Grass SicknessSpring and summer are the worst time of year for Equine Grass Sickness. We have already had our first case of grass sickness (April 2009) and the pony had to be destroyed on humane grounds. If you have any worries or questions regarding this serious and often fatal disease please call the office or visit www.grasssickness.org.uk
Ragwort is very poisonous to horses. Can you recognise the different stages of the plant?When eaten, Ragwort is damaging to the liver and has a cumulative effect, i.e. the damage builds up over the horse’s life and can never be repaired. Symptoms of liver damage do not become apparent until it has gone so far that nothing can be done except put the horses to sleep. It is essential that your horse does not eat ragwort, and it is not safe to assume they will choose not to eat it. For more information on identification of different stages of the plant, effective removal and symptoms of liver damage visit www.worldhorsewelfare.org/information/ragwort Don’t forget we offer Clipping and Trimming service whereby you can bring your horse in to the clinic to be sedated and trimmed up ready for shows. Please call our office for more information.
JULY 07New Clinic Open We are delighted to announce that our new premises have opened at Drumsmittal, North Kessock. The new clinic includes stables, an examination room and a padded 'knock-down' box which will greatly improve safety for horses undergoing general anaesthesia. In addition to the new facilities the practice has invested some new equipment including a state-of-the-art ultrasound scanner and a video endoscope. In the next few weeks the new facilities will allow the practice to begin some major elective surgeries with the help of our visiting surgeon that up until now would have required a journey to surgical facilities in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The first minor surgeries and lameness investigations conducted in the first two weeks have been a great success and we look forward to welcoming our clients and their horses in the future. Laminitis Screening A simple blood test can predict any horse or pony's risk of developing laminitis and what can be done to prevent it. Recent research has shown a link between insulin resistane or insensitivity in some animals and their risk of developing laminitis. The blood test can take 48 hours to come back and is particularly useful for those of you with ponies which have trouble keeping their weights under control. Pre-breeding check and the breeding soundness examinationThose of you sending your mares to stud this year should consider a breeding soundness examination - particularly if your mare was barren in 2006. This examination includes: an internal examination; an ultrasound scan of the ovaries and womb; vaginal examination and swabbing for sexually transmitted diseases such as CEM. We also include a detailed chat with you afterwards about the mare's prospects and what treatments, if any, are required. In some cases we also recommend a biopsy of the lining of the womb, which is a very accurate way of predicting likely breeding prospects. If you would like more information, then please call our office on 01463-731107. StranglesStrangles is an uncommon but serious disease of young horses which is occasionally fatal. We have had several cases of strangles throughout Inverness-shire and Nairn-shire in 2006 and it is worth keeping a close eye on all youngstock for the symptoms, which can be as vague as lethargy or non-healing wounds. The bacteria are difficult to clear from the environment and some horses can carry the disease causing bacteria for up to three years in the guttural pouches. We are fortunate that in the Highlands there is not a large population of younger horses which would be most susceptible to the disease.
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