608 Equine Vets

02/06/2026

😍 Isn’t this a beautiful photo of our Team 608 rider Danielle Hardwick and William at the Hickstead Premier League show?

Danielle and William competed earlier this month and scored 67.2% for 7th place in the Grand Prix 👏 congratulations to them both!

We’re loving the smiles - and the 608 saddle pad, of course 😉

29/05/2026

🚨📣 Laminitis warning 📣🚨

The weather conditions we’re currently experiencing are ideal for grass growth: rain, sun and warmth!

With the increased growth in grass comes an increased risk of laminitis - here’s what you need to be looking out for:

🔵 A strong digital pulse. If you don’t know how to find it, learn - we shared a handy how-to guide with our vet Robyn on our page
⚪️ Reluctance to walk
🔵 Leaning back (taking pressure off the front feet)
⚪️ Shifting weight from foot to foot while standing
🔵 Reluctance to pick up feet
⚪️ Abnormal heat in the feet
🔵 Pottery when walking and being reluctant to walk on hard ground
⚪️ Lethargy can also be a very early sign

Although horses with metabolic disorders like EMS or Cushing’s are most at risk, ANY horse can get laminitis - being aware and acting to prevent it striking is key.

Here’s a reminder of our top tips for preventing laminitis:

🌱Avoid grazing overweight horses on lush grass
👀 Pay attention to your horse’s body weight
🍔 Monitor your horse’s diet
🐎 Keep your horse well-exercised (where possible)
💉 Test at-risk horses for insulin resistance
🐴 Test horses for Equine Cushing’s Disease

📞 Laminitis is a medical emergency. If you suspect it, call us on 01564 783404.

26/05/2026

☀️🥵 608’s top tips for looking after your horse in the heat 🥵☀️

🪣 Make sure your horse always has access to clean, fresh drinking water. If your horse isn’t a big drinker, flavour their water with molasses or apple juice to encourage them to increase their intake. You can also give them a sloppy mash and wet their hay.

🐎 Exercise your horse during the cooler times of the day where possible. Consider your individual horse’s overall health and fitness, and how likely they are to cope when being ridden in hot weather.

💦 Cool your horse down using cold water. Continuous application of cold water is the most effective and efficient way to reduce your horse’s body temperature. For the most effective cooling, start at the poll and work your way backwards, focusing on long cooling of the gluteals.

🚛 If you need to travel your horse, consider soaking your hay to keep up their water intake. Check the traffic before you leave and open all windows.

🌡️ Watch out for signs of distress and heatstroke, including heavy breathing, high heart rate, lethargy and an increased body temperature - normal body temperature is 37.5 - 38.5.

🧂Horses lose electrolytes through sweating, so add salt to your horse’s diet - this can be via a salt lick, table salt added to their normal feed or electrolytes

🌳 If your horse is out, make sure they have access to natural shade or field shelters where possible. Shade helps horses to regulate their body temperature.

📞 If you need any advice about looking after your horse in the heat, give us a call on 01564 783404.

22/05/2026

😍 We’d like to share a dose of Friday cuteness with you all 💙

Last week, our vets Gav and Charlotte had the pleasure of catching up with the miniature donkeys over at Hatton Adventure World 🫏

Gav and Charlotte gave all the miniature donkeys a thorough health check as part of a routine visit ❤️‍🩹

Of course, they couldn’t resist getting some cuddles in too - can you blame them? 😜

Thank you to Hatton Adventure World for trusting us with their care.

21/05/2026

🐴🤧 Equine Flu Update 🤧🐴

We are constantly monitoring the situation regarding flu outbreaks and the advice from the British Equine Veterinary Association and the governing bodies.

There have now been cases confirmed in Worcestershire and surrounding areas. While the numbers are still relatively small, we don’t want to panic clients unnecessarily into giving vaccinations that aren’t needed.

At present, BEVA are not mandating a vaccination every six months, but we are suggesting a risk-based approach in terms of our vaccination recommendations to clients.

💉 If your horse is out competing or mixing with other horses regularly, or on a yard with frequent movement or importation of horses, we would advise considering a six month vaccination approach or bringing your annual vaccination forward if it has not been administered within the last six months.

➡️ If you are competing, we urge you to keep up-to-date with your relevant governing body’s current advice and be aware that this might change.

📞 We are very happy to discuss the best way forward with individual clients depending on your particular horse or circumstances. Just give us a call on 01564 783404.

15/05/2026

🦷 Our resident dental expert Jane headed to Bourne Vale Stables this week for a thorough check up of their horses and ponies!

Jane also passed on some of her knowledge to a University of Nottingham student on work experience - educating the next generation of equine vets is something we’re very passionate about at 608, so we’re always happy for vet students to support us where they can.

Thanks to Bourne Vale Stables for having us! 💙

Today was a scheduled day for dental check-ups with one of the team from 608 Equine Vets

Every horse on the yard has their own individual healthcare plan, which includes regular dental checks. So it's not just us humans who have to visit the dentist!

We've also been joined this week by a first-year vet student on work experience from Nottingham University, so it was a great opportunity for him to support the vet during the checks.

As you can see, Daisy took the whole thing in her stride. Just two days after her 18th birthday too.

Happy birthday Daisy. Extra hay this evening 😀

05/05/2026

🐴🤒 It’s Strangles Awareness Week, and today’s post is all about carriers!

Strangles carriers are horses that appear to be perfectly healthy, but are carrying hidden bacteria in their guttural pouches. These horses may shed this bacteria at any time, triggering a Strangles outbreak.

👩‍⚕️ Dr Abigail McGlennon, researcher at the Surveillance of Equine Strangles Network talks through carriers in this Q+A.

The key to reducing transmission is knowledge - we don’t need to fear carriers, we just need to identify them.

By screening new arrivals to a yard and testing horses after an outbreak, we can find the carriers, treat them and stop the spread.

🦠 If you need advice on implementing a biosecurity plan for your yard, get in touch with us on 01564 783404 📞

04/05/2026

🐴👀 It’s Strangles Awareness Week this week 👀🐴

We’ll be sharing a few posts this week with some information about Strangles and how to protect horses and yards from the misery of an outbreak.

Strangles is a contagious respiratory condition and is the most commonly diagnosed equine disease worldwide.

Signs of Strangles include a high fever, difficulty eating, depression, and the characteristic thick nasal discharge and painful abscesses.

Last year saw a 77% increase in the number of lab-reported cases of Strangles, so it’s crucial to be aware of the risk of this disease. Outbreaks can be disruptive and costly, so preventing the spread is key.

Look out for more posts this week to help you stay ahead of a Strangles outbreak!

01/05/2026

⏰ Just a reminder of our opening hours this Bank Holiday weekend 👇

📞 As ever, we hope you don’t need us but if you do, we’re operating our 24/7 emergency service. Just call 01564 783404.

☀️ We hope you all enjoy the long weekend - we’d also like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your lovely comments on our posts this week. It really does mean a lot to the team 💙

👋 See you next week!

30/04/2026

🥳 This month, we’re celebrating two very special anniversaries - both our partner vet Anna and veterinary nurse Angie have been with 608 for 20 years! 🤩

Congratulations to them both on reaching this amazing anniversary. They have both put so much hard work and dedication into the practice, and we know you’ll all agree that they are both crucial members of our wonderful team 🌟🌟

We want to say a big thank you to Anna and Angie for their loyalty and commitment over the last 20 years 💙

Here’s to the next 20 😜🥂