Category Archives: Vet’s View

Atypical myopathy (also known as sycamore poisoning) is a severe and potentially fatal muscle disorder of horses caused by eating sycamore ‘helicopter’ seeds and, to a lesser extent sycamore leaves, that fall onto pasture in the autumn & winter or sycamore seedlings which grow in the Spring. The Horse Health Programme explains the signs to […]

Mud fever is a persistant problem for many horse owners. Although typically associated with wet muddy conditions seen in the winter, vets at the Horse Health Programme are often seeing cases throughout the year. Alex Wood BVetMed CertAVP(EM) MRCVS of B&W Equine Vets in Gloucestershire, explains the condition, the symptoms, treatment options, and prevention techniques. […]

Preventative healthcare has a host of benefits for you and your horse. As well as doing everything possible to reduce the risk of diseases such as influenza, tetanus and worm-related conditions, it also allows an opportunity for your vet to check your horse over for any other issues and address any concerns you may have. […]

We’ve teamed up with brand partners Westgate Labs to bring you some all-important worming advice for the autumn and winter months 🍂🍁 Autumn Parasite Control ✅ Worm egg count for redworm and roundworm ✅ EquiSal test for tapeworm ✅ Keep an eye out for bots and pinworm activity ❄️ Winter Parasite Control ✅ Decide on […]

The warmer weather is a bit of a shock this year, with some parts of the UK set to reach temperatures hotter than Tokyo this week. This means both we and our horses are unlikely to be acclimatised to the temperatures this brings. Given time, horses can become accustomed to extremes of temperature and some […]

Worming Your Horse In Winter From Experts Westgate Labs There is one dangerous parasitic stage of the small redworm that we need to be particularly aware of when worming horses at this time of year, as it can have fatal consequences. Winter is the season to consider how we tackle the possibility of encysted redworm. […]

Our horse’s wellbeing is always at the forefront of our mind, but what can we do to help keep our horses happy and healthy this winter? Horses are surprisingly well adapted to cope with extremes of temperature, as seen in Arab horses in the dessert. Our Native feral ponies get fat in the summer and use […]

It’s almost inevitable that at some stage during their life every horse or pony will have to be transported. Their early experiences can have a huge impact on how they travel in the future, therefore, it is vitally important that they have a pleasant journey, so as to arrive at the destination in the best […]

Equine Influenza is endemic in the population of horses in the United Kingdom and Mainland Europe. The virus circulates at low levels and is diagnosed from time to time in all parts of the continent. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated animals can be affected, but vaccinated animals may show only mild clinical signs as opposed to […]

How should you be rugging your horse this winter? Horses can regulate their temperature between 5 and 25 degrees Celsius. Many owners over rug their horses and are unaware that despite the fact it is done with the best intentions it is actually cruel. Heavy weight rugs should only be used in exceptional circumstances such […]