Emergencies can be a scary experience. If you are ever unsure if your horse is in need of immediate medical attention please call and our veterinarians can help make that determination.

At this time our on farm ER coverage availability is Monday-Friday 8am-8pm and Saturday and Sunday 8am-12pm. The vast majority of our emergency calls fall within these hours.  For the few outliers that do not, we have partnered with VetTriage to offer telemedicine triage services and hospital referral, when necessary, by experienced horse vets.   You will continue to call (540) 481-0639, listen to the options menu, select #6 the emergency line, and during hours when our veterinarians are available for ER calls you will be routed to the on call doctor as usual.  Outside of those hours you will follow the same steps but be routed to the VetTriage customer service representative who will get you set up with a VetTriage equine veterinarian via video call.   They have the experience to help determine if you can monitor and provide supportive care until our veterinarians are available, or if immediate veterinary attention is needed.  If indicated, they can handle making a referral call to an equine hospital for your horse.  VetTriage charges a small telemedicine fee that allows you unlimited time to speak their veterinarian.   Please note we may also utilize VetTriage for the rare occasion when neither of our veterinarians are available to cover emergency call in instances such as overlapping illness, travel or life events.

You can call our clinic phone number for any ER call and dial line 6, but in case you need access you can click on the VetTriage logo above to access the FSE VetTriage landing page with directions on how to start an ER video chat call with a VetTriage equine veterinarian. Alternatively you can call 1 (800) 940-1921 if you have connection or technology challenges.

We offer same day urgent care or emergency treatment when the following conditions have been fulfilled:

  1. You have signed a Veterinary Services Agreement on file with us.

  2. The horse you are calling about has an established veterinary-patient-client relationship and has been seen for a wellness exam within the past twelve months.

  3. Your account is in good financial standing.

We may make efforts to accommodate lapsed wellness policy clients/horses or others during business hours but additional fees will apply. We do not see after hours or weekend emergencies for non-clients. Details about the VetTriage service can be found here.

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Normal vital signs:
Temperature: 99-101.5, a body temperature of 102 and above is considered a fever. 
Heart rate: 30-42 beats per minute
Respiratory rate: 8-24 breaths per minute
Gut sounds should be present is all four quadrants (right and left upper and 
right and left lower), you should hear an intestinal contraction about 1-2 times per minute.