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VETERINARY ADVICE
Over the past five years, vet Stephen Ashdown has written many articles, spoken on equine matters and contributed widely to horse magazines.

Here he reproduces in the form of questions and answers about 100 topics, all of them common problems which afflict horses.

To access Topics click on Vet Advice Menu.

Wart a Relief
Q Over the last two weeks I have noticed lots of warts on my two-year old's lower lip. She is a TBx I've owned for three months and I haven't seen anything like this before. Will they disappear in time or is there anything I can do to get rid of them?

A Such growths are relatively common in young horses and are caused by a certain type of virus. They usually disappear of their own accord in three or four months and treatment is not always necessary. If they get sore, you could use some cream from your vet or a soothing cream such as calendula (marigold) from the chemist would also help.

Vitamin E cream is good for improving the quality of the skin and might ease the problem. If the warts get very bad and start spreading, you should consider using a vaccine that your vet would have to make up specially from the warts on your horse. If they do get worse, it may be that your horse's immune system is not working well and a course of herbs could be useful.

 

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