Mortimer Equine Vets

09/10/2025

Meet Rocky 🐴

Poor Rocky had been suffering with a naughty eye ulcer that just wasn’t healing 👁️

After continued treatment and advice from eye_vet_clinic, the decision was made to enucleate Rocky’s right eye 👩🏼‍⚕️

Vets Rowena and Aimee, along with nurse Ruth went out a couple of weeks ago to perform the surgery 🩺

Following sedation, the area around his eye was surgically prepared. This was carried out by nurse Ruth, clipping and cleaning the site 🧼

Appropriate nerve blocks were then given, and a final clean was done 💉

Once the eye was removed, the socket was sutured closed and covered with a dressing 🪡

The last photo was taken on Monday, when Rowena visited to remove the sutures, and as you can see, it’s healed up perfectly 🙌🏼

Rocky is adjusting very well to life with one eye, and has been the perfect patient 🌟

05/10/2025

As we head into autumn and we enjoy the change of colours we must also be mindful of acorns that have fallen into grazing areas 🍁

Generally if there is plenty of alternative food then horses won't bother with the acorn as they taste bitter, but if they have little else to eat they are easily tempted 🌱

Different horses/ponies have variable tolerances to acorn toxins - so some can become poorly after ingesting only a small amount 🐴

What are the signs of acorn poisning?
🍂Depression/lethargy
🍂Acorns in droppings
🍂Reduced appetite
🍂Constipation
🍂Blood in faeces (sometimes diarrhoea)
🍂Mouth ulcers
🍂Colic

Treatment is supportive, this generally involves fluid therapy and pain killers if colic symptoms are seen. If the horse is seen eating acorns then early intervention with activated charcoal to prevent absorption 🩺

Prevention is better than cure - fencing off areas beneath oak trees will help reduce the amount of acorns horses have access to. Providing plenty of alternative forage when grass is scarce will also mean they are much less likely to try and eat them in the first place 🍀

01/10/2025

Did you know, you can bring your horse or pony in to us, here at the practice❓

✨Routine vaccinations
✨Saves paying for a visit fee
✨Plenty of space to turn round and park
✨Trailer or lorry
✨Perfect for well behaved horses and ponies that are happy standing in a box for their vaccines

30/09/2025

29/09/2025

As autumn approaches and the chance of wind and bad weather increase, it is important to be mindful of sycamore seeds blowing on to pasture 🍂

The seeds from sycamore contain Hypoglycin A which is incredibly toxic to horses ☠️

Horses that ingest sycamore seeds develop a condition called 'Atypical Myopathy’. Sometimes this might be mistaken for colic 🐴

The symptoms of Atypical Myopathy include:
• Colic like symptoms but still eating
• Muscle trembling
• Brown/ dark red urine
• Progressing to recumbency with limbs paddling (might look like seizuring)

Unfortunately Atypical Myopathy is fatal in over 75% cases. Some horses may recover over months if they respond well to immediate intensive care in a hospital facility 🩺

If you find sycamore trees by your paddocks be sure to fence off access to the area where seeds may fall if it is not feasible to move pasture completely 🌳

Making sure your horse has plenty of other forage will also reduce the chances of them wanting to eat the seeds 🌱

If you have any questions or concerns regarding Atypical Myopathy please do not hesitate to get in touch 📞 01568 601300 📞

25/09/2025

🌱 Paddock maintenance 🌱

Many of us will be all too familiar with how accident-prone horses and ponies can be! But how can we try to prevent this❓

Paddock/enclosure maintenance is a huge part of keeping our horses safe and happy 🐴

Making sure that fencing is in good condition without sharp edges, gaps or loose pieces of wire. Even the smallest of gaps can look like an opportunity to some horses and so its best not to assume they won't try and squeeze through a gap that they are ten times the size of❗️

Rusty nails, old car batteries, farm machinery all present hazards for inquisitive equines and not only can they result in injury but they also pose a tetanus risk 🤕

Rabbit holes and uneven ground can result in sprains, strains or worse and so it's important to check for these too. Where they can not be evened out then fencing them off can prevent injury 🕳️

Regular checking of all the above can hopefully help to prevent some nasty injuries and so it is well worth keeping on top of 👌🏼

