Working dogs play an incredibly vital role, from herding livestock and assisting law enforcement to aiding individuals with disabilities and performing search and rescue, their contributions are immeasurable. However, their demanding work environments and outdoor lifestyles put them at a significantly increased risk of encountering ticks.
Ticks pose a significant risk to pets, primarily through the transmission of various diseases, in this blog we explore ways in which you can reduce the risk.
Working dogs experience physical demands that can strain their bodies. Supplements can help support joints, muscles, and overall health. They do this by fixing nutritional gaps and providing essential vitamins and minerals. This helps them stay healthy, active, and perform well.
Even the best diets may not fulfill the specific needs of working dogs facing unique challenges. This is where supplements come in, offering targeted support based on the type of work a dog performs and the conditions they work in.
Our dogs deserve to look and feel their best, and grooming is key to their health and happiness. Neglecting dog grooming leads to more than just a shaggy appearance. Matting causes pain, skin infections, and restricted movement. Untrimmed nails lead to discomfort and joint problems. Uncleaned ears invite infections, and poor dental hygiene results in gum disease and bad breath. Overall, lack of grooming diminishes a dog's quality of life, increases parasite risk, and makes it harder to detect health issues. Regular grooming is vital for a dog's health and well-being.
Whilst we all welcome the warmer, sunnier days of spring and summer it can be a challenge for some horses and ponies. For us owners, watching the daily Pollen Forecast becomes a must! So what can we do to help our horses and ponies breeze through this pollen season.
Here in the UK we have many different flying insects. For us as horse owners, it is the horse fly that receives the most attention. Trying to determine whether to use a fly rug, cover in fly spray before you ride or turnout, or simply do nothing is every horse owners’ annual conundrum.
As riders, we ask horses to do a job that involves coordinated movement of the musculoskeletal system and therefore a degree of fitness. Of course, different disciplines will involve different degrees of exercise intensity. However, whenever we ask a horse to carry us it is important to consider how best to train, maintain fitness and reduce unwanted injury or soreness.
With the festivities behind us we, and our horses, can get back to the day to day of enjoying our riding, and looking forward to longer days with better weather ahead. However, that is not always easy when we are still very much in the grips of winter. Icy, or very wet and boggy, conditions can mean longer time spent stabled for our horses, limiting their natural exercise; while the cold, damp weather seemingly heads straight to their joints at this time of year. This is particularly true for our senior horses, where joint stress is recognized as being prevalent in more than 50% of horses over fifteen years old, rising to around 80-90% in older animals.
As we head into the season of horses growing their winter coats, it is important that we avoid excessive sweating with clipping to help coat care and speed up the cooling process after work to keep their skin and muscles in the best possible condition. This helps horses to regulate their body temperature and here are a couple of my top tips to help you achieve an effective clip.
Laminitis, a painful and potentially life-threatening condition, can affect donkeys just as it does horses. While it’s a common affliction in equines, it’s essential to understand that donkeys have unique characteristics and susceptibilities when it comes to laminitis.
