Bishopton Equine Veterinary Services

13/08/2025

You can lead a horse to water......

With temperatures hitting over 30 degrees in our area today it's important to make sure your horses are staying as cool and hydrated as possible and here are a few ways you can help them.....

🫗Encourage drinking - as well as their normal fresh cool water, try tempting your horses to drink more by adding more water to their usual hard feed, soaking their hay and offering extra temptations such as electrolytes, a splash of apple juice/peppermint tea or water from your mash feed to their water...... they may surprise you what they like and dislike!

⛱ Shade - make sure they have adequate shade particularly through the hottest part of the day, this may mean changing their routine and bringing them into the stables for the afternoon when it is hottest out

🚿 Keeping them cool - keep hosing and sponging your horses down through the day to help them cool down..... don't scrape it off let them air dry! Take care with fly rugs as even those designed to be breathable may still be too hot in the sun so they may have to be naked today!

🐎 Adjust exercise timings - avoid riding in the hottest part of the day and reduce their exercise intensity if your horse isn't acclimatised to exercising in the heat!

❗️Heat stroke and colic - we know our horses are sensitive creatures, and rapid changes in temperature can affect them quickly so if you are worried about your horse showing signs of colic or heat stroke (lethargy, high respiratory rate or profuse sweating), please contact us immediately!

We hope you all enjoy this lovely sunshine, but if you've any worried about your horses in the heat, give our office a call or speak to one of our vets!

P.S. remember the suncream on white noses too! 🥵

30/07/2025

People often increase their biosecurity when Strangles is in the area, yet new research reveals that nearly two-thirds of outbreaks in the UK between 2015 and 2022 were linked to other cases in a different part of the country. One chain of transmission moved between all four UK countries in just six months!

These and many other vital insights are shared in a new open access paper by researcher and fantastic SAW Collaborator Dr Abigail McGlennon. The paper brings together Abbi’s work tracking lab-diagnosed Strangles cases for the last decade to provide a wealth of new information and recommendations to help us better protect our horses from this uniquely challenging infection.

Find the link to the paper in our comments.

29/07/2025

As many of you will now be aware, outbreaks of strangles have occurred in our area this summer! It is always a difficult and stressful time for those affected and we are fully committed to helping them wherever we can.

Strangles is a highly contagious infectious disease and in a recent study by RVC, acutely infected or recently convalesced short term carrier horses are playing a bigger role in the transmission than long term carriers than previously thought.

We have been championing the latest strangles vaccine since the start of the year and have really appreciated the support and uptake we have had already!
The vaccine has been showing promising results in studies by reducing horses shedding the bacteria and protecting those exposed from developing clinical signs. Because of this, we are now starting to use it to help those on affected yards to try reduce the spread between horses, something that has always been a priority in an outbreak but difficult to achieve until now!

Of course, prevention is better than cure so if you would like to vaccinate your horses for strangles, please speak to our office or one of our vets and let's try stamp out this disease from our area as soon as possible!

🐎 A novel study by the RVC has revealed new insights into how the highly contagious disease strangles spreads amongst horses in the UK. This research marks a significant step forward in understanding how owners and veterinarians can more effectively manage and prevent outbreaks of this devastating equine disease, through targeted interventions and outbreak management protocols.

Photo: Redwings Horse Sanctuary

➡️ Read more: https://rvc.uk.com/new-genomic-strangles-study

23/07/2025

Congratulations to Quercus and all his connections!
Fantastic achievement! 💪🎉

14/07/2025

Share your views on rugging!

Hopefully no one is thinking about rugging up in this heat! 🥵 but the University of Anglia Ruskin could use your help investigating different rugging practices as part of a study they are conducting.

The survey can be accessed via the link below and takes about 5 minutes to complete, is completely anonymous and will be used as part of a final year students' research project.

For more information on rugging and clipping options to best suit your horse, speak to one of our vets on your next visit!

08/07/2025

Best of luck to all our clients competing at the GYS this week! We hope you all have a lovely week and a few red rosettes come home! with you! 🤞🥇

Attached is a copy of our latest newsletter......

