Equine Vet / Podiatrist

We have hit a colder period in the weather which means the ground is nice and dry but as soon as the freeze disappears we will be back to muddy fields for our horses. Make sure that during this period you are still keeping on top of your horses mud fever. Mud fever is usually seen in the lower limbs around the pastern areas but can be found higher up the horses legs and even on the horses belly. Just remember to keep an eye out for the crusty scabs that may appear. If you think you want to try a new treatment why not contact Fabtek Solutions. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us at Simply Horses.

Advice on owning a horse, pony, donkey or hybrid.

Owning and caring for a horse can be a source of great enjoyment but is also a big responsibility with a long-term caring and financial commitment. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 (“the Act”) requires you to ensure that any horse, pony, donkey or mule for which you are responsible, whether on a permanent or a temporary basis:

• has a suitable environment to live in;
• has a healthy diet;
• is able to behave normally;
• has appropriate company; and
• is protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.

Breach of a provision of the Code is not an offence in itself, but if proceedings are brought against you for a welfare offence the Court will look at whether or not you have complied with the Code in deciding whether you have committed an offence.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/2011/03/26/code-of-practice-horses-pb13334/

At Simply Horses Vet clinic our main aim is to keep your horse as healthy as possible. This is why we are now offering the facility of worm egg counts. Doing this through us means that you get the results interpreted by a vet which ensures that your horse has the correct wormer if it needs it. It means that you won’t be giving your horse unnecessary drugs and it is likely to save you money in the long-run. Even more important we can help you devise a proper worming strategy that is cost effective and also offers the maximum protection with minimal drug use for your horse. All very important in these green times we live in.

The worm count is a small sample of your horse’s faeces that are viewed under the microscope to see if any worm eggs exist. This way it means that the horse is only getting the necessary worming therefore; it is not creating resistance to any wormer’s. For you it is very straight forward all you need to do is provide us with a small sample of the horses faeces we will then do the rest for you. It will only cost £11 and the results should be through within the week.
Why do a worm count?

Primarily, the reason for having a worm count done is to check one aspect of the internal health of your horse or pony. Overlooking a worm problem can lead to the development of a heavy worm burden and the typically described “Poor do-er” which may show diarrhoea, colic, loss in weight, lethargy and, in the worst cases, death. A worm count can help to recognise that there is a potential problem so that you, the owner, can take steps to prevent things progressing. Other reasons for getting a count done are:

1.To give you peace of mind that your horse is not shedding eggs onto the grazing area and so contaminating the pasture and creating recurring problems for you and other owners.

2. To give confidence that the worming and pasture management strategy which you and/or your livery yard are using is successfully controlling the parasites.

3.To check newly acquired horses and ponies upon arrival at a yard before turning them out onto communal grazing so that pasture contamination is kept to a minimum.

4. To make sure that your animal is not carrying worms which are resistant to (i.e. not controlled by) current worming chemicals.

5. To monitor horses which are travelling to different venues as part of their routine, and grazing on potentially contaminated grassland.

6. As part of a pre-sales or pre-loan health check.

Many of our clients , in conjunction with specific veterinary advice, are adopting a strategy which aims to decrease the quantity of chemicals given to their horses. In these cases, regular worm counts are done and worming chemicals are given only if the count reaches a threshold level. This technique not only reduces costs, but is also considered helpful in combating the problems of resistant worms developing (see below).

For any further help Please do not hesitate to contact the team at Simply Horses.

Does your horse have scabby heels or legs? If so then your horse probably has mud fever. Mud fever is a predominant winter/early spring disease of horses. It only takes some good proper care to avoid it. If you think you need some help to fight off mud fever then visit Fabtek Solutions. If you are concerned or have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the team at Simply Horses.

One of the Farriers we work along side with here at Simply Horses contacted us and requested our assistance with one of his projects.

Being really intrigued in his career by horses with “odd” feet he decided to go scientific about it…;-) (when in reality he is studing towards a degree) , and do some measurements of pedal bone, different widths and angles of some of his clients’ horses’ feet with this problem.

So… for last 5 weeks, every wednesday we go with our farrier friend and use our X-ray equipment and our horse sedation skills in the name of the science.

What we do: sedate horses and take Xrays of both front feet (lateral and antero-palmar views) and submit them for assesment and measurements.

Then our farrier makes his measurements of horse’s foot: angles, widths and lenghts to find a conection between all of these “numbers”.

At the moment we are in the gathering-data phase of the study.

Next will be the analyzing phase and hopefully we will update you, our friends when result will come through.

We wish our farrier best of luck in his study and with his dissertation and we’ll be interested in his findings.

… and, if you got a horse with “odd” feet , you never know … you might hear from us…

Vio Doran MRCVS

by The Travelista under CC BY  with wpseopix.com

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Winter is defiantly here the rain and for some of us the snow has started to set in. If your horse is exposed to prolonged wet weather then the skin on your horses legs will soften resulting in a higher susceptibility to mud fever. This should make you as a horse owner take particular care of your horses legs, checking them thoroughly on a regular basis to ensure that mud fever has not started to set in. Remember prevention is better than cure and the quicker you act the better for your horse.

