Katie has been at the Royal Norfolk Show over the last couple of days as the duty vet๐ฉโโ๏ธShe's been lucky to have the good weather and see some fabulous displays while she was there!
Faecal worm eggs counts detect the eggs of strongyle worms, such as large and small red worms and roundworms.
By undertaking worm egg counts, especially throughout the grazing season, it will help to assess whether your horse requires worming. By only worming your horse when you need too, it will help too decrease the chance of resistance to the medication used in wormers.
Potsford Farm Ltd have recently brought in their yard faecal samples with only 1/20 horses requiring any treatment! This goes to show how well their thorough poo picking is working!
๐ฉPlease bring in your horses poo sample in a clean container or plastic bag. We only require a small amount (no larger than an apple) and recommend taking three large pinches from different areas of the poo!
๐ฉPlease ensure your sample is labeled with your surname and your horses name!
๐ฉWe recommend that you only bring your samples in between Monday-Thursday, so we can ensure your sample is fresh when it arrives at the laboratory.
We recently saw a 16year old horse whose owner had found his bed messed up a few times and was a bit concerned as to why this was happening. Following their concerns they put a Ring camera in the stable and discovered he was falling asleep whilst standing up and then falling over๐ด
This behaviour is usually seen as a result of lack of proper REM sleep and can happen when a horse doesnโt feel able to properly lay down to sleep.
We undertook a full exam, including a soundness assessment as often underlying lameness is the reason they donโt feel able to get up and down.
Katie didnโt find much on exam and between her and the owner they decided to try and modify his stable and she was worried he was slipping on the concrete trying to get up and down and thatโs why he didnโt want to sleep properly at night.
His stable was switched to rubber matts throughout and shavings as well as moving him to the next box along so he felt he was in a completely new space.
We were very pleased to then receive an image from his owner with him finally feeling able to properly go to sleep!๐ด
Without the use of CCTV in this horses stable we would never have been able to see that he was struggling to sleep properly. Cameras are a great way of monitoring your horseโs behaviour and picking up on things that we may not necessarily see during the day๐ท
What a first day at Poplar Park Horse Trials, kickstarting the 2024 British Eventing Official season๐ The weather conditions certainly put everyone to the test and on-site vets Katie and Alice went through lots of coats! Tomorrow is Ben, Alex and Annabelleโs turn, hopefully they get some drier weather๐ฆ๏ธ
๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐งโฆ๐ฝ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉโฆ
Bonfire night has come around quickly and for many of us, itโs a worrying few days for ourselves and our livestock. Even the calmest of horses, ponies and large animals can easily become spooked or worried by the unusual sounds, smells or sight of the fireworks.
By taking the following steps, you can keep your animals safe and minimize the stress caused by fireworks.
๐ดFind out the dates and locations of local firework displays. Speak to the organizers of the displays gauge a rough time as to when they will be starting and finishing. You could also politely ask If they could be mindful about the direction they set them off.
๐ดMaintain your horseโs normal routine as far as possible, ensuring they are where there are most calm. If this is in the stable, ensure other animals are close by.
๐ดCheck the stables or field is completely secure with no sharp or protruding object, which could cause injury.
๐ดMay sure your livestock has an adequate amount of hay to keep them occupied, even some extra treats or enrichment to distract them.
๐ดEnsure someone is able to be nearby/monitoring to carry out regular checks throughout the display.
๐ดIf your livestock appears anxious or unsettled, please keep a safe distance.
๐ดMake sure your insurance is up to date, including third party insurance.
๐ดEnsure you have a fire policy in place, incase of any rogue fireworks.
If you have serious concerns about the way your animals may act during this period, please contact our vets ASAP to seek their professional advice.
Please also remember to check your animals and their fields/stables afterwards to ensure there are no wounds or debris from fireworks present.
The grass has gone mad recently and there has been a huge increase in new ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ cases with our vets seeing multiple horses every day๐ข
If your horse or pony has a history of ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), Cushings or is carrying more weight than they should be, please be sure to monitor them carefully as they are at a very high risk of getting laminitis. It might be worth restricting their grass intake - we're always here for advice on this.
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐ฑsore on turns
๐ฑlaying down more
๐ฑslower to walk / pottery gait
๐ฑraised digital pulses
๐ฑshifting weight / leaning backwards
๐ฑrapid breathing and sweating
Laminitis needs treating quickly with horses going onto box or pen rest with deep beds and pain relief. Please call your vet ASAP if you think your horse, pony or donkey has any signs of laminitis.
Our vets are on site all weekend at Poplar Park Horse Trials once again this year! We love being a part of one of the first events of the year and it is lovely to see so many of our clients competing! Let us know how you get on and donโt forget to give our vets a wave if you see them๐ Here is Sophie flying over our sponsored final fence๐
This week it is Colic Awareness Week and The British Horse Society have launched their campaign "REACT Now to Beat Colic"
Spotting colic early is key to receiving prompt treatment from your vet and therefore increasing the
chances of recovery. If you notice any change in your horseโs behaviour or your horse is showing signs of distress, think REACT and contact your vet.
