Knik River Veterinary Services

05/07/2026

🎉 MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY 🎉

We love seeing this community show up, support one another, and help us continue doing what we’re passionate about every single day.

Because of YOU...your tags, your shares, your recommendations, we’re able to keep growing and providing the level of care your horses deserve.

And now… the moment we’ve all been waiting for… 🥁

Our Giveaway Winner is…
✨ LINDA VUKMIR PERKINS ✨

Congratulations, Linda! 🎉
You’ve won a custom Performance Equine Specialists hat and TWO tailbags!

We truly appreciate your support, and everyone who participated. This is exactly what community looks like.

👉 Keep tagging, sharing, and spreading the word, because we’re just getting started.

04/23/2026

Veterinary - Client - Patient Relationship.

This dynamic means that I have seen you and at least one of your animals or your farm at some point within the last 365 days. That is a legal description that all veterinarians are required to follow. This becomes a very valuable relationship during the extremely hectic spring time season when many farms have their farm population double with new babies. Because this time of year is very busy, with appointments that are generally scheduled months in advance, it is not possible to take in new clients at that time of year.

When I have not seen someone before, it takes a long time to gather all the information I need from them before I even look at their animal. At least a half an hour. Maybe an hour or more if there are a lot of prior records for me to read and go over. There is no time for going over and gathering all that information in the spring. Here is a list of information that I need the first time that I see someone that I don’t know:

What is your name.
Where do you live. What is your address for you? For your animals?
Is this a pet? Is this a food animal? Is this breeding stock?
What is your personal value system for your budget is today?
What payment method do you want to use? I do not take payments.
Credit cards require an additional approx 4% for your bill.
This is where I am located. I do not have time to travel in the spring.
 If you do not have a trailer, I do not have one for you to use.
I can give you the names of some people that probably live near you and may loan you their trailer.
You do not have to figure out how to turn around in the driveway. The driveway is through and through and goes all the way back to the highway.
Just like you, I try to avoid working at night and on weekends if at all possible. There is an extra cost for that as it takes away from family time. Although I frequently work during these times anyway for emergencies. Frequently is a relative term. Daily could be more accurate.
Yes, it is possible that your appointment will get bumped by an emergency. That happens on a regular basis. Someday, it may be your emergency.
There are limitations to the Diagnostics that are available because we live in Alaska. If you want to fly your pet out of state to a university for treatment, I can help you with that.
The medications that I prescribed for your pet, are for your pet. They are not for you. Or your neighbor. Or your neighbor’s pet.

My point being that there are not enough hours in the day to establish this information during the Spring time. If you are established within the last year, then I can help you over the phone. Or I can fit you in between those regularly scheduled appointments. It is not possible to go through all those questions listed above and still be able to get through the day in a timely manner. Every single day, I help 5 to 10 people with their animals over the phone without seeing their animals because they are established. And they don’t pay a dime for my time over the phone. Every single day, I see another one to five animals as a fit in between those scheduled appointments. If I am unable to help someone and their animal on the phone because they have not done this within the last year, it is very painful to me.

When I call farms in the fall or winter and say, I am driving by your direction and we should consider having a visit while I am driving by…. I am not trying to drum up business. I am trying to establish that veterinarian client patient relationship so that I can help you in the busy season when you will need me. Commonly, the farmer will say I don’t need anything right now, so no don’t come by. 

The answer is not more veterinarians. Why? Because livestock owners for the most part are only supporting our livelihood as veterinarians during the busy season. That busy season has to pay for our livelihood for the entire year. We may not work for some weeks in the winter time when it is below zero. At all. And if we do, it is generally for only severe emergencies. This has pushed the younger generation that needs a reliable monthly income to pay their astronomical costs and student loans to take corporate small animal jobs that are not seasonal, have a four day work week with no emergency duty, and full benefits. So it falls on the livestock owners to plan better. And planning better involves establishing that veterinarian client patient relationship throughout the year…. Just not in the spring.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
It is imperative if you have livestock to establish a veterinarian client patient relationship (VCPR) every year. If you have a large farm, that happens usually between October and February when I can travel to your farm. Not in the Spring. This is the case for all veterinarians that work on livestock everywhere for the most part. But especially in Alaska, where weather and seasonality are a major part of our life.

