PRACTICE NEWS

Welcome to the Autumn / Winter 2009 issue. If you have received more than one copy of the newsletter please pass this onto any of yourfriends / horse colleagues or place a copy at the yard where you stable, as others may benefit from some of the information in it*. Inside

we have practice news, special offers for 2010, some seasonal reminders, a client case study on an umbilical hernia operation undertaken recentlyand an update on dentistry and new services now available to be undertaken by the practice. There is a chance to win a great prize in this issue’scompetition! (see back page). The only other thing that remains is for us to thank all our clients for their input and support during the last 12months and to wish you all a happy and healthy 2010. (*Issues of previous newsletters can be found on our website)

Newsletter Autumn / Winter 2009

PETER FENTON EQUINE VETERINARY PRACTICE LTD2 Hollins Drive, Middleton, Manchester, M24 5LN

Tel: 0161 643 7724 Fax: 0161 643 7221 Email: peter.fenton.equine@zen.co.uk Website: www.peterfentonequinevets.co.uk

24 Hr. Service

ISSUE 11

Our telephone number has changed to 0161 643 7724. you can contact us on this number 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please update this number in

your phone / records immediately so that you do not have any problems contacting us. The previous 0870 number will remain active until the end of year to

give clients time to update their records but from January 2010 the old 0870 number will no longer exist. A free "SLOW DOWN FOR HORSES" car sticker is

enclosed with this newsletter which also displays the new telephone number. Please place this in your car. In the future we will be running random "spot it" competitions

on car stickers and you may well win a prize!

NATIONAL VACCINATION MONTH - A SUCCESS? OH YES!

June 2009 was National Vaccination Month. The practice had an immense take up with 171 clients, both new to

the practice and existing clients who owned horses that were previously unvaccinated, benefiting from the offer.

The offer was open to unvaccinated horses over 12 months old and horses that were more than 3 months overdue

for a booster. Clients received a free 2nd vaccination and a free wormer. Out of all the vets who took part Peter

Fenton Equine Vets were top vaccinating equine vet in the UK, which is a great result both for the practice and for

the welfare of the equines we look after. As a result of this success Peter and Diane were invited to attend an

awards ceremony in London in November 2009, along with the top vaccinating small animal practice in the UK,

representatives from the supporting vaccine company Intervet and the PR Company involved in promoting the

initiative and helping to improve equine welfare. We would like to thank all those clients who understand the

importance of vaccinations and who continue to promote excellent welfare of horses and ponies. The practice will

be looking to take part in National Vaccination Month again in 2010 so keep an eye on the website under “Latest

News” for details of this offer and many other offers which we hope will benefit clients.

FREE VACCINATIONS AND HALF PRICE VISITS

Most of our clients come to us via recommendations from other clients. Without this the practice would not grow and achieve its ultimate goal of being in a position

to offer the best facilities and equine care within the Greater Manchester area. We have big plans and it is our clients that will help us to achieve them and then benefit

from them too. As a thank you, for every client who recommends a friend to register with the practice we are offering a half price visit voucher that can be used within

12 months from receipt. Vouchers are not limited to one per recommendation so this means the more new clients you recommend to the practice the more half price

visit vouchers you will receive!

It is the policy of this practice that all horses registered are vaccinated at least for tetanus. If the horse is currently up to date with vaccinations then all we need to do is

take the details of when the horse was last vaccinated as part of the registration process.

Not up to date with vaccinations? We have a solution…

For horses that are not up to date with vaccinations – no problem! We can offer a buy one get one free on vaccinations to assist with the cost of getting your horse’s

vaccinations up to date. Our usual visit charge will apply however; you may be able to reduce the vet visit fees by arranging a joint visit together with other horse owners

at the same place and time. New clients who wish to take up the vaccination offer above don’t have to wait to be recommended. If you wish to register with the practice

and benefit from the offer of a free second vaccination please telephone the practice on 0161 643 7724 and speak to Diane or Charlotte.

JANUARY – DECEMBER 2010 - DISCOUNTEDANNUAL WORMING PACKAGES - SAVE 20%

Discounted worming packages are now available from the practice and will

remain the same price in 2010 as they were in 2009. The packages contain a

two-year rotating worming programme, all the wormers you will need for one

year and a weigh tape. This will ensure you are worming at the right time of the

year with the correct type of wormer and using the correct dosage. If you buy an

annual pack you will save 20% on the individual wormer price!

5% DISCOUNT AVAILABLE TO ALL CLIENTS – ON ALL TREATMENTS

We are offering all clients a 5% discount if payments are made at the time of the

visit / consultation / treatment. By doing this clients will be assisting in reducing

the costs to the practice which means we can pass this saving onto our client.

It will also help from an environmental point of view, as invoices will not need

to be printed and mailed out. Payment can be made by cash, cheque, credit or

debit card.

