Download Equine and Farm animal Newsletter Introduction

Equine and Farm animal Newsletter
Introduction
Welcome to Forth Valley Vets! We are delighted to issue
our first newsletter under our new company name, which
you may already know, is the combination of Struthers
and Scott Veterinary Practice and Grahams Road
Veterinary Clinic. From now on, all equine and farm animal work will be conducted by Forth Valley
Vets, with small animal work remaining at both Doune and Falkirk respectively. As always, we value
your feedback and please get in touch with us should you require any further information or have
any questions.
Coming up this month, we have a client evening for all horse owners with the world renowned soft
tissue surgeon Professor Paddy Dixon, as well as a photo competition for our horses, ponies and
donkeys to feature on some of our literature. So please drop in to say hello and meet the team, or
find us on facebook at Forth Valley Vets to keep up with all the latest news.
Forth Valley Vets
www.forthvalleyvets.co.uk
Forth Valley Vets Ltd, Unit 7, 20 Munro Road, Stirling, Stirlingshire, FK7 7UU
08451 771956
[email protected]
Dates for your diary - EQUINE CLIENT NIGHT – October 30th 7pm for 7.30pm
We are delighted to announce that our guest speaker for our first client night as Forth Valley Vets is
Professor Paddy Dixon from the Dick Vet. He is going to tell us about dental disease and care. We
will also have some practical fun and a quiz to win a free dental! Please join us at The King Robert
Hotel in Bannockburn for wine and nibbles and we can celebrate the new venture together in style.
Call Heather or Barbara on 08451 771 956 to register as soon as possible. First come, first served!
The Team
Vets Ian Rodger, David Reed, Claire
Cameron, Eve Hanks, Thomas Jenkins,
Paddy Day, Ali Smith, Maeve Keenan,
Noreen Kane
Practice Manager Stacy McGookin
Reception Heather Bailey & Barbara
McVean
Sudden deaths
Several changes have been made by Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratory Agency (AHVLA) to
the investigation of sudden death cases on farms. Any unexpected death should be reported to us
and we will now go through an ‘Anthrax Questionnaire’ with you prior to any further action. This
information will then be fed back to AHVLA and, if necessary, they will request that we visit the farm
to carry out further investigation. We will require to know the full ear tag number of the animal as
well as details such as breed, age, sex etc. so please have this to hand. Should the AHVLA request
that a visit is undertaken then we can be on your farm without charge, and this may be a useful time
to consider whether you would like further samples taken which can be analysed in the event of a
negative anthrax result. Any questions please feel free to contact us.
Equine Herpes Virus
EHV, as the name suggests, is a group of viruses which circulate in the horse population. Several
types of EHV are found in horses and ponies and some don’t appear to cause disease in their own
right. The real culprits causing clinical signs of illness are EHV-1 and EHV-4.
The main signs of infection centre around respiratory disease, ranging from subclinical disease,
escaping notice by owner or vet, through to severe clinical disease with fever, lethargy, anorexia,
nasal discharge and cough. In addition, the virus can cause abortions in pregnant mares or the birth
of weak non-viable foals which die soon after birth. As a final twist, neurological signs can also be
seen in some infected horses which presents as weakness, lack of co-ordination and could lead to
paralysis.
Although a vaccine is available, it should be noted that the vaccine does not give complete
protection and should be part of a comprehensive management strategy. Quarantine of sick animals
and strict hygiene is required, as well as separation of young stock from susceptible pregnant mares.
Confirmation of disease can be achieved by laboratory tests and you should contact us to discuss
this further should you see signs of disease. If you are planning to breed your mare then a
vaccination and management plan can be drawn up as appropriate and we will be happy to help.