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Monday 8:30am - 5pm Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm Thursday 8:30am - 5pm Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Phoenix Equine

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Phoenix Equine

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Tony Kaye and his team, Phoenix Equine, are dedicated to providing outstanding veterinary care to horses, donkeys and ponies.

Phoenix Equine is part of CVS (UK) Limited, a company which owns veterinary practices within the UK. Company Registration Number 03777473. Registered Office: CVS House, Owen Road, Diss, Norfolk IP22 4ER.

01/11/2026

Golden Oldies October 🐴❤️

Todays Topics - Companions and friends 💕

Many older individuals will have been with their herd mates, companions and friends for many years and it is important to remember how complex this relationship can be. Horses and donkeys, as prey and herd animals, like to be kept with friends and can get distressed at the loss or separation from these friends.

These complex attachments need to be considered when changing management or routines as older horses and donkeys can get very distressed if separated. Individuals with complex health needs may also gain a level of comfort and support from herd mates - especially those older animals that may have lost or are losing their sight.

Being separated from companions can lead to loss of appetite something which in older horses and donkeys can be catastrophic to their wellbeing. In donkeys especially this can lead to a condition called Hyperlipaemia which is often fatal unless identified and dealt with quickly.

These relationships also needs to be considered when unfortunately the inevitable end of life occurs - something we will be discussing later in this social media post series.

31/10/2026

🐴👻🎃Happy Halloween 🎃👻🐴

We wish you all a happy and spooky Halloween and would love to see any fancy dress photos especially if there have been four legged helpers for trick and treating!

30/10/2026

Golden Oldies 🐴❤

Todays Topic - Drinking and why it is so important 💧🐴🥛

Many horses are not the best at drinking regularly and this can often get worse as they age.

💧 But why is this a problem?

If horses do not drink enough water they can develop problems such as dehydration, kidney issues and colic - especially impaction colic.

💧 So how can we encourage them to drink more?

Offering buckets of flavoured water can help, mixing flavoured liquids with water in a bucket and offering can often encourage increased water intake. Adding products such as sugar free apple juice, a tiny bit of molasses for the non-lamintic risk individuals or even peppermint tea can often tempt them. It is really important to always have fresh plain water available in addition to any flavoured water.

Some horses also don't like really cold water, especially if they have dental issues or sensitive teeth. Offering warm or tepid water can help with this.

Other horses can be picky about what they drink out of so trying to figure out their preference can help with long term encouragement of drinking. This is especially the case if automatic drinker water pressure is not high enough - some horses simply get bored of waiting for the drinker to fill up!

Adding fluid into other parts of their diet can also help, such as soaked/wet hay or adding water to any hard feed they receive. Many older individuals may be on soaked feeds - adding extra water can help get a bit more fluid in, especially helpful in the winter if warmed up!

29/10/2026

Golden Oldies October 🐴❤️

Todays Topic - Vaccinations 💉🐴

Often we are asked by our clients if their older ponies still need vaccinations, we always reply - YES!

As horses, ponies and donkeys get older their immune systems don't work quite as well as they did when they were younger. Meaning that if they get infections or illnesses, often they get more affected by these.

Equine Flu is no different. If an older horse becomes infected by Equine Flu and they are not up to date on their Flu vaccine, often they can become very sick.

And remember, just because your older horse may not leave the yard any longer, other individuals may bring Flu back to the yard or a yard close by may become infected. Flu can travel on the wind!

Tetanus is also another concern. Not just in older horses but all ages. Therefore all horses should be vaccinated for Tetanus as this is found within the soil so your horse can be infected even if they don't leave their field or yard. Tetanus is a debilitating disease which sadly is often fatal unless treated very quickly and aggressively, thankfully we do not see it much anymore due to the increase in horses vaccinated which gives them protection.

If you are concerned about your horse, pony or donkeys vaccination status, please do give our office a ring 📞

28/10/2026

Golden Oldies 🐴🫶

Today’s Topic - Equine Cushings Disease (also known as PPID)

🐴 Did you know that Cushings Disease is the 5th most common disease syndrome recognised in horses and ponies in the UK?

🐴 Did you also know that cushings is thought to affect 20% of horses over the age of 15yrs of age?

So what is Cushings?

Cushings is a progressive hormonal disease which originates in the pituitary gland in the brain. This gland is responsible for different hormones being released, one of which is ACTH. These hormones are responsible for lots of different bodily processes and when these hormones are released at a higher level than normal we see signs of this.

🐴🧠🐴

Hence, the vast array of signs we see due to Cushings disease. In horses with Cushings disease too much of these hormones are released from the pituitary gland. By controlling the release of these hormones through medication, we can limit the signs we see in horses with cushings which can include:

🐴 Laminitis
🐴 Lethargy
🐴 Coat changes
🐴 Increased drinking or urinating
🐴 Muscle loss
🐴 Repeated infections or infections that don’t seem to improve
🐴 Repeated foot abscesses

Early detection of these signs and then starting on medication can prevent the signs of cushings and hence can prevent poor quality of life and welfare problems.

How can we test for Cushings?

A simple blood sample can give us the levels of ACTH which if elevated gives us a diagnosis of Cushings. 🐴💉

The attached picture is the part of the blood which once removed can be tested for the ACTH level 🩸

How can we medicate Cushings?

There is medication that can be used daily which brings these hormones level down, usually this is in the form of a tablet which can be given in feed or in a treat once a day. 💊🐴

As cushings is a progressive disease, over the course of the horses life, the disease will get worse (hence why we like to repeatedly check the blood hormone levels) and therefore a horse that is started on medication for controlling Cushings will need the medication for their entire life.

