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.

New equine identification regulations mean that it is now a legal requirement for all horses in England, Scotland and Wales to be microchipped as well as having a passport.

Hey it’s Stacey, I’m super excited to be blogging for Loch Leven Equine Practice. Last week I got to meet Sarah and Sam, the other bloggers and we got a tour of the clinic, which was really good. 

The team at Loch Leven Equine Practice is set to cycle, run and walk ‘around the world’, whilst raising awareness and money for two charities close to their hearts. 

This month we are celebrating Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM) in recognition of our veterinary nurses and the important role they play in looking after your horse when they come to visit us at the clinic or assisting the vets out on calls.