Somethings Never Change

July 18, 2012 marked 34 years of practice in Southern Arizona for Dr. Conaway.  It doesn't matter who you are, when you've been doing something for 34 years you can't help but take some time to reflect on the journey.  Many things have changed over the years but a few things have stayed the same - Dr. Conaway's love of the horse, his quest for knowledge, and his compassion for his patients and their owners.

After graduating in 1978 he wanted to work on horses so he bought a truck, some supplies and started showing up at boarding facilities and feed stores.  He would introduce himself to trainers and horseshoers and wait for the phone to ring.  And it worked.  Dr. Conaway's vet pack took awhile to be shipped to Tucson so he used ice chests in the back of his pick up to carry supplies.   Calls started coming in and they never stopped.  It was always a family effort - I did the books and went on calls to assist whenever I could.

With the timer set on the camera and the camera on the truck, we couldn't help but stop after a call & enjoy the spring flowers that first year. I was pregnant with our first child in this photo.

A few other notable changes:

• the graduating class of 1978 was typically 90% men and 10% women and in  2012 the figure is closer to 80% women and 20% men
• breeding technology has allowed reproduction between horses to go global - instead of shipping your mare, the stallions semen is shipped by way of FedEx or overnight air cargo
• colic surgery had a very low success rate - now it is highly successful
• severe laminitis was almost always fatal & now it is highly treatable and rarely fatal
• cell phones didn't exist so we had to rely on beepers & pay phones, now we have smart phones and laptops

One of his first patients - that box he is wearing was a beeper.  It would beep when he had a call and he would then have to find a Circle K to call the answering service.

As Reata moves forward, the entire staff is dedicated to the qualities Dr. Conaway brought to the practice 34 years ago.  In today's digital world we have noticed that horses are living longer and have become part of the families that care for them.  We hope that the countdown to our 35th practice anniversary becomes a celebration of the values that have never changed while embracing the new knowledge and technology that has allowed our patients to live healthier lives and our practice to grow.

You Know It's Foaling Season When....

The early morning call came in from a long time client. "Um, I've got a question for you.... When was it that Doc castrated that colt of mine last spring?" He went on to explain that when he went out to feed his horses, he thought he saw a shadow but was quite surprised to see a foal instead. They didn't know that the mare was pregnant and as a matter of fact, they had ridden her just a couple of days ago on a long and difficult trail ride. After he started thinking about the dates, the client realized that the stud colt had actually been "with" the mare before he was castrated. It was one of those calls that makes the whole office smile.

The client wanted to make an appointment to make sure that everything was okay with both the mare & foal as soon as possible. "Would Doc be able to come when we aren't home, my wife and I both have to get to work? Also can he tell if it is a filly or colt?" "Of course, he'll be out there later this morning. We'll just have to rearrange things a little." It was starting out as an interesting day.

When Doc and Char got there, the foal was standing in the stall with his mom looking quite strong. The gelding (aka, Dad) was also in the pen. Everyone looked happy and healthy and the foal was even nursing. New foals are so cute. As they haltered the mare, Char immediately noticed that the mare didn't have a bag. Then a closer look by Doc....... this mare hadn't foaled.

They looked over at the other mare the clients owned & she was acting excited and overly interested in the new foal. This is not unusual, mares often do this with a newborn addition to the group. But Doc also noticed how wide the the fence posts were, so they went over and took a closer look. Yep, this other mare was the foal's true mother and she wanted her baby back! After gently reuniting the foal and his true mom and making thorough examinations of both, the smiles came back. Everyone was going to be fine. The other mare was a little disappointed but Dad seemed a bit relieved. The owners were also pleased, if they were going to have a foal to raise – they wanted a colt.

If you have a mare and you know that she's pregnant, there are several things that you should do to prepare. One of which is to make sure that the enclosure won't allow a little one to easily slip through the fence and become separated from its mother. To learn more about how to prepare you can go to......

 Reata Equine Foaling Information

The Vet's Wife

Mike and I were married between his first and second year of veterinary school - almost 37 years ago. The time has not gone by quickly and I mean that in a good way. There has been nothing ordinary or routine in our day to day life. On our 35^th anniversary I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. At the time, I had been managing the Reata practice. My art studio was right next to the office so I was able to pursue my professional art career as well as keep my hand in the practice and occasionally going on calls.

Needless to say, things had to change. I've had to move my studio back home and turn the management of the practice over to Mike and our son John. The things I miss the most about the practice are the stories of the people and their animals. Not only horses of course, but the dogs, cats and even the wildlife were always such a joy to get to know. Example, there was always a very large jack rabbit resting under a mesquite tree at one particular barn we would frequent. Racoons, deer, javelina – you never knew who would be hanging around.

During my first year with Mike, his faculty adviser hosted a dinner at his home for all of his students to get to know each other. He felt that this was especially helpful to the first year students. While talking to a new student's spouse, she suddenly asked me "So, how do you like being a 'vet wife'?" Surprised by the question, I told her I didn't think of myself as a 'vet wife' and if I remember correctly I also told her "he's not a vet yet."  The conversation stopped and even though I received an invitation to join 'The Vet Wives Club', I graciously declined. The name of it sounded more like the title of a trashy novel than a way that I wanted to spend my time. Nice women, just not my thing.

After all of these years thinking I didn't really want to be known of as 'The Vet's Wife', I now think of it as a term of endearment. I've gotten so much joy from my memories of working in the practice that I've decided to share some of them with you on my blog "Horse Stories from the Vet's Office."