๐ท๐ธ๐๐๐พ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐พ๐ธ๐ท
๐ A successful day at our Sports Clinic!
In this video, youโll see our dedicated team in action, providing joint medication treatments designed to reduce pain and inflammation, promote long term joint health and enhance performance, for horses of all disciplines.
๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐ ๐ค๐๐๐๐ง๐๐...
- Gait assessment
- Personalised medication plans
- Expert advice from our experienced equine vets
๐๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐๐...
We want to extend a thank you to all the horse owners who attended and made this clinic such a success. Your trust in our expertise inspires us to continually progress in recent techniques in equine sports medicine and offer the best treatment options to our clients.
Stay tuned for more events like this and donโt hesitate to contact us for any of your equine veterinary needs. Together, we can help your equine athletes achieve peak performance and stay in top condition!
๐ Call us on 01224 740700 or visit our website to learn more.
#EquineVet #HorseHealth #JointHealth #EquineAthletes #PerformanceEnhancement #EquineCare #EquineSportsMedicine #ArdeneHouse
๐ด ๐ก๐๐ช๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ก ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฆ - ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ก ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐? ๐ด
It is very important for newborn foals to receive enough colostrum in the first 24 hours of life. This is because the colostrum contains vital antibodies to allow the foal to defend itself against infectious organisms in its environment. This is their only source of protection, because unlike in humans, foals do not receive antibodies from the placenta during pregnancy.
The best absorption of antibodies from colostrum occurs during the first 6-8 hours of life. After this, the gut begins to 'close' and is completely closed by 24 hours.
๐๐๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ฒ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐บ?
๐น First, it is always worth checking the mare has colostrum/milk once the foal is born, by gently squeezing from the top of the teats downwards. A device called a BRIX refractometer can be used to check the quality of the mare's colostrum (20% or above is adequate). Most mares will produce 1-2L of good quality colostrum in the last 2-4 weeks of pregnancy.
๐น Next, monitor the foal suckling. This should be happening within 2 hours of birth. A foal that is getting milk should remain on the teat for a substantial period of time with a 'sucking sound' (see video with sound on!). A foal which is not getting much milk may latch on without properly suckling and may repeatedly lose hold of the teat. If you are not sure, taking a video to send to your vet can be useful, or request a veterinary visit. The foal should continue to suckle around 5-7 times per hour.
๐น Some mares, particularly maidens, may need to be held initially to allow the foal to suckle, until they get used to it. Sometimes a vet may be required to administer sedation and other medications. Generally
๐ท๐ธ ๐
๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ธ๐ท
We wanted to share an update on a recent case we treated here at Ardene House. The lovely Coruche (our April patient of the month), came to us with a fractured splint bone. After a thorough examination and a consultation with Corucheโs owner, we advised surgical intervention to remove the bone fragments.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ:
๐. ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ... A physical examination found a significant lameness, alongside a wound with associated cellulitis. Due to the location of the wound and the level of lameness, x-rays were advised, as well as sampling of the fetlock joint and tendon sheath to check for infection. The x rays revealed the presence of a fractured splint bone. Thankfully there was no involvement of the joint or tendon sheath.
๐. ๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง... Pre-surgery, we ensured Coruche was in optimal condition for the procedure, including pre-operative blood tests and a thorough health check to minimise any risks during surgery. Pre-operative pain relief and antibiotics were administered, followed by sedation, to allow a smooth transition into general anaesthesia. Coruche was then taken into our padded knockdown/recovery box and was given medication to induce general anaesthesia. He was then hoisted onto the operating table and positioned ready for surgery.
๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ... The operation involved removing the fractured fragments of splint bone. This is a delicate process which requires precision to avoid affecting the surrounding tissues and structures. The surgery was performed by our visiting specialist, John Marshall from Thistle Equine Referrals. Our nursing assistant, Lisa, assisted John by carefully preparing the leg in a sterile manner, and then by selecting and passing various surgical instruments when required. Meanwhile, our vets
๐ถ๐น ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐'๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐ท๐๐ฟ๐ ๐น๐ถ
Itโs a well known fact that staff pets donโt do things by halves and Mozart, owned by our Equine Clinical Director Mairi and her family, certainly got the memo!
