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Author: paige_soap

Equine Client Evening – 14th November 2018

FREE EQUINE CLIENT EVENING

Wednesday 14th November 2018

Barton Grange Hotel,  746-768 Garstang Rd, Barton, Preston PR3 5AA

7pm for 7.30pm start

Join the Oakhill Equine Team and our guest speaker Fernando Malalana on to explore the topics of:

Horse eyes:  What’s normal, what can go wrong and what can be fixed?

Fernando Malalana, DVM GPCert(EqP) DipECEIM MRCVS, Senior Lecturer in Equine Internal Medicine, University of Liverpool

My horse is on three legs: What to do with a really lame horse.

Guy Hinnigan, Oakhill Equine Director and RCVS recognised Specialist.

In aid of SPANA

To book your place call 01772 861300 or email equine@oakhill-vets.com

Winter series: Impactions

Colic is a collection of clinical signs shown by a horse indicating abdominal discomfort. We see an increase in colic’s due to impactions during the winter months.

Impactions of the gastro intestinal tract commonly occur at the pelvic flexure. The pelvic flexure is a part of the large colon which turns 180 degrees on itself and naturally narrows. The reduced speed of food material passing through this area mean it is more susceptible than other areas to blockage.

Other than anatomy there are a number of changes that occur, mostly in the winter, which increase the risk of blockage:

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  • We reduce the amount of hours that horses and ponies are outside eating short moist grass and replace it with eating longer, drier roughage such as hay and haylage. Larger amounts of hay and haylage can be eaten alot quicker.
  • Horses and ponies often have less exercise either because they are confined to a stable for longer periods of the day or because we can’t ride them as much due to shorter daylight hours.
  • Horses may reduce their winter intake due to the water being cold or frozen, causing the food material to become dehydrated in the gut.
  • Horses may be turned out on sand paddocks to stretch their legs. If roughage is fed from the floor then they will ingest sand particles which will rest in the gut.
  • Horses and ponies may eat large amounts of straw from their bedding.

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As food material slows down in the pelvic flexure more water is reabsorbed from the gut causing drying of the gut contents, reducing motility of the gut further, leading to more drying and eventual blockage. Usually the horse will have passed reduced amount of, drier than normal, faeces over the preceeding 48-72 hours to eventually passing no droppings at all.

Pain from impaction colics is due to stretch of the gut.  Impaction colics usually are mild in pain but can have periodic episodes of more intense pain. Normal colic signs such as pawing, flank watching and inappetance can be exhibited.

Examination by a vet may reveal a mildly increased heart rate, dry gums and prolonged skin tent. Gut sounds can sometimes be reduced due to slowing of the gut, however they can also be increased as the body’s response to try to shift the blockage. Impactions of the pelvic flexure can usually be identified on rectal examination. They usually are doughy in consistency and sit in the lower left area of the abdomen.

Treatment, as with any colic, involves providing pain relief and a muscle relaxant. In addition the blocked food material needs to be rehydrated. This is most commonly done using a tube passed down the nostril of the horse into the stomach. A mix of water and electrolytes is then administered. Over time this will seep through the food and hopefully relieve the blockage. Food is restricted until poo is seen as it will contribute to the blockage. Tubing may have to occur repeatedly over several days. In severe cases intra venous fluids may need to be used.

So to prevent your horse or pony from becoming impacted this winter try to:

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  • Change diet slowly.
  • Avoid straw bedding if you are concerned your horse or pony eats it.
  • Try to keep exercise maintained, a walk around the yard is better than standing still in a stable.
  • Ensure a ready access to fresh water.

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It is worth noting that there are other causes of impactions such as ileo-caecal impactions due to tapeworms and ascarid impaction of the small intestine in youngsters and these will be discussed at a later date.

 

As always, if you are concerned about colic in your horse, please call us on 01772 861300

 

Winter Series: Mud Fever

Mud fever, also known as greasy heel syndrome but correctly termed pastern dermatitis, is an infection of the skin usually of the pastern.

The bacteria causing the infection can be from the environment or living on the skin itself and will gain entry due to an injury to the skin surface. It more commonly affects white socked legs, as the skin’s immune function of these areas is reduced. In minor cases it may present as just a few scabs, however, it can spread above the fetlock, occur concurrently with cellulitis, or leg filling, and be openly bleeding.

