What is a premature foal?A premature foal is a foal that is immature and born before term, generally considered to be if they are born at less than 330 days gestation. However, length of pregnancy varies between mares, so the definition of a premature foal is not based solely on gestational age but also the [...]
WHAT IS IT?Placentitis is an inflammation within the placenta, it is responsible for the majority of late term abortions in broodmares. The most common type is ascending placentitis where bacteria enters the sterile uterus from the lower reproductive tract (e.g. mares with poor vaginal conformation). Viral and fungal infections can also cause placentitis.Early detection of [...]
At this time of year in Australia the southern states are freezing through the cold winter months while the northern states are in the middle of the dry season. Whether it is due to freezing cold water and dry forage or because it is hot and dry and the moisture in the grass is low, [...]
Environmental management is an important part of parasite control. When a horse sheds eggs in their faeces, they hatch into larvae on the pasture which are then ingested by other horses as they graze. Therefore, regular and thorough removal of faeces from the pasture is a crucial step to reduce infection. Avoid overstocking and overgrazing [...]
As we have talked about in our earlier posts, blanket worming and overuse of wormers is both unnecessary and contributes to resistance. Therefore, we now recommend a targeted program tailored to your horse’s needs. The first step of this is to perform a faecal egg count (FEC).An FEC is an examination under the microscope to [...]
What is resistance? Resistance is “the ability of worms in a population to survive treatment with a drug that should be effective against the species and life stage”. This means that the worming product does not kill the worms that it should. Resistance to drugs develops naturally over time in worms but is accelerated and [...]
Horses have evolved over thousands of years to live with parasites in their gut which we commonly call “worms.” So why are we always trying to get rid of them from our horses? In adult horses, small burdens often do not cause any issues. However; as the number of worms gets larger (increased worm burden), [...]
Haemorrhagic anovulatory follicle (HAF) means that a follicle (the structure that carries the oocyte or egg within the ovaries) remains in the ovary for a long period of time and gets filled with blood instead of progressing towards ovulation (releasing the oocyte or egg to be fertilized).HAF occurs in about 5-25% of mares during oestrus [...]
DEHYDRATIONA consequence of fluid loss, dehydration can affect your horse year-round, but remains more prevalent during Summer when fluid loss from sweating exceeds a horse's intake through drinking.Dehydration is much more than your horse just being thirsty. Dehydration can result in other health problems, such as impaction colic due to the faeces becoming abnormally dry [...]
There are two treatments that we commonly use at NEC to treat lameness and joint injury in horses that take advantage of healing agents in the horse’s own blood. IRAP or Interleukin-1 Receptor Agonist Protein, is used for arthritis and joint injuries and PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma, is used for tendon, ligament and some [...]