SPECIAL OFFERS - 2010

During 2010 we will be featuring a number of special offers for our clients. These will be done in conjunction with national incentives such as Pet Smile Week, National

Microchip Month, National Vaccination Month and other such campaigns. We feel that these initiatives really help our clients with the costs of preventative healthcare

and this is something that the practice is very keen to promote and support. For all offers available during 2010 please check our website under “Latest News”. The

details will be placed here and will also be highlighted in future newsletters.

If you would like to advertise your business in the next newsletter, pleasecontact Diane on 0161 643 7724. The newsletter is circulated to all existingclients and to many equestrian businesses and events throughout the GreaterManchester area.

If there are any topics you would like to see covered in future newsletters or onour website please contact us to advise. We value your feedback and your inputis essential to ensure we are giving you the best service possible.

******* COMPETITION WINNERS *******

Congratulations to the winners of our Spring / Summer 2009 newsletter. The lucky winnerswere Nicola Beech from Stockport who won 1st prize of 4 tickets to Haydock Parkracecourse – the racecourse is set in 127 acres of beautiful parkland and is a great day out.

Our 2nd prize of £40 worth of vouchers to spend at Robinson’s Equestrian went to AngelaFrain of Tyldesley. Angela treated her horse Shamrock to a lovely wool rug.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who took part. For a chance to win in this

issue’s competition – see below.

******* COMPETITION TIME *******

Win an annual health review for your horse! We are offering one lucky registered client the chance to receive an annual healthreview and plan for their horse, which consists of the following:

Free Visit Free VaccinationFree BEVA Health Plan Review & Document Free Dentistry Consultation & Teeth Rasping undertaken if necessary*

Free Annual Worming Programme – complete with wormers for one year

(* The prize is only for routine rasping. If your horse needs more complex dental treatment this can be undertaken by the practice but you will be charged accordingly.

Full estimates can be given prior to any treatment being undertaken.)

The prize will be available for use for up to 12 months from the date of the winning client being notified.

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize just answer the following question:

Name three diseases linked to poor dental health. (See article on Dentistry).

Send the correct answer along with your name, address and contact telephone number. Entries can be sent by post or email to arrive no later than Friday 15th January2010. The winning entry will be chosen at random and the winner notified immediately.

We will advise who the lucky winner is in the next newsletter and on the website under “latest news”.

Good luck everybody - remember – you have to be in it to win it!

ADVERTISEMENTS

IMPORTANT – ChANge IN TelePhONe NuMbeR. PleAse uPdATe IMMedIATely…

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CPD – COMPULSORY FOR ALL VETS…

CPD (Continued Professional Development) is compulsory for all vets. We ensure that all our vets undertake regular CPD to keep up to date with best practices andthe latest methods and treatments available to our clients. A full list of CPD undertaken in 2009 is available on our website under “About us”. Details of CPDundertaken during Autumn/Winter 2009 are listed below:

September 2009 – British Equine Veterinary Association – Congress - Birmingham

Equine Welfare in Practice, The Fetlock, Towards the 2012 Olympics, Geriatric Horse, Geriatric Equine, Population – Demographics, Health & Disease,Cardio-respiratory disease in the geriatric horse, Endocrine disorders in the geriatric horse, Ocular disorders in the geriatric horse, Neoplasia in the geriatric horse, Dentaldisease and management in the geriatric horse, Colic in the geriatric horse, Optimal nutrition of the geriatric horse, The Foot, The Suspensory Apparatus, Laminitis,Repro Hormones in Practice, Poor Performance, Dermatology, Ophthalmology

September 2009 Lameness Workshop university of liverpool, LeahurstOctober 2009 Distal Limb Ultrasonography Workshop The Minster Veterinary Clinic, YorkOctober 2009 BEVA Meeting Update on Analgesia

October 2009 Modern Equine Dentistry Course for Veterinary Surgeons North Somerset

Peter is in the process of undertaking the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice CertAVP and he is focusing on Equine Internal Medicine. This further qualificationis undertaken in conjunction with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the University of Liverpool. Some of the modules undertaken will include EquinePractice, Professional Key Skills, Clinical Key Skills, Gastrointestinal disease and intensive care and Neuromuscular behaviour and special senses

CPD is not limited to the vets at the practice. Office staff also attend regular courses in client care and business management to ensure that we are in a position to offerthe best service possible to our clients. So far this year, Charlotte, our practice administrator has completed a BTEC Intermediate Award in Veterinary Practice ClientCare and is reaching the end of the NVQ Level 3 in Business and Admin. The plan going forward is for Charlotte to undertake the Institute of Leadership andManagement (ILM) Level 3 Certificate in First Line Management followed by The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Level 5 Diploma in Managementand eventually sit a Certificate in Veterinary Practice Management. In addition to this in Sept 09 Charlotte attended a Large Animal / Equine training course in Lancasterand in Oct 09 a Telephone Training course in Leeds.

