Fuller Equine Veterinary Practice

24/12/2025

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our wonderful clients and their horses! 🤩🦄❤️🎄

Please note our office will be closed from 5pm today and will reopen at 8:30am on 2nd January.

In the meantime, our phone line remains open for emergencies. Please call the office number and you will be put through to the on-call Vet.

Thank you for your continued trust and support this year🥰🥰

17/12/2025

Chester is getting in the Christmas spirit... he says today is 'Wine-Down Wednesday' 🤣🤣🍷 Comment with a caption for this photo to be in with a chance of winning whatever it is that he has been drinking 😵‍💫🍾🍻 Entries close 21st December.

05/12/2025

Guttural Pouch Washes: The Gold Standard Test for Strangles👌

A guttural pouch wash (performed via endoscopy) remains the only reliable way to confirm whether a horse is carrying Streptococcus equi subsp. equi - the bacteria responsible for strangles.
Horses that appear healthy can still harbour the bacteria in their guttural pouches, making accurate testing essential for disease control.

👉Why use a guttural pouch wash?

A guttural pouch wash:

Allows direct visual assessment of the guttural pouches

Samples the exact area where S. equi persists

Detects both active infection and silent carriers

Helps determine whether a horse is genuinely no longer carrying bacteria following an outbreak

👉When is it recommended?

Post-strangles infection to confirm clearance

Before introducing a new horse to a yard

In yards managing or recovering from an outbreak

When a previous infection raises concern about persistent bacteria

👉What Happens During a Guttural Pouch Wash?

1.Sedation
The horse is given IV sedation to ensure they remain calm and comfortable.

2.Endoscope Placement
A flexible endoscope is gently passed up one nostril and into the nasopharynx.

3.Entering the Guttural Pouch
Using the endoscope, the vet accesses each guttural pouch via the pharyngeal openings.

4.Visual Examination
The vet examines the inside of each pouch, checking for pus, chondroids, inflammation, or other abnormalities.

5.Flushing the Pouch
Sterile fluid is flushed into the pouch and then collected. This fluid picks up any bacteria present.

6.Sample Collection for PCR/Culture
The recovered fluid is sent to the laboratory, where it is tested—usually via PCR—for the presence of Streptococcus equi. We now have the facilities to run this in house 😀

14/11/2025

Yesterday, Alex visited JJ for a lameness examination. 🐴
When a horse presents with lameness, we work through the assessment in the following stages:

* History & clinical exam – understanding any known history of the horse, when the problem started and checking the horse over at rest (including assessing the horse’s conformation, joints, muscles and hooves).
* Movement assessment – watching how the horse moves; both in a straight line and on the lunge - on hard and soft surface
* Nerve blocking – if needed, we can use diagnostic analgesia to pinpoint where the pain is coming from.
* Imaging – if required, we have portable X-ray and ultrasound equipment to investigate further on the yard.

This structured approach helps to reach an accurate diagnosis and plan the right treatment for each specific case! 🩵

31/10/2025

Happy Halloween 🦇 🖤 🕷️

The winner of our Trick or Treat competition is… Roman for his impressive yard-sweeping skills! 🧹🐴 🧡 hopefully all of our horses can learn from him 😂

Thank you so much to everyone who entered, we had such a laugh in the office seeing your photos & videos🙏🏼😆 ###

30/10/2025

Last chance to enter today! 👻👻👻

🎃🐴 Halloween Competition Time! 🐴🎃

This year we’re celebrating with a little Trick or Treat Challenge!

Show us your horse’s best trick — maybe it’s a clever move you’ve taught them like bowing, smiling, or fetching... or perhaps it's one of those cheeky tricks they weren’t supposed to learn (like... opening their stable door 🙈).

📸 Share a photo or video in the comments below
💬 Tell us if it’s a Trick or a Treat
🏆 Winner gets some goodies! Including Equine Inflamex

Equine America offer a Vet Range of products — https://equine-america-vet.co.uk/collections/shop-the-vet-range . If you are interested in any of the products, then let us know and one of our vets along with the expert team at Equine America can help advise what will suit your horse best to support their health & wellbeing.

Entries close 30/10/2025, and we’ll announce the winner on Halloween! 🎃

Have fun — and remember: safety first always!! 🧡🧡🧡

24/10/2025

🎃🐴 Halloween Competition Time! 🐴🎃

This year we’re celebrating with a little Trick or Treat Challenge!

Show us your horse’s best trick — maybe it’s a clever move you’ve taught them like bowing, smiling, or fetching... or perhaps it's one of those cheeky tricks they weren’t supposed to learn (like... opening their stable door 🙈).

