Montana Equine is a private veterinary referral hospital and practice that is dedicated to the highest quality diagnostic and therapeutic care of horses throughout Montana and beyond.
It is our primary goal to provide humane and respectful care to the horses entrusted to us, along with professional guidance, communication and compassion to the client/owner.
Doctors
Interns
Staff
Internal Medicine
Surgery
Lameness
Facility / Clients
Dr. Peter Heidmann grew up with working draft horses and learned to ride and drive from old time Yankee farmers. During veterinary school, he trained under board-certified specialist doctors in Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. He completed an internship at Arizona Equine in Gilbert, Ariz. and a fellowship in medicine and surgery at Oregon State University. Following a three-year residency in internal medicine at UC Davis, Dr. Heidmann obtained board-certification in Internal Medicine, with special emphasis on neonatology, immunology and respiratory disease. In addition to his core internal medicine interests, Dr. Heidmann's practice also includes specialist lameness and performance evaluations, and advanced dentistry. Dr. Heidmann accepts referrals and consults on cases from veterinarians throughout our region, and serves as an expert witness in legal and insurance cases regarding equine medicine and surgery. He lectures to small groups and larger formal seminars; bookings as a guest lecturer can be arranged by calling him at the clinic. Dr. Heidmann is the owner and hospital director of Montana Equine. (E-mail - pheidmann@montanaequine.com)
Dr. Al Flint is a Montana native who was born and raised in northwest Montana. He graduated from Colorado State University in 2007 and has a Masters in Reproductive Physiology and a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology. Dr. Flint is formally certified in Veterinary Acupuncture; his other professional interests include equine podiatry, advanced reproductive care, lameness and preventative medicine. When not at work, Dr. Flint enjoys Montana's backcountry and woodworking. (E-mail - aflint@montanaequine.com)
Dr. Jack Snyder is a 1982 graduate of Washington State University (http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/) and has been a board-certified surgeon since 1987. With family roots in Eastern Montana, Jack's experience provides invaluable perspective on lameness and surgery in performance horses. Jack is extremely well-published, and has served as surgeon at the last five Olympic games, including Korea, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens and most recently, as the head of the Olympic Equine Hospital in Hong Kong, China in 2008 (see reports on "Keymaster" ). He is a leading surgeon at the Pan-American and World Equestrian Games, including the 2009 World Equestrian Games in Las Vegas, NV, and is the senior professor of Equine Surgery at the UC Davis Veterinary School. He has trained many of the board-certified equine surgeons practicing throughout the west.
If you have questions for Dr. Snyder, please contact us at info@montanaequine.com.
Megan Halliburton was born and raised on the Oregon coast. She spent much of her time outdoors, whether it was on her family's cranberry farm, combing the hillsides for mushrooms or hunting for agates at the shoreline. During undergraduate study at Oregon State University, Megan was introduced to the OSU Polo Club. She quickly became an integral member of the club, serving as President and coordinating intercollegiate tournaments. While working with the polo ponies, she learned the importance of caring for and managing equine athletes. Encouraged by her experience on the polo team, she attended veterinary school at OSU and graduated in June 2009.
Erin Andersen is a Montana native, raised in Deer Lodge. She attended Montana State University and graduated in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Animal Science. She completed a scholastic internship with Montana Equine in 2006, and has quickly grown to be one of the core members of the Montana Equine team. She wears many hats, but is Head of Veterinary Nursing, Anesthesia and Patient Care, and is Manager of Clinical Operations.
Susan Frost was born in Cobleskill, NY and has lived in Montana since she was 8 years old. Her proudest accomplishments are her three children and her marriage of 26 years. She has been a business owner for 15 years and currently is part-owner in a family business. She has also organized and supported local kids programs in the community, donating both time and money.
Susan is very excited to be a part of the Montana Equine team, and when not working, enjoys photography and the outdoors.