Although it can have a typical appearance sometimes a vet visit is needed to rule out other conditions and to identify predisposing factors.

The skins integrity is weakened by continuous wetting of the skin and rubbing from mud meaning it is a problem commonly seen in Winter. However, it may not just be wet and muddy conditions that are causing the problem……..

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  • Lymphoedema: this is typical of cob type or draught breeds. Lymph fluid circulates around the body carrying nutrients in lymph vessels. The lymph vessels in these types seem to be less effective in circulating blood in the lower limbs which leads to accumulation of fluid and skin thickening.
  • Leucocytoclastic vasculitis: this is an immune mediated condition whereby blood vessels become damaged. Personal experience shows it occurs more commonly on the outside of white pasterns.
  • Photosensitisation: this is caused by either liver disease or allergic reaction meaning the horse doesn’t deal with chemicals that react with light meaning that when the horse is exposed to UV radiation (sunlight) it becomes sunburnt.
  • Feather mites/ Chorioptic mange: Chorioptes mites causes itchiness of the lower limbs. This can lead to self trauma and wounds allowing skin infection.

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To rule out these conditions it may be necessary to take blood samples or biopsies to determine if one of these are involved.

In order to treat Mud Fever you may need to treat the underlying cause. Sometimes a thorough antibacterial cleaning and removal of scabs is needed, under sedation, so that topical antibacterial, steroidal and protectant creams can be applied directly onto the damaged skin. In some cases when associated with cellulitis or more widespread infection of the leg systemic antibiotics may be needed.

The deliberation is always; do you wash the mud off your horses legs or do you brush it off when dry ?? In our opinion neither is superior. If you are to wash your horses legs they need to be thoroughly dried and if there is already some mud fever present avoid wetting the leg further.

If you are concerned about Mud Fever in your horse, please call us on 01772 861300

No EYE in team

Rags’ owner had noticed that his right eye looked a little swollen and weepy and over the course of the day it also became cloudy. With concern, his owner called Oakhill Equine Vet, Stuart Davies, to get Rags thoroughly checked.

Rags’ right eye was partially closed (blepahrospasm) and his right pupil was very small – this is a response, by the horses eye, to discomfort or pain (uveitis).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With careful examination using an ophthalmoscope, a very small (only approx 1mm) black object could be seen penetrating the cornea (outer surface of the eye) in the lower left corner of the eye.

Rags was given pain relief, atropine (to dilate the pupil which in itself provides pain relief), then his owner bought him into the Oakhill clinic.

Understandably horses needed to be very cooperative when dealing with their eyes, so Rags was given some sedation and a local anaesthetic block allowing his eye lid to be held open.
Fellow Equine Vet, Jess Wray, then carefully removed the black object that turned out to be a thorn!! Great team work!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rags was able to continue his pain relief and antibiotic drops at home. A week later you can see his eye is completely back to normal and from now on he will be tuned out with a face mask!

This case demonstrates the importance of careful eye examination. If you notice anything different about your horses eyes, please contact us. 

Dangers of over-rugging

Horses like humans have a temperature range with which they don’t have to expend energy to lose or gain body heat. This range is 5-25 degrees celsius. Horses have adapted to maintain their body temperature within this range and specifically when temperatures are below 5 degrees, these adaptations include:

 

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  • A thicker and longer winter coat.
  • Natural coat oils which repel water from the outer layers of the coat meaning the layers close to the body are dry and warm.
  • The digestive system generates heat as roughage is broken down.
  • Blood is diverted from extremities to preserve the temperature of central organs (hence sometimes horses have cold ears).
  • Muscles can erect hairs to trap air and provide insulation.
  • Gaining fat in the summer to provide winter insulation.

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When we feel cold horses might not due to the adaptations mentioned above. In addition, temperatures in the morning or evening (when we usually see to our horses and decide on their daily costume), are currently 7 degrees different to the midday temperature.

It is thought that the natural change in weight of a horse/pony in winter and summer allows for a resetting of hormone levels. They utilise fat reserves built up during the summer to maintain their body heat during the Winter. When horses do not follow this pattern, they are thought to then become more at risk of laminitis the following year and we are certainly seeing an increase in horses and ponies diagnosed with metabolic disorders such as EMS.

