At Tallgrass Veterinary Hospital we offer a wide range of services to best serve the needs of our patients and clients. Our equine patients include miniatures, drafts, donkeys, mules, sport horses, show horses and pasture pets.
Along with everything in between.
Whether we are seeing your horse in the field (ambulatory) or treating it in the hospital,
we maintain our goal of providing excellent care utilizing progressive diagnostics and therapies.

Breeding and Reproductive Services

Mare Services
Our mare services include a breeding soundness exam, uterine culture, uterine biopsy,
rectal palpation and ultrasound, artificial insemination with both fresh and frozen semen,
and pregnancy diagnosis. We can also provide embryo transfer services.

Stallion Services
Our stallion services include a breeding soundness exam, training to mount the breeding phantom,
semen collection, extension, evaluation and shipping of fresh semen.

Foaling Services
Our foaling services include monitoring of the mare as she reaches the end of her pregnancy,
assisted foaling, emergency treatment of dystocias, and assistance for retained placentas.
Our post-foaling services include a placental examination (please save in plastic bag after it is passed),
neonatal examination 24 hours post foaling (physical exam, CBC, and Foal IgG SNAP test),
plasma transfusion in foals that did not receive adequate colostrum
(failure of passive transfer of the maternal antibodies from the mare),
and intensive monitoring for sick or premature foals.

Dentistry
The equine tooth is much different than the human tooth in that it continues to erupt throughout the life of the horse.
As the teeth wear, sharp points form and can cause uncomfortable ulcers in the mouth.
Because of this, annual dental examinations are needed to locate and correct problems before they start.
Dental examinations should be performed starting at 6 months of age, every 6 months for growing horses,
yearly for the mature horse, and every 6 months for the geriatric horse.

We correct dental problems by floating, or filing down the sharp points of the tooth.
We break up our floating techniques into three categories: maintenance, corrective, and performance floats.
Maintenance floats may be performed every 1-2 years as needed.
If you notice your horse chewing abnormally, losing weight, dropping food, head shaking, or resisting the bit,
these may be signs that your horse needs a corrective float.
If dental problems are severe, your horse may require more frequent corrective floating.
Performance floats enable the athletic horse to better flex, bend, and respond to more subtle cues.
Our dentistry equipment consists of motorized dental equipment, hand floats, oral speculum
and a head stand to allow good visualization of the oral cavity.
Our dental services include dental examination, floating, and tooth extraction.
Because of the sensitive nature of the mouth, all dental services are performed under sedation.

Emergency Care
We offer a 24 hour emergency service.
In the event of an emergency call 785-243-7400.
After hours and on weekends, our phones are transferred over to a cell phone
so that the Doctor can be contacted immediately.
If you are unsure if you are in an emergency situation, please call.
Possible emergency situations include:
Colic
Lacerations
Birthing Difficulty
Down Animal
Choke Bloat
Eye Injury
Severe Illness
Trauma

Laboratory Services
Our in-house laboratory allows fast results which helps our Doctor attain a diagnosis faster.
Our services include serum chemistry and electrolytes, semen evaluation, fecal egg counts, and some cytological exams. For all other diagnostic tests such as Coggins (EIA), culture and sensitivity, Complete Blood Count (CBC)
and tissue biopsies, samples are sent out to other diagnostic laboratories.

Lameness Examination
A good lameness examination is essential to diagnosing soundness issues.
Because veterinarians cannot ask their patients where it hurts,
they are dependent upon visual cues from the horse as it moves.
A lameness evaluation includes a physical exam, palpation of the limbs and joints, evaluating range of motion,
watching the horse travel in a straight line and on a lunge line, and response to flexion of the joints.
Further diagnostics include nerve blocks, joint blocks, radiographs, and ultrasound.
The initial diagnostic work-up may be performed in the field as long as a firm, even surface is available.

Pre-Purchase Examination
A pre-purchase examination allows veterinarians and prospective buyers the opportunity to work together
to find the right horse. This service includes a full physical examination and lameness evaluation.
These can be performed in the field or at our location facilities.

Radiology
Our equipment includes a portable x-ray unit.
Our portable unit allow us to take radiographs on the farm.

Ultrasound
Ultrasound is an excellent non-invasive diagnostic tool. We have a portable ultrasound machine
that allow us to perform reproductive examinations, thoracic ultrasound to evaluate the lungs and heart,
abdominal ultrasound to evaluate organs such as the liver, kidney and spleen,
and lameness diagnosis such as tendon injury.
Ultrasound can also be useful to locate foreign bodies such as wood splinters in puncture wounds and abscesses.

Coggins and Health Certificates
We are excited to be the first in Region to offer electronic Coggins and Health Certificates.
There are many benefits with this program, one that we feel the customer will be excited about,
is that now you can go on to the website of www.globalvetlink.com to view and print your certificates.
Coggins papers (EIA) and health certificates
are required for transporting your horse between states and for international travel.
The Coggins test is the federally required AGID test
that determines the EIA (Equine Infectious Anemia) status of your horse.
If a horse is positive for EIA, it is not allowed to be transported unless to a specially licensed handling facility.
This test should be performed biannually (every 6 months),
and owners should carry a current Coggins form at all times when transporting horses across state lines.
Most Coggins tests take 4-7 days for results so plan accordingly before you travel.
If a faster turn-around time is needed, a stat ELISA test can be performed,
and results are available in 24 hours (extra charges will be applied).
Health certificates are required for entry into other states and for most shows.
These forms require a current Coggins and brief physical examination to ensure the shipping of healthy animals.
A health certificate is valid for 30 days.
For international travel, health certificates are more involved and require the signature of the federal Veterinarian.
Please allow adequate time for the preparation of these papers before you travel.