In September 2009 Diane attended the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress in Birmingham for the practice management element of the Congress.

UMBILICAL HERNIA

What causes an umbilical hernia?

An umbilical hernia is formed when the muscular wall of the horse’sabdomen does not completely join, leaving a communication between thehorse’s abdomen and the area under the skin. These usually form on theabdomen around the remnant of the umbilical cord (belly button) or just infront of this area. They are formed as the foetus develops in the uterus andare, therefore, present when a foal is born.

What does an umbilical hernia look like?

The hernia is usually obvious to see as a lump of soft tissue around the bellybutton of the affected foal. It can vary in size and can, in fact vary in size atdifferent times on one animal. This is because the contents of the hernia canmove in and out of the hernia freely and back into the abdomen where theycame from. Although people often call the lump the hernia it is in fact thedefect in the muscle wall that is correctly named the hernia. A variety oftissues can pass from the abdomen into the subcutaneous tissue area throughthe hernia, ranging from fat and connective tissue to loops of intestine.

What action should be taken?

Although a hernia will never repair by itself theysometimes do not require any action as thedecision to surgically repair them is based on thesize of the defect and the likelihood of the contentsof the subcutaneous pocket becoming trapped.

“Normally” the herniated tissue can be pushed back through the hernia easilywith hard pressure and this is totally pain free for the horse. If the tissuebecomes trapped it then gets inflamed and painful and then starts to becomenecrotic and dies off releasing toxins into the circulation making the horsevery ill and requiring emergency surgery.

A very large hernia will normally prompt an ownerto seek veterinary attention soon after birth butsmaller defects are often left to “see how they go”and may be pointed out to the vet at weaning or firstvaccination.

The decision to repair the defect is based on a rough rule of thumb that anyhernia greater than 35mm in diameter will need a surgical repair, as it isassumed that a defect of this size is more likely to get the contents trapped andtherefore could cause serious illness. The repair is carried out under generalanaesthetic and involves bringing the muscles together where they areseparated and holding them together with a heavy gauge of suture materialand then the skin wound is repaired with either suture or skin staples. Therethen follows a period of stable rest while the surgical site heals completely.

What are the risks?

The potential complications of hernia repair are similar to that of any surgerycarried out under general anaesthetic and include injury during recovery fromanaesthetic, wound breakdown, infection and bleeding from the site.

EDUCATIONAL EVENINGS - 2010

During 2010 we will be continuing to hold educational evenings. Registeredclients and clients registered elsewhere are all welcome to attend and theevenings are free of charge. Following the educational evenings in 2009 anumber of topics were identified which people would like to see covered.These included dentistry, farriery, nutrition & feeding and colic. If there areany other topics you would like us to cover either at the educational evenings,in future newsletters or on the website please email the practice.

The next educational evening will be held in Spring 2010. The date, time andvenue will be confirmed in the Spring/Summer 2010 newsletter and on ourwebsite under “Latest News” so look out for the details and contact thepractice to book your free place on 0161 643 7724. We look forward to seeing

you all at the next event!

DENTISTRY

So, What’s New? Equine dental care has improved dramatically in the last yearor two. The advances in the understanding of dental disease and its treatment, aswell as the function of horses normal dentistry, is moving quickly and thedevelopment of new equipment reflects that.

The equine veterinary professionals (all of who

are the most qualified to care for your horses

teeth) are quickly becoming aware that this oralmedicine has been almost neglected in the past.These days a full dental and oral exam consistingof the use of the full mouth gag, a light, mirror andvarious probes is what should be expected and not

just a cursory glance whilst holding the horses tongue. This should be followedby treatment of any dental abnormalities with a variety of hand and motorisedtools as appropriate.

It is my opinion that any treatment (other than routine rasping of sharp points) should be carried out under standing sedation, as thisallows a thorough examination of the oral cavity using the correct tools and equipment and ensures safe, stress free and comfortabletreatment of any abnormalities with either the hand floats or the motorised equipment. It is no longer acceptable to travel around witha couple of rasps in a bucket, as more complex dental disease is being commonly recognised and treated in our equine patients.

The use of motorised equipment should NEVER be carried out without sedation, as the potential for damage to the soft tissuestructures in the mouth is massive with a rotating burr at around 4000rpm.

The dental treatment should always be recorded on a dental chart to show what work has been carried out.

