Buckingham Equine Vets

28/11/2025

🍎🥕 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀 🥕🍎

This year, the dry summer and lack of grass was ideal for ponies needing restricted grazing! However, with all the recent rain, the grass in places has come in thick and fast - reflected in an increase in laminitis cases that we have seen recently.

Have a read of today's post to find out more about different causes, diagnostics, treatment, and prevention. Of course, each animal is unique, and exact diagnostics and treatment plans will vary from case-to-case, based on veterinary assessment.

If you think your equine has laminitis, it is always recommended to seek veterinary advice. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 "𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗶" - even the most mild cases can become problematic without appropriate intervention from vets, farriers, and owners.

Also don't forget about our 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲, which includes:

🩺 Two consults - 6 weeks apart
⚖️ Weigh bridge assessment at each consult
🩸 Bloods for EMS testing at the first consult
🌱 Pasture and diet assessment
🏇 Personalised exercise plan

All for just £130!

(Visit fees apply, not appropriate for animals with current active laminitis, full T&C's on our website)

If you have a horse, pony, or donkey that has overcome laminitis or gone on a weight loss journey, feel free to share below - we would love to see their progress, and how they are getting on now!

22/11/2025

🌡𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹?🌡

Do you know your horse's normal resting TPR (temperature, pulse, respiratory rate)?

Knowing your horse's normal is vital to help notice subtle changes, potentially catching early signs of illness and starting prompt treatment. Getting them comfortable with these routine checks also helps keep everyone safe - it's music to our vets' ears when owners say their horses are good for their temperature being taken as they are used to it!

Values vary between horses, but the general resting TPR is as follows:

🌡 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: 37.5-38.5
❤️ 𝗣𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗲: 28-44 beats per minute
🫁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲: 6-12 breaths per minute

If you have never taken your horse's temperature before, we recommend starting with baby steps, getting them comfortable with being towards their back end and lifting their tail. Consider using clicker training (see an earlier post of ours for information) to make it a positive experience!

❗️𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗶𝗽: When taking a temperature always stand to the side of your horse, never behind, and plenty of scratches around the tail base can help relax and encourage them to lift their tail to make it more comfortable!

📞 If you have any worries about a change to your horse’s TPR, we are always just a phone call away to talk about any concerns!

17/11/2025

✂️🐴 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿?

As the weather changes, many horses are due for their winter clip or a routine visit from the farrier — and for some, that can be a stressful experience. If your horse finds clipping or shoeing a bit worrying, sedation can help keep both your horse and handlers safe, while ensuring the job is completed calmly and efficiently. Our vets are happy to provide sedation to make the experience smoother and more comfortable for everyone involved.

👉 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:

Please contact us as soon as you know your next appointment date and time to ensure we have availability to accommodate you. Ideally with 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲.

If you need us to sedate your horse for clipping and someone else is doing the clipping for you, please make sure you have spoken to them to get two or three date and time options. This will make the booking process much smoother for everyone.

💡 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗶𝗽:

Horses that have needed sedation before are likely to need it again — don’t wait until the day to decide!
For clipping, please ensure that if you have someone helping you clip, that they arrive at the same time as us to ensure they are set up and ready for as soon as the vet has given the sedation.
Check that you have your clippers and that they are working with sharp blades (it’s more common than you think for this not to be the case!)
Before booking your appointment, double check if there is anyone else on the yard that requires the vet as this will reduce your attendance time charge and visit fees can be shared.

⭐️ 𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

Oral sedation - providing we have seen your horse during the past 6 months
Injectable sedation - for more challenging cases, administered by one of our vets

If you’d like to discuss whether sedation is right for your horse, or to get booked in, give us a call on 📞 01908 560789 or send us an email at [email protected].

11/11/2025

📣𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 📣

Reminder tonight is our client evening at The Bell Hotel, Winslow, MK18 3AB.

Due to last minute cancellations, there are now a few spaces available, please call/email if you would like to join!

We look forward to seeing many of you later.

