Mortimer Equine Vets

01/11/2024

💩MUD FEVER💩

It’s that time of year where all horse owners begin the uphill battle against mud!

As we know it doesn’t take long for gateways and tracks to become poached and the trip out with the barrow suddenly becomes a slip and slide excursion 🌧️

But what about mud fever❓
This can be a painful and restrictive issue for horses and ponies over the winter 🐴

Mud fever is caused by the bacterium dermatophilus congolesi. This is often present normally on the horse’s skin, but when there are grazes/breaks in the barrier, or the skin is persistently wet; then the bacteria causes infection 🦠

Mud fever is characterised by scabs/crusts forming on the pasterns. Sometimes the area will be swollen too. Horses often resent the pastern being touched as the skin is very sore 🩺

Managing mud fever involves removing the scabs and trying to keep the area clean and dry. Sometimes this can be very painful and we need to sedate the horse. Once the area is dry then certain antimicrobial creams can help to treat and also soothe the area 👩🏼‍⚕️

Preventing breaks or weaknesses in the skin barrier helps to reduce the chances of developing mud fever. Make sure to use soft brushes on the limbs, that any boots or bandages should be fitted correctly so they don’t rub, brush off sand (this can be abrasive) and generally keep the area clean and dry 🧽

If you are worried about mud fever or would like to ask any questions then please feel free to get in touch ☎️

29/10/2024

🐴 NUTRITION 🐴

Nutrition can be such a hard thing to manage in horses and ponies of all descriptions. Did you know there are specialist equine nutritionists who are able to advise on what we should be feeding, when and why❓

It can be easy to be persuaded by good marketing to purchase different 'miracle’ products but sometimes we have to adopt a more tailored approach to individual cases 🐎

A horse's energy requirement will vary greatly depending on its lifestyle. It may seem fairly obvious that a racehorse needs more energy than a happy hacker - but there is more to diet than energy❗️

Different aspects of diet can be important in management of disease such as EMS, horses prone to tying up and laminitis to name but a few 👩🏼‍⚕️

For horses and ponies with more specific needs, it can be very helpful to discuss their dietary requirements with someone who specialises in this area 🤓

Did you know most feed companies will have their own nutritionist? 🌟

27/10/2024

Vet Kaz and Nurse Fiona had an afternoon out x-raying this lovely lad on Thursday 🩻

Meet Rico, who had all four feet x-rayed, and his front left pastern too 🐴

He was lightly sedated to ensure he stood quietly and still on the blocks, meaning the views required could be radiographed successfully 🙌🏼

25/10/2024

💻 Website 💻

We have some exciting news 🥁

Our website is live 🌟 there’s still lots of work going on in the background to get it completed.

In the mean time you can head over to https://www.mortimervets.co.uk/ and take a look at our holding page 📲

We’ll keep you updated with how it’s coming along 😀

23/10/2024

💥 Fireworks night 💥

Guy Fawkes night can be a scary time for some horses and ponies so here are some helpful hints and tips for keeping our four legged friends safe and happy;

🎆 Is your horse happier in the stable or out in the field? They are all different we know! Try and stick to your horses routine and what they are comfortable with. If they are stabled, try leaving the lights on as this may help reduce the flashing from fireworks
🎇 Safe space - make sure there are no broken fences/pieces of debris about that nervous horses can get themselves tangled up in or injure themselves on if they’re having a bit of a panic. Secure fencing is very important!
🎆 Background noise - sometimes leaving a radio or some music on can be helpful at creating a calm atmosphere and mask some of the noises of firework night
🎇 Fun or yummy distractions - we all know the power of food. Think about using a treat toy or a small holed hay net to keep your horse distracted
🎆 Calming - there are various different oral calming supplements available and some horses and ponies might be in need of these. Be sure to make sure they are given in adequate time before expected disturbances or they may not work

If you have any questions or concerns then please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 📞01544 388262📞

Enjoy the fun and stay safe ✨

18/10/2024

Being a vet or vet nurse isn’t all about cuddling cute puppies & kittens, or being out on the road doing equine visits 🩺

The job comes with paperwork too, (and lots of it) unfortunately!

Vets Kaz and Abi busy writing up their notes, reporting lab results, returning client phone calls, referring cases, to name only a few of their office time jobs 💻

With Nurse Kerry, manning the equine admin side of the practice on Fridays. Phone calls, booking in visits, taking payments, booking completed visits, billing and attaching lab reports, the list goes on 🐴

The office is a busy place here at Mortimer Vets, the fantastic team keeping all the cogs turning 🙌🏼

Big shout out to Smart ThreadZ for kitting us out with all of our embroidered uniform 🌟

17/10/2024

Access to us this morning 🚗

What we know so far;
💦 Ludlow ➡️ Leominster A49 is clear
💦 Bromyard ➡️ Leominster A44 is clear
💦 Leominster ➡️ Eardisland road CLOSED
💦 Monkland totally flooded - road CLOSED
💦 Flooded at the roundabout before Kingsland car auctions - they’ve now CLOSED this road too

