We are excited to welcome Dr. Isaac Ridings to the team!
Dr. Ridings comes to us new out of school, but with years of experience in the small ruminant world. He will be a great asset to our team, as he will not only offer general production livestock services but also specializes in small ruminant reproduction. We are excited about what he will be able to offer to existing and future customers in regards to specialized reproductive services like laparoscopic artificial insemination and embryo work for small ruminant producers.
— Upcoming Holiday Hours —
CLS Headquarters: Closing at 1 p.m. Friday, July 3
CLS Northwest: Emergency coverage may be limited July 3 through 5.
Now is the time to prepare for summer parasite season in small ruminants. Scroll down for details about our service special to help get your herd in tip-top shape!
We hope this rain has helped out your hay fields. UGA Extension recommends hay be cut every four to five weeks with adequate rainfall and stored in a barn or a dry, well-drained area.
Consult with your CLS veterinarian about recommended fly control, supplemental feed, and minerals for the summer.
For spring calvers, now is the time to give clostridial vaccinations and schedule preg-checks to ensure cows and heifers are bred.
Fall-born calves can be weaned and dewormed, depending on pasture conditions and other farm goals. If you have questions or would like recommendations, please don’t hesitate to call your CLS vet!
The CLS vets can also provide insight on culling decisions following weaning and preg-checking.
FOR SMALL RUMINANTS … Save up to $65 off of your trip fee when you schedule this herd health appointment that includes:
On-farm elective evaluation of your herd
Up-to-date vaccinations
Establish and discuss appropriate parasite programs
Nutrition consultation
Environmental management evaluation
Hoof care
Please note: Herd wellness consultations are charged by time depending on herd size, with a one-hour minimum. Vaccine and parasite control medications vary based on number of animals treated and drugs administered. Animals must be contained or restrained in a small pen prior to veterinarian arrival.
This special is only available May 1 through June 30, 2026! To schedule, call the CLS office and mention this special. Estimates can be given by the vet you are scheduled with.
CATTLE
Zoetis has two rebate savings opportunities for beef and dairy producers, now through Dec. 31, 2026!
Born of the Bond: Select Zoetis products are applicable for buy together and save discounts of up to 12 percent, with a minimum requirement of $250 spent on eligible products in 2026 to qualify. Ask your CLS vet or click here for full details on qualifying products!
Draxxin: Earn money back on qualifying purchases of select Draxxin, Draxxin KP, and Draxxin 25 products in 2026! Ask your CLS vet or click here for complete details.
EQUINE
Custom Livestock Solutions is now associated with Platinum Performance, which offers horse supplements for GI, skin, joint, immune health and more. Use our code, 4GI, when you shop to give CLS credit as your veterinarian!
Boehringer Ingelheim is also offering up to $35 in savings on Prascend! Save 60-count and 160-count boxes purchased between March 1 and July 31, 2026. Ask your CLS vet or click here for more details on how you can save on these products.
Zoetis celebrates the Year of the Horse in 2026 with up to $300 in savings on equine vaccines all year long. Save on Quest Gel, Quest Plus Gel, Core EQ Innovator, Fluvac Innovator, and West Nile-Innovator. Ask your CLS vet or click here for more details about how you can save on these products through the Zoetis Rebate Center.
Keep an eye on the Rebate Programs page on our website for additional savings from our industry partners!
In early April, Dr. Chamlee and Dallas, our marketing director, spent some time with fifth graders at each of Madison County’s elementary schools as they strolled through their annual Ag Day event. This was the first time Fifth Grade Ag Day was held at the new Madison County Agricultural Center.
Dallas and vet assistant Cheyenne (along with junior vet assistant James) met up with Comer Vet’s practice manager + vet tech Jessica and vet assistant Hollie for Rodeo Night at the Athens Rock Lobsters, our local hockey team. We gave out several hundred Western-style bandanas to excited fans. It’s so cool to see agriculture get spotlighted in this manner. There was even a petting zoo out front as fans walked into the game, giving some folks what is undoubtedly their first exposure to livestock!
Dr. Strickland traveled to CLS Northwest to host a producer meeting with Dr. Josey for some of her clients in the area. Attendees enjoyed a delicious catered meal and heard from representatives of FERA Diagnostics & Biologicals about its FerAppease product for beef cattle and swine.
