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emergency service

Lifelong care for animals providing clinical excellence, knowledge and experience

NEWS

PARAGON VETERINARY GROUP Visit us at: www.paragonvet.com and please ‘like’ us on our FACEBOOK page www.facebook.com/ParagonVets.Equine

Horses can disguise discomfort in many ways, particularly hindlimb lameness. Some back problems originate because of pain in the hindleg. Pain can also affect the horse emotionally, so the first signs could range from a change in enthusiasm for exercise right through to behavioural issues such as reluctance to jump.More obvious signs would be a head nod or a ‘hip-hike’ when trotting up. Some lamenesses are more obvious on a circle, others on hard ground rather than soft. Some will be determined by a careful examination.

It’s useful to feel for changes in hoof heat and in the flow through the digital arteries and comparing one limb with another. Flexion tests can help to determine joint pain, but the results have to be viewed carefully.Our facilities at Newbiggin allow for thorough investigation. Local anaesthetic is often used to desensitise specific areas of a limb to assess if a structure is damaged. Digital radiography provides fantastic images of the equine skeleton and soft tissue injuries can be assessed with digital ultrasonography, allowing treatment and recovery plans to be formulated individually.

April 2012

Contact us:

CALDEW

VETERINARY HOSPITAL Carlisle House, Townhead Road, Dalston, Carlisle CA5 7JF Tel: (01228) 710208 vets@paragonvet.com

TOWNHEAD VETERINARY CENTRE Newbiggin, Stainton, Penrith, CA11 0HT Tel: (01768) 483789 townhead@paragonvet.com

LONDON ROAD SURGERY 87 London Road Carlisle CA1 2LG Tel: (01228) 591005

Equine Lamenessby

Sam Harding

Further diagnostics are sometimes required, which include referral for Gamma-scintigraphy, or MRI scan.

As veterinary surgeons we aim to alleviate pain. There are many options available to us to help all the way through from companion ponies to elite competition horses, so don’t let your horse suffer in silence!

WORM EGG COUNT PROMOTION

Our equine worm egg count promotion will

continue through April. If you would like your

horse’s faecal sample tested, drop it in at Newbiggin. We will look at it under the microscope then call

you with the results. If the worm egg count is positive,

we’ll provide you with a FREE tube of Eqvalan.

Cost=£9.00 + VAT

Keeping your foal healthyby

Kelly Smith BSc (hons) Equine Sports Science

1. The navel should be treated immediately after birth with an antibiotic spray or dilute Iodine solution (< 0.5%). 2. Foals should stand within an hour of birth and must suck Colostrum (first milk) from the mare within 4-6 hours of birth to absorb essentialantibodies (passive transfer) to help fight infections. 3. Regular feeding (on average 5 times an hour for the first week gradually reducing as the foal gets older) followed by sleeping will help young foals to maintain their body reserves.4. It is a good idea to have a veterinary health check carried out in the first day of your foal’s life. A blood test from 12 hours of age will check the foal’s antibody level. If this level is too low the vet can give a plasma transfusion.5. Foals must be kept in a clean environment as they are very susceptible to disease. They should also be protected from extreme weather.6. Foals are susceptible to worms and need a special worming regime. Worming can begin at 4 weeks of age. Speak to us for advice on worming your foal.7. A dose of Tetanus Antitoxin can be given to newborn foals but the first Tetanus vaccination should be given from 3 months of age and Influenza from 5 months. 8. If your foal seems unwell or stops suckling it is essential to seek immediate veterinary attention as sick foals can become critically ill in a very short space of time.

EQUINE A.I. PACKAGE 2012

We have been running as a British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) approved Artificial Insemination Centre for over 10 years. In 2011 our overall insemination hold rate was 86% with 74% of mares pregnant in their first two cycles. For 2012 we have changed the format of the A.I. package. Owners will now be charged per cycle. The first cycle will be charged at £235 + VAT, the second cycle at £235 + VAT. Any additional cycles will be charged at £100 + VAT each. The price for each cycle includes:

• The initial reproductive assessment (first cycle only).• Clitoral CEM swab and Laboratory fees (first cycle only).• 1 weeks grass livery (first cycle only).• All reproductive scanning examinations.• Insemination with chilled or frozen semen for one cycle.• Frozen semen storage and handling.• Ovulation induction agents.• Oxytocin and post insemination wash outs.• Pregnancy diagnosis scans at 14 and 28 days.• Twin reduction up to 16 days after insemination.

For further information and brochure call 017684 83789 or visit www.paragonvet.com.

NURSE CLINIC

NEW GATESFollowing recent client feedback we have altered the gates into the top yard at the Newbiggin Centre.

The gates now enable you to pull further up the hill where it is more level before having to stop for the gates to be opened.

SPRING TALK FEEDBACK

Sarcoids and headshaking are two of the most problematic and worrying areas for horse-owners. Professor Derek Knottenbelt, who’s an internationally recognised authority on both subjects, gave the Paragon Spring Talk audience a fascinating insight into the research and latest findings on both conditions. Our thanks to the BEVA TRUST for supplying our excellent star speaker.