Avonvale Equine Practice

12/11/2026

⭐⭐ Discounted Gastroscope Clinic ⭐⭐

Places still available!

Take advantage of this amazing offer and book onto our next discounted gastroscope clinic - taking place on Wednesday 18th November.

This clinic offers excellent value for money - £165.00 to include VAT, sedation and trot up. Overnight stabling is available at an extra charge.

If you think your horse may be suffering from gastric ulcers, book now - particularly if your horse is showing these signs:

👉 Irritability when grooming
👉 Girthy when tacking up
👉 Reluctance to go forwards under saddle
👉 Poor performance
👉 Loss of condition
👉 Loss of appetite

Take advantage of this excellent offer by calling our Reception team on 01295 670501 or email [email protected]. If you'd like to speak to one of our experienced vets then please give us a ring.

For more information on gastroscoping and gastric ulcers - take a look at our blog: https://www.avonvaleequine.co.uk/blog/equine-gastroscope/

Terms and conditions apply - payment at time of booking.

11/11/2026

⭐⭐ Monitoring your Donkey’s Quality of Life ⭐⭐

It can be challenging to notice pain in Donkeys due to their stoic nature. In the wild their instinct is to hide their pain to avoid being targeted by predators or being pushed out of the herd. Therefore, it can be challenging to notice a gradual decline in the quality of life of a donkey- even by the most experienced owners.

The Donkey Sanctuary have developed a quality-of-life assessment card for donkey owners to help you keep track of the health and welfare of your donkey. It is designed to be filled in regularly (daily, weekly or monthly depending on level of concern)- to help you notice small changes to your donkey’s behavior. If you have any concerns- give us a call to have a discussion.

These scoring charts can help you improve your donkey’s quality of life but also aid your decision making towards the end of their life. Making the decision to euthanize your donkey is extremely hard and sad but when their quality of life has deteriorated and they no longer have a ‘good life’- euthanasia is an act of kindness.

Visit the Donkey Sanctuary's website for more information:
https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/for-owners/owners-resources/monitoring-your-donkeys-quality-of-life

09/11/2026

⭐⭐ Monthly Theme Continued - Inside the Avonvale Lab ⭐⭐

Parasite Control Programmes

At Avonvale Equine, we are always reviewing the latest research and updating the way we manage parasite control programs sustainably for horses.

Our OvaCyte machine is the equipment we use to carry out your routine worm egg counts in our in-house lab. Routine faecal worm egg count testing is not a reliable test for Tapeworm; we currently advise a yearly EquiSal saliva test.

The results can then be reported by one of our experienced vets, providing targeted anthelmintics when required. Our vets are happy to make a plan with you for the best control programme for your horse, and the yard environment that they live in. Risk assessment of each horse will help guide a personalised programme.

We are happy to receive your faecal samples to process in our lab, helping you provide the best care for your horse.

Our annual worm control package is designed to offer tailored, responsible worming guided by regular worm egg counts. This package is excellent value, suitable for horses age 2 and over. For more details go to our website:

https://www.avonvaleequine.co.uk/our-services/annual-worm-control-package/

For more information on our OvaCyte machine, take a look at our blog:

https://www.avonvaleequine.co.uk/blog/ovacyte-automated-faecal-analysis/

If you have any questions regarding worming or any other topic, please don't hesitate to give us a call on 01295 670501.

04/11/2026

⭐⭐ Avonvale First Aid Kit Bags ⭐⭐

Do you have an appropriate first aid kit for your horse or pony?

Did you know Avonvale first aid kit bags are designed to have what you need in an emergency prior to the vet’s arrival and are available for purchase, just ask reception!

Contents:

👉 Cotton wool
👉 Vetrap
👉 Cutimed (Absorbable foam dressing)
👉 Mediban (Soft bandage)
👉 Poultice (Feet ONLY)
👉 Swabs
👉 Hibiscrub 100ml
👉 Nitrile Gloves (powder free)

When using hibiscrub, it should be diluted in water so that the hibiscrub looks light pink in colour. Not to be used on face near eyes.

To apply a bandage:

1. Clean wound with dilute Hibiscrub and cotton wool or swabs (wear gloves)
2. Dry wound with clean swabs
3. Take a photo if you can
4. Apply Cutimed to wound (Sticky side down)
5. Wrap Mediban over top of Cutimed
6. Apply Vetrap over top of Mediban (don’t make it too tight)
7. Call the vet

A poultice should only be used on a foot abscess, do not use on any other wound.