 

Over-rugging can not only lead to difficulty in managing the weight of your horse or pony with risks of metabolic disorders and laminitis but can also lead to the horse overheating. When horses over heat they divert blood to the skin surface so that they can lose body heat by sweating. A moist and warm environment can increase the risk of bacterial skin infections, rug rubs and can also lead to colic.

We can’t ignore that rugs are needed by elderly horses that are underweight and don’t have those body reserves to burn, finer horses and to an extent horses that are stabled, that aren’t creating as much body heat from moving. However, the decision to rug your horse should be made based on the body condition of the horse or pony in question. If your horse or pony is overweight then clipping and rugging in a lightweight to keep it water proof could be the aid to weight control. Also considering the daily temperature range would alleviate your horse over-heating in the middle of the day.

 

Temperature Stabled/Clipped Stabled/Unclipped Turned out/Unclipped Turned out/Clipped
15 degrees and warmer Zero fill Nothing Nothing Nothing
10-15 degrees Light weight (100g) or zero fill Nothing or zero fill Nothing Nothing or light weight (100g) or zero fill if wet and windy
5-10 degrees Medium weight (250g) Light weight (150g) Nothing or light weight (100g) Light weight (150g) plus neck cover
Zero to 4 degrees Heavy weight (300g) Medium weight (200g) Nothing or light/medium weight (150-250g) Medium weight (200g) with neck cover
-10 to zero degrees Heavy weight (300-400g) with neck cover Medium weight (200-300g) with linear Light or medium weight (150-300g) with neck cover Heavy weight (300-400g) with neck cover plus liner
-10 degrees or colder Heavy weight (300-500g) with neck cover plus liner Medium or heavy weight (300-400g) with neck cover Heavy weight (300-500g) plus neck cover Heavy weight (300-500g) plus liner and/or under blanket and hood.

 

Image source: Blue Cross

 

Coughing cattle

Lungworm larvae may survive drier periods of weather within faecal pats to be dispersed onto pasture en masse following periods of rainfall, such as those recently experienced.

Cases across the UK have been recently detected. In naïve animals such as unvaccinated calves in their first grazing season or bought-in dairy cattle on farms with a known history of disease could still be at risk.

Even vaccinated heifers may be at risk if they have not had adequate exposure during this dry summer. Lungworm can cause increased respiratory rates, loss of body condition and reduced milk yield.

Advised actions include:

Monitoring for signs of disease:

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  • Widespread coughing in the group, initially after exercise then at rest
  • Increased respiratory rate and difficulty breathing.
  • Rapid loss of weight and body condition.
  • Milk drop in lactating cattle
  • Death in heavy infections

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  • Where infection is suspected, treat animals with an anthelmintic and remove affected cattle to ‘safe’ pasture (e.g. aftermath) or house in a well ventilated building.

 

We recommend worming grazed heifers at this time of year to remove residual worm burdens. Eprizero has a 0 day milk withdrawal and is suitable for in calf heifers or heifers that are already in the milking herd.

WE HAVE A LIMITED STOCK OF 6L packs of EPRIZERO AVAILABLE AT A DISCOUNTED PRICE – please call the office on 01772 861300 for details.

If you would like any further information please ask one of the vets for advice.

Johne’s Deadline

The deadline for completion of phase 2 of the National Johne’s Management Plan will soon be here – 31st October 2018.

 

Any clients that have been asked by their dairy to comply will need to confirm that:

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  • both their herd status and risks have been assessed
  • necessary management information, equipment, husbandry and resources to implement the agreed control strategy have been put in place.

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Please let us know as soon as possible if this applies to you, so that we can carry out a Specific Johne’s risk assessment for your herd and formulate an up to date Johne’s Action Plan. On completion the NJMP declaration will need to be signed by the farmer and vet.

 

 

 

Filly runs into arena wall

*Warning – contains graphic images of injury*

A few weeks ago, Equine Vet, Hattie Barnes was called out to a 3 month old filly that had unfortunately run into an arena wall.

As you can see from the photograph, the wound was very large but thankfully superficial.
Hattie sutured the wounded and placed a drain to help remove fluid from the large dead space between skin and bone.

