Phoenix Equine

Phoenix Equine 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.

❗🐴💸 Don't forget ways of paying invoices are changing from today 💸🐴❗As many clients will be aware the government are bri...
01/09/2026

❗🐴💸 Don't forget ways of paying invoices are changing from today 💸🐴❗

As many clients will be aware the government are bringing in changes to data protection requirements around payments over the phone - this is affecting us but also lots of other businesses too.

🧐 But what does this mean?

Previously clients have been able to ring up the office and pay by card over the phone - this is changing and becoming more difficult. If clients do still want to do this method then there will be additional steps that need to be done to ensure data protection is complied with so is considerably more complicated.

🧐 What about other payment options?

The good news - there are easier ways of paying either through direct bank transfer (BACS) or via asking for a link payment from the office.

🧐 So how do we do these payment options?

BACS - all sent invoices (be it post or email) have the details on there so you can do a direct bank transfer to settle the account

Link payment - contact the office and they will generate an email that contains a link which lasts 24hrs. By clicking that link you can then pay online to settle the account

The other option - you can still pop into our Kenniford office in Clyst St Mary to pay invoices directly with the office team - if you are planning on making a special trip please do ring ahead to check the office will be open.

🧐 When are these changes coming in from?

Today!

Thank you for your understanding and bare with us whilst everyone gets used to the new system

It may be summer but we are still seeing foot abscesses! So what foot poultice material should I use and how?! 🧻🦶👣There ...
30/08/2026

It may be summer but we are still seeing foot abscesses!

So what foot poultice material should I use and how?! 🧻🦶👣

There are many things that have been used in foot poultices to help draw the abscess out throughout the years, ranging from traditional methods such as bread and bran through to what we tend to use now which is called animal lintex but any poultice specific product should work.

The aim of any foot poultice is to try to draw the infection/pus out of the foot and this is usually in the form of adding fluid to the foot to help 'bring on' the abscess so it bursts through softened tissues. So technically any material that can do that can be used in foot poultices!

Foot poultices can be either wet or dry and generally we want them wet to help give this moisture into the foot. We will sometimes then swap to dry once the abscess has burst to then try to wick or draw that gunk out from the foot.

Instead of the traditional bread poultices we now tend to use specifically designed medical poultice material such as animal lintex as this provides moisture to the foot and helps draw abscesses out whist also trying to maintain foot health.
But using this poultice material does have a few tricks to it!

As you can see from the photos, one photo has a shiny plastic side and one does not. Using the poultice material is the complete opposite to bandaging a wound! With poultice material we want it to stick to the offending area and this is why we use the non shiny side against the area which when soaked in water produces a gel like substance to help with drawing out the abscess. The shiny side goes AWAY from the foot so to help trap in the moisture and prevent it escaping through the rest of the poultice! If you put it on the wrong way round - it won't work.

Having poultice material in your first aid kit is a definite must as you never know when you may need it!

🌷🐴 Don't forget it is a Bank Holiday weekend 🐴🌷This means we are emergency only all weekend as usual but also on Monday ...
28/08/2026

🌷🐴 Don't forget it is a Bank Holiday weekend 🐴🌷

This means we are emergency only all weekend as usual but also on Monday so the office is closed and we are only covering emergencies.

Friday from 5pm - Emergency only and office closed as usual
Saturday and Sunday - Emergency only and office closed as usual
Monday - Emergency only and office closed

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend 🐴

❗🐴💸 Ways of paying invoices are changing 💸🐴❗As many clients will be aware the government are bringing in changes to data...
28/08/2026

❗🐴💸 Ways of paying invoices are changing 💸🐴❗

As many clients will be aware the government are bringing in changes to data protection requirements around payments over the phone - this is affecting us but also lots of other businesses too.

🧐 But what does this mean?

Previously clients have been able to ring up the office and pay by card over the phone - this is changing and becoming more difficult. If clients do still want to do this method then there will be additional steps that need to be done to ensure data protection is complied with so is considerably more complicated.

🧐 What about other payment options?

The good news - there are easier ways of paying either through direct bank transfer (BACS) or via asking for a link payment from the office.

🧐 So how do we do these payment options?

