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Equine
Newsletter - Autumn 2003
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Editor:
Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher
It
has been a few months since our last equine newsletter (18 to be exact)
and inevitably there have been a number of changes in the staffing at
the clinic…
Going
Out
Noel Power (assistant vet) finally submitted to the attractions of
life on the other side of the world and relocated to New Zealand at the
beginning of this year.
Jane
Twigg (equine secretary) became a mother in the spring - Congratulations!
- but will be returning to the clinic on a part time basis in November.
We
also lost Suzanne Wareham (nurse) and Lucy Reynolds (groom).
...And
Coming In...
Vicki Nicholls (assistant vet) joined us in the form of a whirlwind back
in the spring and still doesn’t appear to have landed! She has an uncanny
knack of making the rest of us feel very old!
Jan
Burden and Pippa East have joined Sarah Cowell in manning the office -
making this area the ultimate “heart” of the clinic (and sometimes also
the “stomach”, “bowels” and “bladder”…)
Natalie
Marsh (nurse) and Gabby Reeves (groom) are recent acquisitions and don’t
appear to have given the “heart” any reasons for palpitations just yet.
And
finally there is me (another assistant vet). I became a Endell-ite at
the beginning of this year and how the time has flown.
The
equine department now boasts its biggest quota of vets to date, which
must be good for all concerned. David Howes, Jill Carpenter and Fernando
Perez continue as the “brawn” of the clinic whilst the 4 bosses (Bob,
Jan, Mike and Lindy) remain unchanged as the “brains”- unchanged except
for noticeably more grey hairs it has to be said!
For
pictorial evidence of us all do remember to visit our award winning website
at endellequineclinic.co.uk. No prizes for guessing which one is the alpaca!
Worming
This continues to baffle many of you - with an ever increasing number
of wormers available (all with unpronounceable names) and conflicting
advice at every turn.
I find the easiest
regimes is to use a combination of Equest (which basically does everything
except tapeworm) and Equitape (which deals with tapeworm) as follows:
| Winter
(e.g. January) |
-
|
Equest
Only |
| Spring
(e.g. April) |
-
|
Equest
and Equitape together |
| Summer
(e.g. July) |
-
|
Equest
Only |
| Autumn
(e.g. October) |
-
|
Equest
and Equitape together |
Do phone any of us
for further advice.
Please may we remind
all visitors to the Equine hospital to report to the reception before entering
the yard. This is not only for safety reasons but to ensure that the Veterinary
Surgeon knows you are waiting for them and to avoid any unnecessary delays.
Humane
Euthanasia: what you need to know
Euthanasia of your
horse, pony or donkey is always a difficult subject to envisage and is
not usually discussed until the time presents itself. However, if you
are well prepared in advance then you will be able to make the right decisions
for you and your horse when faced with this eventuality
AN APPROPRIATE
METHOD
Lethal Injection: A lethal overdose of anaesthetic is injected
intravenously following a sedative. The horse will lose consciousness
and collapse slowly. Euthanasia with lethal injection will limit disposal
to either burial (which is officially illegal from April 2003 according
to DEFRA) or cremation.
Humane Pistol:
death is instant and painless although the pistol is obviously louder
and may be stressful to the attendants.
Before choosing the
method of euthanasia you should consider two questions “Is my horse head
shy?” and “Does my horse dislike injections?” The location and cost of
disposal should also be considered particularly in an emergency situation
where a particular method of euthanasia might prove unsuitable.
METHODS OF DISPOSAL
- Your local hunts.
Wilton Hunt provides a full service including euthanasia using a humane
pistol, collection and cremation with ashes available on request.
- The knackerman.
A collection service and cremation with ashes suitable for burying.
PLANNING AND PREPARATION
- Euthanasia may
be carried out at home or in the clinic depending on the situation.
If at home determine where is most comfortable and practical for you,
the veterinarian and the horse. Keep in mind that the collection vehicle
will need suitable access to the horse.
- Try to warn other
people at the yard.
- Decide whether
you wish to be present for the procedure. Your veterinarian may not
allow you to hold the horse when it is put down.
- Discuss the procedure
in advance so you know what to expect.
- Make arrangements
for removal of the body; some options are listed below.
- If the horse is
insured become familiar with the terms of your policy-even the fine
print- before you act. Try to inform the insurance company before the
decision for euthanasia is made, even in an emergency.
Although unpleasant
to consider it is important to be prepared for the cost of euthanasia.
Details of prices and methods of disposal appear in the full version of
this article on our clinic website. Alternatively contact the Equine hospital
on 01722 710046.
Insurance
Claims
All insurance claims
should be settled by the client with the practice. In exceptional circumstances,
and after consultation with our practice manager, it may be possible for
us to be paid directly by your insurance company.
You are advised that
there are charges made for completion of insurance forms but all continuations
should be free of charge unless excessive amounts of paperwork are required.
You are reminded that
with continuation claims, some insurance companies require additional
claim forms to be completed so please ensure that we have these forms
regularly to encourage prompt payment by your insurance company.
If, however, your insurance company only requires copies of additional
invoices, please note that it is your responsibility to send these on
to them. We are able to produce copy invoices if requested.
