EQUINE

Equine Health – Diagnosis

We offer a comprehensive range of individual tests and profiles for equine health screens, disease investigation and breeding management.

We revised and updated these tests and profiles during 2011 incorporating new assays, including rapid turnaround CEM by QPCR and competitive rates for group sample submissions.

Ask your vet about service offered by Dechra Laboratory Services and our sister laboratory Dechra Specialist Laboratories.

Equine  Health – Worming

A faecal worm egg count can be an important part of effective equine worm management.

It has been recently estimated that 10-20% of horses carry a significant worm burden, which if left unchecked will contaminate pastures and potentially undermine the effect of anthelmintic treatments used within the group.

Maintaining a regular check on worm burdens in herds sharing the same pasture allows targeted worming in terms of animal treated and dosage required. Reducing both overall costs and the risk of developing resistance to anthelmintics.

Equine Health – Allergies

Allervet® offers a comprehensive package to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic disease. www.allervet.com

We all know how it feels when we suffer from allergies such as hay fever, asthma, eczema, rhinitis or conjunctivitis. Unfortunately similar symptoms are also becoming increasingly common in horses.

Avoiding pollens, dust mites, insect bites or certain foods (Frequently encountered allergens) is the most effective form of management and should always be attempted however we know that is not always possible.

If sweet-itch is diagnosed your vet will be able to discuss the most appropriate methods of midge control, such as stabling between dawn and dusk, use of ceiling fans to create a draught, fly repellents and anti-fly rugs. Immunotherapy may also be recommended when allergen avoidance is not effective. Allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) involves injecting low but increasing doses of the appropriate allergens (identified using the allervet tests) over a period of weeks to create a “tolerance” and abolish or at least diminish clinical signs.

Immunotherapy can reduce the need to use steroids which are an effective treatment but can have serious side effects including laminitis if used long term. Successful immunotherapy can enable your horse to live a happier, healthier life without the risk of undesirable side effects.

Ask your vet about the Allervet service which is offered exclusively by Dechra Laboratory Services.

We are developing this area and will share relevant information about equine/horses as it becomes available.