He was out in the field one winter morning, and in the blink of an eye became instantly lame. Initially there was no apparent swelling or painful area, but within 2 hours the flexor tendons were swollen and very painful on palpation.
Mozart was placed on box rest with a big support bandage and lots of pain relief. However he is 22 years old, has been happily settled in his retirement for the last 4 years, and absolutely hates being stabled.
An ultrasound scan a few days later confirmed suspicions that ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐
๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป (๐ฆ๐๐๐ง) ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ธ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ. With a long road ahead, discussions had to be had about Mozartโs welfare and quality of life. He wouldnโt cope with months of box rest (and also he doesnโt really rest when in the box!)
Mairi had a similar case in a younger horse last year, where an EqueStride boot was used to support the limb by preventing fetlock hyperextension, which allows movement without strain on the damaged tendon. The boot has various strength settings which allow a gradual reintroduction of weight bearing through the limb as the tendon heals.
In discussion with the team at EqueStride, a hire was arranged for Mozart, meaning he would be able to have movement and turnout far sooner than he would without this support boot.
Thankfully getting some turnout meant Mozart relaxed back into a routine quickly, and the boot prevented further injury when he was out in the field. The boot initially can only go on for short periods while t
๐ท๐ธ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐ท
๐ด The month of May is Veterinary Nurse Awareness Month! ๐
Let's take a moment to appreciate the incredible role that equine veterinary nurses and assistants play in our practice and in the lives of our beloved horses. From assisting with surgeries to providing compassionate care to patients, these dedicated individuals form a pivotal part of the equine healthcare team.
Equine veterinary nurses and assistants are skilled in a wide range of tasks, including administering medications, monitoring vital signs, assisting with diagnostics, and providing support to both the veterinary team and horse owners. Their skills and commitment ensure that our equine patients receive the best possible care at every stage of their journey to health and wellness.
We take great pride in our large animal nursing team at Ardene House. Left to right in first photo is Rhona (nursing assistant), Lisa (head nursing assistant and student veterinary nurse) and Ali (nursing assistant). Between the 3 of them they have 80 years of experience working with horses! ๐๐
๐
๐ค๐๐ฃ ๐ช๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ข๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ช๐ง๐จ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐๐ง๐!
๐ #EquineVetNurseAwareness #EquineHealthcare #ThankYouNurses
๐ถ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐พ๐น๐ถ
Earlier in April, we ran our first Sports Clinic which was a great success. There was a full day of joints to medicate, including hocks, stifles and sacroiliac joints.
Due to the success of this clinic, we hope to run these on a regular basis. Please let us know if you would be interested.
๐๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ท๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฐ, ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ข ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ด (๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ๐ด).
๐ถ๐น๐ผ ๐๐๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐๐๐น๐ถ
When Ebony stayed over for a procedure with John Marshall, he absolutely loved when he got fresh shavings!
Our nursing assistants couldnโt get his bed laid fast enough before he was down and rolling! ๐
๐ถ๐น ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐ก๐๐๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฆ ๐น๐ถ
The answer to our post from Saturday is infundibular caries!
๐น ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฏ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐? This is the erosion/decay of the tooth material (cementum) inside the two cups (infundibulae) in the middle of the upper cheek teeth, caused by the bacteria in the mouth. The caries are graded between 1-5, depending on how extensive it is (grade 5 is the end stage with the presence of a tooth root abscess and/or fractured tooth).
๐ธ ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป? Where possible, we want to avoid caries from progressing to grade 5. A tooth root abscess can be extremely painful - certainly something we need to prevent. Extraction of a fractured tooth can be a complicated procedure and the horse will require more frequent dental checks afterwards, due to the tooth opposite not being worn down.
