Leahurst Equine Practice

Helen and Luke recently returned from a trip to The Gambia, where they volunteered at The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust and supervised a group of final year students on their elective rotation. The students were excellent and were a credit to the University. Luke, Helen and the students all returned with some tailor-made Gambian scrub tops - we aren't sure that they meet the department's uniform policy but they do look rather jazzy! What do you all think?

We are currently experiencing problems with our phone lines. If you have a veterinary emergency and need to contact our reception team, please call our temporary mobile on 07970957177.

*FLOODING*
All this horrible weather is getting everyone down, but we are still out on calls and available for emergencies! Just make sure you request that vet wears wellies if your yard is looking a bit like this...😂🙈☔️

Luke Edwards has just come back from a two week trip to The Gambia, where he took eight final year veterinary students to help The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust (GHDT) http://www.gambiahorseanddonkey.org.uk/ in treating working equines. The Gambia is one of the poorest countries in the world, and many people rely on donkeys and horses to earn a living. Apart from the GHDT, veterinary treatment for equines in The Gambia is virtually non-existent. The students were able to treat a large number of animals and gain good experience for themselves, the trip benefiting everybody involved. Here Luke is with one of his more unusual patients-the camel “Prince Harry” – once the personal pet of the President Jammeh, the ex-dictator of the Gambia.

We would like to congratulate the winner of our word search competition Melissa Harwood and as we had such a big response we also decided to have a runner up prize and this was won by Helen Downie. 🐴🎉
We recommend your horses have worm egg counts (WEC) done approximately every 3 months with our onsite lab, Diagnosteq. If the worm egg count is high, we can advise you as to which wormer to give your horse. WEC does NOT test for tapeworm and small redworms, so you need to worm for them with moxidectin/praziquantel (Equest Pramox) once a year in the late autumn/early winter.

#FITNOTFAT
In this week's Horse & Hound, PhD Student Tamzin Furtado and vet Ben feature in a news article reporting on the recent 'Healthy Body Condition' prizes that were awarded at Foxes is now a competition centre. The riding school has now closed. on behalf of The Horse Trust.
The award was a great success on the day, with 13 rosettes handed out in total. Client Sapphire Louise was one of the lucky winners with her young Fell Pony Roddlesworth Andrew, earning them a pictu...re in Horse & Hound.
Well done to all the winners at Foxes. We look forward to continuing this initiative at other shows on the Wirral and in the surrounding area. If you have any questions regarding Body Condition Scoring, or weight management in horses, please contact the practice.
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Thank you to all the clients who attended the First Opinion Equine Practice evening and a big thank you to our two speakers Professor Cathy McGowan and Tamzin Furtardo who covered the topics of Laminitis and Weight Management. We hope it was beneficial to all those that came.

Congratulations from all of us in the Equine Practice. 🤩🐴
Photo of Ben placing Alfie for the Healthiest Body Condition (stabled at Happy Hooves Livery, Owned by Emma Ashton) Thanks Ben 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/…/show- offer-awards-horses-…

The UK equine influenza outbreak is ongoing with new cases being diagnosed in Cheshire over the last 7 days. We are urging all of our clients to be cautious and on the look out for clinical signs.
Clinical signs of influenza include: - Lethargy - Cough (usually harsh and dry)... - Nasal discharge - High temperature - Dull, not themselves, off food - Rapid spread to other in-contact horses
Influenza is highly contagious and will spread rapidly between horses, particularly if they are not vaccinated. The vaccination we use at our practice contains the most up to date strains recommended for equine influenza and we strongly advise all clients to check the vaccination status of their horse(s) and if their vaccinations have lapsed to give us a call and book in for a vaccination.
Although the risk is low, it is still possible for some vaccinated horses to contract influenza and show much milder symptoms.
We are members of the Animal Health Trust influenza surveillance scheme (see ) and can take and submit samples to allow an early diagnosis. The Animal Health Trust are also recommending that giving the annual booster early (particularly if your horse hasn't been vaccinated within the last 6 months) may be beneficial.
If you suspect your horse may be showing signs of influenza please give us a call on 0151 794 6199.
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**HAPPY MOTHERS DAY**
Our vet Ben was called out to Larton Riding School this morning to see Georgie and her gorgeous new foal Tony this morning. Tony was born around 6am and appears to be in very good health. Ben is going back again tomorrow to make sure all is well with mum and baby. A lovely Mother's Day gift for Georgie and everyone at Larton!

