S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 H N V G N E W S

AU G U STEQUINE n e w slet t e r

Meet Sugar, one of our smaller visitors. Sugar came in to the clinic to have a wobbly front tooth removed that was discovered by Lizzie on a routine dental visit.We think you’ll agree, she is very sweet & has made a great recovery!

If your horse hasn’t had a dental in while, why not book one on a Zone Visit? #BetterTeethBetterHealth

Hook Norton Veterinary Group LLPWhite Hills Surgery, Sibford Road,

Hook Norton, Banbury.Oxon, OX15 5DG

C o nt e nts

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A U G U S T E Q U I N E N E W S L E T T E R

W W W . H O O K N O R T O N V E T S . C O . U K

3 general news

4 corneal ulceration

5 Acorn poisoning

6 sycamore poisoning

To contact us please us the following:T: 01608 730085E: equine@hooknortonvets.co.uk

CONGRATULATIONSYou may have already seen on our social media pages, that Sam gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on the 1st of June. Baby Sophia arrived 5 weeks early, but is home and healthly after a weeks stay in the JR. Huge congratulations to Sam and Dean on their new arrival.

EQUINE YARD RULESOur current yard rules are that no clients are allowed onto the yard. These COVID-secure rules are still in place to ensure the safety of both staff and clients.

If you are bringing a horse to the clinic, please let Equine Reception know you have arrived by telephoning or going to the collection window. One of our Equine Nursing Team will then take your horse/s from you at the entrance gate, and the necessary paperwork will be completed either at the gate or via telephone from your vehicle if the weather is bad. If you are waiting for your horse to be treated, you will be required to remain in your vehicle.

» To reduce the footfall at the surgery, the time people congregate, and to allow us to do our job effectively, we cannot accommodate visits to see your horse if it required to stay in the hospital. » Our toilets are still closed to clients.

WHEN HORSE TREAT BOREDOM BREAKERS GO WRONGWe recently had a puppy at our Hook Norton Surgery who had been playing with and chewing a horse treat boredom breaker toy. He managed to get his jaw stuck in the toy and wedged right behind his canines. Our fab Small Animal Team sedated him and used an electric saw from our Farm Vet department to cut it off! This pup had a lucky escape, and is now back home, happy and fully recovered. Please keep an eye on your horse toys and dogs when on your yards. We would hate to see this sort of thing happen again, and it’s something most of us wouldn’t have even given a thought to.

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general news

Due to the prominence of their eyes, horses are prone to ocular damage when they rub past things, for example, when grazing in hedgerows. This often results in damage, or ulceration, to the outer layer of the eye, known as the cornea.

This type of injury is so common that it accounts for 1% of all disease encountered in the horse and 60% of equine eye conditions. While most often caused by trauma, they can also result in bacterial or fungal infections. Corneal ulceration is very painful and should be treated as an emergency to prevent more severe damage to the eye.

A sore eye will usually have increased tear production, swollen eyelids, drooping eyelashes, and cause frequent blinking.

The equine cornea is approximately one millimetre thick. When this is damaged, the layer underneath – the stroma – is exposed. It is essential to assess the severity of the damage to the eye when deciding on the most appropriate treatment option. To do this, the vet will perform a full eye examination, using an ophthalmoscope and a dye called fluorescein, which, if a corneal ulcer is present, will bind to the exposed stroma, indicating the size and location of the ulcer. Thankfully, the cornea is very good at healing: most corneal ulcers can be treated using pain relief and antibiotics to prevent subsequent bacterial infection. Resolution of the condition is usually seen in a week to 10 days.

For more severe cases surgical treatment may be required, including, but not limited to, removal of damaged tissue and grafts of surrounding tissue to cover the ulcer which provides physical protection and increased blood supply to aid healing.

coneal ulceration

Corneal ulceration is very painful and

should be treated as an emergency to

prevent more severe damage to the eye.

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While we’re currently enjoying the warmer weather and the reopening of the pubs, it’s worth looking ahead to the autumn. While acorn and sycamore poisoning are rare, they can be extremely dangerous and potentially fatal.