๐น ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ? Depending on the grade of the caries, we may advise a 'filling,' similar to the dental procedure performed in people! This involves removing any food and carious tooth material, before cleaning and filling the hole. This prevents further disease and loss of the tooth. For low grade caries, we may advise monitoring initially, with frequent dental check ups.
๐ถ๐น๐๐๐ผ๐ ๐ผ ๐๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ถ
2023 has been an eventful year at Ardene House Equine! We look back with pride, happiness, sadness and fondness. A lot has happened in the last 12 months!
We lost some familiar faces but welcomed new ones with open arms. We celebrated our success stories and shed tears over the ones we couldnโt save.
The practice started the year with an offer on heart scans and ended the year with an elderly horse health check offer.
Summer brought bees, sunflowers and foals, while the festive season saw us celebrate as a whole team and do our bit for charity.
We were also thankful for the great team of specialists we have had visit the practice throughout 2023โฆ John Marshall from Thistle Vet Referrals, Richard Reardon from Equine Dental Clinic and our very own Alice Hughes!
๐๐๐ง๐โ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ญ๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐ข๐๐ฏ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ๐
โญ๏ธ๐น ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ค๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ง ๐นโญ๏ธ
Well done to Chloe Victoria for winning our Halloween Competition ๐
Our team picked this spooky skeleton as the winner!
Thank you to all the other entries. It was very hard to choose the best one.
๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฆ, ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ธ ๐ด๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ญ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ! ๐๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐บ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ฆ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐
๐ท๐ธ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐พ๐๐๐ธ๐ท
While on her way to a visit, Beth came across a sheep which was cast (stuck on its back).
If a sheep is left like this it can die from suffocation and is vulnerable to attacks from crows and other animals. If you see a sheep in this position, you should tip or roll it back on to its feet if it safe to do so.
Beth was able to easily get this one on to its feet and off it scampered. All in a days work ๐
๐๐ธ ๐๐๐๐ฝ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ ๐ธ๐
We are always overjoyed to see a healthy mare and foal at the end of a pregnancy cycle.
Especially one inseminated by us!
On the left is a video of a heartbeat scan taken approximately 24 days after Austen inseminated this lovely mare. And in the right is a photo of a gorgeous healthy colt at the end of the pregnancy ๐
๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ค๐ฉ ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ ๐๐ช๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐ค๐จ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง? ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐จ๐๐ ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐...
๐ท๐ธ ๐๐๐๐ฝ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ ๐ธ๐ท
We are always overjoyed to see a healthy mare and foal at the end of a pregnancy cycle.
Especially one inseminated by us ๐
On the left is a video of a heartbeat scan taken approximately 24 days after Austen inseminated this lovely mare. And on the right is a photo of a gorgeous healthy colt at the end of the pregnancy ๐
๐๐๐ฉโ๐จ ๐จ๐๐ ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐ค๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ก๐จ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง! ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐๐....
๐ถ๐น ๐ฝ๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ ๐น๐ถ
Well yesterday was a bit different at Ardene Houseโฆ We had a swarm of honey bees try and move in!
John Beagrie from Aberdeen and District Beekeepers Association was called out to assist in finding them a new, and more appropriate home!
He tried to locate the queen bee to allow the others to follow her to the transportation box. However this was no easy task with thousands of bees! With the help of honeycomb slabs, the queen and her followers were safely transferred and secured to be taken elsewhere.
Our vets Mairi and Marta watched on (behind a window!) as John did an excellent job of escorting these bees off the premises and learnt a lot of interesting bee factsโฆ
๐พ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐ ๐...
https://aberdeenbeekeepers.net/swarms/
https://aberdeenbeekeepers.net/adbka-swarm-collectors/
๐ท๐ธ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ธ๐ท
One of our equine vets Tori and our equine nurse Lisa went on a road trip last week to treat some horses on Shetland.
After a 6.30am flight they travelled around the island, treating a variety of different horses and conditions. They even did some island hopping to get to some patients!