Can you help improve the care of horses and ponies with PPID (Equine Cushing’s Syndrome)?
If your horse or pony has been diagnosed with PPID within the past 4 years please help us by completing our questionnaire by following this link: https://kwiksurveys.com/s/xRjV8Vdm.
Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID, also known as Equine Cushing’s Syndrome) is the most common hormonal disorder in older horses and ponies in the UK. Here at the University of Liverpool we are cond...ucting an important new research study called Optimising Care for PPID Horses and Ponies.
The purpose of this study is to improve our knowledge and understanding of current management and treatment approaches undertaken by owners and carers. This will help us to develop healthcare plans to improve the quality of life of horses and ponies with PPID.
This study started last year, so some of you may already have contributed by completing the questionnaire over the phone, but if you haven’t yet please do get involved.
For more information and to take part follow this link: https://kwiksurveys.com/s/xRjV8Vdm
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Join our Director of Veterinary Postgraduate Education, Cathy McGowan and one of our Senior Lecturers, Harry Carslake as they present on two special events to celebrate the Aintree Racecourse 2019 Grand National!
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/…/…/stori es/title,1112211,en.php

Our weekly visit to Merseyside mounted police was very much appreciated by our final year students this week and resulted in some lovely photographs! We are very excited to be working with the mounted police and our final years benefit hugely from our visits there. Today they all x-rayed two horses (under Helen's watchful guidance, of course!) alongside taking a lot of selfies in the beautiful sunshine! More information on Merseyside's mounted regiment and their current #standtall campaign is available on their website: https://merseysidepolicemounted.uk/.

The Government has just issued guidance for owners of horses, ponies and other equines on the preparations they need to make in the event of a 'no-deal' Brexit.
We do not want to get into politics here, but it is likely to become more complicated for a period of time. Additional paperwork and export testing is likely to be required and the agreement allowing free movement of horses between Britain, Ireland and France, as is currently allowed with the Tripartite agreement (TPA...), will no longer be in place. The TPA is an agreement relied on by many in the horseracing industry and the competition sector.
If the UK leaves the EU on 29 March without a deal: • Equines travelling from the UK to the EU may need to undergo additional blood tests, which will need to be carried out within 30 days or less of travelling to satisfy EU regulations; • Owners will need to consult with a vet at least SIX WEEKS before they are planning to travel; • All equines will need an Export Health Certificate in order to travel to EU states, instead of current documents, and will need to enter the EU via a Border Inspection Post (BIP); • Some equines will also need a Government issued travel ID document, as well as their existing equine passport.
For more information follow this link from the government website: https://www.gov.uk/g…/export-horses-and -ponies-special-rules
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Monitoring and managing your horse’s weight is an important part of horse ownership, particularly if you own a “good doer”. Ensuring that your horse does not become overweight means that your horse has a lower risk of developing Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), laminitis, arthritis, and other chronic health conditions. At Leahurst, extensive research has been conducted into equine weight management and we are delighted to share one of the resources we have with you: The Equine Weight Management Guide! The guide is available free of charge from reception and from our ambulatory vets - please ask us next time we're on yard! The guide is also available via the hospital website, see here for more info: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/equine/common -conditions/weight/.

Congratulations to our vet Ben Curnow from the First Opinion Practice for winning Horse Sense Wirral Vet of the year. 🌟