Sadly due to a change in personal circumstances we are losing our lovely administrator Diane. This means we have an exciting opportunity for the right candidate to join our small friendly team in the role of office administrator.
Sponsored Rider: Team Roberts Eventing – Preparing For The Event Season
With the eventing season just around the corner, it’s time to make some plans for the season ahead with our team of horses who range from 5 years olds starting out their eventing career at BE90 to our more advanced horses who are competing at intermediate/ 3* and we look forwards to what will hopefully be a successful 2021.
Yard Assistant Vacancy
Ridings Equine Vets are looking for a motivated, hardworking friendly person to join our team as a Yard Assistant.
Hang on, horses get asthma??
Equine asthma is now used to collectively describe airway disorders which may have been known previously as:
- IAD- Inflammatory Airway Disease
- COPD- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Heaves
- RAO- Recurrent airway obstruction
We often see this condition spike at two different times of year:
- Spring/Summer- pollen and spores can cause irritation to your horses airway and with higher temperatures and humidity this can cause worsening symptoms
- Winter- Horses are being brought into stables and are exposed to straw/dusty hay leading to clinical signs
What are the clinical signs??
- Nasal discharge- this can be serous or thick and cream/yellow coloured
- Cough- generally present but not always! Can also commonly be worse during exercise
- Increased respiratory rate
- Increased respiratory effort- flanks and abdomen contracting to expel air
- This can lead to development of a heave line as breathing out should be a passive process (not requiring muscle contraction)
How do we diagnose equine asthma?
- A thorough clinical exam including careful auscultation (listening using a stethescope) of your horses lungs and heart, temperature may also be taken
- History is very important- have there been any management changes? Any changes to the hay? Any exposure to dust or have they been harvesting in the field next door?
- Endoscopy may be recommended- this is when we place a camera down into the airway and we can visualise for any signs of infection. We are also then able to take samples (tracheal wash and broncho-alveolar lavage) from the airway to confirm if your horse is suffering from asthma and whether any secondary infections are present.
How do you treat equine asthma?
- Treatment varies between cases according to the severity of the episode, how chronic the condition is (e.g. have they had it before and how recently) and if secondary infection is confirmed or suspected
- Management is hugely important- ventilation, dust free bedding, soaking hay for a short time (1 hour) can all help reduce dust spores in the environment.
- Medications such as bronchodilators (ventipulmin), steroids (dexamethasone/prednisolone) and mucolytic agents (sputolosin) may be prescribed
- In repeat cases and long term management cases inhaled medications can also be prescribed
What should I do if I think my horse might be having an asthma attack/flare up?
- Please call us urgently- this is an emergency and can be very distressing for your horse. We provide a 24hr/365 days a year service and will endeavour to get to you as quickly as is possible.
I hope this has given everyone a little bit of information about equine asthma! Wishing you all a great weekend! Alex x
Job Vacancy – Office Manager
Rachel is very sadly leaving us for a fantastic job opportunity closer to home. This does mean that we now have an exciting opening for someone with management experience to join our expanding team as Office Manager.
Winter Feeding Tips for Horses
Winter is approaching rapidly and with it a change in weather, grass quality and your horse’s diet and management regimes. The aim of feeding horses at any time during the year is to maintain condition and ensure they are getting the appropriate amounts of vitamins, minerals and calories in their diet. This is even more important in winter when we lose the nutrition gained from the grass. Here are my tips for winter feeding:
Job Vacancy – Full Time Veterinary Receptionist
We are searching for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our friendly team as a Veterinary Receptionist on a full time basis working in our fast paced office environment to help facilitate the smooth running of the reception and maintaining our high levels of client service.
Compulsory Microchipping- is your horse chipped?!
In 2018 the government announced that all horses, ponies and donkeys are legally required to be microchipped by October 2020.
Most common things horses choke on and how to avoid it.
Choke is one of the most common emergencies equine vets attend and the team at Ridings Equine Vets have seen an increase in cases over the last few weeks. Here is a list of the most common things the cases that we see are choking on and some tips on how to avoid it happening to your horse.
What to do if your horse gets choke!
Choke is a common equine emergency and the team at Ridings Equine Vets have been seeing a spike of cases over the last few weeks. While the majority of chokes are straightforward it is vital horse owners are aware what to do if their horse has choke to avoid any potentially fatal complications.
Job Vacancy – Office Administrator
We are searching for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our friendly team as Office Administrator on a full time basis working in our fast paced office environment to help facilitate the smooth running of the office.
Job Vacancy – Veterinary Receptionist
We are searching for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our friendly team as a Veterinary Receptionist on a part time basis working in our fast paced office environment to help facilitate the smooth running of the reception and maintaining our high levels of client service.
