Equine Influenza – what’s the current situation?

There have been separate cases of Equine Influenza confirmed in the UK. Horses in Essex, Cheshire and Derbyshire have been affected this month with further reports of outbreaks in Belgium, France and Germany. With all three outbreaks it has been unvaccinated horses that have tested positive.

Currently the number of outbreaks is small but they have occurred within a short duration; to put things into perspective a similar number of cases were reported during the whole of 2018.

It is currently unknown which strain of the virus has caused these outbreaks, but research is being conducted to find out. While there are several signs of flu in horses, those affected may only show one or two of them.

What are the signs of infection?

Unvaccinated horses

In unvaccinated horses the virus targets the upper respiratory tract, this leads to a very dry, harsh or hacking cough.
They usually have a raised temperature which can last around 7-10 days. The fever often makes them dull, off their food and lethargic
A clear or white nasal discharge is often seen with enlargement of the submandibular lymph nodes (under their chin/throat area).

Vaccinated horses

Horses that have been regularly vaccinated often show no clinical signs, but they may still shed enough virus to infect other horses. This is how the outbreak in Australia in 2007 started.
Horses that have been vaccinated but only have partial protection, e.g. because they haven’t been vaccinated frequently enough or because the vaccine type used was not updated, may show varied signs of mild non specific respiratory disease. This can include mild lethargy, nasal discharge and possibly a cough.

What to do if you think there is a possible infected horse?

Owners should seek veterinary advice if they suspect there is flu on the yard and carry out the following precautions:

Isolate the possibly infected horses. Infected horses will spread the virus in respiratory droplets, through coughing, and can spread the virus for up to 10 days. They must be isolated until the vet advises they are no longer infected.
All horse movements on and off the yard should be stopped.
Monitor all horses on the yard for clinical signs and record their rectal temperature daily, it should be less than 38.0˚C. A rise in temperature can be an early sign of an infection.
Booster vaccinating all in-contact horses, even if they are not yet due their annual booster, has been shown to provide horses with even more protection against flu.

How to prevent it

Horse Flu is endemic in the UK, which means that most horses will come into regular contact with the virus during their lifetime. The control of horse flu in the UK is based on limiting the signs of infection in horses that have been exposed to the virus, rather than trying to prevent exposure itself. This is primarily achieved through regular vaccination which is given either once or twice a year.

If you have any questions about your horse’s vaccinations, please call our Equine Team on 01772 861300

Free* ACTH tests are back for 2019

Testing for PPID in your horse or pony

A few years ago PPID or Equine Cushing’s Disease was considered a rare hormonal disease in horses. Now it is thought to affect over 20% of horses over the age of 15 and is a condition recognised almost daily in equine veterinary practice.

Past ‘Talk about Laminitis’ test results show that you should look out for any of these clinical signs in your horse:

Laminitis
Abnormal or delayed moulting
Muscle wastage
Periorbital fat (fat round the eyes)
Increased drinking and urinating

In 2017, thousands of laminitic patients benefitted from PPID being ruled in or out of their condition during the Talk About Laminitis campaign, as a result, the Talk About Laminitis campaign will continue offering FREE* ACTH lab testing during 2019

You can claim your complimentary testing voucher code by visiting www.careaboutcushings.co.uk

If your horse is already on Prascend, you may be eligible for a free monitoring test (lab fees only). You can generate your voucher code for this by visiting the link above.

Terms & Conditions:

This free ACTH test voucher code is for the laboratory fees for a blood ACTH test only.
Each voucher is only redeemable against an ACTH blood test where the patient has not been previously diagnosed with PPID
Full T&Cs can be found below at www.careaboutcushings.co.uk
Oakhill blood sampling fee, visit fee and postage still apply.

What lurks beneath – equine lice

As our horses grow a thicker and longer coat over winter to keep themselves insulated it becomes an ideal breeding ground for lice, especially when we then cover this in a warm rug.

The life cycle of the louse is complete within 4 weeks and eggs hatch 10 days after being laid. Eggs or nits are small (1mm), yellowy-white in colour and glued tightly to the base of hairs.

Damalinia

Haematopinus

All horses can become infected with lice and those kept in large groups indoors, the elderly and young and those with immunosupressive conditions such as malnourishment and PPID (Cushings) are at an increased risk.

There are two types of lice affecting horses, a biting louse called Damalinia equi and a sucking louse called Haematopinus Asini.

