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App developed to tackle obesity in horses
"It is incredibly how quickly a horse can change and so monitoring regularly is key" - Ms Katie Williams.

Equi-BCS can be used to monitor a horse's bodyweight and condition.

A PhD student at the University of Glasgow has developed a free app to help tackle obesity in horses.

Katie Williams, an equine nutritionist, designed the app to help horse owners monitor their horse's bodyweight and condition. Named Equi-BCS, the app allows horse owners to record and share their horse's weight data to share with professionals. 

Discussing why she developed the app, Ms Williams said: “One of the toughest challenges for any horse owner is keeping weight off their horse, and previous studies have shown that horse owners tend to underestimate their horse’s body condition score.

“To succeed, a collaborative approach is required including vets, nutritionists and farriers working together with horse owners.

“It is incredible how quickly a horse can change and so monitoring regularly, ideally every two weeks, is key. 

“Receiving a reminder will provide the prompt that many people need to ensure they take time to assess their horse and either make adjustments to the ration, or seek advice from their vet or nutritionist.”

After surveying veterinary professionals, nutritionists and horse owners, the app has been updated, and the new version of the Equi-BCS app is available to download for free from Apple's app store, or the Google Play store. 

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.