Riverside Vets Equine

13/12/2024

Gemma's pretty sure she has the best co-pilot. ❤️

11/12/2024

Today we all had a fantastic session with Ihrt Lucy Williams and the wonderful Hero owned by Paula. Hero had become anxious about needles and we wanted to help settle him down so he could enjoy vet visits more. Lucy joined us for an informative training session where all the vets and nurses learned the subtle and not so subtle anxiety behaviour cues beautifully demonstrated by Hero. We learned how to reduce his adrenaline and anxiety, taking it in small steps to build his acceptance and confidence. We tried a few techniques before finding the magic answer for Hero.....neck scratchies!
The photos show his progression from being anxious and avoidant to being relaxed and accepting. Well done Hero and thank you to Paula and Lucy.

09/12/2024

We'd like to provide some clarity on the use of worm egg counts 😊

After the outside temperature consistently falls below 6 °C for a few days red worm starts to encyst in the gut wall and all other worms reduce their egg output

This means that whilst a high worm egg count at this time of year confirms a treatable worm burden, a low egg count doesn't mean your horse doesn't require a treatment for encysted red worm.

It is dangerous to rely on egg counts at this time of year to decide whether your horse needs a moxidectin treatment at the end of December/ begining of January.

We use the CANTER parasite risk profile to guide worming strategies so wormers are used in a targeted and intelligent way, to help safeguard against future worming resistance.

Please call us for advice, we are here to help make sure everyone is worming in the right way at the right time. 😊

07/12/2024

We are sorry that the storm has affected our phones and internet this morning.
Engineers are working to resolve this.
Phones will shortly be diverted to a mobile.
Please only call for urgent enquiries and appointments required today.

For all non urgent enquiries please email or petsapp to be responded to in Monday

Thank you 🚨

15/11/2024

❌ 𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗦𝗘! Sadly, it's no longer as simple as that. You may have heard the advice to do your winter worming after the first frost. While a frost will help kill off the bot flies, with warmer temperatures continuing further into the year in the UK, we can no longer rely on this old adage when targeting encysted redworm.

❄️ We've spoken to many folks who have had the first frost and are keen to go ahead with their winter wormer, but while temperatures on grazing land remain above 6C, redworm are still active and worming now will increase the risk of reinfection. We need to wait for winter (Dec-Feb) and temperatures to stay consistently below 6C for a few days before tackling encysted redworm. This means either blood testing or treating with an appropriate wormer.

🍂🔬 We're still in autumn now, so if you haven't done a worm egg count in the last three months, or a saliva test for tapeworm in the last six months, then it's time to test! If your autumn test results show a need for treatment then it’s okay to go ahead with an appropriate wormer. You’ll then need to consider encysted redworm in winter as advised in this post.

Our award winning tests and advice help protect thousands of horses every year, so get in touch for free, expert support you can trust.

Autumn advice 👉 bit.ly/AutumnParasiteControl
More about the redworm parasite 👉 bit.ly/RedwormInfoZone

13/11/2024

Do You Know Your Horse or Pony’s Weight? 🐴

As we move into the colder months, it’s the perfect time to assess your horse or pony’s weight. During winter, horses can gain weight more easily due to reduced exercise and richer hay or forage. Maintaining an optimal weight is essential for preventing health issues like laminitis, especially in horses with metabolic concerns.

If you’re worried about metabolic disorders or suspect your horse might be at risk for laminitis, we can provide ACTH testing to screen for early signs of Cushing’s disease and other endocrine imbalances.

Our experienced Equine Veterinary Nurse, Anna, will be on hand to carry out a thorough weight assessment using our mobile weighbridge—whether for just one horse or your entire stable yard.

For more information or to book an appointment, contact us via Petsapp or call 02380620605.

02/11/2024

What is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develop defences that protect
them from antibiotic medications, making treatment less effective.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing problem worldwide, affecting both human and animal health. Antibiotics are essential when treating many conditions in animals and people, but bacteria are becoming resistant to many antibiotics that we rely on in human and veterinary medicine.

Our practice is taking part in the antibiotic amnesty this November.

✅ Clients can return any unused or out of date antibiotics to us for safe disposal.



❌ We do not accept human medicine and this should be returned to a pharmacy for safe disposal.

29/10/2024

💊🐛🐎 Why do we advise not to worm and move? It's all to do with helping slow wormer resistance and ensuring we're not favouring the development of a resistant worm population.

🧐 It can be a hard one to wrap your head around, but to do this horses need to go back onto the same pasture after worming* that they were on before for at least one - two weeks. This helps to re-establish a worm population that is more susceptible to wormers. Conversely, moving them straight to fresh pasture favours the development of a resistant worm population.

*Where possible horses should be stabled for 24-48hrs after worming, or if stabling isn't available then grazing land cleared of contaminated dung to prevent metabolites from damaging the environment.

Our top tips on how to slow wormer resistance 👉 bit.ly/Top10ToSlowResistance

07/10/2024

Good luck! 🏆

29/09/2024

Our nurse Anna has been so impressed with Ivor and Tatties owners and their commitment to weighing and adjusting their requirements to keep them both healthy. We encourage clients to take advantage of the complementary weight clinics. Well done Tattie and Ivor.

28/09/2024

Equine herpes virus 🦠
We believe EHV vaccination is warranted for the following at risk groups.
⁃ Horses regularly travelling to competitions within the Uk and abroad
⁃ Horses that are stabled on yards where there are horses regularly travelling to competitions within the UK and abroad
⁃ Pregnant mares
⁃ Horses kept on yards that have a number of pregnant mares on the premises
Please call us/Pets app or email to book your horses EHV vaccinations in.

24/09/2024

CUSHINGS:
Autumn is a good time to test for cushings due to a surge in ACTH the difference between a horse without and a horse with cushings is more evident . If you have a horse on medication now is a ideal time to check the levels or if you are worried that your horse may have one or more if the following signs : extra coat, delayed shedding, increased drinking and urination, weight loss or pot bellied appearance, muscle loss, recurrent laminitis then it's a good time to check. To help with costs, you may be eligible for a voucher for the cost of the test and for routine monitoring. Our equine nurse Anna can attend to take the sample prior to your vet reporting their results.

11/09/2024

TAPEWORM TIME
Autumn is the time for tapeworm testing. Our test is a simple saliva swab in the corner of the mouth . The cost is included in the equine plan, but can be purchased separately. Help us to protect your horses against wormer resistance.

15/08/2024

10/08/2024

A reminder that the practice is closed this Saturday 10th August 2024 due to our reception refurbishment

Should you need us in an emergency please call: -

02380 620605 equine

02380 620607 small animals

Thank you all for your patience at this time