ActaVet

27/12/2023

18/07/2023

Agriculture Victoria is working with private veterinarians to understand the cause of recent horse deaths in Victoria.

If your horse has suffered sudden death or onset of illness, immediately contact your local veterinarian or call the emergency animal disease hotline on 1800 675 888.

https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/animal-diseases/report-an-unusual-or-emergency-animal-disease

Australian Veterinary Association VIC Division

05/11/2022

Very sensible and compassionate advice from Kirsty Rawden.

Are you training for dysfunction? 🏋🏼🏇

If i took you to the gym and told you to lift 100kg you'd probably tell me you couldn't. If I stood behind you with a whip, shouting at you or prodding you in the ribs you'd probably try to lift it, even though you know you can't and as a result use the wrong muscles, compensate and probably end up injuring yourself. If you continued to do this before your body was ready you would strengthen the wrong muscles, cause imbalance in your body and damage joints, ligaments and tendons in the process.

If i took you and asked you to just lift the bar, assessed your posture and form and slowly, over the weeks built up your reps and weight and kept assessing your posture, you would eventually lift that 100kg without a problem and without causing injury in the process.

Your horse is no different.

We should not be pushing horses beyond what their bodies are capable of. I think people look at horses and see a big animal and automatically assume they are strong, I often remind people that horses were never designed to be ridden so it is our responsibility as a rider/ owner to strengthen our horses for this. This requires us to strengthen muscles that would not ordinarily strengthen just mooching around a field.

Every horse is different, just like us humans. They will require strengthening in different areas, so a one size fits all doesn't work. Add in to that mix previous injuries and every exercise plan should be carefully tailored to that horse's needs on that day.

For example - pole work is generally considered a good exercise for building core strength, this is only true if your horse is actually using its core to get over the poles. If your horse trots through a line of poles with its head in the air, its shoulders sunk, it's back hollow and its pelvis out behind itself... Hammering it over lines of poles is just going to strengthen those muscles we are trying to switch off and put the joints, ligaments and tendons at risk of being damaged. Add in to this an unbalanced rider and these stressors increase.

Of course, the first time we ask a horse to do anything they may fumble a couple of times before they find the right way. But if they don't improve each time and instead get tighter in their frame we must stop and reassess the exercise.

Instead, we may have to first teach the horse how to use its body correctly, this may be at the standstill and then in walk without any poles, I know! How boring i hear you cry!!

Only then, when the horse can carry itself comfortably, do we start with one pole (just like the single bar at the gym), get the form right and once we can do that correctly we may introduce another pole or go up a gait.

This applies to everything we do with the horse. Ask for one thing, get it right (by right i mean using the right muscles) and then gradually ask for more as they build strength, only then can you advance the exercise.

If the horse has had time off or an injury you may need to start from scratch. Just because they trotted 6 poles 6 weeks ago, doesn't mean they can now.

Work with the horse you have on the day, they may have slipped in the field, worked hard the previous day. If their form fails or they're struggling - either stop the exercise or simplify it- DO NOT push on through if they're not doing it correctly - you will train the wrong muscles, you will train dysfunction. Just because they could do it yesterday does not mean they can today.

So please consider this with everything you do with your horse, watch them, listen to them, assess them and they will work so much better for you as a result.

Written by Kirsty Rawden Veterinary Physiotherapy - please credit if you copy/ share

*Steps off my soapbox* 🙌🏼

29/10/2022

This is interesting - I have a Cushings horse and he is on Pergolide. He seems to be doing well on it, but this looks like a good alternative.

🌟 Patient of the Week 🌟

Top photo: 25/10/2021
Bottom photo: 27/10/2022

🐴 Just a year ago, this 27yo mare was struggling to maintain weight and we were having difficulty managing her PPID (Cushings) with pergolide.

🐴 We made the decision to switch her to an extended-release cabergoline injection. Her body weight, demeanour and coat has improved dramatically.

💉 Cabergoline is a dopamine agonists and has the same mechanism of action to pergolide but is available as an extended-release injection. It is administered at weekly intervals.

📞 For more information, please call us on 0427 072 095.

📱 Book an appointment online for your horse: https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/

*Cabergoline is an unregistered medication.

08/01/2022

https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/smart-living/phenomenal-facts-about-flatulence/ss-AASwXzU?ocid=msedgntp =29

Everybody farts. This is how our body works and there's nothing we can do about it. Or is there? Well, there are pills that will reportedly make your farts smell like flowers, and there's even flatulence filtering underwear on sale. Though we can't attest to the efficiency of either of these, we can...

08/01/2022

Word of the year! - Borborygmus.
This is the term used to describe the rumbling in your tummy when gas is brewing.

31/12/2021

Thank you to my friends, family and customers who have supported ActaVet throughout 2021. We hope you have a wonderful New Year.

05/08/2021

https://www.health.com/condition/digestive-health/what-farts-say-about-your-health?did=660094-20210804&utm_campaign=hth-month_relationship-builder&utm_source=health.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=080421&cid=660094&mid=63823498476

Find out what smelly farts, frequent farts, and other kinds of farts reveal about your overall health, according to a gastroenterologist.

04/06/2021

*****Extremely import FYI****
***confronting photo attached (NOT one of my horses but shared with permission)***
So I learnt this the other day and was so shocked I’d never heard about it so I want to share it with you all.
Did you know that avocado 🥑 is extremely toxic to horses! So much so that it’s generally fatal. Everything about it the plant, the leaves, the fruit, the pip, even the soil it’s grown in are all toxic. Attached is a photo of a horse that had not long been in contact with it. The reaction was far worse by the time the vet got there.
This is extremely time sensitive so if you think your horse may have been exposed call your vet.
I hope this knowledge helps to make more people aware even if it only saves one horse.

***UPDATE Both the black and chestnut in background were effected. Atm they are alive but still being very closely monitored and treated. The black displayed the worst response but has so far dealt with it better. Has lost a lot of weight fighting the toxins. The chestnut didn’t display as badly but has really been effected by the toxins. She has fallen away to skin and bones. Both are still fighting and vets are hopeful the worst is over but the recovery is long so totally depends on the horses. They are getting all the care possible to try and help them through it. AGAIN these aren’t my horses they are a friends neighbours who I have permission from to share this post for awareness. Thank you to everyone that has shared this post