๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง ๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐ฅ
Did you know, if your horse is unable to easily bite a whole carrot, it is likely there is incisor pain present?
Our colleagues at @Equine Dental Clinic Ltd have been raising awareness of this test, and we would like to share it too.
If a horse can bite a carrot, it doesn't completely rule out pain. But if they can't, it is much more likely that pain is present.
One particular condition which is known to be very painful and mostly affects the incisors of older horses, is EORTH (Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis). Often these horses struggle to bite a carrot (but again, if they can, it doesn't rule out pain). It is important we identify this condition, because chronic pain leads to a reduced quality of life, as well as increasing the risk of other problems, such as colic. Diagnosis can be made through the use of the carrot test, dental examination and x-rays. Unfortunately, the only treatment for this condition is extraction of the affected incisors (sometimes all of them), which might sound drastic, but generally results in a much happier horse afterwards! ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ - ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ผ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ. ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
๐ฆ๐ผ, ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐, ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐! ๐ฅ๐ด
(Be careful to keep fingers
๐ธ๐น๐๐ค๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐๐น๐ธ
In the early hours of Monday morning, these two adventurous Scottish Blackface sheep were found wandering near a slip road off the AWPR by a kind member of the public. Our farm vet was called out to ensure their safety and provide a cozy overnight stay in our stables while we tracked down their owners.
Weโre happy to report that their owners were located, and these two are now back home safe and sound!
A big thank you to everyone involved for keeping these escape artists safe and secure. A little reminder to check those fences - sometimes even the most robust breeds can surprise us!
#SheepRescue #Scottishblackface #EscapeArtists
๐ด ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐ฝ๐ช๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ช๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฝ๐ค๐ญ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ด
Box rest can be a challenging time for horses, both physically and mentally. Thatโs why we love providing our inpatients with enrichment tools like treat balls and Likit mats to help them stay engaged and reduce boredom.
In the video below, youโll see Digger making the most of his downtime with these boredom busters. Activities like these not only encourage natural foraging behaviors but also promote relaxation during recovery.
If your horse is on box rest, ask us about ways to keep them happy and healthy throughout their stay. Their well-being is always our top priority!
๐๐๐๐ฉโ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐ค๐ง๐จ๐โ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐๐ค๐ข ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ง? ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ช๐จ ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ!
*๐๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐*
We are now offering acupuncture appointments at Ardene House, with our vet, Saskia. ๐ฉโโ๐ด
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: 25% off acupuncture treatments in December and January. The initial consultation and acupuncture session (not including visit fee) will be ยฃ60, and follow up sessions will be ยฃ45.
Acupuncture is an excellent adjunctive therapy option, complementing the classical forms of medicine. It can be utilised in many ways, especially as pain relief for tender muscles, but also supporting general health. ๐๐
There are many physiological effects that happen when a needle enters into an acupoint - for example, it can influence local hormone release which in turn interferes with nociceptive transfer from painful area (in other words...it can cancel out pain!).
๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐?
Most likely, yes! Any horse can benefit, whether they are retired or in full work and competing. Horses that particularly benefit are those who have had a history of lameness or internal pain, which has caused secondary back pain. Alongside physiotherapy and massage, acupuncture can also be a great support method for sport horses.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐?
๐ธClean and dry horse - needles should not be put through wet hair
๐ธA clean hard floor, free of hay or shavings - occasionally needles are twitched out or fall out on their own and they are incredibly hard to find on grass or hay!
๐ธIdeally no food at the time of acupuncture - most horses are calm and almost fall asleep, so often aren't bothered by the lack of hay.
๐ธTry not to exercise the horse for 24-48hrs post-acupuncture. This gives them time to rest
๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐บ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐
During November 2024, a National Antibiotic Amnesty is being held by vets, doctors and pharmacists. Our practice is taking part and we are encouraging clients to return any unused or out of date antibiotics to us for safe disposal. The aim is to help slow the development of antimicrobial resistance, by avoiding contamination of the environment due to inappropriate disposal of antibiotics.
๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ (๐๐ ๐ฅ) ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐:
๐นAntibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develop defences that protect them from antibiotic medications, making treatment less effective.
๐น The environment is at risk if antibiotics arenโt disposed of properly. If antibiotics are disposed of inappropriately e.g. via household waste, this can contribute to antimicrobial resistance in the environment.
๐น Always return unused or out of date antibiotics to your vet for safe disposal.
๐น Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest global health issues of our time. We must act now, together.
#AntibioticAmnesty #onehealth
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
This is Boo, enjoying the relaxation of an acupuncture session. No sedation at all!
Acupuncture can be very beneficial alongside traditional veterinary medicine. It stimulates internal opioid release, has anti-inflammatory effects, balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, and helps with local blood flow.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก?
