Horse budgets and how to manage costs ( keep low!)

[horsespoiler]

If you want to keep costs low, don't let your horse get colic. Whitey had the start of impaction colic the other evening and we called the vet out. Can't wait to get that bill. Oh, don't get a grey horse.LOL Ours and our neighbors' need the vet or first aid treatment more than any of the others. Just my luck.

[ghostrider]

YUP Buddy has been to the vet for..
cosmetic surgery when I got him and a year and a half ago he went for the swollen jaw. I guess that's not bad considering it's been 11 years I've had him and neither ailment was critical.

Now we did take Boomer when all 5 horses were acting weird and itchy to see what was up. It ended up being disturbed ants on the ground where we were throwing their hay. So you could say Buddy was in on that too.

Glad Whitey is fine. We've had our horses colic but we keep banomine on hand and have always treated them without a vet's assistant. Actually the first time we ran up to the vet and he sold us a tube and told us if he wasn't better in an hour to call him. Pretty sure it was Boomer and it was the first time we ever dewormed him.

[cyndi]

Glad to hear that Whitey's feeling better!!

My hairdresser has a friend who owns a horse, and her horse has colicked at every barn she's been at. She finally got fed up with that and started boarding her horse at the farm she bought her horse from. The horse had never been colicky there before she bought it, and has been fine since going back. The only downside to that arrangement is that she now drives over an hour to see her horse!! Even with the crappy weather we've had all winter, she goes to see her horse every day. Wow, that's dedication!!

[ghostrider]

I think Buddy, Boomer and Frisco all coliced once on me. We're sure with Boomer it was parasitic colic after being wormed the first time. Although the BLM worms them when they're brought in it may not have been strong enough or he may have been missed or we may have adopted him before the wrangers wormed them.
The other two I believe were sand colic because each one coliced when I had stopped giving them beet pulp. I fed hay in large 2x4x24" plastic tubs and large square troughs to keep the hay off the ground then found out it's not what sand they eat but what sand they ingest. Wind and sandy state causes colic and nothing you can really do except feed fiber. I had been feeding only through summer because in the winter you have to switch to the shredded which has a lot of molasses in it or soak pellets in a heated barn which we didn't have. After than we did bp all year and not just in the summer. I just didn't worry about all the weight they gained through the winter. Better than colic.

I'll add to the topic..
horse blankets! talk about expensive. I don't mind digging them out when it's cold but I also have to lock them into the corral and front pasture where they can't get snagged on trees and brush. And even with the dozen or so blankets we've tried I have yet to find one that covers their bellies. They have such deep barrels that none cover the tummy.

They sure look like big 4 legged Easter Eggs today though! going to "feel" -14 tonight. It's supposed to feel -3 right now but when you're wearing three coats, two pairs of gloves and insulated undies it's not bad!

[Kirk Martin]

So, I'm sure some people out there give their own vaccinations to their horses. Where do you order your supplies from?
Any advice?

[ghostrider]

I get them from my vet and take them home. You can buy the 5 way from the tack/feed store but it's no cheaper here.
The rabies, potomac, West Nile you still have to get at the vets office. I think it's only $2 per shot for them to give them so last year I just had them give them all when we drew the coggins.
When we had 5 horses it was cheaper to buy the vials and draw our own.

[Kirk Martin]

So the moral of the story is to get 5 horses so it'll be cheaper for the vaccinations. I like it! Had Coggins done in August (Valeroso was current on shots then) so planning to order my own vaccines this time. It's the Eastern Equine that gets me nervous..... it likes people too (more prevalent than West Nile).

[horsespoiler]

This year I think we will haul down to the vet for shots so we can also have Sage's teeth done. They will do them here but the farm call charge has gone up. We used to do our own vaccines with shots bought at the feed store and the vet's. When DH vaccinated himself and bent a needle we decided to have the vet do it. If you can get other owners to go in with you you can share the costs and save a little.

[ghostrider]

There's a regular shot clinic in town here that does it all at a discount but I never get around to going. I always do mine in May and they do theirs in April.

Yes 5 is a lot cheaper then two...It was something like $500 for 5 of them. Thought DH was going to crap when the vet told him the price of just the shots! That's what you get for going to the auction where your wife tells you NOT to buy a horse and instead buying THREE more!

I ordered the tape to fix Buddy's small tear on his winter blanket, went ahead and ordered it in purple for his and blue for Boomers even though Boomer hasn't put a hole in his yet. I'm hoping to be able to put the blankets away for the year.

[vsolubo]

I used to order my shots from KV vet supplies; haven't in years though. In the spring I always have to have the vet out anyway for teeth floating & sheath cleaning so once with the vet is easier & cheaper in the long run. I don't give the WN until a month after the other shots due to Bear has a bad time with shots so I buy the WN later & give them on my own. Then in the fall the vet has to give rabies, so again with the farm call, cheaper & easier for him to give them all.

[ghostrider]

V do you give rabies twice per year there? we give it once here in the spring.

[Kirk Martin]

Just ordered my first order of vaccines and wormers from Valley Vet for Valeroso.
We can't do our own rabies vaccines here but did I miss anything?
I opted not to go with Strangles vaccine (not near other horses much) and Potomac Fever (Out of stock).
Did I miss anything?
Item Description Item Number Item Price Quantity
2X Premium Apple Flavor Paste One-Year Horse Wormer Pack 29191 $33.99 1
West Nile Innovator + VEWT (W. Nile + 3-way S.Sickness + Tet)
1 ds syringe 39712 $28.95 2
Fluvac Innovator EHV-4/1 (Rhino + Flu)
1 ds syringe 21125 $18.49 2

[ghostrider]

What immunizations you give depends on your area, call the vet and ask what ones he recommends in your area?
ie..in Wy they don't do rabies. In Rock Springs they don't do Potomac but 20 miles away the do because there's no standing water in Rock Springs.

Are you going to give them?

[Kirk Martin]

My friend has given vaccines many times so yes, I'll be doing it with supervision.
We have the Potomac River in Maryland so figure I should do that one when it's available or have
the vet do it with Rabies (Rabies is a must in my book!).
I don't have the previous shot record so purchased a second round of boosters for the two shots.

[horsespoiler]

I need to call and see if the vet needs to do the rabies or if we can. I know you used to be able to buy the vaccine at the feed store and ranchers did their dogs themselves. Now all rabies shots for dogs must be reported to the county so they can hit you to license the dog or face fines. Our vet doesn't agree with that but has to do it. I think people who can't really afford the license might skip the rabies shot so they won't have to pay for it. Sage needs a dental so if he has to do the rabies we will just have him do everything. If not I think we will do the vaccines and just haul Sage down for her dental. Winnie had hers done last year and Whitey was checked when he saw her for colic. We made the mistake one year of having them all done at once. Ouch! I don't recall needing to do Potomac before but we check for what is recommended each year.