As we know too well, the foundation of our horse’s health relies on preventing disease along with early recognition of health challenges. To meet this need, our Wellness Program is designed to provide our clients with the services and information necessary to maintain consistent and long-term equine health. Many horse owners have experienced an equine medical emergency; however, many common equine diseases and certain kinds of colic and lameness can be prevented with wellness examinations, appropriate vaccination, parasite control and dental care. While the Wellness Program is designed by Fairfield Equine veterinarians to meet the individual needs of your horse, we encourage our clients to remain informed and educated about disease prevention. Therefore information about our services along with general vaccination and parasite information is provided in the links below.

Wellness Examination

Central to our Wellness Program, the wellness examination is more than a basic physical examination. While all the body systems are evaluated in an effort to recognize and treat emerging health issues, our doctors will focus on those body systems most likely to impact your horse’s well-being and provide an assessment of the horse’s overall conditioning. This visit will provide the opportunity to evaluate your horse’s diet, behavior and any changes since the last veterinary visit. Additionally, this examination provides a forum for you to discuss your concerns about your horse’s health.

Vaccinations

Administration of appropriate vaccines to meet the individual needs of your horse is vital to the success of the wellness program. The demands of your well-traveled equine athlete or retired geriatric horse differ and, as always, we will help you select the inoculations that are necessary to protect your horses from contagious diseases. Vaccinations are an integral part of good equine management, helping to maximize the health and performance of our horses. Click here for a guide of our core vaccinations, as well as inoculations that we recommend due to our location or your horse’s travel plans.

Deworming

An important part of a preventative health program is parasite control. With the different options available and the emergence of issues such as resistance to dewormers, it is even more critical to plan for parasite control. The deworming program will be tailored to your horse’s needs. It is not just about the dewormer, but we will also discuss the need for fecal examinations and environmental control measures to decrease pasture contamination. Click these links for more information on the various equine parasites and dewormers.

Daily dewormer, Strongid-C, can be highly effective in reducing strongyles and the transmission of strongyles (Slocombe and Lake 2007). We facilitate the use of Strongid-C by arranging the necessary delivery along with the twice yearly paste deworming. In addition, Strongid-C is supported by Pfizer’s PreventiCare Program which can provide assistance if your horse experiences colic. To inquire whether this program is suitable for your horse and learn more about the Preventicare program, please call our office at 203-270-3600. We will be happy to assist in your horse’s enrollment in this beneficial program.

Dentisty

Regular dental care is essential to the long term health of the horse. Equine dentistry has evolved in the last 10-20 years. Rapidly hand-floating every horse in the barn on one visit has been set aside to perform detailed oral examinations and provide preventative and corrective dental procedures appropriate for your horse’s age and activity. As horses live longer it is important to keep them in good body condition and good performance. Dental service, both routine and advanced, is provided by our doctors. The AAEP supports a yearly dental examination for all horses; more information can be found at http://www.aaep.org/dentistry_campaign.htm#Resources%20for%20Horse%.

Scheduling

To insure that your horse is cared for on a regular basis, we will schedule yearly visits at a time that is convenient for you and your stable.

Enrollment

To enroll in our Wellness Program or for additional details, please feel free to call our office at 203-270-3600 or e-mail Dr. Sandoval at csandoval@fairfieldequine.com. The Wellness Form can be downloaded by clicking on this link and can be faxed to 203-270-4672.