The Cambridge Equine Clinic team pride ourselves on supporting you, and your horse, pony or donkey, to be the healthiest that they can be!
Vaccines are very important to be carried out at least once a year, following an initial primary course. They help to prevent and reduce the spread of disease, and we most commonly vaccinate against equine influenza and tetanus, using a combined vaccine. It is also possible to vaccinate against equine herpes viruses 1 and 4, which cause respiratory disease, abortion and occasionally severe neurological symptoms. An increasingly popular vaccine is the new strangles vaccine ‘Strangvac’ where a pragmatic primary course and booster regime has recently been devised which allows it to fit in conveniently with the timings for flu and tetanus vaccinations.
Another important part of preventative medicine, which is not always considered, is dentistry. Much like with us, regular checks are recommended. Horses should have their mouths checked once or twice a year routinely (this timing makes it very handy to tie their dental in with their vaccines)!
Our clinical team offer a competitive faecal worm egg count service. We encourage our clients to utilise this, as it often allows reduction in the frequency of routine worming in the majority of mature horses. Foals, youngstock and susceptible adult horses need tailored advice. This service includes a discussion surrounding your animal’s management and our vets will give worming advice individual to your circumstances. Generally, we recommend doing FWECs every three months, however a vet will be able to advise based upon your animals’ history.
As a practice, we appreciate how tricky it can be to manage your horses’ weight. Our vets are happy to advise on nutrition plans and investigate any concerns you have, whether that is your horse losing weight, or your donkey putting on too much! You are welcome to give us a quick heads up and drop by to use the electronic weighbridge at the clinic.
It is now a legal requirement for all horses in the UK to have a passport and microchip before the end of the year in which they are born or before 6 months of age, whichever is later. Our team can aid in scanning your animal, checking its passport and insert a microchip if one cannot be found. This is a very important thing to check to ensure that your horse can more easily be traced to you via the Central Equine Database.
For further information please view our client information sheets or contact the Clinic.
