BHS Launch First Ever ‘Colic Awareness Week’
The British Horse Society have announced the launch of their first ever Colic Awareness Week. The spotlight week will run between Monday 1st April-Sunday 7th April 2019.
The announcement comes after the launch of the charity’s most recent campaign, ‘REACT Now to Beat Colic’. The week will be run in collaboration with campaign partners, the University of Nottingham.
The brand new spotlight week will support the campaign, further highlighting the lack of colic-symptom recognition within the industry. Over a five-year period, research by the University of Nottingham found that 90% of horse owners did not feel confident spotting the early signs of colic. Additionally, the findings identified that up to one in three colic cases seen by vets were ‘critical cases’. Of these ‘critical cases’, over 80% resulted in fatalities.
The campaign has already received enormous success. Since the launch, the BHS has distributed nearly 30,000 colic packs and 15,000 guides to horse owners.
The spotlight week aims to supplement the success of the campaign. The week will raise further awareness on the importance of recognising colic symptoms. Additionally, providing further support for owner’s in spotting subtle and earlier signs of colic and highlighting the importance of veterinary assistance.
Discussing the launch of ‘Colic Awareness Week’, BHS Welfare and Education Manager,
Emmeline Hannelly, said:
“We are really excited to be hosting our first ever Colic Awareness Week with the University of Nottingham. Since we launched ‘REACT Now to Beat Colic’ in 2016, we have received so many positive responses from horse owners and vets as a result of the information we provide.”
“Colic is still a huge welfare concern for horse owners due to the suddenness with which it can appear and the potential consequences that it can cause. I think that dedicating a whole week to raising awareness of the issues associated with the condition will help to provide owners with the information they need to make informed decisions about their horse’s welfare.”
Excited to be working alongside the BHS, University of Nottingham Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Sarah Freeman, expressed :
“Our colic research team is delighted to be working with The British Horse Society to raise awareness of colic. Colic is the most common emergency in the horse and can involve some really difficult decisions for owners. The Colic Awareness Week is a great new initiative to help owners recognise signs of colic early, act promptly and make the best decisions for their horses”.
‘Colic Awareness Week’ will see the BHS and University of Nottingham providing free and exclusive material to horse owners on the topic of colic. Video resources will be made available on how owners can prevent colic, and what to do in an emergency.
Also, veterinary practices across the country that are part of the ‘Vet REACT Colic Champions scheme’ will also be raising awareness of colic by sharing information with their clients throughout the week.
To get involved with ‘Colic Awareness Week’ ensure you are following The BHS website and social media channels.
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Reporting on equestrian news stories, Abby also produces a variety of engaging content for the magazine.