NEWSLETTERS 2003, 2004, 2005
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The
Liphook Equine Hospital
Newsletter March 2005
This newsletter brings you
information about the passport scheme, flu vaccinations, strangles
and allergy testing.
ILPH SALE. We are delighted to be able to
say that, following our 'Barn Sale' last November we have sent a
cheque for a little under £700 to the International League
for the Protection of Horses. In our view the ILPH is the one charity
that really achieves success in looking after horses in the UK as
well as overseas. Thank you all for your generous purchases towards
this worthy recipient.
RECEPTION. We apologize to any of you who were caught up
in the recent upheavals as our Reception office was updated but
it is now fully back in action assisting you and controlling us.
We thank our excellent Reception Team without whom the practice
would flounder.
PASSPORTS. The deadline has now passed and every horse should
have a passport by now; if you still need one please contact Reception
and we can advise you. Owners of horses that are eligible for entry
in a stud book of a recognised breed society should be aware that
they should only apply to that breed society (and not other passport
authorities) for a passport. Passports issued to horses of proven
breeding by anyone other than the breed society may not be valid
and it may cause problems with their future financial value or ability
to enter showing classes. This little known fact ensures that you
comply with another, different EU regulation. Most breed societies
had previously not worried about these technicalities but now some
of the more vociferous ones seem, to us, to be attempting to enforce
these rules for their own financial benefit. Who said the regulators
could be trusted to pass clearly understood, easily enforced legislation?
But let's not talk of hunting……
Please be assured that we will not, under any circumstances, refuse
to treat any horse that does not have a passport available, whether
it be left behind or perhaps even not yet applied for. The only
restrictions on our treatments may be that our use of certain drugs
will be restricted by the category of Declaration that you have
signed in that horse's passport.
FLU VACCINATION REGULATIONS. Please be aware that the FEI,
and therefore some other authorities, have changed their regulations
for the use of Influenza vaccines. Full details are available at
www.britisheventing.co.uk but, in short, fully vaccinated horses
will now need further boosters every six months rather than every
year if they are to compete under such rules. More importantly,
perhaps, do be aware that there are still, not infrequently, cases
of 'flu reported in the South of England in unvaccinated horses.
Check your own horse's vaccination status.
STRANGLES. We are still finding cases of this unpleasant
and highly contagious disease amongst horses in our practice area.
There is now a vaccine available against Strangles which is, perhaps,
more suitable as a yard prevention measure than as an individual
horse protection but please do not hesitate to talk to your usual
vet about this if you are interested. Be aware that there is, currently,
Strangles in our practice area.
ALLERGY TESTING. As Spring approaches, the level of fly activity
increases in common with other potential causes of equine allergy.
Skin allergies in horses manifest themselves as either continual
rubbing and itching or as skin 'wheals' or 'hives'. Suspected allergies
are best investigated by a panel of skin tests that hopefully identify
the culprit(s) and allow the options of avoidance (if possible)
or the making up a 'hyposensitisation vaccine' to reduce the allergic
symptoms. The vaccines are well accepted now in most forms of skin
allergy although have only recently become available for classical
sweet itch cases. Contact the practice for further details.
POSTSCRIPT. May we respectfully ask from us that you please
examine your latest bills and your consciences and, if appropriate,
pay us promptly? We are most grateful to the majority who do but
as the medicines have already been purchased by the time they are
used and as we have already paid our staff for their work prompt
payment aids our cashflow and improves our sanity! Thank you. |
The
Liphook Equine Hospital
Newsletter Summer 2004
This newsletter brings you
information about the proposed passport scheme, news of our new
MRI facility,
and seasonal Topical Tips.
Topics covered in this Newsletter;
Horse Passports
Passport 'n' Chips
John Walmsley awarded FRCVS
New MRI equipment
Topical Tips;
Horse
Passports. You will all know by now that the Government
has stated its intention of passing legislation that will require
all horse, pony and donkey owners to have a passport for each animal
and that your applications must be made before 30 June this year.
Although the actual legislation has not yet been presented to Parliament
it seems unlikely that the Government will do another U-turn, so
you should prepare for this new law now. You will also recall from
previous newsletters that as a practice we are less than enthusiastic
about the merits of the scheme. However, the law is the law and,
as previously, we would advise all clients to ensure that they comply
with all legislation.