Dr. Strickland, Dr. Josey, and Dallas, our marketing director, represented CLS at its Georgia Cattlemen's Association tradeshow booth in late April. It was a blast catching up with folks we don’t get to see that often, and we were so excited to spill the beans about our next satellite truck location. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, grabbed our freebies, bought hats and koozies, and spent time getting to know CLS in a more relaxed manner.
Dr. Josey was honored to judge the UGA Beef Team Top Hand Contest in Carrollton alongside Breck and Kacie Debnam of Innisfail Farm. Teams of three high school students competed in animal handling skills. Pictured is the first-place team, the Coweta County Moo Crew, comprised of Riley Adler, Cy Thompson, Josiah Benjamin, and Coach Lowell Kissinger. They are going on to represent Georgia at this fall’s National Youth Cattle Working Contest!
Dr. Quinn revisited her old stomping grounds, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, to speak with a first-year vet student class about her profession. She gave the class realistic expectations of what life is like as an ambulatory veterinarian with a practice like ours at CLS, where some of our vets focus more on production work and some concentrate on hobby and non-production farms. We hope it was an informative lecture for those in attendance!
Dr. Chamlee closed out the school year for Commerce High School’s veterinary science class as its guest speaker.
She discussed topics including veterinary-client-patient relationships, vaccine protocols, nutrition management, and emergency care. Then, everyone got to stretch their legs for a bit and walk out to the parking lot for a vet truck tour!
COMING SOON …
On Aug. 22, CLS will be attending the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine’s Equine Summit. We look forward to seeing many of our equine clients and fellow vets there!
Ten years ago this month, Tyson and Anna Strickland walked down the aisle. A week later, he walked across the stage to accept his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. By the time May 2016 ended, he was a husband, a veterinarian and a business owner, plowing ahead on not much more than ambition and prayer.
Starting a large animal-only vet clinic, fresh out of school? People told him he was crazy.
But a decade later, Dr. Tyson Strickland, DVM, is a husband, father, veterinarian and entrepreneur, continuing to prove the naysayers wrong every step of the way.
Read “A Decade of Care: CLS Celebrates 10 Years” on our blog to learn more!
From the Appointment Log of Dr. Scout Josey, DVM
The call came in: “Doc, I banded these steers a month ago and I’m not sure what I’m looking at, but could it be a hernia?”
The band and testicles were gone, but now there was an unusual bloody, red structure in their place. I agreed to take a look. There were seven steers in the group that had been banded. The larger, older steer displayed the most apparent issue at the site of castration, but the others all had a small area of inflammation present as well. Once restrained and tailed in the chute, I was able to take a closer look.
Two focal areas of prolific granulation tissue were present corresponding to the spermatic cord remnants that once fed into the testicles. Granulation tissue is a normal part of the healing process (think pre-scab tissue on a skinned knee). However, following castration and secondary infection of the spermatic cord stumps, the immune system can go into overdrive, laying down entirely too much granulation tissue.
This process of chronic infection and exuberant granulation tissue at the site of castration is referred to as a scirrhous cord. This is an uncommon complication of castration and typically requires surgical removal of the abnormal tissue as well as drainage of any pus material.
Sometimes a band can be strategically placed above the abnormal tissue to effectively remove it. In addition, these cases require anti-inflammatory and antibiotic therapy.
These measures were taken, and the steers recovered well. To prevent infections and complications of any kind following castration, ensure that the site is clean and free of debris when castration is performed. If you’re banding, make sure the bands are not old or brittle, and they fit very tightly, even on the bigger bull calves. Castrating calves closer to birth or 2 months of age is ideal and prevents many complications and infections.
The CLS team would like to thank the interns and externs who rode with us during April and May 2026:
Lauren Segovia, University of Georgia graduate (December ‘25)
Matt Holton, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
Sofia Batista, University of Georgia
We would also like to welcome our three summer students:
Cooper Bachman, Emmanuel University graduate
Anniston Hall, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
Amelia Housley, University of Georgia
Interested in applying for an internship or externship? Visit our Careers page for details!
