Acupuncture

Gail MacKinlay recently attended a course run by the Association of British Veterinary Acupuncturists, and is now qualified to perform veterinary acupuncture. The course taught a modern scientific approach to the ancient Chinese art which has been practiced on humans and animals for over 3000 years.

 

Gastroscopy clinic

Thanks to Merial for sponsoring this event, and thanks to Selby Friar and Craig Anderson at Woodhall for the use of their facilities. Also thank you to all of you who brought horses in for the day, we appreciate the effort and hope you enjoyed the day.  Eight horses of different breed, age and use were scoped by Rachel Conwell (BVetMed, CertEM, MRCVS), our internal medicine consultant, and varying grades of ulcers were found in about half of the horses.

 

We provide a comprehensive routine mare and foal check 12-24 hours post foaling. The mare will be examined for vulval tears, retained placenta, milk supply and any points of concern. The foal will be given a thorough examination including heart, lungs, limb assessment, eyes, cleft palate, abdomen, umbilicus and that the meconium has been passed.

 Right Weight Roadshow

 115 horses and ponies have so far been weighed in one of our free clinics as part of XLVets Laminitis Awareness Month. Individual’s weights have ranged from 174kg through to a mighty 738kg. All horses and ponies were body condition scored, “weighed” using a weigh tape and then weighed on the electronic weighbridge and the results compared. Body condition is scored on a scale of 0 – 5, assessing several predetermined areas of the horse’s body for fat cover. Ideally horses should be BCS 2.5 – 3.

Case of the Month

 

Justine, a 7 year old Warmblood mare presented with a firm and painful swelling of her right mandible on the lower surface and the local lymph node was enlarged. The owner reported a “crunching” noise on chewing. She had a mild clear nasal discharge and her temperature was normal. Oral examination revealed a fractured lower cheek tooth half of which was missing and the remainder was packed with food

Case of the Month

Poppy an 8 yr old sports horse came in from the field acutely lame on the right hind with a small wound on the point of the hock. The yard was pretty well snowed in so intravenous antibiotic injections were given but no painkillers at this stage to avoid masking the lameness.  The horse was closely monitored overnight but there was no improvement in the lameness so further investigation was needed.

Happy New Year

We hope you and your horses, ponies or donkeys have managed to get through the Christmas and New Year adverse weather conditions, and we wish you the best of luck for 2010.

 

 

 

A regional meeting of the British Equine Veterinary association (BEVA) was held on the 16th of November. About 50 equine vets and nurses from Northern England and Scotland attended, including the Alnorthumbria Equine team.

An Interesting Cause of Bucking!

A 14 year old mare was presented with a 2 week history of bucking when ridden.  Examination revealed a mild lameness on the right hindlimb, which worsened after a flexion test.  When lunged without tack, she moved well but with tack on, the lameness became more obvious.  When we rode her at Wagonway, we had the same bucking response that the owner had reported.  Hock and back pain are commonly associated with bucking so we examined these areas first but did not find any obvious problems. 

Poor performance
Poor performance may be as subtle as reduced impulsion during a specific dressage movement or lost enthusiasm for work, and can be due to veterinary and non-veterinary problems.   Although poorly performing horses are thought to be suffering from a virus, muscular or limb problems are often responsible.

Surgical case of the month

High suspensory desmitis is a relatively newly described condition.  This is inflammation of the suspensory ligament where it attaches to the back of the cannon bone.

A contact lens for a pony!

Amari initially presented with a swollen and weeping eye.   A stain was applied to the eye, which turns fluorescent green if there is a scratch or defect in the surface.  Fluorescent stain was absorbed by the cornea, on the outside of the eye, which is called a superficial ulcer.  Corneal ulcers can cause the eye to rupture so should be treated aggressively. 

Update on New treatments, client meetings and horse health

XLVets and client opinions
As you are all aware, Alnorthumbria Veterinary Group is a member of XLVets.  This group was initially formed in 2005 from a group of farm animal practices dedicated to improving service. 

Strangles is responsible for very few deaths however unless the horse clears the infection completely, the horse can remain as a ‘carrier' of strangles. This means strangles bacteria remain in the guttural pouches and can infect other horses on the yard...

As we get into full swing for competition season any niggling problems should be sorted out. Common causes include lameness, respiratory, back or dental problems, less...

We can provide a comprehensive dental service, ranging from routine rasping to more complex cases which may even require x-rays. Routine dental examinations are important ...