For more information on our Autumn meeting or advise on managing your horses' weight, please contact our office on 01765 602396 or email us at [email protected]

12/06/2025

Huge congratulations to Bishopton Farm Team and RAFT Solutions Ltd for your XLVets award! Fantastic achievement celebrating all your hard work! 🥇🎉

We did it!

Last night, Neil, Mark and Phil were present at the XL Vets Awards. Bishopton is a founding member of this collaborative community of independent veterinary practices, which enables us to exchange information, share ideas, and access training opportunities while maintaining our independence.

We were delighted to win the Emerging Technologies ("Vet 3.0") prize, which recognises our work at the cutting edge of veterinary technology. Judges noted that Tech is important to us, throughout our teams – but the clearest example of this in action is through our sister company, RAFT Solutions.

Together with RAFT, we have set up a Software as a Service company to make it easier for vets and farmers to use technology, called VetDX, as well as multiple new technologies for use in practice, including:

- Use of artificial intelligence to augment clinical diagnostics as part of on farm bull breeding soundness examinations.
- Sensors and digital tech development to support targeted use of methane-reducing supplements.
- Machine learning and speciation of coccidia parasites to support more responsible medicines use.
- Development of rapid diagnostics for mastitis causing pathogens for targeted responsible use of antimicrobials.
- Machine learning to develop smartphone based welfare assessment sensor tools for vets and farmers.

In our small animal department we are using 3D printed models and guides to maximise our surgical accuracy and clinical outcomes in complex cases such as angular limb deformities.

We were also thrilled to be 'Highly Commended' in the Small Steps, Big Impact category, for our ongoing work in Sustainability and 'Tomorrow Starts Today' which examined how we and other firms nurture and support future veterinary teams.

Big congratulations to Thrums, of Scotland, who had an exceptional night, winning three categories!

10/06/2025

Well done vet Neil Mechie and all the team at Ann Duffield Racing getting this filly back into work after a her rehabilitation, 🤞 we'll see her out on the racetrack next!

09/06/2025

*GYS EXHIBITORS 2025!*

From one iconic Yorkshire event at Defender Bramham Horse Trials to the next.... Great Yorkshire Show is round the corner and for equine competitors you MUST have had your annual vaccine WITHIN 6 months of going to the venue!

Depending on the day you are competing this will be AFTER January 9th-12th 2025 onwards and you must have a clear 7 days prior to competing in July!

Please check your passports NOW!!!

If your horse needs to restart their primary course we can just about squeeze in the first 2 vaccines before the show (as is required) but you must call the office asap!

We keep a record of all your horses vaccinations, so if you need to check your horses' vaccinations fit the requirements, please call our office or speak to one of our vets!

07/06/2025

It's cross country day at Defender Bramham Horse Trials and director Ben Gaskell is out on the course again!
If you've braved the showers this weekend, go say hi to Ben if you see him! 🌦️

23/05/2025

BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY 26th MAY 2025!

We wish all our clients a lovely bank holiday weekend!

Our office will be closed on the Monday but will reopen on Tuesday 27th May at 8 30am as normal.

We hope you all have a lovely weekend with your horses and we hope you won't need us, but if you do one of our vets is on call 24/7 throughout the weekend to help you!

For emergencies over the bank holiday weekend, please call the usual number on 01765 602396 and you'll be put through to our out of hours services.

15/05/2025

Foaling season is very much upon us and vet Ben helped little mini shetland India out last night when her foal was malpresented!

While stage 1 of labour can take several hours, stage 2 (expulsion of the foal!) should take 20-30 minutes maximum!
So when owner Emma Armstead saw two back legs instead of front legs she was very right to call Ben to help!

This is India's first foal, so whilst she looks a bit shocked here (as many first time mothers can relate to!) both her and her beautiful filly foal are doing great!

If you're ever worried about your mare or foal our vets are always happy to help, even if it's just to provide some reassurance down the phone!