BACS - all sent invoices (be it post or email) have the details on there so you can do a direct bank transfer to settle the account

Link payment - contact the office and they will generate an email that contains a link which lasts 24hrs. By clicking that link you can then pay online to settle the account

The other option - you can still pop into our Kenniford office in Clyst St Mary to pay invoices directly with the office team - if you are planning on making a special trip please do ring ahead to check the office will be open.

🧐 When are these changes coming in from?

Tuesday! So from Tuesday the above will come into effect

Thank you for your understanding and bare with us whilst everyone gets used to the new system.

Did you know that horses, donkeys and ponies should receive a dental examination at least once every 12 months? 🐴🦷But w...
23/08/2026

Did you know that horses, donkeys and ponies should receive a dental examination at least once every 12 months? 🐴🦷

But why!? Why is it important for your horse to have regular dental checks?

🦷 To keep your horse or pony comfortable - dental issues can be very painful
🦷 To help your horse's responsiveness and comfort whilst being ridden
🦷 Poor dentistry can cause other issues such as infections, weight loss, risk of choke and colic
🦷 To help pick up issues early on - prevention is better than cure!
🦷 Younger and older horses may require more frequent dental checks, ideally every 6 months. This may be more frequent if any there are any issues.

Due to horses being prey animals they often hide pain or problems, therefore by the time we see a problem then it has often been happening for a while - this is very much true for dental issues so having frequent checks can show problems before we even know they exist!

An annual dental check is recommended for horses with normal mouths, this means they should receive a dental examination every year by someone who is appropriately trained and qualified.

Who else has had rain over the past few days? 😍🌧️The small amount of rain we have had is leaving many of us relieved and...
21/08/2026

Who else has had rain over the past few days? 😍🌧️

The small amount of rain we have had is leaving many of us relieved and is a very welcome sight. However this can also be a worrying time too as with the weather potentially changing this can lead to problems for our horses, ponies and donkeys.

We all know that horses, ponies and donkeys like consistency and any changes can lead to problems - the main issue being gut disturbances and colic.

With many of our plants having been stressed due to the draught we are expecting to see significant level of plant growth once the moisture level increases within the soil. As equestrians the growth we are most focused on would be the grass but growth of other plants which can be a problem such as ragwort also should be considered.

Monitoring the grass growth specifically is important to highlight gorging risk on fresh grass. This ideally wants to be avoided as sudden increases in fresh grass to the diet can lead to tummy upsets and certainly we are expecting to see an increase in colic cases.

Introducing fresh grass carefully and gradually is important and continuing to provide other forage sources such as hay can help decrease the gorging risk.

We are also expecting to see an increase in laminitis cases when the weather changes so please if you have a pony that is at high risk, monitor them closely.

The other increase in cases we are expecting to see are more foot abscesses, this is due to feet becoming softer with the added moisture into the ground. We may also see flare ups with some allergic type issues both skin and airway - partly as the rains may alter pollen levels.

If you see any of the above or suspect this is the case then please do ring the office for advice.

20/08/2026

Brilliant demonstration by World Horse Welfare on the best ways of training for clipping! Clipping season is fast approaching so be prepared and start training those horses that find clipping a bit scary - have a look at the shared video for some hints and tips on ways to do this 👇🐴

Do you know the danger of sycamore trees? 🌳🌱🐴Sycamore poisoning (also called Atypical Myopathy) is something that has be...
08/08/2026

Do you know the danger of sycamore trees? 🌳🌱🐴

Sycamore poisoning (also called Atypical Myopathy) is something that has been gaining in awareness over the past few years but is something that can still catch all of us unawares.

Autumn is the classic time for trees to shed their leaves & seeds but when trees are stressed such as they are due to this very hot summer we have had they will often drop seeds earlier than we expect.

So why is sycamore a concern?

We need to take extra care of our pasture if it includes, or is near to, sycamore trees. This is because the ‘helicopter’ seeds can contain a toxin which can cause atypical myopathy in horses if eaten called HGA.

Sadly even a small amount of seeds can prove to be fatal so being as mindful as possible is so important.

There are things we can do to reduce the risk:

🌳 Regularly check pasture and neighbouring areas for acer/sycamore plants and seeds. Some ‘helicopter’ seeds can travel up to 200m - especially in high wind

🌳 Avoid letting horses graze pastures with overhanging sycamore trees in the autumn or fence off areas where seeds and leaves fall.

