Dukes
Veterinary
Practice
Dykehead Farm
Aboyne
Aberdeenshire
AB34 5JH
www.dukesvets.com
Equine Newsletter
Due to the amount of information we want to include in this newsletter we have split up into a
farm and an equine newsletter. If you only received one newsletter and wish to receive both
please contact the practice, preferably by email linda@dukesvets.com as we can save trees by
sending newsletters electronically or you can download all our newsletters from the website.
Welcome to our October newsletter
Over the last six weeks we have been reviewing the service we offer to our clients and
speaking to a few of you about how we are doing, what you like and areas you feel we can
improve upon. The feedback we have received so far has been extremely useful and we have
already taken your comments on board. We will continue to speak to a few more clients each
month to ensure we are continuing to meet or exceed your expectations in terms of the service
we provide.
We are always approachable for any comments or suggestions you may have. If you are
happy with our service tell everybody! If you are not tell us, and we will do everything in our
power to put it right. We are aware that the growth of our practice has been largely down to
recommendation from existing customers and we would like to thank all of you for that. As a
thank you, from the beginning of October we will be giving a £10.00 Dukes Vet Practice
voucher to any of our clients who introduce a new client to our practice, once the new client
has used the practice. We will be asking all new clients on registering if someone
recommended us to them so we know who to thank!
Staff changes
There have been a few changes in the practice recently. Sarah Wyatt, who has been with us
for a year is moving on and we wish her all the best in the future. Jim feels he has been
spending too much time in the office and is keen to get back to more practical work. As Jim
says himself, being a vet is what he’s good at and he’s useless in the office anyway! The
practice is generally quieter over the winter period and we will be staying at two vets until the
spring.
Marion, our new additional office staff member is going on maternity leave but is planning to
come back next year. Marion is a fully qualified veterinary nurse and as well as carrying on
in the office, will also be using more of her practical nursing skills on her return.
Equine and Farm Animal Practice
___________________________________________________________________________
 013398 87010
Dukes Veterinary Practice Limited
Fax 013398 85554
Registered in Scotland No. 230567
Email jim@dukesvets.com; linda@dukesvets.com
Director Jim Dukes BVM&S, MRCVS
Design a worm control program – Evening talk with Deeside Riding Club
It’s been a good year for internal parasites!! Mild wet weather favours the survival of
infectious stages on pasture, there are increased levels of resistance to many worm control
products currently used in horses. We are currently involved in a trial looking at resistance on
farms in Aberdeenshire. We do not have all the results yet but one thing is clear; worm
counts were higher than expected. For the trial we have tested over 160 horses and over half
of them had significant worm burdens. All the horses are from well managed yards which
have regular worm control.
One clear message is that, regardless of how good or bad you think your horse’s worm
control program is you need to take egg counts periodically to check its effectiveness. The
other thing we have found is wide variations within groups. Since there is no safe minimum
worm burden established for horses, and wide individual variations in immunity we now
recommend testing every horse, rather than sampling a percentage of the group. We are now
doing worm egg counts in house. To be useful the sample must be fresh (warm when
collected!) and delivered to us within 24hours of collection. Samples can be posted if
suitably packaged (check post office guidelines but double wrapped in leak-proof packaging
with sufficient absorbent material to soak up any spillage).
We are talking about Parasite control programs at the Deeside Riding Club AGM at the
Muggart Haugh Hotel 7.00pm on 4th November. Non members are welcome but please
contact Jane Pryor with numbers first on 07801508072 or email jane@hobgoblins.fslife.co.uk
Organise a talk for your club
We are usually happy to provide a speaker free of charge for any local riding organisations.
If you wish to organise a talk contact the practice with your idea. The next talk we are
planning will be later on this year, probably looking at avoiding pitfalls when buying a horse.
We will contact you once this is arranged.
Time for teeth
Equine dentistry has always been an important part of our practice. As well as complex
procedures such as molar extractions, we offer routine dental care for all horses. We have
been using a motorised rasp for most horses for the last 6 years. Although the electric rasp
doesn’t necessarily speed up the procedure it can be less traumatic for some horses, and also
less tiring for the vet. This enables a thorough job to be done on all horses throughout the day.
Whilst not all horses need sedation we often find that it is necessary to do the important fiddly
bits such as the last upper molar teeth, which otherwise the horse may not tolerate rasping.
We use the minimum sedation necessary to keep costs reasonable whilst carrying out this
important task.
Horses are expensive to keep. To us it makes sense to keep the horses teeth rasped regularly
so that the horse is comfortable and able to perform to the best of his ability at all times. With
the costs of food rising, it is also sensible to ensure that they are not wasting food because
they can’t chew it properly. Please contact Linda at the office if you wish to arrange a dental
check for your horse.
Design our Practice logo – Win a prize!
We have changed our letterhead slightly and are looking to create a simple logo for the
practice. If any amateur graphic designer out there has a good idea for our letterhead or logo,
please send it to us and we will give you a decent bottle of whisky, champagne or £30 of
shopping vouchers – your choice - if we use your design.
___________________________________________________________________________
 013398 87010
Dukes Veterinary Practice Limited
Fax 013398 85554
Registered in Scotland No. 230567
Email jim@dukesvets.com; linda@dukesvets.com
Director Jim Dukes BVM&S, MRCVS