Well, I am 80 miles from the nearest vet of any kind, and they are the ONLY vet in the area that does large animals. A new vet opened shop not long ago in that same town, but they are strictly small animal. I really appreciate my vet and have worked well with them with dogs and horses now, for over 25 years, but they are VERY limited as to what they can do in their small town clinic. And for large animals, it's even worse! They have no facilities, or equipment really. They JUST(a couple weeks ago) got a new ultrasound machine, and never had one before that. They have no prtable xrays or anything. Recently, I had to have a filly xrayed, and I am fortunate that my horses(foals) are small enough that they could do that on the small animal xray machine in their office. I have learned to accept that they have very little to offer, aside from knowledge. It's either accept them as it, or get rid of the animals, which I do not plan to do.
If ever a colic surgery or c-section need arises in horses,all they can offer to do, is put your horse down. Not much of a choice! They will come to the farm for routine farm calls and emergencies, and help as best as they can, and for that, I am very thankful! However, I had a case of a little mare with a bad dystocia a couple of years ago, and I told him I could not even get my hand into the mare. He basically said then there was nothing he could do. I was not happy, nor impressed, and I let him know my dissatisfaction with him for saying so. Told him he can't do just NOTHING for my mare!! He told me about a couple of other clinics...one could do no more than him, the other was an equine clinic, and he somehow managed to get me special emergency clearance to get through the border that night, as of course, there is required paperwork to get a horse into the US from Canada, and I never had any. With the special clearance it took me only 4 hours(driving like a lunatic) to get there. Otherwise, had I not been able to go through the border, it would have been a good 5.5 hour drive. I thought for sure my mare would be dead by the time I got her there, but she was a trooper and hung in there. Lost the foal, saved the mare, and no surgery!
So that equine clinic is the closest I have to me, and of all the 12 years of my raising horses, have only needed it once. I wish I had something closer, handier, more convenient, but I don't, so I have to learn to do the best I can with what I have avaialble to me. It is NOT a dream situation, beleive me, but you learn to make due with what you have.
I have no farrier or equine dentist either. I have learned to trim my own hooves, and have been doing so all along. As for teeth, I need to reply on natural good bites. No annual(or more often than that!) dental visits for my kids....nope, they never see an equine dentist, so what you see, is what you get, "aux natural". I have had the vet float teeth on a mare when needed, but that is all.
This is another reason I find this Forum to be so helpful! All of you have so many experiences that you can share, that may be of help and need, in a crisis situation when even my own vet cannot help me. My vet I had used for years for the horses(was at the same clinic) moved out to BC, and I really miss him. He was a small man, and my minis were his first. He truely loved my horses, and loved working with them. He was always willing to learn. When I suggested something, or offered advice from the Forum, he kept an open mind, and was the first to admit it when something worked as a result of that. He would call other places and try to get info for me too when needed. A new young female vet is now here. She's a great gal too, and I like her, so hoping she too will learn and grow with me and my herd.
So to all of you that have the luxury of large animal facilities, thank your lucky stars!!