Biting lice feed on skin scales and are found where the coat is finer (neck & body) whereas sucking lice feed on blood and are found where the hairs are longer in the mane and tail.

The feeding nature of the lice causes skin irritation with horses becoming extremely itchy. This can lead to patchy hair loss and a scurfy coat. In severe infestations the horse or pony can become anaemic.

Diagnosis is based on evidence and appearance of lice or their eggs.

Removal of the winter coat will help ensure treatment reaches the skin and has the best effect. Lice powders are available over the counter however anecdotally they don’t seem to work. Treatment needs to involve a permethrin or cypermethrin product applied every two weeks for a few treatments to ensure all life stages of the lice are killed. In addition if there is an underlying cause this needs to be identified and treated to prevent reoccurrence.

The lice affecting horses can’t affect humans however sharing rugs/ numnahs/ grooming kits can spread it horse to horse.

If you have any questions regarding lice on your horse, please contact us.

Think twice before breeding

We currently have a horse crisis, whereby the number of horses far outweighs the number of good homes available.

Whilst we would all love to rescue every horse or pony that needs a home it simply isn’t possible with the numbers out there. Unfortunately for every horse that is born it means one that is currently alive is pushed out of a potential home.

But why do we have this crisis? The blame can’t be pointed at any one group.

In fact, collectively, twice as many foals are produced by people who will only breed 1 to 5 foals than by people who will breed over 100 each.

This shows that, everybody reading this, whether you be a dealer, breeder, or pleasure horse owner, has a role in stopping this crisis from worsening.

Why horse owners breed from their mares:

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Injury: If she is having to be rested for a prolonged period it seems a good idea to get a ‘use’ out of her. In fact, her recovery could be jeopardised due to the excess weight of the foal, energy being diverted from healing to producing the foal and her body being stressed.
Preserve desirable traits: If this is your aim then you need to ensure the stallion is just as good. Even then you aren’t guaranteed the foal won’t have problems.
Prevent laminitis: this is no longer thought to help and is most probably detrimental.
You can make money: Producing a foal to the age of 4 is now more expensive than buying a 4-year-old. Consider the cost if the mare doesn’t conceive first time, vaccinations, microchip, passport, worming, livery and extra food. Worse even more if the mare or foal become ill or are accident prone.

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Whilst I can appreciate breeding your mare, raising the foal and then riding it is a lovely experience it also can attract a great deal of stress. So, if you have deeply considered the above and still want to breed from your mare then keep a look out for another instalment to try help you prepare her for breeding.

Oakhill branches are MISSION CHRISTMAS gift drop off points

All 4 of our branches are gift drop off points for MISSION CHRISTMAS ‘Cash for Kids’. Gifts must be new and unwrapped.

Find out where your nearest Oakhill Veterinary Centre is: https://www.oakhill-vets.com/contact-us/

https://planetradio.co.uk/rock-fm/charity/events/mission-christmas-rock/

Equine Client Evening – 14th November 2018

FREE EQUINE CLIENT EVENING

Wednesday 14th November 2018

Barton Grange Hotel, 746-768 Garstang Rd, Barton, Preston PR3 5AA

7pm for 7.30pm start

Join the Oakhill Equine Team and our guest speaker Fernando Malalana on to explore the topics of:

Horse eyes: What’s normal, what can go wrong and what can be fixed?

Fernando Malalana, DVM GPCert(EqP) DipECEIM MRCVS, Senior Lecturer in Equine Internal Medicine, University of Liverpool

My horse is on three legs: What to do with a really lame horse.

Guy Hinnigan, Oakhill Equine Director and RCVS recognised Specialist.

In aid of SPANA

To book your place call 01772 861300 or email equine@oakhill-vets.com

Winter series: Impactions

Colic is a collection of clinical signs shown by a horse indicating abdominal discomfort. We see an increase in colic’s due to impactions during the winter months.

Impactions of the gastro intestinal tract commonly occur at the pelvic flexure. The pelvic flexure is a part of the large colon which turns 180 degrees on itself and naturally narrows. The reduced speed of food material passing through this area mean it is more susceptible than other areas to blockage.