27/10/2026

Golden Oldies 🐴❤️

Todays Topic - Dentals 🐴🦷

Did you know that older horses and donkeys often need more regular dental checks that younger individuals?

Unfortunately we often see older horses that have not been kept up to date with their dentals and often have severe dental problems causing constant pain. We also often see dental issues as a cause of other problems such as colic and choke in the older horse.

One of the reasons we often hear owners use for not having dentals performed on older horses are that they are no longer being ridden so don't need their teeth doing. This is not the case as dental problems still occur even with horses not being ridden and actually are often missed as the early signs of pain can often be picked up when the horse is showing pain when being ridden.

As horses age their teeth still need attention and often start to develop problems which can be very painful. One of these problems are diastemata. These are gaps which develop between the teeth where food can get stuck and cause a very painful condition called gingivitis. In severe cases where the diastemata are not being managed, this can even lead to tooth decay and eventual tooth loss. Whilst this process is happening the animal is experiencing constant pain which can lead to not wanting to eat, quidding (dropping of feed) and even weight loss.

Some signs of dental pain or needing a dental examination are:
🦷 quidding or dropping of feed
🦷 weight loss
🦷 swelling on the face
🦷 smell coming from mouth
🦷 nasal discharge

If you are at all concerned about your horses' mouth or you need a dental booked in please give the office a ring 📞

26/10/2026

As we are nearing Halloween 🎃 we are all starting to feel a bit spooky 👻 our ponies included!

We would love to hear what your horse or pony spooks at - the more bizarre the better!

25/10/2026

Golden Oldies October 🐴❤

Todays Topic - Feeding the older horse Part 2: What do we feed? 🥕🌱

Yesterday we discussed what the problems we face can be when deciding about what to feed, today we will be following this up with decision making around what to feed.

🐎🥕🌱 So what do you want to feed your older horse, pony or donkey?

Many feed companies have different ranges of feeds aimed at dealing with problems that we see in our older horses. Knowing the problems that your horse has can really help know what type of feed is more appropriate.

🌱 Horses with dental problems such as diastemata or lack of teeth really benefit from feeds that can be soaked (such as the photo attached).

🌱 These same soaked feeds can also be great as some are more conditioning than others so can really help when needing to add condition onto horses which have lost weight or struggle to hold their weight due to conditions such as cushings

🌱 However, we also know that as horses age they can develop issues with insulin sensitivity so feeds which are high in sugar are more likely to cause laminitis issues in older horses. This is why many veteran feeds are higher in protein but lower in sugar

🐴 What about Feed Balancers?

Feed balancers are a great way of making sure your horse, donkey or pony is getting all the vitamins and minerals (both macro and micro) that it requires to be healthy. A feed balancer is even more important if they are on soaked hay as soaking leaches out a lot of the vitamins and minerals which horses need. Horses that are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals may well have issues such as poor weight, depressed immune systems, generally be lethargic and also struggle with other issues such as their skin and hoof wall quality.

Most feed companies have advice departments who can help advise about your horses specific issues and which of their own products may help. As vets we also can advise if you need help or have questions. A great time to discuss feeding is at your horse, pony or donkeys health check or vaccine so please do give us a ring if you have any questions 📞

24/10/2026

Golden Oldies 🐴❤

Todays Topic - Feeding for the older horse - Part 1: Problems to consider 🦷🌱

As our older horses, ponies and donkeys get older often we have to change the way we feed them. This can be for many different reasons:

🦷 Dental problems

Horses that have dental problems, more info next week, often cannot eat or chew 'normal' feed or long fibre forage such as hay. This may be because of gaps between teeth, smooth teeth or even missing teeth. Not being able to chew feed/forage and getting food stuck between teeth can lead to problems such as choke, colic, weight loss and worsening dental disease.

🐴 Cushings disease

Horses with Cushings disease will often be more prone to weight loss - specifically muscle loss. Being on medication can help but sometimes these horses need a bit more support with feed. However, this feed needs to be appropriate due to the higher risk of laminitis with Cushings disease!

🥕 Inappetence

As horses get older often they will become more picky or finicky about their feed, this means that often we have to be a little more imaginative with tempting these horses to eat. Sometimes these horses will also become picky about a feed they have previously eaten so changing their feed slightly when this happens can help peak their interest in eating again. Grating carrot can help or even heating up their feed by soaking in hot water rather than cold can make it smelly yummier.

🐴 The 'older' body

As the body ages, naturally systems don't work as well as it may have when younger! This can range from the immune system through to the digestive system. Due to this, often feed needs to be more nutrient dense to support the 'older body' and this is why many feed companies produce 'veteran type feeds'. Many horses digestive systems cannot cope with large volumes of feed so little and often is better of this more nutrient dense feed.

🐎 Tune in for tomorrows post on 'what do we actually feed our older horses'!

23/10/2026

🥰⭐️ Golden Oldies ⭐️🥰

With the weather changing and getting colder plus wetter, this is the time of year we often start seeing our more fragile patients struggling a bit more - and our older horses, donkeys and ponies can certainly fit into that category.

Over the next few weeks we are going to be running a 'Golden Oldies' series to spread some awareness on ways to help manage this special group of equines. We will be covering different topics such as extra care that our older companions need and also common health problems we see in the older horse.

No matter the age - all animals are important so just because they may be retired from ridden work doesn't mean they don't still deserve the absolute best care. Age is just a number!

Address

Kenniford Farm, Clyst Street Mary
Exeter
EX51AQ

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5pm
Friday	8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+441392793600

Website

https://phoenixequine.co.uk/?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=Yext

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