If you have any questions
relating to insurance claims please contact the Equine hospital.
Care
of the Older Horse: the Main Facts
|
Condition
|
Clinical
Signs
|
Corrective
Measures
|
| Arthritis |
Chronic lameness,
bone deformity around joints |
Corrective trimming/shoeing,
NSAIDs, oral supplements, avoid obesity, free access to pasture. |
| Inadequate dentition |
Inability to
chew food, “quidding”, weight loss |
Regular dental
checks and floating Diet - “soups”, extruded feeds, ½ cup oil/day |
| Weight loss |
Inability to
maintain weight despite adequate rations and good teeth. |
Check teeth,
faecal egg count, and diet with your vet. Full physical examination
Blood tests for liver and kidney function. |
| Cushing’s Disease |
Failure to shed
coat. Recurrent infections and laminitis, increased urination + drinking. |
Blood tests to
diagnose disease +/- treatment with Pergolide® if necessary. Grooming/clipping
in spring and summer. Adequate diet, dental checks, vaccination. |
| Kidney/Liver
Failure |
Weight loss,
lethargy, Poor appetite. Difficult/frequent urination. Jaundice. Behavioural
changes |
Blood tests by
your vet +/- ultrasound examination. Diet Supplements |
A horse should not
be treated differently just because it has reached a certain chronological
age. However if problems are present relating to age then changes in management
and appropriate treatment may be necessary. Ensure that your older horse
is wormed regularly using an appropriate deworming schedule, that his
teeth are checked regularly and that your vet investigates any weight
loss. A pre-winter check by your veterinarian is a good precautionary
measure to ensure a happy and healthy winter for your older horse.
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Hall
of Fame
Displayed in
our Equine hospital reception is the “hall of fame” picture board
of some of our patients. Please feel free to send in any pictures
of your horse after successful treatments.
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Text
Messaging
A plea from
all equine vets - Please DO NOT send text messages to their mobile
phones. If you need a visit please phone the clinic where a message
can be taken and passed on to the vet to contact you. May we also
remind you that all emergencies should also be directed to the clinic
so that the nearest available veterinary surgeon can be alerted.
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FUN
STUFF!
Can
you find the words associated with horse tack in the grid below?
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| Bit |
Bridle |
Crupper |
Girth |
Halter |
Noseband |
Numnah |
Reins |
Saddle |
Stirrup |
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Passports
Most of you
will be aware by now that all horses, ponies and donkeys will be
required by law to have their own individual and official passports
by the end of this year. This is to bring us in line with EU legislation
which aims to protect the health of those who eat horse meat by
preventing any medicines that are not intended for use on food producing
animals (phenylbutazone - or “bute” being the most obvious example).
DEFRA have still
not released the final details of the scheme, after which there
will be a further 28 days in the Commons and Lords before it becomes
law, making the deadline notoriously close. Whilst we agree that
it is all rather chaotic, the fact remains that all owners will
have to comply, and it is better to get things organised sooner
rather than later. The only exemptions are for ponies that run free
on Dartmoor, Exmoor and The New Forest.
There are over
70 PIOs (Passport Issuing Organisations) and there is a considerable
variation in the scale of fees and amount of paperwork involved.
All will require an ID of your animal. In many cases the details
from your vaccination card, if you have one, can be used. In other
cases the diagram has to be completed by a vet or “competent authority”.
With this in
mind, we are offering to mark up your animal for half the current
fee (making it £13.53 plus visit fee) - this offer only applies
from October until the end of December 2003.
We are also
happy to transfer the ID from a vaccination card onto the passport
application form for an administrative charge of £8.88. Please feel
free to drop the relevant paperwork into the Equine hospital or send
to us via the post. We can arrange to either return the documents
to you via recorded post or leave at the Equine hospital for you to
collect.
For more information
about the passport scheme, log onto DEFRA website:
www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tracing/
horses/horses_index.htm
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Microchipping
Whilst microchipping
is not a requirement of the passport scheme, we, as vets, feel that
it presents an excellent opportunity to encourage you all to consider
having your animals “chipped” at this time.
The benefits
are many with security being the primary one. With this in mind,
we are offering a special deal of 10% off the microchipping price
from October until the end of December 2003. This brings the price
down to £29.28 plus a visit fee and includes lifetime registration.
When
is a hospital not a hospital?
Some months
ago we applied to the RCVS for registration of our Equine hospital
as an officially approved Veterinary Hospital. This title is only
available to practices with the highest standards of equipment and
professional care and cannot be awarded without a comprehensive
inspection covering every aspect of treatment and facilities. This
was carried out in July and we have been advised that we have been
recommended for approval without reservation or condition. However,
the committee only meets twice a year and we cannot “become” a hospital
without final committee approval, which is expected in October.
To you this
may not appear to make any difference, but we hope that it will
show our intention to continue to improve our facilities and capabilities
and to give the best possible service to both inpatient and outpatient
cases.
We look forward
to being able to welcome you to our Equine Hospital in the very
near future.
Good
Ideas?
Are there any
topics you would like covered in future newsletters or client meetings?
Please let us
know. Tell your veterinary surgeon when they next visit or give
us a call in the clinic office 01722 710046.
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