Other than anatomy there are a number of changes that occur, mostly in the winter, which increase the risk of blockage:

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We reduce the amount of hours that horses and ponies are outside eating short moist grass and replace it with eating longer, drier roughage such as hay and haylage. Larger amounts of hay and haylage can be eaten alot quicker.
Horses and ponies often have less exercise either because they are confined to a stable for longer periods of the day or because we can’t ride them as much due to shorter daylight hours.
Horses may reduce their winter intake due to the water being cold or frozen, causing the food material to become dehydrated in the gut.
Horses may be turned out on sand paddocks to stretch their legs. If roughage is fed from the floor then they will ingest sand particles which will rest in the gut.
Horses and ponies may eat large amounts of straw from their bedding.

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As food material slows down in the pelvic flexure more water is reabsorbed from the gut causing drying of the gut contents, reducing motility of the gut further, leading to more drying and eventual blockage. Usually the horse will have passed reduced amount of, drier than normal, faeces over the preceeding 48-72 hours to eventually passing no droppings at all.

Pain from impaction colics is due to stretch of the gut. Impaction colics usually are mild in pain but can have periodic episodes of more intense pain. Normal colic signs such as pawing, flank watching and inappetance can be exhibited.

Examination by a vet may reveal a mildly increased heart rate, dry gums and prolonged skin tent. Gut sounds can sometimes be reduced due to slowing of the gut, however they can also be increased as the body’s response to try to shift the blockage. Impactions of the pelvic flexure can usually be identified on rectal examination. They usually are doughy in consistency and sit in the lower left area of the abdomen.

Treatment, as with any colic, involves providing pain relief and a muscle relaxant. In addition the blocked food material needs to be rehydrated. This is most commonly done using a tube passed down the nostril of the horse into the stomach. A mix of water and electrolytes is then administered. Over time this will seep through the food and hopefully relieve the blockage. Food is restricted until poo is seen as it will contribute to the blockage. Tubing may have to occur repeatedly over several days. In severe cases intra venous fluids may need to be used.

So to prevent your horse or pony from becoming impacted this winter try to:

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Change diet slowly.
Avoid straw bedding if you are concerned your horse or pony eats it.
Try to keep exercise maintained, a walk around the yard is better than standing still in a stable.
Ensure a ready access to fresh water.

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It is worth noting that there are other causes of impactions such as ileo-caecal impactions due to tapeworms and ascarid impaction of the small intestine in youngsters and these will be discussed at a later date.

As always, if you are concerned about colic in your horse, please call us on 01772 861300

Winter Series: Mud Fever

Mud fever, also known as greasy heel syndrome but correctly termed pastern dermatitis, is an infection of the skin usually of the pastern.

The bacteria causing the infection can be from the environment or living on the skin itself and will gain entry due to an injury to the skin surface. It more commonly affects white socked legs, as the skin’s immune function of these areas is reduced. In minor cases it may present as just a few scabs, however, it can spread above the fetlock, occur concurrently with cellulitis, or leg filling, and be openly bleeding.

Although it can have a typical appearance sometimes a vet visit is needed to rule out other conditions and to identify predisposing factors.

The skins integrity is weakened by continuous wetting of the skin and rubbing from mud meaning it is a problem commonly seen in Winter. However, it may not just be wet and muddy conditions that are causing the problem……..

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Lymphoedema: this is typical of cob type or draught breeds. Lymph fluid circulates around the body carrying nutrients in lymph vessels. The lymph vessels in these types seem to be less effective in circulating blood in the lower limbs which leads to accumulation of fluid and skin thickening.
Leucocytoclastic vasculitis: this is an immune mediated condition whereby blood vessels become damaged. Personal experience shows it occurs more commonly on the outside of white pasterns.
Photosensitisation: this is caused by either liver disease or allergic reaction meaning the horse doesn’t deal with chemicals that react with light meaning that when the horse is exposed to UV radiation (sunlight) it becomes sunburnt.
Feather mites/ Chorioptic mange: Chorioptes mites causes itchiness of the lower limbs. This can lead to self trauma and wounds allowing skin infection.

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To rule out these conditions it may be necessary to take blood samples or biopsies to determine if one of these are involved.

In order to treat Mud Fever you may need to treat the underlying cause. Sometimes a thorough antibacterial cleaning and removal of scabs is needed, under sedation, so that topical antibacterial, steroidal and protectant creams can be applied directly onto the damaged skin. In some cases when associated with cellulitis or more widespread infection of the leg systemic antibiotics may be needed.

The deliberation is always; do you wash the mud off your horses legs or do you brush it off when dry ?? In our opinion neither is superior. If you are to wash your horses legs they need to be thoroughly dried and if there is already some mud fever present avoid wetting the leg further.

