Rufford Veterinary Group LTD - Equine

🥞Pancake Day 🥞 It's pancake day - and we're treating ourselves in the office to a few pancakes before Lent. Even Hugo the dog managed to get involved. Are any of your pets joining in with the fun?

Tips for Sunburn

☀️Sunburn ☀️ With the very sunny weather we've been having recently our horses ar at risk for sunburn Take a look at our video for some tips! Rufford Equine Team

🥶Winter Laminitis 🥶 These cold frosty mornings aren’t just difficult to wake up for, they also increase the risk of laminitis! Frost on the grass raises the levels of a certain sugar, called fructan. This can increase the risk of laminitis, especially in horses which are prone and have had it before. Along with the ground being very hard on the feet at the moment. Reducing levels of fructan exposure includes: - Keeping horses off the grass until it has thawed, especially on these sunny frosty mornings (although this doesn’t fully remove all the increased levels of sugars, this only occurs once the overall temperature is way above 0°c during the night) - Supplementing the field with excess forage to reduce their intake of the grass Make sure to monitor your horses for any signs of being sore on their feet, especially on the hard ground and keep your horses’ feet well looked after and trimmed regularly. If you have any concerns about your horse then give us a ring Rufford Equine Team

Atypical Myopathy Do you have sycamore trees in your paddocks? Did you know that the ‘helicopter’ seeds that fall off trees are toxic to horses? Here are a few tips to keep your horses safe. If you do think they may have ingested seeds, call us for advice. Rufford Equine Team

😀Flehmen 😀 We love it when horses ‘smile’, but did you know there is a technical term for this behaviour. It’s called flehmen! A horse can flehmen as a sign of pain when colicking or foaling so this is behaviour can have serious complications. Having said that, they also do this to transfer scent molecules to the vomeronasal organ. Essentially, when your horse is smelling something new or different, it will flehmen! Show us your horse’s best smile in the comments! Rufford Equine Team

☀️ Sunburn ☀️ Does your horse have a pink nose, pink ears or fair skin? If so, make sure to use a pet safe sun cream on these areas to prevent your horse from getting sun burnt. Just like us, horses can easily get sun burnt if they aren’t protected, so make sure you apply the cream regularly. You may also consider using a UV protected fly mask with ears and a nose cover. If your horse does get burnt and you’re at all concerned, don’t hesitate to call us. Rufford Equine Team

💧Hydration 💧 It can be difficult to ensure your horse is drinking enough water during hot weather. If you want to encourage your horse to drink a little more, try adding a dash of salt into their diet. Be careful not to add too much though as this could then have the opposite effect! If you’re worried, call your vet to discuss options and what would be best for your horse. Rufford Equine Team

🌼Ragwort 🌼 Did you know that if a horse were to ingest just 1-5kg of Ragwort in its lifetime, it may be fatal? All grazing land should be regularly checked and cleared of Ragwort to limit the chance of your horse eating it. If you do suspect your horse may have ingested Ragwort at any point, contact your vet immediately. Rufford Equine Team

🌾Grass Sickness 2 🌾 There are 3 forms of Equine Grass Sickness (EGS); acute, sub-acute and chronic. If you’re concerned your horse may be displacing any of the following. It is vital you contact us immediately. Rufford Equine Team

🌾Grass Sickness 🌾 The cause of equine grass sickness (EGS) is still unknown, although it is thought to be due to the ingestion of toxins from pasture. It is a complex disease that attacks your horse’s nervous system. It compromises their ability to swallow and prevents correct movement of food through the digestive tract. This can result in the build up of fluid in the stomach, dehydration and impaction in the intestines. It can also cause a varying degree of other signs alongside these. EGS is most common in the spring and early summer, but it can occur at any time of the year. If you’re concerned about your horse at all, contact us immediately. Rufford Equine Vets

☀️Summer top tips ☀️ As the weather begins to warm up it’s important to create a plan for your horse to keep them as happy and comfortable as possible in the heat. One plan won’t suit all horses so it’s important to consider all the different factors. Stabling – On thing to consider is stabling, do you have nice cool stables or do they get hot in the day? Would your horse be cooler in the stable or the field? If you don’t have access to stables, consider what kind of shade you can provide in the fields to make sure your horses always have a place to keep out of the sun. If your horse is showing any signs of struggling in the heat, give us a ring. Rufford Equine Team

🐴Foaling Tips 🐴 Post-foaling the job is not yet done! Tip 5 – Post foaling it is advisable to get us to check out your new foal to make sure everything is fine Rufford Equine Team

Happy Easter everyone! Rufford Equine Team

🍼Foaling Tips 🍼 Some helpful information about the equine labour and your foaling day. Tip 4 – If your mare shows any unusual signs or gets stressed, this can be indication of your mare begging to foal, give us a ring if you need any help Rufford Equine Team

🐣Foaling Tips 🐣 Some more foaling tips for you coming into the foaling season. Tip 3 – Know the signs of your mare foaling and what they mean, these are shown in the video below Rufford Equine Team

🌾Laminitis 🌾 Prevention is better than cure, now is the time to start thinking about laminitis. The spring grass is starting to come through so, consider limiting grazing, soaking hay and muzzling to prevent weight gain. It is also good practice to monitor your horse’s weight with a weigh tape, this allows you to adjust hay/feed/grass consumption and increase exercise if a gain in weight is recorded. If you suspect even the earliest signs of laminitis, you should call us as soon as possible. Rufford Equine Team

🪰 Sweet Itch 🪰 Sweet itch might only start to affect most horses when the weather starts warming up and the midges reappear but, the key to good sweet itch management is to start preventative treatment as soon as possible. Rug up now with a good sweet itch rug and, if you feed any supplements, start introducing them to feed now. Now is also the best time for some paddock and stable management, fence off any trees or posts which could be damaging if used as a scratching post, and cover any areas in the stable with protective material. Don’t forget various medical management tools are also available, so speak to us about these if you feel you need help keeping them comfortable. You can also find our fact sheet on our website. Rufford Equine Vets https://weu-az-web-cdnep.azureedge.net/mediacontainer/medialibraries/ruffordvets/documents/sweet-itch.pdf

💥🎆🎇Fireworks 💥🎆🎇 The firework season can be stressful for horses and owners. Don’t forget that fireworks can continue up to and including New Years Eve! Make sure you prepare ahead to reduce stressful situations and, if you need any further support with this, please do not hesitate to give us a call. Rufford Equine Team

❄️Hands up who has asked themselves these questions over the festive season! ❄️ Rufford Equine Team

✂️Clipping ✂️ It is that time of year again when the clippers are coming out. Most of us have experienced with clipping thinking "How hard can it be?!" We want to see your best and worst clips, from the imaginative and intricate, to the wonky lines and missed patches. Comment below with your best or worst! Rufford Equine Team