Avonvale Equine Practice

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Avonvale Equine Practice

100% Equine Veterinary Practice offering clinic and ambulatory services with a team of experienced, dedicated and compassionate vets 24 hours per day.

Welcome to Avonvale Equine Practice. We are committed to providing high quality veterinary care for horses, ponies and donkeys. Our veterinary and nursing teams have a broad range of equine expertise and enthusiasm and are always available for advice. Based in Ratley, nr Banbury we cover a vast area including Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands. Conven

iently located near the M40 junction 12 we have a fully equipped surgical facility as well as up to date mobile diagnostic equipment. We offer free zone visits for routine appointments.

21/07/2025

⭐⭐ Monthly Theme continued - Chronic Pain ⭐⭐

Treating Pain

👉 Targeting the Source of Pain
In some cases, it is possible to treat pain at the root cause, such as joint medications for arthritis or tooth removal for dental pain, in other cases this is not possible so we have to use more generalised methods.

👉 Pain Medication
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most commonly used pain relief option for horses with chronic pain, but we can introduce different types of pain medication for horses in whom NSAIDs alone are not enough to manage their pain.
Supplements can be useful for chronic pain, boswelia serrata is proven to have anti-inflammatory properties and can safely be used alongside NSAIDs and other medications.

👉 Alternative therapies
For chronic pain associated with musculoskeletal disorders physiotherapy and acupuncture can both be extremely useful in treating chronic pain and reducing the amount of pain medication required.

Next week we will wrap up this monthly theme discussing general management for horses with chronic pain.

18/07/2025

💦💦 Spirit having a well earned drink! 💦💦

Our lovely client Christine has sent in this great video of Spirit having a drink. We couldn't resist posting, it made us all smile 😀😀

17/07/2025

⭐⭐ Travel safely with your horse this summer ⭐⭐

The competition season is in full swing and here are some travel tips to ensure your journey is smooth sailing and safe.

👉 Pre-travel prep

• Vehicle safety – thoroughly inspect your vehicle, especially the floor to prevent injuries from falls, ensure you have reliable breakdown cover.
• Documentation – carry essential documents including your horse’s passport ensuring vaccines are up-to-date.
• Route planning – plan your route, avoiding small lanes which might not be suitable for your vehicle

👉 During the journey – considerations for your horse

• Maintain ventilation – ensure the vehicle is well-ventilated to prevent overheating and respiratory issues.
• Avoid over rugging – horses do get warm travelling, too cool is preferable to too warm
• Use appropriate protective travel boots or bandages – a lot of damage can be done by hooves and legs becoming trapped und a partition or kicking at the sides, but make sure your horse is comfortable and confident wearing them.
• Offer regular breaks – Every 3-4 hours to allow your horse to rest, eat, drink and lower their head to allow mucous to drain from their airways.
• Monitor your horse – check regularly or use cameras

👉 Arrival at your destination

• Check over – ensure your horse has arrived safely, check for any injuries or lameness and re-hydrate.
• Settling in – allow your horse to settle in to its new surroundings prior to starting exercise.
• Keep your horse’s management as normal as possible – for example use your own hay and feed means there is no sudden change in diet.

Should you need any veterinary advice regarding your horse before planning or setting off on a long journey, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our team on 01295 670501.

16/07/2025

⭐⭐ Competition Winners Announced ⭐⭐

A huge thank you to everyone who submitted their fabulous photos to our 'Summer Fun' competition. It was really hard choosing our winners - but finally we've made our choice!

☀ Winner - Tara May Keates, here's her boys having fun with their ponies (take a close look at their ears 😍)

☀ Runner Up - Billy-Jo Howe with Pumpkin enjoying some pole work

☀ Runner Up - Caroline Horsley's horse having a well earned drink

Congratulations to our winners - prizes will be sent out asap. We'll also be including many of the photos we received in our next newsletter - coming soon!

14/07/2025

⭐⭐ Monthly Theme continued - Chronic Pain ⭐⭐

Signs/ causes of pain

Because equines are prey animals, they will naturally try to appear as strong and healthy as possible so as not to attract the attention of predators in the wild. Therefore, signs of pain vary greatly and can be very subtle, especially in donkeys.

We usually see chronic pain in older horses, common causes include arthritis, dental disease, chronic soft tissue injuries, chronic laminitis.