We have staff in the building that have successfully and safely made it in (or stayed overnight for the likes of Kaz who was out and about responding to equine emergencies last night 💪🏼🦸🏼‍♀️)

We will keep all scheduled visits for today updated with ETAs, and will contact you via phone to rearrange if needed 🐴

📞 01544 388262 📞

We will keep this post updated throughout the day 👩🏽‍💻

Stay safe out there everyone 💚

15/10/2024

What do vets get up to on their days off 🤔

Kaz decided to make the most of the dry weather on her day off last week, and went for a nice ride 🐴

Perfect way to chill out and get some well needed fresh air 🙌🏼

14/10/2024

💊 Repeat Prescriptions 💊

Please can we remind clients to allow 24 - 48 hours before collecting their repeat prescriptions 🐴

This gives us enough time to get it ready for you to collect 🩺

This applies for written prescriptions too 📝

13/10/2024

As we head into autumn and we enjoy the change of colours we must also be mindful of acorns that have fallen into grazing areas 🍁

Generally if there is plenty of alternative food then horses won't bother with the acorn as they taste bitter, but if they have little else to eat they are easily tempted 🌱

Different horses/ponies have variable tolerances to acorn toxins - so some can become poorly after ingesting only a small amount 🐴

What are the signs of acorn poisning?
🍂Depression/lethargy
🍂Acorns in droppings
🍂Reduced appetite
🍂Constipation
🍂Blood in faeces (sometimes diarrhoea)
🍂Mouth ulcers
🍂Colic

Treatment is supportive, this generally involves fluid therapy and pain killers if colic symptoms are seen. If the horse is seen eating acorns then early intervention with activated charcoal to prevent absorption 🩺

Prevention is better than cure - fencing off areas beneath oak trees will help reduce the amount of acorns horses have access to. Providing plenty of alternative forage when grass is scarce will also mean they are much less likely to try and eat them in the first place 🍀

11/10/2024

11/10/2024

Who else was lucky enough to see the Aurora Borealis last night? 😍

Vet Kaz managed to catch this quick (and blurry!) photo whilst she was doing her horses 💙💜🐴

Share your photos in the comments below ⬇️

10/10/2024

Did you know, you can bring your horse or pony in to us, here at the practice❓

✨Routine vaccinations
✨Saves paying for a visit fee
✨Plenty of space to turn round and park
✨Trailer or lorry
✨Perfect for well behaved horses and ponies that are happy standing in a box for their vaccines

08/10/2024

🦷 Fractured teeth 🦷

Due to the anatomy of horses teeth regular dental rasping is important to remove sharp enamel points to ensure their mouths remain comfortable 🐴

However sharp edges aren't all that we find on routine dental examinations.

Neil Townsend from Neil Townsend Equine Dentistry & Surgery Ltd came to visit recently to treat two ponies with problem teeth found on routine examinations. Despite not showing any changes in their eating we found that both Ben and Johnny had fractured teeth 😣

These teeth had packed with food material causing the two pieces to be pushed apart. Due to the location of Ben's fractured tooth we took rays to determine how far the fracture went and to look at the angle of the root to help make removal easier 🩺

Using specialist equipment, Neil was able to assess the teeth and remove both fragments of both teeth successfully and with minimal trauma to the surrounding tissues 🙌🏼

These fractures were likely due to a condition called infundibular cemental hypoplasia where a central portion of the tooth does not form properly leaving a hollow cavity at the base of the tooth. Once the tooth above has worn away due to the horse chewing this cavity is exposed meaning the tooth is much weaker and can pack with food predisposing it to fracturing if they chew on something solid!

Once the tooth has fractured, removal is the only choice, but Johnny had a similar lesion on the tooth on the opposite side which hadn't yet fractured. To prevent this tooth also fracturing it was cleaned thoroughly and filled to prevent food packing and strengthen the tooth 🦷

Both ponies were treated under standing sedation with local nerve blocks and were soon feeling much better and ready to go home again and get back to their busy pony club lives! 🌟

We're very lucky to be able to call on other professionals to help when cases are more complicated but still have them treated locally so that your ponies don't have to travel too far 🏥

Close up photos;
4️⃣ Ben’s tooth
5️⃣ Johnny’s tooth
6️⃣ Johnny’s tooth pre-filling
7️⃣ Johnny’s tooth post-filling

06/10/2024

🌱 Greener Veterinary Practice 🌱

The veterinary and medical industries both have a large impact on the environment and so as a practice we are trying to do our best to minimise our contribution to this ♻️

So how are we doing out bit?
🌿Recycling any packaging
🌿Purchasing medications and equipment from 'green' companies
🌿Using reusable products wherever possible
🌿We have oxygen generators rather than cylinders
🌿Majority of the lights in the building automatically switch off when not in use
🌿We have lots of plants!
🌿Wherever possible we try to support local businesses
🌿Paperless billing

We are always open to suggestions as to how we can further improve our green mission so please do let us know if you have any ideas!

04/10/2024

New vet Kaz has been busy out on the road during her equine days 🐴

Take a look at her neat stitching recently 🪡