Managing Back and Neck Pain
⭐⭐ Monthly Theme continued ⭐⭐
Managing horses with muscular neck and back pain.
Horses can be stiff and sore in their necks and backs because of their work load, because of ill fitting tack, or because of pain in their limbs.
Athletic horses can be muscularly sore due to the strenuous exercise that they engage in, similar to human athletes. These horses always benefit from regular physiotherapy, massage and stretching exercises.
If a horse has ill fitting tack it can obviously cause pain in the back and poll. Regular tack fitting with a qualified professional is always advisable.
Generally horses will try to ‘cope’ with low grade lameness by tensing up through their body. This regularly translates to neck, back, pelvic and shoulder pain. If you horse is sore in their back it is often a sign of hind limb lameness. It is really important that these horses are assessed by a vet, as often this lameness is hard to detect, but if left untreated will result in ongoing back pain.
Muscular back pain often responds well to physiotherapy, massage or acupuncture once the underlying problems have been treated. The video shows Avonvale vet Carys doing acupuncture on a horse’s back.
If you have any concerns about your horse please get in touch to speak to one of our vets (01295) 670501.
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⭐⭐ Pus in Foot ⭐⭐
Sub solar abscess, otherwise known as pus in the foot, is a common condition in horses. Arguably they are more common in the winter when horses are stood in mud, which softens the foot allowing easier access for stones and grit, that can set up an infection.
Most horses are extremely lame with a sub solar abscess, and therefore require urgent attention. The abscess needs to be identified and drained to make the horse more comfortable. The amount of pus within each abscess can be variable, but drainage generally results in a huge improvement.
If you have any concerns about your horse please contact us to speak to a vet (01295) 670501.
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Caring for horses during hot weather
⭐⭐ Caring for horses during hot weather ⭐⭐
We are experiencing excessive temperatures at the moment and this can cause heat-related issues.
Overheating can result from:
- Unexpected hot weather
- High humidity
- Poor barn ventilation
- Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight
- Excessive work
- Transportation
- Obesity
Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can induce heat stress, causing problems such as dehydration, muscle spasm and colic. Heat stress is characterised by: increased rectal temperature, increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, profuse sweating, drooped ears, dullness or looking tired, inappetence.
If a horse is showing signs of any heat stress, it requires immediate veterinary attention. Treatment usually includes: stopping exercise, getting the horse away from the sun, using non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, spraying ice water to cool the horse and giving electrolytes if necessary.
Here are some tips to try to keep your horse comfortable and cool during the hot weather:
1. Spray the horse’s head, neck, back, rump and legs with a steady stream of cool water and repeat this continuously until the horse is cool.
2. Don’t place a fly rug on the horse straight after hosing them or during the cooling process. This will block evaporation from the skin.
3. Give the horse the time to acclimate to the new temperatures (between 15 to21 days) before travelling to compete. Acclimation will increase the horse’s tolerance to heat and exercise.
4. If the weather suddenly becomes very hot, try to avoid prolonged or intense periods of exercise during the hottest time of the day.
5. Ensure that your horse has always free access to clean water.
6. If your horse has a particular thick coat please consider clipping: this will help them regulate better their body temperature.
If you are worried your horse is suffering with heatstroke, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01295 670501.
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🐴🐴🐴 TODAY IS THE DAY - Go Pippa!! 🐴🐴🐴
The day has finally arrived for our lovely Accounts Assistant Pippa to take part in the Macmillan 'Ride of their Lives' at York Racecourse, starting at 12.30pm.
Pippa has been training tirelessly for over 6 months and has been non-stop fundraising. She has now reached over £11,300 for the charity, which is an amazing achievement, we are really proud of her hard work and commitment.
Here's a video of Pippa having jockey training on an equisizer with trainer Charlie Poste, who has been putting Pippa through her paces!
It's not too late to donate - please visit Pippa's JustGiving page and if you can spare the odd pound or two, it would be hugely appreciated. Visit -
https://www.justgiving.com/page/pippa-harvey-1702635407974?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fpippa-harvey-1702635407974&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share
Good luck Pippa - we know you can do it!!💪💪
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Enjoying a little taste of the outside, a beautiful filly foal for Lynwood Stud 😁
Preparing an Endometrial Swab in our lab
⭐⭐ Endometrial Cytology and Culture ⭐⭐
As stud season continue to keep us busy, today we would like to discuss with you about one of the procedures that we often do in our lab.