R - Restless or agitated
E - Eating less or droppings reduced
A - Abdominal Pain
C - Clinical Changes
T - Tired or lethargic
๐๐ช๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ช๐น ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐บ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ค? ๐๐ฑ๐ข๐ด๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ช๐ค, ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ค (๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ถ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐จ๐ข๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ค), ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ, ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ค, ๐๐ช๐ด๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ถ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด.
#HereToHelp #CAW22 #ColicAwarenessWeek
Anybody else's horse just love the hose at this time of year? Comment below with some photos/videos of your horses keeping cool during the heatwave๐
Here are some ways of keeping your horses as comfortable as possible during the hotter weather:
*Make sure your horse has access to plenty of shaded areas, e.g. stables or natural shelter
*Fans
*Cold hosing - this is the most efficient way of cooling horses down
*Light coloured rugs if they are needed
*Access to plenty of fresh water at all times
*Electrolytes in their feed
The importance of stretching...
Here is one of our equine nurse's pony giving us a brilliant example of some core stretches. Core strength helps to improve our horses posture and will enable to them to work more from behind whilst supporting their back.
Doing stretches with our horses will help improve their flexibility and reduce muscle fatigue and stiffness (just like us after exercise!).
As you can see from the video here, as the pony is stretching, his back is lifting as he engages his core muscles, make sure they aren't cheating though... they will often bend their front legs to get out of doing this!
๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉWorm Egg Count Samples๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ
With Spring well under way it is the perfect time of year to bring in a worm egg count sample to see whether or not we need to worm your horse. Here are a few reminders for bringing samples in:
๐ฉThe sample needs to be as fresh as possible, take your sample from a couple of areas (about a nuggets worth) and place in a bag, removing all the air before sealing.
๐ฉWhere possible please bring in your sample on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday as we don't want it to be invalid if it has to wait over the weekend.
๐ฉPlease put your horses name, your surname and the 1st line of your address on a label on the bag so we know exactly who the sample belongs to.
๐ฉIf you are bringing a yards worth of samples, please let us know whether they are all being put on one account or to each individual person.
Katie is vet on site at Finn Valley Riding Club one day event at Poplar Park Equestrian Centre today. Hereโs Ryder-Davies and Partners lovely receptionist Jilly riding her gorgeous horse Felix over the second to last. We wish everyone the best of luck today ๐ด๐
Wonderful seeing our clients at Poplar today... especially in the sunshine!!
Ben was one of the vets at Higham today, luckily the weather held out for the crowds! In slow motion you can see the range in motion of the joints when horses jump - especially on landing. You can see why it is so important to train the horse carefully so that the tendons and ligaments are prepared for those big forces.
Well. What a weekend!! Congratulations to everyone who competed at Poplar Park. We saw some great riding and some fantastic examples of sports horses in their element! A huge well done to everyone involved with organising and running the event, and well done to all the supporters who braved the weather! We had a fantastic weekend of vetting and fortunately didn't have any emergencies to attend to as everyone came home from xc safe and sound! ๐
On a personal note, I was a bit gutted not to be riding but it was nice to support everyone that was. And watching the bigger classes definitely inspired me to get cracking! Here's a little video of baby Billy popping a fence. My boys have a quiet couple of weeks on the cards now as I'm on call this weekend. But hopefully next weekend will get them out somewhere! Looking forward to seeing lots of you at our client evening coming up!
Sophie, Billy, Thomas
๐ฉโโ๏ธ๐๐ด
A little bit of footage from Poplar Park Equestrian Centre Saturday 10th March Trials. Please tag any of the competitors you recognise and like and share ๐. Well done to everyone who competed!!!
PONY PROFILE Number 2:
"The snowy adventures of Thomas and Billy"
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What frustrating weather! It has been frustrating enough to try to work in, let alone to sort out ponies in! The ice. The cold. The drama of having to drive anywhere for more feed/bedding. And don't start on the amount of hay and haylage we are all getting through!!
So, Thomas has been getting on really well taking his gastroguard and his sucralfate. He thought they tasted a bit funny to start off with but he soon learnt that he gets a quick treat after the syringe so it's not so bad. We have also tried adding some speedy -beet and some oil to his feed as he had dropped some condition. He is definitely a lot less stressed now and is eating up much better. He had also developed a bit of a heave line before starting treatment, and that seems to have improved too! Work wise we have eased off him until he is fully recovered so My mum has just been hacking him out which he greatly enjoys. Billy was meant to be stepping up and doing a bit more but obviously the weather has put a hold on that! We just about managed to hack out on Monday and he was very good but other than that they have just been being turned out in the mornings to stretch their legs and then coming in out of this horrendous weathers in the pm. It's frustrating as it felt like spring was on the way and I'm sure most of you (like me) were getting excited to start riding more, and now everything is on standstill. But hey, that's English weather for you! Nothing but unpredictable. Keep trucking on guys.
On a serious note remember to feed plenty of forage and to keep your ponies moving, making sure water is always available. Try feeding very sloppy hard feeds too as it decreases chances of an impaction forming.
That's it on the pony front for now. Hopefully our update next week might actually include some pictures of riding/doing something exciting!
Stay safe!
Sophie, Thomas and Billy.
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One of our clients was checking the cctv whilst at work and was understandably concerned to find an empty stable so rewound the footage to see what had happened to Keith - take a look at what she found!!!
