Category Archives: Vet’s View

Sycamore poisoning in horses: signs & treatment

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: Symptoms, treatment, and prevention

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. […]

Parasite Control into the Autumn & Winter Months

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 […]

Hot Horses

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 […]

Equine Flu

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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 […]

Winter Rugging

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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 […]