🌳 Clear fallen sycamore leaves and seeds from grazing areas.

🌳 In the spring, it is recommended that seedlings are mowed and the cuttings collected & removed as the HGA remains in the plant material after it has been cut.

🌳 Provide clean, easily accessible water and access to adequate grass, feed supplementary forage during the autumn.

🌳 Reduce stock density so that there is enough good grazing for every horse.

🌳 You can test for the presence of HGA in your own pasture. This can be done by submitting a sample to the RVC Comparative Neuromuscular Diseases Laboratory (using a sample submission form available online. A fee is payable.). However it is mindful to be aware that the toxin level potentially can change each year so just because it is safe one year does not mean it is the same the next year.

How to....... avoid an emergency! 🐴📞🚑Sometimes an emergency call out can't be avoided such as a freak accident, however ...
06/08/2026

How to....... avoid an emergency! 🐴📞🚑

Sometimes an emergency call out can't be avoided such as a freak accident, however sometimes the risk can be decreased by following some basic steps.

The key way of avoiding emergencies is by keeping up to date with routine care such as teeth, worming and regular farrier visits. This may sound obvious but a proportion of the call outs we go to could have been prevented by keeping up to date with routine care.

Any type of change can also cause an emergency to happen, this may be in the form of management changes such as feed which can cause colic or even turning different horses out together which can cause wounds. Often 'change' is something we try to prevent with our horses as we know they are creatures of habit! We have even seen colic due to changes in owner behaviour such as feeding slightly later.

🦷 Missed routine dentistry care can contribute to horses not wanting to or being unable to eat which can increase the risk of colic. A dental exam should be done at least every 12 months. Not eating normally or grinding fibre properly can also contribute to choke.

💩 Inappropriate worming programs can contribute to the incidence of colic occurring or other parasite related problems such as weight loss and diarrhea.

🌱 One of the most common emergencies we see now all year round is laminitis so being careful with strict management for laminitis prone individuals is critical

🐴 Often we are called out to see older horses unable to get up. This can be for various reasons but can be due to pain. Older horses do have different needs so having a health check to make sure they are comfy can be useful.

🦶 Having regular visits by a qualified farrier or foot trimmer makes the likelihood of needing to see us for a foot emergency much less, if you have concerns about your horse, pony or donkeys foot then speak to them at these visits - ask them what can you do as the owner to help the health of the foot?

If you are at all worried about your horse, donkey or pony, we are only on the end of the phone and are always more than happy to have a chat and provide advice 🐴🐎🏇

So I have my dental visit booked in - but what does a dental examination consist of? A dental examination (or dental exa...
04/08/2026

So I have my dental visit booked in - but what does a dental examination consist of?

A dental examination (or dental exam) is not just a check up of inside the mouth. When we complete a dental exam we are looking at all parts of the animal, before we open the mouth we will be checking:

🐴 the body condition score - has the animal lost or gained weight?
🐴 how has the animal been eating? normally, with difficulty?
🐴 is there any snotty nose or nasal discharge - this can give an indication of a tooth or sinus problem such as an infection
🐴 are there any external problems with the head such as are the muscles symmetrical giving us an idea of how evenly the animal is eating or are there any lumps or bumps we need to be worried about
🐴 how has the horse been performing recently when ridden - hanging on one rein or struggling when having a bit in or all fine?
🐴 what about horse behaviour - have there been any problems suggesting discomfort or pain?

Then we move onto the internal mouth examination, this will more often than not be done with sedation, but what are we doing or looking for?

When we do an internal dental exam we are not just looking at the teeth, we look at the general health of the entire mouth and this consists of:

🦷 are any disease processes occurring such as soft tissue abnormalities or growths
🦷 how sharp the teeth are and how the wear of the teeth have been since last exam/treatment
🦷 is there any ulceration of the soft tissue, palette and tongue
🦷 is there any damage to teeth or diseased teeth such as decay or fractures
🦷 signs of infection
🦷 is there any food packing between the teeth

Then we move onto any treatments that may need to occur, this will usually include a rasp of any sharp edges or teeth but also may include flushing of food packing.

After this has all happened then a plan will be discussed about when the next dental is due and if any management changes need to happen.

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

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