St David’s Equine Practice Excess weight in horses can lead to many health problems. A horse that is above their ideal weight will cause extra strain on their joints, which may lead to problems such as arthritis. An overweight horse will also find exercise more difficult, which over time may place strain on the heart […]
For millions of years, horses have been breed selectively to produce an anatomy and physiology to run away fast and to cover many miles to find food. Anatomically, these adaptations include lengthening of the leg, reduction in the number of digits and loss of the collar bone. Physiological adaptations have enabled greater oxygen delivery to […]
St David’s Equine Practice Strangles bacteria is extremely infectious and it is thought that even a single bacteria may be enough to cause disease in a naïve horse. For this reason, it is important that yard biosecurity on an infected yard is very strict. Infection with the bacteria is by contact with the organism. This […]
On-site radiography is a great advantage and we thought we would share with you a case study that nicely demonstrates the benefits and the ability to take multiple shots during the trimming of a pony’s feet. This would not have been impossible with conventional film x-ray without bringing the pony to the clinic. The pony […]
Tony Kaye BVSc MRCVS, St David’s Equine Practice As autumn approaches, clients with male foals may face choices about whether to castrate them. This article describes the choice of methods available to you and aims to give you more information to make the right choice for your foal or yearling. Castration is defined as removal […]
Eleanor Storey BSc (Hons) BVM&S MRCVS, St David’s Equine Practice Dentistry is a rapidly growing area of equine work, due to the increase in understanding of the importance of a healthy mouth for the general wellbeing and performance of a horse. To enable complete dental examinations and to ensure work is performed thoroughly, our vets […]
Eleanor Storey BSc (Hons) BVM&S MRCVS, St David’s Equine Practice Thankfully good management and awareness of colic risk factors keeps the amount of colic cases we see down to a minimum, but we do tend to get a flurry of cases around this time of year for various reasons. Cyathostomes (red worms) have a tendency […]
Eleanor Storey BSc (Hons) BVM&S MRCVS, St David’s Equine Practice Degenerative joint disease (DJD), also otherwise known as osteoarthritis, is the single most common cause of lameness in horses. Typically DJD is associated with the older horse or pony, however is also very common in the younger performance horse. What is a normal joint? A […]
Emma Hales BVSc MRCVS, St David’s Equine Practice Sweet itch is an extremely frustrating skin disorder with horses continually wanting to scratch every last piece of their mane and tail away. Affecting approximately 1 in every 20 horses, many of us struggle every year to control it. Sweet itch is caused by a hypersensitivity reaction […]
Zoe Satsias BVM&S MRCVS, St David’s Equine Practice Laminitis is one of the most dreaded equine issues among horse owners and vets alike. It is brought up in conversation all the time in the horsey world, yet there are still many owners who do not understand why it affects their horses. Laminitis, by definition, means […]