ACORN POISONING Acorns, and also other parts of the oak tree including the leaves, stem and oak blossoms, contain tannins which can cause liver, kidney and intestinal damage. Individuals have varying levels of tolerance to these toxins, and as a result, it can be challenging to predict how each horse will be affected. Most horses will not eat acorns if provided with adequate forage, and a few acorns are unlikely to cause an issue. However, some horses can develop a taste for them and actively seek them out and ingest them in larger quantities.

If this is the case, the horse may present with loss of appetite, dehydration, mouth ulceration, colic, diarrhoea or constipation and blood in the urine or faeces. The horse may also become uncoordinated if the nervous system is involved. In severe cases, acorn/oak ingestion can be fatal.

Treatment can be difficult, as there is no specific antidote to the toxins. The mainstay of treatment involves supportive care, managing the clinical signs to minimise the potential for organ damage. Most often, this involves aggressive intravenous fluid therapy to aid rehydration and support kidney function. Laxatives and oral fluids may also be given to help manage any constipation. It may be necessary to pass a stomach tube to achieve this. Patients often require hospitalisation for effective treatment and monitoring.

The key to managing this disease is prevention: » Minimise grazing underneath oak trees, especially during the autumn » Prevent the horse from eating oak leaves and branches » Fence off oak trees during the autumn to prevent acorn ingestion » Ensure plenty of adequate forage for all horses to minimise acorn ingestion

acorn poisoning

Treatment can be difficult, as there is no specific antidote to

the toxins. The mainstay of treatment involves supportive

care, managing the clinical signs to minimise the potential

for organ damage.

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Ingestion of sycamore seedlings or ‘helicopters’ can result in a condition called ‘atypical myopathy’. The seedlings contain a toxin called Hypoglycin A, which acts to stop energy being produced in muscle cells, causing them to die. This particularly affects the muscles enabling the horse to stand and breathe, and sometimes also the heart muscle. The disease is most commonly seen during the autumn when sycamore seeds are falling, and especially following bad weather, potentially due to an increased number of seeds on the ground.

As with acorn toxicity, the effects of sycamore ingestion vary from horse to horse. However, even a small amount of seedlings can cause the disease.

Signs to look out for include: » Depression and lethargy » Reluctance to work » Low head carriage » Stiffness and reluctance to move » Muscle tremors » Sweating » Weakness

The presence of the disease is confirmed through measuring levels of muscle enzymes in the blood, which increases significantly when the muscle cells become damaged. However, it can take a couple of hours for the levels to peak following the onset of the disease. The outlook with this disease is very guarded, and the horse’s condition will often get worse for 24-48 hours before they start to improve. As such, it is essential to consider transport to a veterinary practice if possible, even if the signs appear mild.

The treatment required for atypical Myopathy will usually require intensive, 24-hour nursing care. Treatment is centred around supporting the body to allow it to process and excrete the toxin. The veterinary team will follow these steps:» Fluid therapy to reverse dehydration and prevent kidney damage » Myopathy can be extremely painful, which means we have to administer painkillers in multiple forms» Assisted feeding, orally or intravenously» Vitamin supplements » Monitor and support both heart and lung function

Prevention:The steps taken to prevent this disease are similar to the precautions against oak poisoning, mainly focusing on minimising ingestion of the seeds. Identify if there are sycamore trees in or around your turnout paddocks. Sycamore seeds travel 3 times the height of the parent tree; however, this can be more in times of bad weather. If possible, avoid turning horses out in affected paddocks during autumn. If this is not possible, there are several steps you can take to reduce the risk to your horses:» Regularly check for when seeds are falling» Fence off areas where sycamore seeds are likely to fall» Keep younger horses furthest away from the sycamore trees» Ensure plenty of adequate forage for all horses to minimise sycamore ingestion.» Reducing stocking density to ensure there is plenty of good grazing for every horse» Ensure the horses have access to fresh drinking water and aren’t drinking from streamsor ponds under trees.

» Difficulty breathing » Red or brown urine » Choke » Colic » Fast or irregular heartbeat » Sudden collapse and death

Sycamore poisoning