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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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FIVP announces third series of Practice Matters

News Story 1
 The Federation of Independent Veterinary Practices (FIVP) has announced a third season of its podcast, Practice Matters.

Hosted by Ian Wolstenholme, series three will focus on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation, including a discussion about some of the expected impacts on independent veterinary colleagues.

Episode one launches on 13th January with guests Drs David Reader and Scott Summers, who will draw on their research into the CMA investigation and provide insights into themes such as transparency, pricing and consumer trust.

Ian Wolstenholme said: "In its third series, we will try and hone in on what the changes will mean in reality for independent practices with advice and guidance on implementation and delivery, drawing on the experience of our own team and other experts in the profession. Hope you can join us soon!" 

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News Shorts
Survey seeks ruminant sector views on antimicrobial stewardship

A new survey is seeking views of people working in the UK ruminant sector on how to tackle the challenge of demonstrating responsible antibiotic stewardship.

Forming part of a wider, collaborative initiative, the results will help identify the types of data available so that challenges with data collection can be better understood and addressed.

Anyone working in the UK farming sector, including vets and farmers,is encouraged to complete the survey, which is available at app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk