HORSE OWNERS: Vet offers much-needed help—emergency, otherwise

For many horse owners, getting a veterinarian to their home in an emergency can be a risky, sometimes heart-breaking, proposition.

Why?

Because the few large animal vets who serve this area are frequently extremely busy, often stretched to the maximum. And Tucson area vets most often won’t make the trip here because of the distance and press of other clients.

That’s one of the main reasons why Kathy DiGiacomo, known as “Dr. Kathy” to her clients, decided to return to Southern Arizona from her successful veterinary practice in Ada, Okla.

“There’s a lot of opportunity here and more horse owners than most people realize along the Interstate 19 corridor between Sahuarita and Nogales and in Sonoita and Patagonia,” “Dr. Kathy” said in a recent interview.

“The opportunities available here and my family are the main reasons why I decided to return to Southern Arizona.”

Family — especially parents Jim DiGiacomo, executive director of the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce, and wife Nadine, a member of the McGee Ranch family, who works at The Insurance Center of Green Valley — urged the talented vet for several years to return here and resume her practice, which includes large animals and dogs and cats.

She agreed after getting married this past December to Terry Bratcher, an auto parts expert, who plans to move to this area to be with his wife after selling his home in Oklahoma.

“Dr. Kathy,” who grew up on the McGee Ranch and has ridden horses all her life, currently works at the Green Valley Animal Hospital and the Old Pueblo Veterinary Clinic in Tucson.

She lives in Rio Rico, with her dogs and horses.

Though she wants to continue treating dogs and cats, about 40 percent of her business now is large animals. She hopes to expand that number over time to serve the needs of the growing number of horse owners in the area.

Although she’s 5-foot-3-inches tall, “Dr. Kathy,” presents an impressive appearance when she arrives at an appointment, truck loaded with state-of-the-art veterinary supplies and a can-do attitude to deal with whatever the situation, emergency or otherwise.

This reporter recently witnessed “Dr. Kathy” dealing with a very large, 17-hands high, 1,500-pound, quarter horse gelding, ailing badly with impaction colic, a disease caused by a blockage in the intestine, which often proves fatal.

She immediately and expertly treated the horse, who not only survived, but also acted, only hours afterward, as nothing had ever happened to him.

“Dr. Kathy” tends to downplay her skills, noting that the sedatives available to vets today make it unnecessary to “wrestle with horses, large or small.”

The sedatives, she said, “make it easier on the horses and easier on the owners and for me to treat their animals and alleviate their suffering. What I like most about being a veterinarian is keeping the animals healthy and happy, and I like the people I meet, the customers who are so concerned about their horses.”

“Dr. Kathy” decided to become a veterinarian at age 8, she said. While working with her dad in California on painting a rancher’s barn , she observed a vet nearby sewing up a horse with a severe laceration. The skill, compassion and knowledge the veterinarian exhibited in treating this severely injured horse made a lasting impression on her, she said, and fueled her ambition to enter the profession.

Born in Covina, Calif., “Dr. Kathy,” now 41, and her family moved to the McGee Ranch, her mom’s home, in 1982. She was graduated from Sahuarita High School in 1984.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in Animal Health Sciences at the University of Arizona in 1988, she entered veterinary school at the University of California/Davis, graduating in 1994, as a doctor of veterinary medicine, after four years of training.

During her undergraduate years at UC, she worked as a veterinary technician in a small animal emergency clinic and the large animal barn at UC to put herself through school.

After graduating and working in some other veterinary positions, the returned home to Southern Arizona, where she worked locally until 2004, doing “ a lot of relief work, filling in for local vets who were so busy in Tucson and Sonoita and treating the horses at the Rillito race track.”

She moved on to other veterinary positions in Oklahoma before deciding to return to this area with her new husband last year.

Though she copes with a fair amount of emergencies, “Dr. Kathy” also spends a lot of time educating horse owners about proper care, the importance of regular vaccinations, exercise and nutrition, which go a long way, she said, toward preventing emergencies, the most common of which are colic and lameness.

“I try to educate people in all aspects of equine care so that their horses’ emergencies are far less frequent,” she said.

“Dr. Kathy” can be reached at 360-7373, 24 hours a day. In a separate article (at right, at left, above, below) she shares some tips for keeping your horse healthy and happy.

Kathy Engle, former editor of the Green Valley News, is a freelance writer who lives in Amado. Contact her at kengle@earthlink.net.

Expert tips to keep your horse healthy

By Kathy Engle, Special to the Green Valley News

Veterinarian “ Dr. Kathy” Bratcher (nee DiGiacomo) offers these suggestions to new and long-time horse owners to keep their equine friends healthy and to help them enjoy a long life.

Get a veterinarian to check that horse of your dreams before purchasing — for soundness, medical history. general health, temperament and behavior and possible disease. Unfortunately, fraud is rampant among horse dealers, who all to often falsify papers to misrepresent the horse’s age, medical history, training and accomplishments.

Get an objective professional opinion, and be sure to ask for proof and the horse’s medical history, vaccinations, worming shoeing, hoof care, teeth floating, diet, and exercise history. . Don’t let emotions about the horse’s good looks or purported prowess sway your decision, as it too-often does.

First-time riders should invest in education, such as a trainer or knowledgeable horse owner to work with both them and their horses before going out on a challenging trail.

“Dr. Kathy’ says several area stables and horse owners have the names of qualified trainers who can work with both the horse and the new owner to ensure safety and provide expertise and advice. Too many people buy often expensive horses, with little regard to the fact that the horse may need training and the rider as well, she says.

Consult with your veterinarian about feeding regimes, vaccinations, teeth care, hoof care, worming against infection and dietary supplements, such as psyllium, to prevent the most common affliction in these parts, impaction colic. If your vet arrives too late to treat this disease, there are surgical alternatives, costing from $7,000 to $12,000. plus transporting your horse to Tucson. Unfortunately, there’s’ no guarantee of success.

Prevention is a lot more effective and much cheaper.

Vaccinate for West Nile virus twice a year, worm every six to eight weeks and vaccinate for sleeping sickness and tetanus twice a year.

Combination shots are available and your vet can show you how to do your own vaccinations.

Find a knowledgeable farrier who can shoe your horse every six to eight weeks to maintain vital hoof health and make sure your horse’s hoofs are cleaned daily with a hoof pick.

* Invest in proper equipment, especially boots, which will give you the leverage and balance in the saddle you need.

Consult with a knowledgeable person to make sure your saddle fits your horse. and that you have the proper bit, one that doesn’t spoil or hurt your horse’s mouth and adversely affect his/her temperament and performance.

When riding, always let someone know where you plan to go and when you plan to return -- for your own safety.

Always carry a cell phone and ride with another person or persons who can help you in case you or your horse or human companions have a problem on the trail.

Be aware of weather conditions, such as high winds, extreme heat or extreme cold, which can adversely affect your horse’s behavior.

Be sure to carry enough water.

Enjoy! And find a good veterinarian who can help you not only with day-to-day routines, but also with a life-threatening emergency.

Kathy Engle is a free lance writer who lives in Amado. Contact her at kdengle@earthlink.net.