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Jubilee Bank Holiday Opening & Testing Days 2022
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Jubilee Bank Holiday Opening & Testing Days 2022

Opening & Testing Days 2022

If you're sending samples soon, be aware of potential post disruption due to the two Jubilee bank holidays. Please try and send your samples no later than Monday 30th May to ensure you receive your results. We're open and testing every day there's a post delivery, so everything will still be tested and reported back to you on the day that we receive them.

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Tails From Behind The Tests
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Tails From Behind The Tests

NEW! Live Series on Facebook

We love to meet the horses whose samples we test. This Bank Holiday weekend sees the launch of a new series of short video lives where we catch up with a few of our favourites to find out a bit more about them and how their owners approach this important aspect of horse health.

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Climate Change - Some Like it Hot!
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Climate Change - Some Like it Hot!

Some Like it Hot!

Climate change is already having visible effects on the world. The earth is warming, rainfall patterns are changing, and sea levels are rising. According to the Met Office it’s estimated that within the next 50 years our winters in the UK will become between 1 and 4.5°C warmer and up to 30% wetter.1 This has the potential to impact horse health in all sorts of ways we may not have considered, one of those being parasite control. Worms thrive in mild, wet weather so incremental temperature increases, particularly in winter, are going to bring increased parasite challenges to our horses.

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Wormer Resistance; Looking for Trouble
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Wormer Resistance; Looking for Trouble

why we should be using reduction testing to check wormer efficacy every time we need to treat

Wormer resistance is a big topic; a concept that hangs over the very health of our horse population but one that is hard to get hold of and even more difficult to quantify, especially when we’re not looking! So where do we start with managing it in our own horses and those we prescribe for? It’s time to take the bull by the horns, First published in ‘Equestrian Trade News’ Claire Shand, Equine RAMA parasite control specialist explains how.

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Easter Opening and Testing Days 2022
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Easter Opening and Testing Days 2022

Lab and Office Hours

If you're sending samples over the next week or so please be aware of post disruption due to the two bank holidays. Please try and get your samples posted by Monday 11th April to ensure you receive your results before the Easter weekend. We're open and testing every day there's a post this Easter so everything will still be tested and reported back to you on the day that we receive them.

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Please look out for avian flu in your flock
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Please look out for avian flu in your flock

And refrain from sending samples from any birds displaying symptoms

Avian flu has kept all domestic poultry under lock and key since November 2021. Sadly the disease is still prevalent in the UK and there’s also some concern about risk to human health. If any of your birds are displaying flu like symptoms please refrain from sending samples for testing to help protect our staff and contact DEFRA for advice.

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Westgate represent the RAMA view at the National Equine Forum '22
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Westgate represent the RAMA view at the National Equine Forum '22

Expert Panel speak about wormer resistance

We were honoured to be invited to speak about wormer resistance at the National Equine Forum last week, 3rd March ’22. Along with a panel of experts that included Dr Claire Stratford & Dr Alison Pyatt from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and David Rendle from the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), Westgate Labs Director Claire Shand gave the RAMA point of view. Claire talked about the targeted approach to parasite control that we have been advocating for the last 23 years and highlighted the steps that all horse owners need take to help us address this issue.

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Do You Know How Much Your Horse Weighs?
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Do You Know How Much Your Horse Weighs?

Guessing could be a disaster for wormer resistance

With wormer resistance becoming more of a threat and the need to accurately calculate dosage therefore ever more important, would horse owners be any better at guessing horse weight than five years ago? Being able to accurately assess the weight of an animal is important for many reasons, such as calculating medication quantities for wormers and in aiding dietary management. But unless you have ready access to a weigh bridge this is sometimes easier said than done especially as research shows weight estimates by eye can vary as much as 30%.

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SPRING PARASITE CONTROL 2022
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SPRING PARASITE CONTROL 2022

For Your Horse

Have you got parasite control covered this season? Spring worm control is time to: 🌱 worm egg count for redworm and ascarids 🌱 EquiSal test for tapeworm if you haven't in the last six months 🌱 Look out for signs of pinworm 🌱 Plan carefully for any foaling mares

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