Isabelle Vets

🥵 Heat Stress in Horses 🥵

As temperatures rise in the Channel Islands, Horses can quickly become vulnerable to hear stress, especially during exercise, travel or turnout with limited shade.

Unlike humans, horses generate a lot of internal heat when working and rely heavily on sweating to cool down. When conditions are hot and/or humid, that cooling system can become less effective.

Remember: humidity, lack of breeze, travel stress and workload can make even "mild" temperatures dangerous.

Horses may be big and powerful, but they still love having their best animal friends by their side 🐴💛

From ponies making friends with cats and dogs, to unlikely stable companions, it’s always lovely to see the bonds animals create with each other. 🐶🐎🐱

Who is your horse’s favourite friend? Share your photos in the comments, we’d love to see them! 📸

Happy Friday from all of us at Isabelle Vets 🐴☀️

These horses definitely know it’s the weekend just look at those smiles! 😄 Nothing better than sunshine, fresh air, and happy faces to end the week.

Wishing all our clients and their four-legged friends a wonderful weekend! 🐾

🦷🐴 Did you know horses need regular dental check-ups? 🐴🦷

At our practice, we provide equine dental care to help keep your horse happy, healthy, and comfortable.

A horse’s teeth continually grow throughout their life, and sharp points, uneven wear, or dental problems can lead to:
• Difficulty eating
• Weight loss
• Dropping food
• Bad breath
• Head tossing or resistance when ridden
• Poor performance

Routine dental examinations are an important part of your horse’s overall healthcare and welfare.

Our vets are fully equipped to carry out thorough dental examinations and treatments during visits, helping to keep those teeth in top condition and your horse feeling their best. 😁

If you think your horse may be due a dental check, get in touch with the Isabelle Vets team!

⭐ Meet Flump ⭐

Flump is our Practice Manager’s kitten, who arrived in Guernsey a week tomorrow. He has already made himself very comfortable and thinks he's going to be an office cat! 🐾

He popped in for his first vaccinations and a full health check but at home it had been noticed that Flump was scratching his ears more than expected, so Leah the vet made sure to take a really thorough look while he was in.

It didn’t take long to spot the issue as his ears were quite mucky! There was no infection or unpleasant smell but the debris we could see was very typical of ear mites. It wasn't 'gunky' but instead the debris looked like sawdust, it was very flaky and as quoted by Leah, 'a very satisfying clean!'.

A sample was taken to lab where Leah and our student nurse Eloise tested for mites in our in-house laboratory. As we train nurses on site, it was a great experience for Eloise as although mites are common, they can be difficult to spot. This one decided to wave at them. 👋

So what are ear mites? 👂

Ear mites are teeny tiny parasites that live inside the ear canal. They are common, especially in a litter as it's easily transferrable. Although you can’t usually see the mites themselves, they leave behind a dark, coffee ground like discharge and can make ears very itchy.

How is it treated and what does it mean for Flump? 🐈

After being diagnosed, the vet dispensed Felpreva to get rid of the mites alongside an ear-cleaner. Within a few days he was not longer itching his ears and seems much happier!

If you have any concerns on your pets ears, please do not hesitate to reach out.

🐴🐱 Meet Bella… who seems to think she’s actually a cat! 🐱🐴

Caught purrrrrfecting her best feline stretch, Bella was clearly channeling her inner house cat today. All she’s missing is a sunny windowsill and a cardboard box! ☀️📦

Horses might be a little bigger than cats, but sometimes their personalities aren’t so different… dramatic, curious, and convinced the world revolves around them. 😄

We’d love to know does your horse have a secret spirit animal too?