Before sending the mare to the stallion to be covered or even before performing artificial insemination with fresh or frozen semen, our stud vet will collect a cervical or endometrial swab. This consists of using a speculum to visualize the cervix (entrance to the uterus) and then pass the swab through the cervix to collect a sample in a sterile manner.
This is a very important procedure as it allows us to check if the mare suffers of uterine inflammation or infection. For this reason, we will perform a smear to look for any inflammatory cells and then plate the swab on a MacConkey Agar culture to check for bacterial growth after 24 hours and 48 hours.
If inflammatory cells are seen and/or bacterial growth is present, our stud vet will then treat the mare accordingly. This may include uterine flush with crystalloids (Hartmann’s), placement of the correct antibiotics in the uterus and intra-muscular administration of oxytocin (to promote fluids to be pushed outside the uterus).
This video shows how we prepare a swab in our 'in house' laboratory.
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Today director Claire Maher had a rather more unusual examination to carry out. P & R Horsedrawn Carriages
How we do a Worm Egg Count
⭐⭐ Worm Egg Counts - how we do it! ⭐⭐
Thank you to Team Nurse for producing this quick video of how they prepare a faecal sample for a McMaster Method faecal worm egg count.
Horse worming is an essential part of keeping horses happy and healthy. Regular worm egg counts are recommended for all horses, and worming should be carried out when necessary, using the right product.
Take a look at our website for more information on our annual WEC package - https://www.avonvaleequine.co.uk/our-services/routine-healthcare/
Or read our blog - How often should I worm my horse? https://www.avonvaleequine.co.uk/blog/how-often-should-i-worm-my-horse/
If you have any questions, please feel free to call and speak to one of our experienced vets on 01295 670501.
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⭐⭐ Monthly Theme continued - Body Condition Scoring ⭐⭐
We hope we've given you lots of useful information on this important topic over the past few Mondays.
Here's a short video demonstrating the correct way to use a weigh tape.
If you have any questions regarding this, or any other topic, please call us on 01295 670501 and speak to one of our experienced vets.
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Sarcoid Removal - laser surgery
⭐⭐ Case Study – Mikki’s Sarcoids ⭐⭐
Mikki is a 15-years-old gelding that presented to us with few nodules on his left thigh (inner bum cheek). He was not bothered by them, but after a thorough examination performed by one of our vets, the nodules were highly suspicious of being sarcoids and removal by laser surgery was recommended.
Sarcoids are the most common tumors of the skin in horses, they are usually benign meaning that don’t spread to other parts of the body and remain confined to the skin, but they are also very unpredictable and can suddenly increase in both size and number. That’s why once we notice them, we usually recommend treatment as soon as possible.
There are few treatment options for dealing with sarcoids, but the most recommended is surgical removal by laser as it seems to be the treatment with the lowest recurrence rate. Laser in fact will cause thermal dieback of the surrounding tissue and tissue bed.
Mikki was therefore admitted to the clinic, intravenous sedation was given and Mikki was then moved into stocks. Intravenous antibiotics and anti-inflammatories were administered before surgery and local anesthetic was injected around all the nodules and the surrounding areas. The laser surgery machine was then used to successfully remove all the sarcoids. Mikki was discharged on the same day once he was completely awake, eating and looking bright in himself.
Upon re-examination 7 days post-surgery, Mikki was happy and bright in himself and the wound created by the laser surgery was healing well.
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How to Body Condition Score Your Horse
⭐⭐ Monthly Theme continued - Body Condition Scoring - How to Body Condition Score your Horse ⭐⭐
Body condition scoring is carried out by feeling your horses’ muscle, fat and bone across its body. Body condition scoring should be assessed in three main areas; neck and shoulders, abdomen and hindquarters. The optimum score for each area in a normal horse is between 2.5-3 out of 5.
It’s important to understand the difference between feeling fat and muscle. Fat is softer and creases when there are deposits in certain regions such as the crest of the neck; muscle feels much firmer. It is important that when you implement a body condition scoring regime, each time it is completed it should be at the same time and by the same person to achieve the most accurate results. Recording your horses BCS in a table or graph is a good idea to keep track throughout the year.
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Coffin Joint Arthritis
⭐⭐ Coffin Joint Arthritis ⭐⭐
Here's a short video on how we treated a recent case of Coffin Joint Arthritis.
If you have any questions regarding this or any other issue you may be facing, please give us a call on 01295 670501 to speak to one of our experienced vets.
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