Spring is well and truly here and with it we have seen a spike in emergency call outs. This happens every year but the type of emergencies vary depending on the weather and include foalings, colic, laminitis, wounds, lameness, eye injuries and many more. This year in particular we are seeing a higher than average number of laminitis and colic cases. Here's my thoughts on why we see these conditions more in the spring and what you can do to prevent them.
If you’re planning on breeding from your mare this season choosing the right stallion is one of the most important decisions you will have to make. You have no doubt been reading the stallion catalogues, browsing the internet and visiting the many stallion parades around the country to find the perfect match for your mare.
Despite the wild weather over the last few days the nights are drawing out, the daffodils are flowering, and Spring is definitely around the corner, plus the first events of the season are underway. If you’re still planning your 2019 competition season or you’ve got your first event under your belt, make sure you read the following tips to give you the best possible chance of success!
We are coming to the time of year when biting insects start to emerge - as the weather warms up. After last year when we think overall we saw a lot less sweet itch than usual, this year some yards have seen insects in the very warm spell we had in February! And prevention and being ready is always important.
Colic! It's not a surprise really when 1 in 3 of emergency call outs are due to colic, so it really is worth thinking about what you would do in an emergency. Colic can be a devastating thing as it comes on so quickly and the horse may be otherwise very healthy. Luckily 8/10 cases are mild and non-critical and these can be treated by your vet at your yard.
There are many different types of training aids on the market and many different opinions on them too! This blog will hopefully give you a little more insight on what you should do if you are considering using them.
Training aids are most commonly used for the following reasons –
Well we are finally have some frost and even some snow in Yorkshire this week! It's been very cold and the mud seems to be just about everywhere now. Changing conditions make it difficult for the foot to adapt quickly we are seeing a lots of conditions related to the weather such as foot abscesses, hoof wall cracks and thrush.
For everyone who came to our client night in December - you will be aware of how important controlling equine influenza (flu) is - we now have an update for 2019 flu cases: with four UK outbreaks diagnosed already
Here is a copy of our Winter Newsletter - there is a summary of the items below:
Some of you may have seen this article recently, for those of you that haven't we would highly recommend having a look as this is
The nights may be drawing out (yes, they really are!) but warm weather still feels very far away! Horse's are much more prone to injuries at this time of year, here's why:
A weekend on call reminded me recently of the importance of our clients having a plan on transporting their horse or pony in an emergency situation. Is it something you have thought about? Would you have transport available if your vet advised your horse needed moving urgently to a veterinary clinic, or referring as an emergency to an equine hospital? I remember when
