 3 years prior to clinics. In my free time I enjoy exercising, golfing, fishing, hiking and snowboarding. My career goals are to become an ambulatory equine general practitioner with special interests in reproduction and sports medicine.  
 
What are you most looking forward to during your internship 🐎 ? 
I look forward to building new skills to grow as a practitioner  
 
What is your favorite movie 🎥 or book 📕 ? 
Movie Banshees of Inisherin 
 
If you could be any animal for a day, what would it be and why? 
I would be a blue whale to explore the ocean and experience sea life as a part of it.  🐋
 
If you could get a free lifetime supply of anything from Costco or Trader Joe’s, what would it be? 
Muffins from Costco

06/26/2026

⭐️ Early Reminder: We will be closed next Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th⭐️

All regularly scheduled appointments and the office will be closed for those two days. Please plan ahead if you are needing to schedule an appointment or pick up prescriptions.
As always, we are open 24/7 for emergencies! Please call 209-847-5951, Press Zero, and you will be directed to our answering service!

06/17/2026

Last week Dr. Gianna Paganelli traveled to Seattle for the annual American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) conference. This conference brings together specialists in large animal internal medicine to hear the latest developments on the field.  
 
Dr Paganelli got updates on many topics including neurology, cardiology, and neonatal foals.
 
As a special event, she got to celebrate her recent diplomate status with all the other candidates that earned their credentials in the previous year!  
 
We can’t wait for her to implement her new and ever evolving knowledge to make our patient’s and client’s lives better.

06/17/2026

In case you have seen this on national news, here is a wonderful explanation of this case. Thanks Rhinebeck Equine for the excellent post!

🐴 As horse lovers, we tend to follow any world wide news that might be about horses. The sudden collapse and death of NYC carriage horse Deniz raised the question, “what happened?” And now we have answers. A necropsy of Deniz at Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine determined the cause of death was from the Japanese Yew.

🌲 What is the Japanese Yew?
The Japanese yew is a type of ornamental evergreen shrub commonly used for landscaping and even holiday wreaths. It is a toxic plant to horses and other animals. The leaves, needles, flowers and “fruit” (the small red berries contain a seed that is toxic) are toxic whether cut, pruned or dried.

🌲Why is the Japanese Yew toxic?
The shrub contains taxine alkaloids. These taxines act directly on the heart. Per the University of Minnesota, lethal toxicity can occur after consuming about .1% of bodyweight of the Japanese Yew.

Clinical signs include:
🫀Bradycardia (Slow heart rate)
🫁Difficulty breathing (Pulmonary congestion)
🫁Dyspnea (Rapid breathing)
🤢GI symptoms
🦵Ataxia
💪🏼Muscle trembling
🫨Seizures
🧎‍➡️Rapid collapse
🪦Sudden death

🌲Unfortunately, the only treatment available is supportive care as no known antidote is available. And diagnosis is commonly made post-mortem by examining the horse’s history, clinical signs and stomach contents.

🌲Do you know of other plants or trees that are toxic to horses?

06/09/2026

Please join us in welcoming our 2026-2027 intern class. We are very excited to introduce Dr. Audrey DeZell, Dr. Georgia Jellen, and Dr. Lucas Thacker. Stay tuned over the next few weeks where we’ll introduce them individually. We’re so happy you’re here 🤗