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Overweight horses are becoming ‘the new normal’ - BEVA
Studies suggest there are high levels of obesity in leisure horses and unaffiliated competition horses.
Vets and owners urged to work together to monitor horses 

Overweight horses are ‘the new normal’, as horse owner perceptions of a healthy weight become “distorted”, BEVA says.

Equine vets are urging horse owners to act now to prevent horses suffering weight-related health and welfare issues in spring, as studies suggest more than half of certain populations are overweight.

BEVA says horses and ponies can quickly gain excessive weight in today’s domesticated environment, with greater access to forage, hard feed, stabling and rugs.

Obesity in horses appears to be becoming more common, and not just in ponies and native breeds, BEVA adds. Studies suggest there are high levels of obesity in leisure horses and unaffiliated competition horses, particularly those competing in showing and dressage.

David Rendle, from BEVA’s health and medicines committee said: “Not only are many horses being unintentionally over-fed, over-rugged, and under-exercised but, as perceptions of what constitutes a healthy weight have become distorted, overweight has become the norm.

“A recent survey of more than 500 horse owners confirmed that owners have a poor ability to visually identify overweight animals and that perceptions of ideal weight for animals participating in showing classes was perceived to be significantly greater than for other equestrian disciplines.”

Lucy Grieve, chair the the ethics and welfare committee, added: “There seems to be a stigma attached to having a ‘fit’ or lean horse on many livery yards when, in fact, such a horse is highly likely to be healthier than its overweight neighbour.”

Vets and owners should work together as a team to routinely monitor horses, she added.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.