Shires Vets Equine

19/05/2026

⚠️ With Strangles and Influenza on the rise across the country we thought we would post some advice to help you ensure you are doing everything to protect your horse

We will start with Strangles, first things first try not to panic!

Strangles is a bacterial infection caused by Streptococcus equi equi 🦠

Spread can occur via:
- Nose to nose contact
- Fomites (clothings, boots, hands, equipment such as tack)
- Strep equi equi can survive in water for up to 6 weeks 💦

What you need to look out for:
- Temperature >38.5 degrees
- Quiet, lethargic
- Loss of appetite
- Coughing
- Nasal discharge
- Swelling of glands under the jaw

Prevention:
- Good biosecurity measures are key 🧼
- Foot dips
- Hand washing
- Reducing contact with other horses

💉 Vaccination is available but we would recommend discussing this with your vet.

If you are concerned about any of the above please contact your vet, we are always available via telephone for a chat: 01785850218.

We have also created a handy client information document about Strangles and what it means if there is an outbreak on your yard.

💌 Please contact the office or privately message the page with your email address and we can send this over for you to read

07/04/2026

Our landline is down please ring 07791 486074

26/03/2026

Caption competition!
Our patient wanted to give his input on their X-rays!

04/02/2026

Mollie has been back out checking up on Paddy 🐴

15/01/2026

It’s that time of year again, we now have our Insol vaccine in stock ready to go.

Insol is a licensed ringworm vaccine but one of the side effects are that it decreases the effects of allergic dermatitis (Sweetitch) 🪰

We recommend vaccinating before the high risk period, so usually by the end of February.
Insol is given as a course of 2 vaccines two weeks apart 💉

If you would like to get booked in please phone our office on 01785850218.

03/01/2026

Great to see Cannock Police running a tack marking day, all the details are in the post

| Offices from the Staffordshire Police Rural & Wildlife Crime are carrying out tack marking at livery yards and farms across the Cannock Chase District on Friday, 16th January 2026.

Tack marking is a great way to protect your saddles & bridles, deter theft and return stolen items back to their rightful owner. 🚜🌾

If you’d like your tack marked, please email [email protected] with:

🐴 Your name and contact details
🐴 Your address
🐴 The number of saddles you’d like marked

This is a fantastic opportunity to improve security and help us keep rural crime down in our community.

22/12/2025

A very Merry Christmas to all of our clients 🎄we hope you all enjoy the festivities.
The office will be open as normal tomorrow and until 3pm Christmas Eve for any medicine collections 🎁

If you need us over the Christmas period we as always have one of our vets on call 24/7.

23/10/2025

The hot topic this autumn, acorns🌳

We are still seeing an alarming number of acorn toxicity cases. So this is just a reminder for everyone to check their fields, especially with the wind as the acorns (and sycamore seedlings) can travel further than we think.

Acorns are toxic to horses and ponies and can cause serious illness.
The exact quantity required to cause toxicity depends on each individual.

Look out for the following signs:
- Dull or depressed
- Loss of appetite
- Dehydration
- Colic
- Acorn husks in their poo
- Dark coloured diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Mouth ulcers

Prompt treatment is vital!

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us and one of our vets would be happy to have a chat.

01785850218

29/09/2025

With the weather constantly changing we often struggle to decide if we rug them up or not.. or how many grams are needed.
Protexin Equine have put together this handy guide 🤓

Rugging your horse this winter – where do you start? ❄️

We know it can feel overwhelming deciding what rug to put on your horse, especially as the seasons change. That’s why we’ve put together this Rugging Guide, inspired by British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA), to give you a rough framework to work from.

But REMEMBER, every horse is an individual:
🐴 Some horses feel the cold much more than others.
🐴 Clip type, condition, weight and age all play a big role.
🐴 Don’t forget the weather! A wet and windy day can feel much colder than a crisp, dry one (the chill factor makes a huge difference!).

👉 Our chart offers general recommendations for stabled vs. turned out horses, and whether they’re clipped or unclipped, but it’s not one-size-fits-all. What works for one horse may not suit another.

The best advice? Use this as a guide, but always check your horse by feeling under their rug, monitoring how comfortable they are individually and using common sense. 💙

Do you find your horse is the type who needs an extra layer, or are they usually happy with less? Let us know in the comments! 👇

31/08/2025

We had a great day at Eccleshall show yesterday (before the rain came on).
It was lovely to chat to everyone and meet all the friendly pups- we went through a lot of gravy bones as you can imagine 🐶