Wound after filly ran into wall

Wound prior to treatment

Sutured wound with drain

Wound after stitches removed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thankfully recovery was quick and the patient is back to normal foal life now!

BVD -STAMP IT OUT

A new initiative has been launched to help farmers in England tackle BVD (Bovine Viral Diarrhoea).

It is currently estimated that BVD costs British farmers up to £60million/year, reducing productivity and profitability as a result of poor growth rates, poor health with increased pneumonia and diarrhoea, reduced fertility with higher rates of foetal death. Rigorous testing of the herd is vital to help eradicate the disease from the unit.

BVD FACT
The estimated cost of BVD is between £13 and £31 per cow in Great Britain.

The £5.7 million funding package from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) is managed by SAC consulting and is the largest BVD project launched in England. Farmers will be able to apply for free on farm health planning for BVD control. Keepers of breeding cattle will be eligible for the scheme, which will help to assess the BVD status of the herd and develop a control plan.

After attending the first meeting a one to one on farm visit will be undertaken to carry out a check test on the herd. If the results indicate active infection then a follow up visit will be arranged to develop a customised action plan which may include further testing (PI hunt). The overall aim will be to reduce, eliminate or prevent BVD within the herd.

Brexit – a ‘no deal’ scenario?

A scenario in which the UK leaves the EU without agreement (a ‘no deal’ scenario) remains unlikely, however, it’s important to prepare for all eventualities, including ‘no deal’, until we can be certain of the outcome of negotiations.

Below is some information about what is needed in a ‘no deal’ scenario, so informed plans and preparations can be made.

Before 29 March 2019 – ‘no deal’ in place….

  • To export animal products and live animals to countries outside the EU, exporters must apply for, and be issued with, an Export Health Certificate (EHC).
  • Different rules apply to trade between countries within the EU. Exporting live animals and some very specific animal products (such as germplasm) requires exporters to provide either an EHC or, more generally, an EU-specific version of an EHC known as an Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC). For all other animal products, no certification is required and no specific processes must be followed.
  • To obtain EHCs and ITAHCs, exporters contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), in Northern Ireland they contact the Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA), providing details of the consignment, its destination and travel arrangements, as well as their preferred Official Veterinarian or authorised signatory to certify their products. APHA or DAERA issues a paper EHC for the exporter to provide to the country of import.
  • There are additional requirement when transporting live vertebrate animals for commercial or economic activity. For all journeys, the transporter must hold a valid Transporter Authorisation and drivers and attendants must hold a Certificate of Competence. For journeys over eight hours within the EU, vehicles must also have a valid vehicle approval certificate. Transporter Authorisations, Certificates of Competence and Vehicle Approval Certificates must be issued by an EU country. For journeys over eight hours where farm livestock and unregistered horses will be transported, the transporter must also hold a Journey Log.

After March 2019 if there’s ‘no deal’….

  • EHCs would be required for exports of all animal products and live animals from the UK to the EU. Consignments would need to travel through a Border Inspection Post (BIP) within the EU. EHCs would need to be signed by an Official Veterinarian or authorised signatory following inspection of the consignment.
  • Requirements for trade to third countries outside the EU should not change. However changes would be required to the wording of the documentation, which would need to be agreed with the destination country, to reflect the fact the UK would no longer be a member of the EU.
  • The EU would require the UK to be a listed third country. In the unlikely event of a ‘no deal’ scenario, the UK would apply for this status but cannot be certain of the EU response or its timing.

Transporter Authorisation, Certificates of Competence, vehicle approval and Journey Logs

  • The EU would also no longer recognise transport authorisations, certificates of competence, or vehicle approval certificates issued by the UK.
  • UK transporters wishing to transport live animals in the EU would need to appoint a representative within an EU country and apply to their relevant government department to obtain a valid Transporter Authorisation, Certificate of Competence, Vehicle Approval Certificate and, where necessary, a Journey Log. Journey logs would need to be obtained from the EU country that is the initial point of entry into the EU for export. Exporters would need to present their transport documentation at a Border Inspection Post in the EU.
  • UK-issued transport documentation would remain valid for transport within the UK only.

For further information, please see the following useful links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exporting-animals-and-animal-products-if-theres-no-brexit-deal/exporting-animals-and-animal-products-if-theres-no-brexit-deal

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-governments-preparations-for-a-no-deal-scenario