๐ธMusculoskeletal pain and sore backs
๐ธPoor performance
๐ธSaddling problems and girthiness
๐ธSupport for older and retired horses
๐ธInternal issues including asthma, recurrent colic, immune disorders
Most horses accept acupuncture well, and there is a clear calming component, mediated by muscular relaxation and endorphin release.
It is important to note that acupuncture is best used as a complementary option in addition to classical medicine. If you are interested in learning more and discovering if your horse could benefit from acupuncture, give our team a ring on 01224 740700 or drop us an e-mail.
๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐
๐๐๐๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ....
๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ผ๐ ๐พ๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ป๐
Thank you to everyone who participated in our spooky Trick or Treat Challenge! We were thrilled to see all the incredible tricks, talents, and bravery displayed by your clever horses and ponies. ๐ดโจ
๐ ๐ผ๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐ง๐...
๐ฅ Brock for his amazing talent of dribbling the ballโฝ๏ธ
๐ฅ Jonesy for his fantastic trick to entertain the puppy๐ถ
๐ฅ Storm and Falcon for their bravery in being driven by a gorilla and skeleton ๐ฆ๐
Congratulations to our winners and a big round of applause to all the participants! Youโve truly shown us just how talented and fearless your horses are. ๐ฉ๐ด๐ฉ
๐ฌ Winners, please message us to claim your Halloween treat pack! ๐งก
Stay tuned for more fun challenges, and letโs keep celebrating our amazing horses together. Happy Haunting! ๐๐ป
#VetTreatMyHorse #TrickOrTreatChallenge #EquineExcellence
Whilst on call a little while ago, Beth couldn't help but take a moment to watch these two foals having a good groom ๐
โญ๏ธ๐น๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐นโญ๏ธ
We were so impressed with this superstar horse, Princess, we have chosen her as Septemberโs Patient of the Month! ๐ดโจ
During laser surgery, she was so calm and well-behaved. She even munched on hay through half of the procedure, reducing the amount of sedation required ๐ช
All horses undergoing laser surgery receive an injection of painkillers before the procedure, which allows for a more comfortable experience for the patient.
Since treatment her owner said โ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐บ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ. ๐๐ฆโ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ตโ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ช๐ค๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ช๐ต ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ. ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ.โ
Itโs amazing to see how relaxed and trusting Princess was throughout the whole process. What a champ! ๐
#LaserSurgery #CalmHorse #TrustAndCare #EquineHealth
๐น๐ฉบ ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐พ๐ด๐ธ
Colic is a serious concern for every horse owner, but with the right care, you can significantly reduce the risk. Here are 10 tips from our equine experts to help keep your horse safe and healthy:
1. ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ง๐๐๐: Forage (e.g. hay/grass) should make up the majority of their diet. Ensure any hay is fresh and free from mold or dust.
2. ๐๐ง๐๐๐ช๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐จ: Gradually introduce any changes to your horseโs diet over a period of 7-10 days. The horse's gastrointestinal system is not designed for sudden changes.
3. ๐ผ๐ข๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง: Always provide access to clean, fresh water. Dehydration is a major risk factor for colic. Buckets help to monitor intake.
4. ๐ผ๐ซ๐ค๐๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐จ๐จ: Stress is a significant risk factor for colic. Ensure your horse has adequate turnout time and direct social contact with other horses to avoid chronic stress. Pay attention to any other possible causes of stress for your particular horse and avoid or reduce these wherever possible.
5. ๐๐๐๐ช๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐๐จ๐: Keep your horse active to promote healthy digestion. Even if it's just regular turnout, movement is key. It is essential for keeping food moving through the gut.
6. ๐ผ๐ซ๐ค๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ: If your horse grazes on sandy soil, feed them off the ground or use a sand colic prevention supplement.
7. ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐: Limit grazing on lush pasture, especially in spring and after rain, to prevent gas build-up. Gradually introduce to spring grass.
8. ๐ฟ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐: Regular dental check-ups ensure your horse can chew their food
๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ฃ ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐น
We had the pleasure of welcoming one exceptionally well behaved horse to the clinic last week, and we just have to share the experience!
๐ดโจ From the moment he walked in, he was the perfect patient - calm, cooperative and full of charm. Our new equine nursing assistant, Codie, was happy to assist and couldn't have asked for a better introduction to her role.
It's not every day you meet a horse who makes a vet visit look like a walk in the park, but this wee guy did just that. He even had a removal lorry to deal with too! Huge thanks to his owner for producing such a well-mannered horse.
#EquineExcellence #VetVisit #HappyHorse #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork #EquineNursingAssistant
โ๐๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐โ๐๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ธ! ๐ชฃ
Here is our head nursing assistant, Lisa, teaching 4 day old foal, Theodore (or 'Teddy') how to drink from a bucket. His mum had a touch of mastitis, so we supplemented him with milk replacer for a few days until her milk production had increased. Bucket feeding is preferred over bottle or syringe feeding because it reduces the risk of aspirating (breathing in) milk.
Teddy is a KWPN X Welsh Section B! ๐