Obvious signs of pain such as overt lameness or colic like symptoms are easy to spot, it is the more subtle signs that can be tricky. Things to look out for include:

👉 Change in demeanour. This can be subtle such as being a little quieter or more grumpy than usual.
👉 Change in usual behaviour. This can include not greeting you at the stable door in the morning, or being pushed down the pecking order in the herd.
👉 Changes of facial expression can be an indicator of pain; this can be more easily demonstrated in the pain scale that we often use to measure pain.
👉 Lameness is a clear sign of orthopaedic pain, ocular pain can be shown by holding an eye closed, and dental pain can be seen by dropping food or abnormal chewing patterns.

Next week we will look at targeting the source of pain, pain medication and alternative therapies.

10/07/2025

⭐⭐ Obesity and Weight Control⭐⭐

Due to the warm weather and good grass earlier this year, we are currently seeing a lot of overweight patients on our rounds.

Obesity is harmful to the health of our equine friends, and it is just as bad for a horse to be obese as it is for a horse to be thin. They are more likely to develop equine metabolic syndrome and laminitis, hyperlipaemia, orthopaedic disease, hyperthermia, infertility and have issues with poor performance if they are overweight.

In the photos is a body condition scoring chart, and we would encourage everyone to use it to gauge their horse's condition throughout the summer. A body condition score should not be more than 3/5, and if it is, weight loss intervention is needed.

Here are our top tips for weight control in horses:

👉 Use of a grazing muzzle - this should be used for the entire turnout period, otherwise the horse is likely to gorge when the muzzle is removed.
👉 Reducing sugar in the diet, by reducing hard food, soaking hay for 12 hours, and using sugar-free balancers and treats.
👉 Increasing exercise levels. Swimming exercise is excellent for weight loss, and is suitable for some horses that have conditions which prevent them from regular work, one of our vets can give you advice on this. Using track systems to encourage grazing horses to move more can also be really helpful.
👉 Regular weighing in, either on a weighbridge, or with a weigh tape. Weigh tapes are not completely accurate, but they will give you an idea of whether your horse is gaining or losing weight. Marking the tape when your horse is at their optimum condition is helpful for ongoing monitoring.

If you are struggling with your horse's weight this year, one of our vets will be happy to help.

09/07/2025

☀️☀️ Summer Fun Photo Competition ☀️☀️

We've had some fabulous photos sent to us but definitely need more! Here's a few we have already received.

Why not get involved - you've got until Sunday (we've extended the deadline) - send us your summer fun photos for a chance to win some Avonvale goodies. Either put the photos in comments or email: [email protected].

We'll pick an overall winner who will win our Avonvale Goodie Bundle - you can choose either a high viz jacket or saddle cloth along with all the other goodies. We'll also choose a runner-up who will also receive some prizes too.

Please note, we will be using the images shared on our social media and in our newsletter. We will announce the winners on our Facebook and Instagram pages - BEWARE OF ANY SCAMS - DO NOT FOLLOW ANY LINKS IF YOU ARE MESSAGED.

07/07/2025

⭐⭐ Monthly Theme continued - Chronic Pain ⭐⭐

Why is chronic pain important?

Pain is a very important consideration for all animal owners, not just horse owners, freedom from pain is an essential part of the welfare commitments we make when taking ownership of an animal.

Chronic pain is an increasingly common issue to manage in equines, largely due to advances in veterinary medicine meaning that our equine friends are able to live and be healthy for longer.

Next Monday we will cover signs/causes of pain. If you have any concerns regarding pain or pain management with your equine, give us a call on 01295 670501.

06/07/2025

☀️☀️ Summer Fun Photo Competition ☀️☀️

It's Competition Time and we have some fabulous Avonvale branded goodies to give away! We want to see your 'Summer Fun' photos - what have you been up to recently whilst the sun has been shining and the cold dark winter months are long gone.

Let's see your lovely photos in our comments, but you'll need to like and share our post too. Tag a friend who you think may also like to enter - we want to see as many photos as possible. Be quick - the deadline is next Friday 11th July.

We'll pick an overall winner who will win our Avonvale Goodie Bundle - you can choose either a high viz jacket or saddle cloth along with all the other goodies. We'll also choose a runner-up who will also receive some prizes too.

Please note, we will be using the images shared on our social media and in our newsletter. We will announce the winners on our Facebook and Instagram pages - BEWARE OF ANY SCAMS - DO NOT FOLLOW ANY LINKS IF YOU ARE MESSAGED.

03/07/2025

A lovely start to the day with this c**t foal. Mum and foal doing very well, enjoying the sunshine.

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+441295670501

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http://www.avonvaleequine.co.uk/

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