01/11/2025

✨️ 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 ✨️

Earlier this week we were delighted to welcome some enthusiastic children to our Kids Morning on Equine Health and Management. 🐴

Through a mix of hands-on activities and interactive learning, the children explored a variety of aspects of horse care. They covered general care, anatomy, weight management, body language, poisonous plants, and much more! It was fantastic to see their curiosity and passion for equine wellbeing shine through. Definitely a few future equine experts in the making!

Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the morning possible! 🌟

Keep an eye on our socials for any future events, and we look forward to seeing more of you at our upcoming evening on Colic and Ulcers, which is also fully booked!

24/10/2025

🐴 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘃𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 🐴

Reminder to those that have booked on our half term kids morning that this is on next week Tuesday!

Some of the practical sessions will be held outside with demo ponies, so please ensure all children have appropriate footwear, dressed for the weather and bring helmets and gloves!

The morning is fully booked, so if you missed out on a slot this time, keep an eye on our socials for any future sessions!

🐴 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘃𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 🐴

Thank you to everyone that voted on our last poll for your preferred kid's morning dates! We are happy to announce the next kid's morning will be on the 𝟮𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱, see the poster below for further information on timings!

If you would like to book onto the morning please call the office or send us an email - numbers are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis to registered clients.

Our vets will be busy planning and getting ready for all the questions that will come their way!

17/10/2025

🎆🐴 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 - 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆? 🎆🐴

As the nights draw in and autumn takes hold, we know firework season isn’t far behind. With Bonfire Night and New Year celebrations fast approaching, it’s a time many look forward to — but for horse owners, it can bring added worry. The loud bangs and sudden flashes can be frightening for horses, often leading to stress and even injury. That’s why it’s so important to start preparing early. Don’t leave it until the last minute — check local news, social media, and have a chat with your neighbours so you know in advance when displays are planned in your area.

💡 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 💡

✔️Desensitise your horse. Gradually expose them to loud noises and flashing lights in a controlled way to help reduce their reactivity to fireworks.
✔️Check the yard is safe and secure. Look for protruding nails, sharp edges, slippery surfaces, or anything else that could cause injury if your horse becomes startled.
✔️Decide whether to stable your horse or leave them in the field. Wherever you choose, keep them in their familiar environment and routine, ideally with companions, to help them feel secure.
✔️Provide plenty of forage and treat balls to help keep them distracted and entertained.
✔️Play soothing music in the stable to help mask the sound of fireworks.
✔️Avoid sudden changes to your horse’s environment or routine, as this can increase stress.
✔️Stay calm and confident — horses are highly attuned to human emotions and will pick up on your stress.

After the event:
Give your horse a thorough check for any cuts or injuries they may have sustained. If you're concerned at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

🚨Plan for potential emergencies:🚨
Fire
Escape
Injury
Accidents or damage

We can also supply oral sedation if necessary. Please contact the practice with plenty of notice, and we’ll be happy to discuss your options.

Let’s keeps your horses happy and safe this firework season ❤️🐴

10/10/2025

💋🦴Kissing spines can cause severe pain and seriously affect a horse’s performance. See below a more in depth review of what Kissing Spines is, common signs to keep an eye out for, diagnostics and different treatment options. We will be posting more on the topics you all suggested if there is anything else you would like to see, please let us know. ” 💋🦴

05/10/2025

📢𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐃📢

Due to ongoing refurbishment, we have moved the location of our upcoming talk!

The date and time remain the same, 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟭𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝟳𝗽𝗺 but we will now be at 🔔 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹 in Winslow. Plenty of tea and coffee will be provided to keep those brains engaged for an informative evening!

We will contact those who have already booked in the week to confirm the change. We apologise for any inconvenience but hope everyone can still make it!

We still have a few places remaining, so if you know of anyone who may be interested, please spread the word!

30/09/2025

🌟 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 🌟

We are excited to start a new feature - BEV's patient of the month! We hope to highlight and celebrate the successes of the brave equines we treat, and their dedicated owners. From a needle shy pony that has been clicker trained to complex medicine and orthopaedic cases - we want to celebrate all the wonderful patients we treat!

This month we wanted to highlight the lovely Levi. A skin condition that was progressing and getting worse made it touch and go as to whether Levi went to his LIHS qualifier! However, with prompt treatment from Michelle and a dedicated owner, his skin healed up. Best of all, he won his class and qualified!