04/23/2026

Sheep:

Are you considering breeding your sheep AI this year? Do you have show 4-H/FFA projects or do you have a purebred flock you would like to perpetuate? Now is the time to order in inventory! I have access to Milk Sheep, Fiber sheep, show/meat sheep, meat sheep, Shetland, and many other breeds of sheep semen is available. Most of it is UK or NZ or French import so genetic selection is excellent. The disease testing is also the most stringent of any. AI is a great way to keep your flock (and Alaska) clean of disease but still get new Genetics. Ordering as a group is a great way to help keep it affordable. DM for more information.🐑

04/13/2026

Feeling so proud of all the horses I am seeing this spring that somehow I had a hand in bringing them into the world in years past. Sometimes it is several generations of horses. So amazing. All of them are wonderful horses.

And as this crazy busy season rolls on, I am grateful for all those regulars for the last 30 years that made their appointment times 3 months ahead of time in January or that had standing appointments all these years at the same time. Every year. Your regular veterinarian could use an Atta Boy! about now. It may seem that we have fallen off the Earth, but we are out here not just every single day….. but sometimes for days on end without ever hitting the pillow. Working through the night to do the life-threatening emergencies and all the paperwork that goes along with your appointments. I see posts of people looking to see where their veterinarian is. I guarantee you they are out there burning up the pavement. Seeing your neighbors emergencies and maybe even sometimes yours.

If you or your neighbor need work done, we can do it. They just may need to haul the horse in. So visit with your neighbors and your horse friends and those that either can’t get their Horse trailer out quite yet or those that need their horses out because they are flooded or those that have an emergency or that just need a regular appointment. Now is the time to help them out. And help us out as a community to get everything done. And then put a reminder for yourself on your calendar for 1 January of next year to call and make your appointment so that we can be the most efficient possible on getting things done in certain areas and all in the same barn. This year has been pretty good. Thank you for that.🐎🐎🐎

04/04/2026

What a great gift idea for a horse or livestock person!

🌸 SPRING TRAILER CLEANING IS BACK 🌸

🧼 Horse Trailer Cleaning Services

💲 Rates:• 2-horse: $50/hr (3 hr minimum – $150)• 3–4 horse: $50/hr (4 hr minimum – $200)

✨ What’s included:
• Mats pulled + cleaned on BOTH sides
• Full pressure wash (inside & outside w/ soap)
• Windows washed
• Leather dividers treated (Armor-All)
• Tires cleaned
• Hitch + door hinges lubricated

📍 Wasilla–Fishhook (Pamela area)

💬 Message me for scheduling or special requests, I’d be happy to accommodate!

💡 I’m saving up for my first horse, so every booking helps and is greatly appreciated🫶
I also sell paracord gear + sourdough on this page, message if you’re interested!

Drop off your trailer… pick it up looking BRAND NEW ✨

📩 Message me to claim a spot!

(Pic for attention)

03/20/2026

Weather Advisory:

You would think that during the -20 and -30 weather that that is when we would see the most sick animals. But it is not. The worst is after the rough weather is very prolonged. And as it starts to warm up. This stretch of wind is also going to significantly affect an entire entirely new population of animals that just arrived as babies this month and last month. So if you are on the fence about whether or not livestock need Blankets…. At least the babies and any of the oldies and any of the rundown ones are ready for a blanket right now. Additional animals that have shown susceptibility over the years to cold and rough and prolonged weather are donkeys, pet wether goats, babies, livestock with a heavy lice infestation, and thin animals. If any of your animals fit these categories, then put them inside tonight and through tomorrow.

Stay warm. Stay out of the wind.

03/12/2026

Eventually, I will remember to take a picture of what it looks like inside the horse’s mouth before I have rinsed all the food out! They pack their food over the top of the teeth that are injured and overall the points that are causing injury to their cheeks. Zero possibility you can see what is going on or do anything accurate about it until all of that is rinsed out. It requires sedation to do that and have a really good look.

In this collection of pictures, I see a piece of retained baby tooth. There’s a bit of blood in the after picture where I removed that piece of baby tooth. And we see severe damage to the surface of the molars.

02/27/2026

Helping Alaska’s horses. Every day. 🐎

02/24/2026

If you are a regular with the Clinic, please text to get your spring maintenance on the schedule.

01/28/2026

The next time someone tells me they can’t trailer their horse…. I know you all have a raft, a ratchet strap, and a snowmachine 😂 No, really, I have met people at the head of many trails and gone in by snowmachine, swamp buggy, horse, airplane-ish, …. that’s the Alaskan Way. 🐎