Summerleaze Equine Vets

19/06/2026

Happy Foal Friday from the gorgeous Hanson!

16/06/2026

Vaccine Amnesty!
Has your horse’s flu vaccines lapsed? Or are they unvaccinated?

We are running a flu amnesty starting on the 22nd June! All horses given their first flu vaccine as part of a restart (after last vaccine given more than 15 months ago) or initial course for flu from the 22nd June until the 22nd July will only have to pay £75 for both vaccinations! (Please note normal visit charges apply and horses must be over 9 months old to be eligible)

With the increasing number of flu cases throughout the country now is the time to book in your vaccines! Please see attached image on how to reduce your risk of flu but due to its ability to travel on the wind, vaccination remain the best tool we have to protect our equine community.

To book or to ask any further questions please contact the office on 01297304007

15/06/2026

Massive congratulations to Erin and Ted this weekend at the three day Summer Dressage Festival at Chard Equestrian! They scored the highest points over the three days with a 2nd and 3rd on Friday and two wins on both the Saturday and Sunday! It’s been fantastic to see this combination go from strength to strength! A very well done!

14/06/2026

Last week at Munchkins miniature pony rescue, Emelie our qualified equine dental technician, looked after several of their extremely cute ponies mouths.
We were joined by Rosie, a second year Dental science student from Hartpury, who spent the day with her, learning more about identifying dental pathology and developing treatment plans. This was added to by Stuart demonstrating how diagnostic imaging - using the X-ray and dental endoscope - develops the oral signs into a firm diagnosis - sadly in this case resulting a tooth that needs to be extracted.
We're incredibly passionate about continued learning both within the team and supporting and inspiring the next generation of Vets, EDT's, Vet nurses.

11/06/2026

Thank you so much to everyone who attended last night’s event on Equine Metabolic Syndrome. We hope you found it interesting. Many thanks again to Edge Farm for providing the venue, Steph at Topspec for speaking and Alice for her great presentation.
For those who didn’t get the opportunity to attend one of the main take home messages was the importance of managing and identifying these horses before they develop laminitis. And how blood tests for measuring insulin can help us do so.

09/06/2026

Don’t forget tomorrow:
Upcoming event! It’s not too late to sign up!
Evening on equine nutrition, supported by Topspec. We will also be discussing Equine Metabolic Syndrome, different weight management techniques from track systems, strip grazing to how to monitor body condition score.
On the 10th June at edge farm, branscombe EX12 3BL
Doors open at 7pm for half 7 start
Please bring your own chairs
Please rsvp on 01297304007 or [email protected]
All welcome! Refreshments provided
Open to all!

05/06/2026

Lyme disease

At the moment we are seeing ticks about so it is important to remember they are a disease vector and try to regularly remove them and prevent them where possible.

Lyme disease can cause all, some or just one of the following:
🐴 pyrexia (high temperature)
🐴lethargy
🐴 weight loss
🐴 anorexia
🐴 muscle soreness
🐴 stiffness
🐴 lameness
🐴laminitis
🐴 uveitis (inflammation inside the eye)
🐴 ataxia (wobbly/uncoordinated)
🐴 altered mentation (not themselves)
🐴 poor performance
🐴 weakness
🐴 irritability
🐴 paralysis

Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Borrelia burgdorferi infects leucocytes and synovial lining cells and triggers an inflammatory (and potentially autoimmune) response. The persistence of the bacteria within both synovial structures and tendons in humans leads to the prolonged treatment required.

Lyme disease is spread by ticks so good tick control can help prevent it. It is strongly recommended you regularly check your horse for ticks and remove them as quickly as possible as this reduces the chance of transmission. We also recommend using tick repellents.

To test for Lyme disease we can take bloods and usually get a result within days.

To treat Lyme disease we use a long term course of antibiotics, usually this is doxycycline for a month.

Once a horse has had Lyme disease they tend to develop an immunity to it for two years.

If you think your horse has potentially got Lyme disease it is important to contact us so treatment can begin as soon as possible to prevent any chronic health issues or permanent damage.

04/06/2026

Ever wondered what happens during a tooth extraction?
Please see our step by step YouTube video on what happens during a molar extraction:

https://youtube.com/shorts/fu4Q5KilRBY?si=5uUSEvQ6mcHmf0Kc

Munchkins Miniature Shetland Rescue

A step by step molar extraction performed by Stuart Altoft. Many th...

03/06/2026

A week today:
Upcoming event! Don’t forget to sign up!
Evening on equine nutrition, supported by Topspec. We will also be discussing Equine Metabolic Syndrome, different weight management techniques from track systems, strip grazing to how to monitor body condition score.
On the 10th June at edge farm, branscombe EX12 3BL
Doors open at 7pm for half 7 start
Please bring your own chairs
Please rsvp on 01297304007 or [email protected]
All welcome! Refreshments provided