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NEWSLETTER (Spring 2009)
As some of you already know it is national vaccine month in June, where you can get one free vaccine if you start a new course of vaccinations. We have managed to go one better! Thanks to Fort Dodge, if you start a vaccine course in June, you will get the second and third vaccines free – all you pay is the visits. This means a course costs £112.57 instead of £161.84. The only requirements are that the horse must be older than 1 year, and if vaccinated previously then overdue by at least 3 months. The second is 4 – 6 weeks.
JMB Height Measurements.
We have an approved Joint Measuring Board measuring pad. The horses shoes must be removed and the feet in a good state of repair. There is a fee of £70 ( £10 additional charge for special delivery of return of documents) payable to JMB. Your horse has annual measurements up to the age of seven, when they can have a lifetime measurement (must have had one annual measurement). Your horse must now be microchipped – we can do this on the day for £20. Please contact the office to book an appointment.
Foal Microchip.
New European legislation has been introduced stating that all foals born after 1st July will have to be microchipped before the 31st December of that year or before they are six months old, whichever is later.
This is available for £20, and can be arranged to coincide with the foals first Influenza and Tetanus vaccination – this can be done from five months of age.
Legislation may be brought in to enforce microchipping of all horses (Consultation with DEFRA has just finished). If you would like to get ahead of the game, ask our reception to book in a microchip with your next vaccine.
- Remember if you share a visit the call out is less!
Snuffy the Donkey.
We have several donkeys registered at the practice and one of our older patients is Snuffy, a 31 year old gelding who has lived in the same stable and grazed the same field since he was born.
He was taken ill with a viral infection in February, and both vets and owner were very concerned as he stopped eating. It is potentially very serious when horses and donkeys stop eating as they can develop a condition called hyperlipaemia. This is when the body breaks down too much fat for the liver to deal with, and it gets deposited in other organs causing organ failure. Fortunately, with plenty of fluids by mouth and into the vein, along with supportive care and TLC , he has made a full recovery and is back, waking up neighbours early in the morning with his bray!
We wish Snuffy and his owner all the best.
Breeding From Your Mare.
Now is the time of year when we think about putting mares in foal. When you have chosen a suitable stud stallion / semen, what do you do then?
AI, or artificial insemination, means that you can choose from a much wider selection of stallions – this can be done using different methods with different rates of success – fresh / chilled / frozen semen – ask the stud which they offer for your stylish stallion. When using AI, the timing is very important and is assessed by ultrasound scans (£40.25 inc VAT) of the ovaries to ensure the mare is ready to ovulate. Fortunately we can manipulate the timings of your mares cycle using different drugs given orally, or an injection, or implant. By doing this, we can ensure insemination at the optimum time to give the best chance of success.
Once AI is carried out, the mare should be scanned 15/16 days later to see if it is successful. If it isn’t this gives you chance to try again on her very next season so you don’t lose time. The next scan should be done at about 28 days – this is to ensure there aren’t twins. Surviving twins in horses are very rare, and are actually a risk to the horse and the embryos. If it is not reduced to one, there is a very high chance of abortion at a later date.
The importance of Insurance.
As the credit crunch starts to hit, everyone is trying to cut back a little. Insurance premiums shouldn’t be one of the things to give up – in fact if your horsed isn’t insured it is something you need to look into. Consider if your horse needs colic surgery, then the cost can be anything from £2000 to £5000. If your horse develops hock osteoarthritis, diagnosis and ideal treatment can cost around £2000. A barbed wire cut through the cannon area can cost £1000 with lots of drugs and antibiotics. When checking the policy, check the excess you would pay, the limit on vet fees (some are surprisingly low) and the fine print. Check their reputation – there are definitely good ones and bad ones. If you have any questions please ask Dennis in the office.
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