They met some lovely clients, and even some old familiar faces that have moved up from Aberdeenshire. They even had a short time to see some of the sights, including some amazing beaches and a lot of sheep and lambs holding up the traffic!
๐ท๐ธ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐ผ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐ท
We had a very successful two days with John Marshall from Thistle Equine Referrals, last month. We had two standing surgeries and a lameness investigation on the first day and two surgeries in theatre the second day.
๐
๐ค๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ผ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค ๐จ๐ช๐ง๐๐๐ง๐๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐๐จ. ๐๐ก๐๐๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ช๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐...
๐ท๐ธ ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ ๐พ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐ท
Preparations are well under way, at Ardene House, for The World Clydesdale Show at TECA.
Our nurse Lisa has been busy today getting everything that is needed ready to be transported over to the show.
Hopefully none of this will be needed, but our vets and nursing assistants will be in attendance each day as part of the veterinary team.
Howeverโฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฃ๐ช๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด ๐ข ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ถ๐จ๐ด!
World Clydesdale Show 2022 - Scotland
๐ท๐ธ ๐๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐พ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ธ๐ท
โญ๏ธWe are excited to announce we can currently offer heart scans for your horse!
We now have an equine cardiac ultrasound probe that we can use with our high quality ultrasound scanner to assess the structure and motion of your horseโs heart, including the blood flow.
Heart murmurs and arrhythmias (irregular heart beats) are often picked up at routine examinations through a stethoscope and are often of no concern. However some heart abnormalities are significant and can be linked to poor performance. Heart problems can develop over time or suddenly and should be fully investigated.
๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ก๐๐ข ๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐:-
๐น New and/or loud heart murmurs
๐ธ Exercise intolerance
๐น Inappropriately high heart rate during exercise or increased time for heart to return to normal resting levels
๐ธ Loss of condition
๐น Prominent jugular vein and/or jugular pulse
๐ธ Ventral and/or limb oedema
๐น Cough
๐๐ค๐ง ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐ค๐ง ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐จ๐๐ช๐จ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฉ๐ค๐ข๐จ ๐๐๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก 01224 740700
๐ถ๐น๐๐๐ผ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐น๐ถ
๐นLast summer, our vets Beth and Janina attended a lovely 18 year old gelding called Solan, who was suffering with laminitis. Solan was diagnosed with Pars Pituitary Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID, often referred to as Cushing's Syndrome), which contributes to insulin dysregulation, leading to laminitis. He was also found to be overweight.
๐ธOnce Solan's laminitis had been treated and stabilised, we suggested the use of a track system around the edge of his field, alongside soaking hay and the use of a muzzle if needed. The aim of a track system is to restrict grazing whilst encouraging movement, which is beneficial for weight loss and prevention of laminitis. Tracks are therefore also great for horses with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), as well as horses with arthritis. The increased movement is also beneficial for general hoof health, particularly if barefoot. This can be further improved by the use of different surfaces, however a simple grass field track works well too.
๐นSolan's owner has done a brilliant job and we are very pleased to report that he is looking much healthier and there have been no repeat episodes of laminitis. The photos below are almost a year apart and show how Solan is now in an ideal body condition, having lost most of the excess fat. It is difficult to fully appreciate in the video but a hands-on exam found small fat pads remaining behind his shoulders and some fat along his neck, whilst it is clear to see that there is much less fat covering his ribs and rump and he no longer has a cresty neck. This puts him at a healthy body condition score of 2.5/5 (previously 4/5 in the top photo). Beneath the fat, we can now see that he is lacking muscle, particularly over his back and rump, which is related to his diagnosis of PPID.
๐ธ๐น๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐
๐ท We do love a cute pony here at Ardene and we sure are getting a lot of them into the practice this month!
๐ถ Here we have Bobby, who was in for Lorna last week. He was ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ cute and also very well behaved.
Ali was happy to put him through his paces on the lunge and give him some extra cuddles ๐
๐ท Isnโt he just the cutest with his wee hat on too at the end of the video? ๐