If you are concerned about Mud Fever in your horse, please call us on 01772 861300

No EYE in team

Rags’ owner had noticed that his right eye looked a little swollen and weepy and over the course of the day it also became cloudy. With concern, his owner called Oakhill Equine Vet, Stuart Davies, to get Rags thoroughly checked.

Rags’ right eye was partially closed (blepahrospasm) and his right pupil was very small – this is a response, by the horses eye, to discomfort or pain (uveitis).

With careful examination using an ophthalmoscope, a very small (only approx 1mm) black object could be seen penetrating the cornea (outer surface of the eye) in the lower left corner of the eye.

Rags was given pain relief, atropine (to dilate the pupil which in itself provides pain relief), then his owner bought him into the Oakhill clinic.

Understandably horses needed to be very cooperative when dealing with their eyes, so Rags was given some sedation and a local anaesthetic block allowing his eye lid to be held open.
Fellow Equine Vet, Jess Wray, then carefully removed the black object that turned out to be a thorn!! Great team work!

Rags was able to continue his pain relief and antibiotic drops at home. A week later you can see his eye is completely back to normal and from now on he will be tuned out with a face mask!

This case demonstrates the importance of careful eye examination. If you notice anything different about your horses eyes, please contact us.

Dangers of over-rugging

Horses like humans have a temperature range with which they don’t have to expend energy to lose or gain body heat. This range is 5-25 degrees celsius. Horses have adapted to maintain their body temperature within this range and specifically when temperatures are below 5 degrees, these adaptations include:

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A thicker and longer winter coat.
Natural coat oils which repel water from the outer layers of the coat meaning the layers close to the body are dry and warm.
The digestive system generates heat as roughage is broken down.
Blood is diverted from extremities to preserve the temperature of central organs (hence sometimes horses have cold ears).
Muscles can erect hairs to trap air and provide insulation.
Gaining fat in the summer to provide winter insulation.

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When we feel cold horses might not due to the adaptations mentioned above. In addition, temperatures in the morning or evening (when we usually see to our horses and decide on their daily costume), are currently 7 degrees different to the midday temperature.

It is thought that the natural change in weight of a horse/pony in winter and summer allows for a resetting of hormone levels. They utilise fat reserves built up during the summer to maintain their body heat during the Winter. When horses do not follow this pattern, they are thought to then become more at risk of laminitis the following year and we are certainly seeing an increase in horses and ponies diagnosed with metabolic disorders such as EMS.

Over-rugging can not only lead to difficulty in managing the weight of your horse or pony with risks of metabolic disorders and laminitis but can also lead to the horse overheating. When horses over heat they divert blood to the skin surface so that they can lose body heat by sweating. A moist and warm environment can increase the risk of bacterial skin infections, rug rubs and can also lead to colic.

We can’t ignore that rugs are needed by elderly horses that are underweight and don’t have those body reserves to burn, finer horses and to an extent horses that are stabled, that aren’t creating as much body heat from moving. However, the decision to rug your horse should be made based on the body condition of the horse or pony in question. If your horse or pony is overweight then clipping and rugging in a lightweight to keep it water proof could be the aid to weight control. Also considering the daily temperature range would alleviate your horse over-heating in the middle of the day.

Temperature	Stabled/Clipped	Stabled/Unclipped	Turned out/Unclipped	Turned out/Clipped
15 degrees and warmer	Zero fill	Nothing	Nothing	Nothing
10-15 degrees	Light weight (100g) or zero fill	Nothing or zero fill	Nothing	Nothing or light weight (100g) or zero fill if wet and windy
5-10 degrees	Medium weight (250g)	Light weight (150g)	Nothing or light weight (100g)	Light weight (150g) plus neck cover
Zero to 4 degrees	Heavy weight (300g)	Medium weight (200g)	Nothing or light/medium weight (150-250g)	Medium weight (200g) with neck cover
-10 to zero degrees	Heavy weight (300-400g) with neck cover	Medium weight (200-300g) with linear	Light or medium weight (150-300g) with neck cover	Heavy weight (300-400g) with neck cover plus liner
-10 degrees or colder	Heavy weight (300-500g) with neck cover plus liner	Medium or heavy weight (300-400g) with neck cover	Heavy weight (300-500g) plus neck cover	Heavy weight (300-500g) plus liner and/or under blanket and hood.

Image source: Blue Cross