Here at Peter Fenton Equine Vets we have recently invested in brand new dental equipment in order to improve our dental serviceto our clients and make this treatment more affordable. This equipment is necessary to treat very large overgrown teeth andmanage other problems like diastema (gaps) between teeth where food collects and rots causing painful gum disease. It can alsobe used to correct incisor alignment if this is causing a problem. These are things that it is very difficult or impossible to treatwith hand floats. The new equipment includes a new motorised tool that has a clutch and immediately cuts out if any excesspressure is put on the burr, for example, trapped soft tissue or if jammed between the teeth of the horse to prevent any damageto the oral cavity. As a practice that is extremely pro-active in preventative healthcare we think this will improve the dentistry,oral comfort and therefore the welfare of the horses registered and treated by the practice. We also feel that this thorough dentalexamination should be standard across the profession.

As well as ensuring efficient chewing and digestion of your horse’s food, a balanced pain free mouth is essential for optimal riddenperformance. Other diseases directly linked to poor dental health are weight loss, colic, sinus and tooth root infections and oralabscesses and ulceration. It is advisable to have your horse’s teeth checked once every 12 months and some horses may evenrequire treatment every 6 months for specific problems.

Ignoring tooth and gum disease in the horse is not acceptable and this is something that can only be treated correctly and safelyby using the correct equipment.

It is as important at this time of year as any to resolve any dental problems so that our horses are able to cope with high

fibre diets over winter. After all there is no point spending vast amounts of money on feed if your horse cannot eat it

properly.

CLIENT CASE STUDY

Meet Harry Roebuck…

Harry is a 15 month old shire cross colt who is owned by Rachel Roebuck. As a foal it was noted that he had a swelling in frontof his sheath that was likely to be a hernia and this was confirmed to be the case after he was weaned from his mother. Onexamination the hernia in Harry’s abdomen was found to be approximately 50mm long and therefore fitted the criteria thatindicated it was necessary to repair the defect.

When Harry was 11 months old Rachel decided it was time to get the hernia repaired and an appointment was made with thepractice. A short surgical procedure such as this can actually be undertaken on site at the yard on a suitable surface. Harry wasanaesthetised and the surgery took about 40 minutes. The incision revealed that loops of small intestine were becoming trapped.The abdomen was repaired with suture material, as was the skin, as staples were not considered a suitable option in this instance,as they would be dangerous to remove. Harry recovered well and got up very quickly following surgery. Rachel was advised toobserve Harry for signs of colic and any wound changes such as swelling or infection.

The area around the wound swelled soon after the surgery but reduced over a few days. After two weeks Harry was back to usualroutines and turn out and he has never looked back since. There have been no complications following surgery.

NEW CHEWABLE WORMER

Syringe handling, horse acceptance and the tendency to spit out some or all of the paste are common problems reported by owners when wormingtheir horses. The launch of Vectin chewable tablets means that help is finally at hand for owners who may end up wearing most of the productfollowing a stressful worming session…

Vectin Chewable Tablets are a novel approach to equine worming. Horse owners like to give treats and horses love to receive them. New VectinChewable Tablets allow owners to simply hold out their hand for a novel approach to equine worming. Vectin Chewable Tablets provide aneffective and enjoyable worming experience for both horses and their owners.

Used as part of a strategic worming plan, Vectin chewable tablets control potentially fatal parasites including small and large strongyles (also known as redworms),and stomach bots, which can cause colic. Field studies showed more than 70% spontaneous acceptance by horses and the simple calculation of one tablet for every110kg of a horse or foal’s bodyweight helps to reduce wastage as unused tablets can be stored away for future use and is more cost effective

NEW SUPPLEMENTS FOR HORSES

SERAQUIN GLME JOINT SUPPLEMENT

Seraquin® GLME is a unique new veterinary joint supplement available

from the practice. It is a high-quality product specifically developed to supportthe natural function of cartilage, joint capsules, tendons and ligaments and isrecommended for use in horses with arthritis and joint stiffness.

It is harvested sustainably from New Zealand Green-Lipped mussels andcomes in highly palatable pearl formulation. The New Zealand Green-LippedMussel - Perna Canaliculus - has been used in humans for many years as animportant source of nutrients essential for healthy joint metabolism

There are many supplements available and it can be difficult to know which tochoose for the best. If you are considering using feed supplements for your horse,we can point you in the right direction. Please call the practice to discuss the optionsand products available 0161 643 7724 or see our website for further information.

EQUITOP MYOPLAST – MUSCLE DEVELOPMENT

£15 MONEY OFF VOUCHER

Equitop Myoplast is a unique supplement scientificallydesigned to support muscle development.

Packed with 18 key amino acids, these ‘power pearls’support lean muscle growth, not bulk, giving your horsethe power to win.

For more information, testimonials and to claim your free £15 money offvoucher visit www.equitop-myoplast.co.uk

If you are considering using feed supplements for your horse, we can pointyou in the right direction. Please call the practice to discuss the optionsand products available 0161 643 7724.

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