📸 Share a photo or video in the comments below
💬 Tell us if it’s a Trick or a Treat
🏆 Winner gets some goodies! Including Equine Inflamex

Equine America offer a Vet Range of products — https://equine-america-vet.co.uk/collections/shop-the-vet-range . If you are interested in any of the products, then let us know and one of our vets along with the expert team at Equine America can help advise what will suit your horse best to support their health & wellbeing.

Entries close 30/10/2025, and we’ll announce the winner on Halloween! 🎃

Have fun — and remember: safety first always!! 🧡🧡🧡

06/10/2025

Please check your horse or pony's pasture for sycamore seeds. Especially after stormy or windy weather. 🌪

𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐲𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲

With Storm Amy bringing high winds and wet weather this weekend to many parts of the UK, horse owners are urged to be vigilant for signs of Atypical Myopathy (AM).

AM is caused by the toxin Hypoglycin A, contained in seeds and seedlings of some trees of the Acer species, predominantly from sycamore trees. High winds at this time of year often result in considerable contamination of pastures with sycamore seeds.

The onset of the disease can be very rapid, with high mortality rates. It can affect horses of all ages and types, but young horses may be more vulnerable than older horses. If you’re concerned about your horse or pony, call your vet immediately.

See more information on our website rossdales.com/news/atypical-myopathy

26/09/2025

Is anyone else heading up to the yard in the dark yet... 🙋‍♀️ It's definitely getting to that time of year where we should be checking our First Aid Kits 😅
Here is some of our First Aid advice for Autumn & beyond (I'm not saying the 'W' word just yet! ❄️) -

🧰 First Aid Kit Essentials:

Digital thermometer – Normal range is 37.5–38.5°C
Bandaging materials – Gamgee, cohesive bandage (e.g. Vetrap), sterile gauze swabs, or clean cotton wool
Saline or salt – Use cooled boiled water + salt for cleaning wounds
Manuka honey – Useful for certain wounds
Disposable gloves – For hygiene and safety
📱 Phone! – Take clear photos/videos

💡 General First Aid Advice:

Clean wounds with clean water or saline. If the wound is dirty - wash with diluted hibiscrub first, then rinse with plenty of clean water
Apply a sterile dressing if appropriate
Keep the area clean and monitor for swelling, heat, or lameness
Consider box rest if the wound is on a leg
Check your horse’s temperature and overall behaviour
Always contact your vet if you're unsure - we are here to help, and, where possible, will give advice over the phone (it is helpful for the vets if you have pictures/videos to email or WhatsApp over).

🚩 When to Call the Vet

Call us straight away if:
The wound is over or near a joint or tendon
It’s deeper than just the skin
You suspect it may need stitches (time is precious with stitches so call ASAP)
Your horse is lame, bleeding heavily, or seems distressed

Wishing you all a good weekend with hopefully no vet visits ! 🤣🤞

02/09/2025

After such a dry spell, it’s been a bit of a relief to finally get some rain!!! 😅

Now’s a good time to give your horse’s routine a quick seasonal check. A few things to keep in mind:

Worming – Make sure you are up to date on your horse's faecal worm egg counts.
Hoof care – Muddy, wet conditions can lead to thrush, so always pick feet out daily. Contact your Farrier or Vet if you have any questions or concerns.
Rugging – It’s tempting to start rugging early, but we recommend not rushing and letting coats grow naturally first.
Water – Don’t forget to keep buckets and troughs clean! Mud and soggy hay can start to sneak in at this time of year.

Put a photo in the comments if you have a pony already making the most of the first bit of mud😆😆😆

22/08/2025

Thank you to whoever nominated me for Practice Manager of the year!!! 🙏🙏🐴🐴❤️❤️

20/08/2025

We’re proud to support local equine professional ‘Equi-Circulate’ (Our lovely Steph from the office💕) offering BEMER therapy sessions in the Herts/Essex area!

BEMER uses pulsed electromagnetic therapy to help support:
▪️ Circulation at a cellular level
▪️ Muscle recovery & suppleness
▪️ Performance support
▪️ Relaxation
▪️ General wellbeing

Whether your horse is in work/competing, recovering from injury/illness, or just needs a little TLC, BEMER sessions could be just what they need!

✅ On-site sessions
✅ Multiple horse discounts
✅ Efficient & non-invasive

📩 DM Equi Circulate or drop a text/WhatsApp on 07899769493 to discuss your horse’s tailored plan!