Articles
Stay informed with our topical articles, all written by our equine vets.Stem cell treatment – what’s new?
What are stem cells? Stem cells are an undifferentiated cell of a multicellular organism which are capable of giving rise to indefinitely more cells of the same type. They are used in musculoskeletal injuries of the horse to improve the quality of repair tissue in injured tissue. Types of stem cells Traditionally we obtained cells […]
Sycamore poisoning in horses
Many of you may have noticed the characteristic helicopter seeds present on sycamore trees as of late so we thought it would be a good idea to remind you about sycamore poisoning. But what exactly do we mean by the term sycamore poisoning? Keep reading to find out more! Sycamore poisoning, also known as atypical […]
Grass Sickness in horses
Grass Sickness is a disease of horses, ponies and donkeys in which there is damage to parts of the nervous system which control involuntary functions, producing the main symptom of gut paralysis. Also known as Equine Grass Sickness (EGS) the cause is unknown but the nature of the damage to the nervous system suggests that […]
Tooth decay in horses
Similar to humans, horses’ teeth suffer from decay, referred to as ‘caries’. Horses’ upper cheek teeth have infundibulae, cup-shaped invaginations in their grinding surface that are normally filled with a hard material called cementum. Sometimes these infundibulae are incompletely filled during development, leaving a cavity for food to settle in and decay. Over time the […]
Sweet Itch
Sweet itch is a common disease of horses in summer causing them to rub their mane, tail and body. It is caused by a hypersensitive reaction to the saliva of the female Culicoides midge. Affected patients can suffer from frenzied itching of the mane, tail, head, poll and abdominal areas. This results in loss of […]
Preventing gastric ulcers
Squamous ulceration and glandular ulceration are considered separate disease entities and whilst the risk factors for squamous ulceration are well publicised, further research is required for glandular ulcerative disease. By knowing the risk factors for ulcerative disease, we can endeavour to develop prevention strategies. In some horses, it is impossible to ascertain the trigger factor […]