Keep your horses legs looking the way they should, as they say No leg no horse ….

by Tatinauk under CC BY-ND  with wpseopix.com

Movement

Dr Bowker conducted a study to compare the movement of the pastured horse compared to the stabled horse.

On average the pastured horses took 8,000-10,000 steps per day.

The stabled horses averaged 800!

Whilst conducting the study he noticed that pastured horses tended to sleep mostly in the early hours of the morning. So he wondered if it would make much difference if the horses were just stabled at night, as this would include the sleep hours.

Interestingly the horses that were stabled at night didn’t move much more than the 24/7 stabled horses when they were turned out during the day.

He theorized that the act of stabling shuts down the horse’s innate movement characteristic.

Interesting!

Mud Fever
The time of year is certainly here where mud fever can become a concern for horse owners. Mud Fever occurs during the wet winter months and is principally caused by the bacterium Dermatophilus congolensis. It occurs because we expose our horses to muddy environments that winter months bring. Mud fever is essentially a form of dermatitis which can affect the skin anywhere on the lower limbs, the back and quarters.
All horses can be affected and these areas can be painful swollen and even cause lameness. If horses become severely affected without treatment they can become very painful, lethargic, depressed and have a loss of appetite. Therefore it is very important to prevent mud fever or catch early signs of it. Below are some helpful tips.

Signs of mud fever
Crusty scabs
Small, circular, slightly ulcerated, moist lesions beneath scabs
Yellowish discharge between the skin and overlying scab
The scabs typically have a concave underside with the hair roots protruding
Eventual hair loss leaving raw-looking, inflamed skin underneath
Heat, swelling and pain on pressure on the limb

Preventing mud fever
Ensure bedding is clean, dry and has a good cover on the concrete
Keep horses prone to mud fever out of the rain and mud as much as realistically possible
Avoid over-washing and unnecessary wetting of the skin
Make sure the skin is dry as much as possible. Dry wet skin with a soft towel 
Clip away any excess feathering but try to aviod clipping the legs out
If bandaging, ensure limbs are clean and dry first
Periodically disinfect all equipment, gear and stable surfaces, as they could harbour dermatophilus spores
Rotate paddocks to avoid poaching. In particular keep an eye on gateways as horses tend to stand in them and they are usually the wettest part of the field
Remove any scabs carefully without constantly picking at them. Remove with a wash such as Hibiscrub

Treatment of mud fever
There are many treatments for mud fever. But it has to be remembered that with any condition for which there are a large number of possible treatments, it is often because nothing is a guaranteed success. Keeping the skin clean and dry is the basis of preventing and treating the condition. 

Environment
The first step is to remove the horse from the cause, eg: the wet and the mud. Stabling undoubtedly helps the situation, however, if the horse is kept in all the time and not exercised, the legs will tend to swell.
If the horse is able to walk out in dry conditions this will always help the process because the blood will then circulate better which will improve the rate of healing. 
The horse should be stabled with a clean, dry bed. Dirty bedding will increase the risk of infection.

Scabs
More specific treatment has to penetrate the causal organisms under the scabs, so these must be lifted when ready. Soaking the crusts or scabs in warm soapy water  will soften them and make the procedure much less painful for the horse. When the crusts and scabs have been removed the affected skin should be treated with an anti-bacterial solution , such as Hibiscrub, and then left for 5 to 10 minutes. The treated area should then be rinsed then dried with a dry clean towel.

Bandaging
Bandaging an affected limb can be a good way of keeping it clean and dry, but only if the skin has been properly dealt with beforehand, and the correct bandaging technique is used. Bandaging that’s too tight or has moisture trapped underneath can allow an infection to flare up again.
In the early stages, open wounds resulting from the removal of the scabs should be covered with a non-stick dressing applied under cotton wool or gamgee, held in place with bandages. This keeps the lower limb warm, clean and dry; it may help to leave the legs unbandaged for at least an hour a day to allow the area to ‘breathe’.

Creams and treatments
There are numerous topical treatments that can be used as an emollient to maintain hydration of the skin. These include soothing ointments, gels and creams, some of which contain antibiotics. Recent additions to the mudfever range are a dressing impregnated with silver which has been shown to have strong antibacterial properties. Early trials with these products look promising. Your vet will recommend the most suitable for your horse.

Antibiotics
Severe cases with obvious infection often need a long course of antibiotics. These may need to be continued for 7–10 days after the soreness has settled down. Your vet may also prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as phenylbutazone to reduce the pain and swelling.

Mud fever is a difficult condition to treat and it may take many weeks for the lesions to heal completely. If the case is straightforward and the causes are treated or removed, then the disease will usually resolve quickly. While most cases can be resolved, some chronic epidermal scarring and weakening may be left, contributing to a tendency to re-infection. Management changes to help prevent any further problems are worth pursuing. In problem cases your vet might take a blood sample, to check liver function if the dermatitis is limited to white areas of skin only. Be vigilant. The sooner you spot the first tell tale signs of mud fever, the quicker you can take action and so prevent a lengthy, and costly, recovery.
If your horse or pony has a severe case of mud fever – i.e. He has very swollen legs or is lame you should seek advice from your veterinary surgeon who may prescribe Antibiotics.