It has never been more important to raise awareness of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome, with 1 in every 3 horses showing some degree of ulceration on gastroscope, and we aren't just talking about racehorses or sports horses! That's why the team at Loch Leven Equine Practice want to support #GastricUlcerAwarenessMonth in conjunction with Norbrook.
The answer is probably not very much unless you are planning a trip to the continent with your horse! However we decided that as a practice we needed to be prepared especially with the possible changes to transporting horses as well as the potential for drug shortages. Our Practice Manager Liz attended a debate on a no-deal Brexit at the most recent British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) conference and we have also just received an update from DEFRA.
We are really excited about our new laser machine for sarcoid and melanoma removals. Until now we have had to hire in a machine for a couple of days at a time which meant our clients were having to wait a couple of months for the laser clinics and even longer if the dates weren't convenient for them.
It’s that time of year when we are starting to think about our autumn worming programme. For those of you who are keen to avoid worming unless absolutely necessary we now have Tapeworm saliva tests available at the practice.
This story shows how powerful social media can be when used for all the right reasons. At the end of June Alfie's Mum Ebony very sadly had to be put to sleep following a rare complication of foaling. His owner Jo turned to social media and after sharing on our Facebook page we were overwhelmed by the number of people who shared the post far and wide. As a result Alfie's owner Jo was put in contact with Daisy's owner who agreed to travel Daisy up to meet Alfie at the clinic.
Yesterday saw us hosting the second day of our equine CPD programme for veterinary surgeons based in Scotland. Sponsored by our vaccine suppliers MSD Animal Health this programme aims to provide free, practical CPD to vets wanting to improve their equine veterinary skills.
Given the continuing spread of equine flu we wanted to share this latest advice from Dr Richard Newton who is the Director of Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance at the Animal Health Trust;
The number of confirmed cases of equine flu has risen to 32 in June so far, which means there were more cases diagnosed in the second quarter of the year than in the first quarter when Equine Influenza first hit the headlines
25% of the horse population suffer from lameness at any given time and up to 60% of these lameness cases can be attributed in degenerative joint disease (DJD) or the more commonly used term arthritis.
The number of cases of equine flu is continuing to rise with the Animal Health Trust warning that the rate of new cases is likely to increase as the competition season gets into full swing. In one week in May alone there were 14 new cases confirmed which is the second highest since the outbreak began.