Equine Emergency Veterinary Care in San Angelo

Steps To Take In An Equine Emergency

Is your horse experiencing a veterinary emergency? Try to follow the steps below as closely as you can.

• Stay Calm - Your horse will react to your emotions. Staying calm is essential during an equine emergency.
• Stay Safe - It is essential to keep yourself safe at all times. You will not be able to help your horse if you become injured.
• Try to Keep Your Horse Calm - For your horse to feel as calm and reassured it's critical that the people around them also remain calm. 
• Move Your Horse to a Safe Area - Move your horse to an area where they are unlikely to cause further harm to themselves.
• Get Help from Others at Your Barn - Delegate responsibilities like calling the vet, holding your horse, and bringing the first-aid kit.
• Call Your Vet as Soon as Possible - Give the veterinarian detailed information about your horse's condition over the phone - including temperature, respiratory rate and gum color if possible. The veterinary professional on the other end of the line will determine the best way to move forward based on this information. 
• Do Not Administer Drugs - Do not administer any drugs to your horse, including tranquilizers or sedatives, without explicit instructions from your vet.

When is your veterinary clinic open?

Western Veterinary Hospital provides emergency care for horses from across San Angelo. While we do offer ambulatory care in some cases (our on-call vet will make an assessment at the time of your call), our state-of-the-art equine facility gives our vets access to technology and equipment not available with mobile services.

If your horse is experiencing a health emergency, call us straight away. A knowledgeable staff member will take your call and arrange for one of our equine emergency vets to see your animal either at our facility or at your horse's location.

Equine Emergency FAQs

Emergency veterinary care involves the treatment of horses in situations that require immediate medical attention or could potentially be life-threatening.

• What is considered an emergency?

  Physical injuries are common in horses. And, while a range of sports injuries can occur during training, curiosity is also a leading cause of serious injuries like deep gashes and lacerations. 

  Physical injuries should always be seen by your veterinarian to prevent the injury from becoming infected or more severe. If your horse has had an accident or is experiencing any of these symptoms, bring them to our emergency office straight away.

  • Respiratory Distress
  • Joint & Tendon Injuries
  • Eye Trauma
  • Reproductive Emergencies
  • Foal Emergencies
  • Colic
  • Excessive Bleeding
  • Choking (in the horse, an esophageal obstruction due to feedstuffs)
  • Swellings, lacerations, and punctures
  • Acute lameness (non-weight bearing lameness in one or more limbs)
  • Illness (including fever, loss of appetite, dullness, and diarrhea)
  • Seizures
  • Sport horse injuries

  Signs of gastrointestinal pain (often referred to as colic) can be an indication of anything from constipation to extremely serious intestinal twists or displacements. If your horse companion is showing any of the following symptoms call us right away for emergency care:

• What emergency services do you offer?

  At our emergency clinic, we offer state-of-the-art emergency care for your horse. We are equipped to provide specialized diagnostics, a complete range of surgical services, and hospitalization as needed. We also offer mobile units so that our vets can come to your location. 

• When are your emergency services offered?

  We offer emergency services for our equine patients during our regular business hours:

  • Monday:07:30 am - 07:00 pm
  • Tuesday:07:30 am - 07:00 pm
  • Wednesday:07:30 am - 07:00 pm
  • Thursday:07:30 am - 07:00 pm
  • Friday:07:30 am - 07:00 pm
  • Saturday:07:30 am - 01:00 pm
  • Sunday:Closed

• Should I maintain an equine emergency kit?

  Absolutely! We believe that it is a good idea to have an at-home “equine emergency kit” to use if needed until your vet is able to care for your horse. Make sure to items such as:

  • Thermometer
  • Stethoscope
  • 16″ Combined Rolled Bandages (2 rolls)
  • 6″ Kling Bandage Rolls (4 rolls)
  • 4″ Vet Wrap (4 rolls)
  • Duct Tape (1 roll)
  • 4″ x 4″ Cotton Squares (24 count)
  • Banamine Paste (1 tube)
  • Triple Antibiotic Eye Ointment (WITHOUT steroids — cortisone and dexamethasone)
  • Topical Antibiotic Ointment (Triple Antibiotic Ointment or Silver Sulfadiazine)
  • Dilute Chlorhexidine Wound Cleansing Solutions (4 oz.)
• Do I need to take my horse to your clinic?

  While there are some cases where our vets will visit your horse at your location, we encourage you to call us and arrange to bring your horse to our facility.

  Our equine veterinary center is equipped with a range of advanced tools and technology not typically available to mobile vets.