Cleary Lake Veterinary Hospital Equine

03/05/2026

❓Did you know veterinary medicine and animal health come up in legislation at the State Capitol?❓

Dr. Jen Selvig joined other Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association members to meet with their state representatives and senators today at the Capitol. Dr. Selvig helped to educate lawmakers on important veterinary bills and animal health issues, including thoughts on how to vote on those issues in the best interests of the animals. It was a great experience to be directly involved with state leadership and shape laws to help vets help your pets! 🐴🐶🐱🧑‍⚖️

03/03/2026

Congratulations to our March 2026 Patient of the Month, “Roxie”, owned by Tessa Matzke!

5 fun facts about Roxie:
-‘All Night Roxanne’ aka Roxie is a 9yr old Quarter Horse and Appaloosa cross 🐴
-She competes in mounted shooting and loves trail rides 🌳
-Fresh snow gives her the zoomies and she loves playing in it ❄️
-Roxie splashes in any creek or lake we go to and she loves to roll in the water 💦
-She is terrified of boulders on trail rides and thinks they are gonna get her 🪨

Thank you all who commented to nominate your horse! Looking forward to next month! ⭐️

03/02/2026

Tiny hitchhikers. Big problems. 🐴🦠

Parasites don’t take vacations, so neither does prevention. Stay ahead of the crawl with strategic deworming and f***l testing. 💩🔬

Healthy gut. Happy horse. 🐎

Spring only a few weeks away! 🙌 It’s not too early to start thinking about a deworming plan for your horses.

If deworming is something you’ve been doing the same way for as long as you can remember, this year we encourage you to break tradition and work with your veterinarian instead. Thanks to tools like the f***l egg count, your horse doctor can help you devise a treatment tailored to the needs of your equine friend plus monitor the efficacy of the dewormer used last.

Before you dismiss this notion because you’ve been “doing it for years,” you should know that the old-school approach to deworming is quickly becoming outdated. Not only is it a waste of money, but it also builds drug resistance in the parasitic fauna of equines, which means we are running out of drugs that can effectively help us control parasite infections.

For more information, the AAEP Parasite Control Guidelines can be found on our website: https://aaep.org/resource/internal-parasite-control-guidelines/

Key take-home messages from these Internal Parasite Disease Control Guidelines include:

• Perform f***l egg count reduction tests (FECRT) annually to ensure that you are using effective dewormers in every herd or barn.

• Recognize that no anthelmintic will eliminate all parasitic stages from a horse.

• Continue using f***l egg counts (FEC) once or twice a year to stratify horses into low, medium, and high shedders to reduce pasture contamination.

• Deworm all horses at a baseline rate (once or twice a year) and target selected horses more often based on FEC (strongyle high shedders).

• Do not use FEC to diagnose disease in horses; there is no correlation between FEC and disease-causing parasite life stages.

• Discontinue deworming all horses with fixed intervals year-round (e.g., every 2 months), and stop blindly rotating anthelmintic classes.

As always, consult your equine veterinarian to learn more and for questions specific to your horses!

03/01/2026

02/26/2026

Breeding season is trotting in like it owns the barn aisle 🌸🐎

Is your mare ready for her main character moment?

✔️ Pre-breeding exams
✔️ Ultrasound checks
✔️ Vaccines updated
✔️ Nutrition dialed in
✔️ Stallion plans confirmed

A little preparation now means fewer surprises later and a smoother road to a healthy foal on the horizon. Think of it as spring cleaning… but with more hormones and significantly more attitude.

Let’s get those mares scheduled and set up for success this season 💕

02/24/2026

🚨MARCH PATIENT OF THE MONTH🚨
Want to see your horse as our next patient of the month?

RULES:
-Must be a current patient of ours
-Must have been seen by an equine vet since JUNE 1st, 2025 (and we will check 😉)
-Can be an animal other than a horse, as long as it is seen by an equine vet
-Only one horse per person
-Entries close at 11:59PM on March 1st

The winner will be selected randomly from all entries received. The winner will also receive a FREE F***l Egg Count, redeemable until March 1st, 2027.

To enter, drop a picture of your horse & their name in the comments with one fun fact about them! The winner will be contacted March 2nd.

02/23/2026

Breeding season is here! 🐎
Our Equine Reproductive Team offers the following services and more.
• Mare & stallion breeding soundness exams
• Artificial insemination (fresh, cooled, frozen)
• Embryo transfer & shipping
• Semen collection, storage, and shipping
• High-risk foaling & neonatal care
From pre-breeding exams to healthy foals, we’re here to support your breeding program every step of the way.

📞 Call 952-435-8387 to schedule a reproductive consultation with Cleary Lake Veterinary Hospital.

02/21/2026

Foaling season has started! Do you know what to watch for in the first few hours after foaling? 🐴🍼

If you have any questions about the foaling process or an emergency arises please contacts us!

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.

02/19/2026

There is still time to take advantage of our February float deal! 🦷

February is Pet Dental Health Month, and what better way to celebrate than 10% off a float in-clinic? Equine dental health is a critical aspect of horse care that greatly impacts a horses overall well-being.

Call our office today to get scheduled! 📞

02/18/2026

Today we are celebrating an incredible milestone-20 years of dedicated service as an equine veterinarian! 🐴🎉

For two decades, Dr. Heidi Terwey has been the calm in the chaos, the steady hands in emergencies, and the trusted partner to countless horse owners. Her commitment, compassion, and expertise have made a lasting impact on both horses and the people who love them.

Her knowledge keeps our equine partners healthy and thriving, but it’s her heart that truly sets her apart. Thank you for the lives saved, miles traveled, and the relationships built along the way.

Here’s to 20 amazing years- and many ahead! 👏🏼🩷

02/17/2026

🐎🧧 Happy Lunar New Year from all of us at Cleary Lake Veterinary Hospital! 🧧🐎

As we welcome the Year of the Fire Horse, we’re celebrating renewal, resilience, and forward movement, qualities we see every day in the horses we care for and the clients who love them.

The Lunar New Year is a time for fresh starts and good fortune. It’s the perfect reminder to schedule wellness exams, stay current on vaccines, and set your horse up for a healthy, strong year ahead. Preventative care is one of the best ways to invite a little “good luck” into the barn.

Thank you for trusting us with your equine partners. May the year ahead bring health to your herd, success in the saddle, and plenty of smooth rides. 🐴✨

02/13/2026

🦷 DID YOU KNOW FEBRUARY IS PET DENTAL HEALTH MONTH? 🐴

Equine dental health is a critical aspect of horse care that significantly impacts a horse's overall well-being, performance, and quality of life. Here’s an overview of key points related to equine dental health:

Anatomy of Equine Teeth 🦷
- Incisors: Located at the front of the mouth, horses have 12 incisors used for cutting and grasping grass.
- Molars & Premolars: Found in the back of the mouth, these teeth are used for grinding food.
- Wolf Teeth: Small, often vestigial teeth (usually located near the first premolar) that some horses have, which can sometimes interfere with bit placement.

Dental Development 🐎
- Horses have two sets of teeth: deciduous (baby) teeth and permanent teeth.
- Deciduous teeth begin to erupt at a few weeks of age, and by about 5 years, most horses will have their complete set of permanent teeth.

Signs of Dental Problems 🫏
- Difficulty chewing or dropping food.
- Weight loss or poor body condition.
- Bad breath or excessive salivation.
- Resistance to the bit or changes in behavior under saddle.
- Swelling or sensitivity around the mouth.

Routine Care 💚
- Regular Dental Exams: Horses should have their teeth checked at least once a year by a veterinarian. Older horses may require more frequent examinations.