Small ruminants, such as sheep and goats, are a growing part of our practice. Traditionally these animals have been an important part of the FFA and 4-H groups in our local region, but as the area grows so does the pet sheep & goat population. Our veterinarians at Kulshan Veterinary Hospital have been working hard to provide progressive veterinary care for this growing population of small ruminants. KVH veterinarians are active members of the AASRP (American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners) and participate in national meetings to stay up to date on the latest medical advances. Every year our veterinarians are involved with giving educational seminars for local 4H and FFA groups.

The most important way to control problems in a herd or flock is to have your veterinarian involved in annual “herd health” inspections. During a visit, we can help you develop optimal nutritional management, parasite control programs, evaluate your facilities, and assess overall health of your herd or flock. We hope to work together to prevent problems, rather than waiting until the problem is difficult to control. The most common problems we see include: urinary stones, severe parasitism, difficult birth, and metabolic diseases, most of which can be linked to nutrition. Since ruminants have a very specialized digestive system, they have different nutritional requirements than other species.