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Internal Medicine is a distinct branch of specialty veterinary care encompassing infectious disease and disease prevention, neurology, neonatal and geriatric medicine, as well as respiratory, ophthalmic and cardiac disease. In other words, Internal Medicine encompasses not just the internal organs, but also many "odd and obscure" conditions. Although most equine veterinarians practice some internal medicine each day, specialization in this discipline can allow a better in-depth assessment of many diseases or processes. Montana Equine is proud to provide true internal medicine specialty services, quite exceptional in our region. For example, we are well-equipped to routinely perform the following procedures, among others:
High-detail Video Endoscopy
- Upper/Lower Respiratory Exams
- Gastric Endoscopy (stomach)
High-detail Digital Ultrasound
- Full Abdominal Exams
- Cardiac Ultrasound (Echocardiology)
- Liver and Kidney Exams (Incl. ultrasound-guided biopsies)
- Tendon, Ligament and Joint Exams
Neonatal Intensive Care
- High-detail Ultrasound
- Continuous rate Infusions
- Immune Therapies
Neurologic Exams
- Spinal Fluid Sampling
- Myelograms
Ophthalmology (eyes), Dermatology (skin), Endocrinology
Respiratory Exams
- Thoracic Ultrasound
- Trans-tracheal wash
- Broncho-Alveolar Lavage
Oncology (Cancer Care)
- Skin Tumors
- Internal Cancer Detection
- Advanced diagnostics
- Chemotherapy and Immune-Modulation Treatments
Dental Exams
- Routine Dental Care
- Point, Hook, Step and Wave reductions
- Gentle Geriatric Dentistry
- Periodontal Therapy
- Dental Radiography
- Standing Extractions
We work hard to provide a broad range of modalities to minimize disease and maximize health. We're proud to provide advanced, progressive equine medicine to you and your horse. In addition to offering in-depth, thorough internal medicine examinations, our team stands ready 24/7 to help in the full range of emergency medical situations. Please call 406-285-0123 to reach us during emergencies, any time of day or night. During regular business hours, we are also available for questions and consultations at 406-285-0123.
Our expanded surgery services include a new surgical suite and observation room and two padded anesthesia induction/recovery stalls. Each case is handled by the surgical team, including the chief surgeon, surgical assistant and technical support staff.
We offer a broad range of surgical services and utilize the most current surgical and postoperative care techniques to best protect your horses' health. In addition to offering the full range of elective soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries, our team stands ready 24/7 to help in emergency situations. Please call 406-285-0123 to reach us during emergencies, any time of day or night. During regular business hours, we are also available for questions and consultations at 406-285-0123.
All surgeries at Montana Equine are performed under advanced anesthetic care. In addition to supporting ventilation and blood pressure, surgery patients are carefully monitored to minimize risk. Analysis of patient blood-gasses is routinely performed during anesthesia, helping our doctors better monitor your horses' metabolism, and therefore improving patient outcomes. Digital radiographs can be viewed in the surgical suite to guide treatment during orthopedic surgery. Minimally-invasive surgeries, such as standing laparoscopic ovariectomy, are also performed by our team. Following surgery, each horse is assisted by at least two people during the recovery process. And beyond the standard supported-recovery from general anesthesia, a sling apparatus is also available to assist recovery during orthopedic and other severe cases.
A general list of our surgical capabilities follows, but please call us to discuss your specific needs.
Outpatient Services
- Lameness diagnosis and treatment
- Poor performance evaluations
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Ultrasonography
- Digital Radiography
- Gastroscopy
- Videoendoscopy
- Pre-purchase examinations
- Stem Cell Therapy
- IRAP Therapy
Surgical Services
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Internal Fixation of Fractures
- Arthroscopy
- Orthopedic Infections
- Angular Limb Deformities in foals
- Pastern Arthrodesis (joint fusion)
- Hock Arthrodesis
- Upper Airway Surgery
- Endoscopic Laser Surgery
- Laryngoplasty (Tie-back surgery)
- General Surgery
- Colic Surgery
- Mass/Tumor Removal
- Neurectomy
At Montana Equine, we focus much of our time on lameness diagnosis and treatment. All of our doctors are well-versed in the details of advanced lameness diagnosis and treatment. Lameness can result from any number of sources, including not just joint disease, but also conformational abnormalities, inflammation in tendons (tendonitis) and ligaments (desmitis), bone injuries, muscle pain and developmental bone abnormalities (OCD). We always recommend a detailed, methodical approach to effectively localize the exact source of your horse's lameness. Brief exams may also be indicated under certain circumstances and are always offered upon request.
As part of the complete lameness exam, the veterinarians at Montana Equine will take a detailed medical and athletic history of your horse and will perform a thorough visual appraisal of the horse at rest. We will examine your horse for conformational abnormalities, palpate all pertinent musculoskeletal structures for pain, heat or swelling, and evaluate the gait under varying conditions and after joint flexion tests. This evaluation process directs the diagnostic tests we choose to perform, which may include nerve blocks (to regionalize the source of lameness) or ultrasound and radiographs, which help identify the specific causes of lameness.
Lameness cannot be effectively treated without a specific diagnosis. While some sources of lameness, such as foot abscesses and hock arthritis (spavin), are common and more easily diagnosed, lameness resulting from soft tissue injuries can be subtle and manifest as poor performance or reluctance to perform specific movements.
Our specialist veterinarians' all have advanced training in diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and disease. Their thorough approach informed by the most recent research and utilizing the most current techniques to help formulate a plan for returning your horse to its intended use and performance level.
