As many of you know, the foot is a common source of lameness; up to 90% of lameness can be located within the foot. The heel region of the foot can be blamed for up to 1/3 of chronic (long-term) lameness. This makes sense, as the hoof is the part of the body that receives…
It’s a question that’s come up time and time again for me over the last year or two. Often, clients will explain that their horses or ponies are not worth very much money, and so they don’t think it’s worthwhile. I thought I’d put together some of the aspects to consider, and some of the…
Alfie is a 22-year-old Kaimanawa gelding who had the misfortune of getting the wrong end of a stick during a wind-storm. He presented with acute right eye pain – eyelids tightly closed with profuse tearing. Once local anaesthetic and sedation was administered a full thickness perforating wound was evident through the cornea of his right eye. Bleeding…
The first five years of a horse’s life are critical in regards to dental development. Like us, horses have two sets of teeth, the deciduous being shed from about two and a half years until the permanent teeth have erupted at around five years. During this period, it is vital that regular dental checks are…
Some horse owners are still drenching their animals on a six to eight weekly basis regardless of age or worm burden. This was a traditional approach which is outdated and possibly detrimental in terms of developing resistance to drenches. The main internal parasites we see in horses in New Zealand include the following: Large roundworm…
We have had a couple of interesting cases over the last few months where our Vets have been able to use the endoscope to help diagnose and address issues. The endoscope is a flexible camera/video /light source that we can use to help investigate respiratory tract in horses as they allow us to gain access…
The classic ‘coughing horse’ is a common sight and sound at this time of year, and often transient viral respiratory disease is to blame. But as much as we love to blame a virus, they are not always the cause! This year has seen an influx of allergy associated disease in all classes of stock…
The transportation of horse to events in NZ (such as HOY) is commonplace but in saying that it needs to be managed to maximise athletic performance, and minimise the risk of any negative impact on horse health. After all it is a long expensive and disappointing trip to an event to have your horse perform…
Johnny Atkins BVSc Vet Services Dannevirke ‘Small Strongyles’ or ‘Cyathostomes’ are the terms used for a group of over forty different species of parasites affecting horses. They tend to be the most prevalent parasite within the horses’ gastrointestinal tract and although small, heavy burdens can result in big problems! Unlike their cousins the ‘large strongyles’,…