03/11/2026

🐴🐴 Latest blog - Understanding the Equine Hock 🐴🐴

In this blog we examine the anatomy, function and common conditions of the equine hock.

We look at the joints of the hock, the tendons, ligaments, diagnosing hock problems and the importance of early intervention.

The equine hock is a powerful, complex structure that plays a vital role in hind-limb movement, propulsion, and athletic performance. Made up of multiple joints, tendons, ligaments and synovial bursae, it is an area frequently involved in lameness and performance-related issues.

02/11/2026

⭐⭐ New Monthly Theme - A look inside the Avonvale Equine Lab ⭐⭐

At Avonvale, we offer a wide range of in-house laboratory tests.

Our very experienced equine nursing team are also skilled lab technicians. From running complete blood counts and biochemistry profiles in our in-house lab to checking worm egg counts, our nurses ensure fast, accurate results so our vets can provide the best care possible.

This month, each Monday we will look at:

👉 Faecal analysis
👉 Haematology & Biochemistry
👉 SAA & Blood Lactate

30/10/2026

🐴🐴 Latest Blog - Why does fat cause laminitis 🐴🐴

In this latest blog, we look into toxic fat an dhow to protect your horse.

We take a look at the science, why horses are different to humans, the long term fat storage risks and practical tips on reducing toxic fat and preventing laminitis.

https://www.avonvaleequine.co.uk/blog/why-does-fat-cause-laminitis/

Laminitis remains one of the most serious and feared conditions in horses and ponies, yet many owners are surprised to learn that body fat itself can play a direct role in triggering it.

28/10/2026

⭐⭐ Preparing for winter ⭐⭐

With the glorious summer now over and autumn well and truly upon us, are you and your equine prepared for the winter weather approaching? Here are some top tips for preventing issues and being prepared if they arise this winter:

👉 Change routines, especially feeding gradually! If your horse is coming in from summer turnout then ensure plenty of moisture intake (wet hay and mashes are great!) and exercise to prevent an impaction colic during the changeover.
👉 Make sure you have provision to provide water when the taps and pipes inevitably freeze over winter!
👉 Ideally ensure you have a dry area for your horse to stand. This can allow legs and feet to dry off to prevent mud fever and foot abscesses, and will allow us, your farrier and anyone else treating your horse a safe dry area to work with your horse if needed.
👉 Have some provision for shelter – our equine friends cope well with poor weather but do need shelter. It is also useful to have shelter available for treatment, grooming or if box rest or restriction is needed.
👉 Have some lights available for those after dark emergencies, even if it is just a head torch, make sure it is charged!

26/10/2026

💥 💥️REMEMBER REMEMBER THE 5TH NOVEMBER️💥

Love them or hate them, firework night is upon us. No matter your opinion, whether you want them silenced or banned or made illegal, at this time of year and many others, we simply cannot avoid them. So here are our top four tips to minimise anxiety all around:

🐴 Acclimatise your horse...even the most trustworthy of horses have off days! Get them used to ear plugs/loud radio playing etc.

🐴 Be prepared. Put out requests on social media, read the paper, listen to the radio and look in local shops so you know if are displays going on in your area..

🐴 Chemical control. We have drugs that will make a horse still enough for the fire brigade to cut a horse box away from around him. Firework displays are not that long. It will be cheaper than us having to stitch their legs back together. Not all sedatives need to be actually administered by the vet but they do need to be prescribed by a vet who has your horse under their care (i.e. been seen recently). You can give them yourself in advance of a display.

🐴 Know your location and details of emergency contacts. This isn’t just for firework night obviously but it is a good time to remind you. Have your vet’s contact details on your horse’s stable door/gate and in your phone with a well charged battery. Know the postcode or 'what three words' location of your yard and know the yard evacuation plan so you can guide emergency services. And of course, a well maintained first aid kit to hand! Take a picnic and spend the evening with your horse, or have someone check on them regularly.

You may not enjoy fireworks and you may have strong opinions about them but protecting your animal is your responsibility and there are plenty of ways to do that and be prepared. If you have any queries then please don’t hesitate to call and have chat with one of our vets on 01295 670501.