For this year’s Strangles Awareness Week, please encourage as many clients as possible to take the SAW Temp Check Challenge. By monitoring their horse’s rectal temperature every day between 2nd to 8th May and uploading readings onto the digital Temp Checker, owners will have the average calculated automatically so they’re aware of what’s normal for their own horse, and – just as importantly - what isn’t.
We know that fever is one of the first signs of a disease like strangles and generally occurs before the horse develops other symptoms and becomes infectious. This means spotting a high temperature early and taking precautions is the best chance we have to contain a potential outbreak before it spreads. Yet a 2021 survey revealed that more than half of owners said they only check their horse’s temperature after noticing other signs their horse is unwell, and a further 28% don’t check temperature at all.
Go to the digital Temp Checker to find out more and share the Challenge with clients, along with a short film of fabulous international eventer Piggy March demonstrating how to overcome any horse or human first-time temperature checking nerves!