Doesn't Levi look stunning, posing after winning his class! Well done Levi and Nikki!

27/09/2025

🫶 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 🫶

With winter approaching, now is an ideal time to make sure your older horses and donkeys are healthy, comfortable and have a good quality of life leading into the colder weather. Have a read of some of the checks we recommend your golden oldies have over the coming months. If you have any concerns or want a thorough check over, then you can also make use of our Veteran MOT package (horses aged 15+), to get an in depth look at their health and wellbeing!

We would also love to see some photos of your Veteran equines in the comments below! ❤️

⚖️ 𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
• This is easy to keep an eye on at home with a weight tape or body condition scoring chart.
• We recommend assessing at least once a month throughout the year, especially after any dietary changes.
• If you are wanting a more accurate weight, we have a portable weigh bridge available.

🦷 𝗧𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗵:
• Dental checks should be performed at least once or twice a year by a vet or qualified dentist. This will make sure they can cope with dietary changes, especially as long fibre/hay intake may increase in the winter.
• Poor dentition can lead to a lot of issues including weight loss, choke, chronic pain and impaction colic.
• Make sure to watch how your horse eats and look for any signs of dropping/balling up food (quidding), weight loss, abnormal chewing and bad breath.

🦴 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗼𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀:
• It's important to regularly observe your horse's movement.
• Make sure to take note of how easy or difficult they find getting up from lying down and if they in fact do lie down.
• Horses with chronic orthopaedic pain may not lie down as they experience discomfort when then trying to get up.
• If you notice any changes then assessment by a vet is advised to see how we can help.

🩸 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:
• Clinical signs: Weight loss, retained winter coat, curly coat, increased drinking and urination, muscle wastage, abnormal fat deposits, lethargy, recurrent infections and laminitis.
• This can be diagnosed by measuring ACTH levels in the blood. Either with a basal ACTH or TRH stimulation test, upon discussion with a vet.
• Horses with Cushings may have an exaggerated seasonal rise in ACTH in the autumn, making it an ideal time to test, although we can test at any time of the year.

👣 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘆:
• Regular farriery is essential to balance feet, treat cracks, prevent abscesses and keep your horse mobile and comfortable.
• The saying "no foot, no horse" applies to those that are retired too!

🪱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴:
• Very young and old horses may struggle with high worm burdens.
• Gone are the days of blanket worming, with no new wormers in production we must use them carefully as to not encourage resistance.
• Faecal worm egg counts (FWEC) in the grazing season are advised to assess if worming is needed.
• In the winter small redworms will become encysted in the gut and not show up on a FWEC, but levels can be detected on a blood sample. Using this and a risk assessment by a vet, we can assess the need for winter worming.
• Tapeworm testing on saliva or blood can be performed twice a year.

💉 𝗩𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
• We advise even retired horses to keep up with their vaccinations for Influenza and Tetanus.
• With age their immunity may decline, and make them more susceptible to infection and prolong recovery.

❣️ 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 (𝗤𝗢𝗟):
• To monitor your horse's QOL you can keep a diary of good vs bad days, or regularly fill out the BHS QOL questionnaire (link below).
• If you notice any significant decline in your horse's quality of life it can be beneficial to speak to a vet to discuss any concerns you have.
• When that time comes to consider making the heartbreaking decision to let your beloved family member go, rest assured that we are always here to offer support and guidance.
• The links below offer further information on monitoring QOL and pet bereavement support.
https://www.bhs.org.uk/horse-care-and-welfare/health-care-management/quality-of-life/
https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-loss-support
https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/advice/equine-end-of-life?srsltid=AfmBOoooNjpfbUTw6jBQqJ3sff1Wby-SHCygkHhmV-Q3_WOVvYX8WCTc

19/09/2025

👣 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 👣

Thank you for all your recent suggestions on our post for topics to cover!

Given the recent wet weather, we have started to see more foot abscesses. Have a read below for a more in-depth review on them from our vets!

Keep an eye out for next week's post on veteran horse care!