25/09/2025

Owner has been found, thank you ☺️

‼️ Urgently trying to find this cats owner ‼️

📍 Found in Leominster
🐱 No microchip or collar

This cat has been brought in to us this morning, he’s happily tucking into some food but we desperately need his owner to get in touch with us 📞 01568 601300 📞

If you recognise him or know who he may belong to, please give the practice a call ☎️

Please share 📱

21/09/2025

⚖️ Weight loss in horses ⚖️

Subtle weight loss can be difficult to pick up quickly in horses, particularly over the winter when they rugged up or have a thicker coat 🐴

Amount of feed, workload and age should also be taken in to consideration. Often as horses and ponies are getting older they will lose muscle mass and this can affect their overall weight but also how well conditioned they might appear 👩🏼‍⚕️

Regular body condition scoring is a good way of monitoring your horse's condition and allows you to identity changes more quickly and look into any potential problems 🤓

The most common cause of weight loss in horses is dental disease. If horses have sharp hooks on their teeth, diastemers (gaps that form between teeth and result in food impacting) or tooth root infections for example, they are less likely to eat properly 🦷

The second most common cause of weight loss in horses is liver disease. The liver is very important in the body's metabolism but also the removal of some toxins. The signs of liver disease can be very non specific but generalised loss of condition is one of the most common. A simple blood sample can help to identify damage to the liver and whether further investigation is needed 🩸

Other metabolic diseases such as cushings can also affect muscle loss and fat distribution 🩺

Regular health checks and routine dental care can help to flag up any issues early on and allow them to be addressed sooner rather than later 🚩

If you are concerned about weight loss in your horse or pony, or wish to book in for a general health check please get in touch with the office 📞 01568 601300 📞

17/09/2025

🐴 NUTRITION 🐴

Nutrition can be such a hard thing to manage in horses and ponies of all descriptions. Did you know there are specialist equine nutritionists who are able to advise on what we should be feeding, when and why❓

It can be easy to be persuaded by good marketing to purchase different 'miracle’ products but sometimes we have to adopt a more tailored approach to individual cases 🐎

A horse's energy requirement will vary greatly depending on its lifestyle. It may seem fairly obvious that a racehorse needs more energy than a happy hacker - but there is more to diet than energy❗️

Different aspects of diet can be important in management of disease such as EMS, horses prone to tying up and laminitis to name but a few 👩🏼‍⚕️

For horses and ponies with more specific needs, it can be very helpful to discuss their dietary requirements with someone who specialises in this area 🤓

Did you know most feed companies will have their own nutritionist? 🌟

15/09/2025

As some of you will know, it was The Kington Show on Saturday, and Mortimer Equine Vets had a high presence there 🐴

We sponsored the Online Horse Catalogue, along with the Pony Club Pony Class, and the Pony Club Pony Championship on the day 🐎

Our new Animal Nursing Assistant Ali, and her horse had a fantastic day winning lots of rosettes 🏵️ they came 2nd in the Riding Club Horse, then they won all three of the Retraining of Racehorse classes (ridden, in hand and then the overall championship) 🏆 well done both 🌟

A client of MEV daughter, Lucy Sankey, entered the Pony Club Pony Class and went on to win the Pony Club Pony Championship - well done Lucy & Polly 🤍

Veterinary Nurse Kerry’s husband was thrilled to be able to take his old Land Rover to the show, and drive it round the main ring. We think Rowena’s son Sandy was even happier having a photo sat in the drivers seat! 😀

Fantastic day all round, thank you kingtonshow for another great family day out 🙌🏼

Were you there too? Socialising, or competing, share some of your photos below ⬇️

13/09/2025

Kaz had extra pair of paws whilst she was out on visits the other day 🐾

The whole yard wanted to get involved when she was there vaccinating 🐴💉

We do say we love team work!

11/09/2025

We can already begin to see the nights drawing in 🌚

If you’re riding on, or near roads at dawn or dusk, make sure you’re easily seen by other road users 🔦

This can be done by following some of our top tips;
💡Know the route - only ride in areas you’re familiar with
💡Ride out in company
💡Always carry a mobile phone, with plenty of charge
💡Take your ride steady, don’t rush it
💡Carry a head torch, or flash light
💡Wear hi-vis, that goes for the rider & the horse
💡Take a look at investing in some reflectors, these can easily be attached to your stirrups

🐴 Be safe, be seen 🐴