Passport
'n' Chips. Whilst we do have our reservations about the
passport scheme and we cannot stand in the way of progress we can,
and will, do our utmost to help our clients comply. To this end
we have negotiated a special deal with a manufacturer of microchips
and we are pleased to be able to offer this to any of our clients
with immediate effect. The details are given below but, in essence,
for one markedly reduced fee you will be able to have both your
horse microchipped and a passport issued. In addition, the microchip
number will be able to be used as your unique identification number
for the proposed new National Equine Database that is also on the
horizon. Currently the charge for a microchip is £25 plus
VAT and the various passport authorities charge anything from £10
to £55 for a passport. With this special offer for our clients
a single payment of £35, inclusive of VAT, will purchase you
both the microchip and the passport. As this is being done by ourselves
virtually at cost to help you comply with the legislation we would
ask that full payment be made at the time and that also your account
balance, if any, be cleared at or before the appointment for the
microchip insertion.
Please note that it is not a legal requirement for your horse to
have a microchip and you are quite entitled to apply for a passport
yourself in the usual way.
Recognition
of John Walmsley. We are delighted, and proud, to be able
to announce that the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has honoured
John by the award of an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his
contribution to the development of equine surgery in this country
and of his international standing in the profession. Well done!
New
MRI facility at Liphook. The new, much awaited, MRI scanner
has now been installed in a purpose built temporary building and
is already proving itself as a most useful and efficient method
of detecting the more obscure problems in the feet of lame horses.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, is fast becoming the diagnostic
method of choice in many human investigations and now with the installation
of one of only two such units in the UK here at Liphook we too are
finding that it can be a really useful tool to help diagnose our
patients' problems. The great advantage of this new machine is that
it can be used on standing, conscious horses and thus there is no
need for a general anaesthesia.
Topical
Tips
Sweet
Itch. Now is the start of the Sweet Itch season which is
caused by an allergy to the biting midges of the Culicoides family.
These tiny midges bite horses usually at dawn and dusk and a single
bite may lead to an inflamed, itchy skin that lasts for up to two
weeks. As a result of this itchy reaction the horses then scratch
themselves, often inflicting damage and rubbing away their mane
and tail. Now is the time to take preventive measures and we would
be happy to give you specific advice about your horses or ponies
for this. Generally, the best advice includes turning the horses
out by day and then in for the night avoiding the dawn and dusk,
ensuring that they are kept in a breeze, covering them with specific
anti-fly rugs and protecting them with appropriate fly repellents.
In some cases, specific treatment with steroids may also be required.
Research work is still being carried out to develop a vaccine but
as yet there is no indication of when it will come on to the market.
We have an information leaflet on this subject, and on many others,
which is available from Reception or may be downloaded from this
web site here.
Laminitis.
Although laminitis is an ever present threat to all horses and ponies,
we see a peak in the incidence around this time of year with the
flush of good grass. All horses are at risk, not just the pony population.
As with humans, the key to health and happiness is (so they tell
me) more exercise and less food - oh that it was so easy! Do beware
of the threat of laminitis and, if appropriate, restrict your horse's
grazing and hard food accordingly. An increase in body condition,
a larger than usual crest or the development of 'digital pulses'
in the fetlock region are all early warning signs that, if noticed,
may help prevent the onset of the disease. Prompt treatment is essential
- laminitis should be treated as an emergency if the severe after
effects are to be minimised. If in doubt, contact us for advice
as soon as you are concerned. If you do not know how to check for
digital pulses ask any of us to demonstrate how to feel for them
at the next time that we treat one of your horses; it is an invaluable
trick to learn and to constantly check for.
Castration
of colts. Traditionally this operation is carried out in
the Spring and early summer. We have an information leaflet on this
subject which is available from Reception, or from this web site here. To make it easier
for you to budget we now perform this operation at a fixed fee -
please telephone Reception if you would like further information,
advice and to make a booking.
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The
Liphook Equine Hospital
Newsletter Autumn 2003
This newsletter brings you
information about the proposed passport scheme, news of this Autumn's
series of Client Evenings and also news about staff changes.
Topics covered in this Newsletter;
Horse Passports
Client's Evenings
Staff News
Website
Annual Health Checks
The driveway
Horse
Passports.
Regular readers of our newsletters will be aware that, as a Practice,
we are less than enamoured by the proposed horse passport scheme
that the Government has decided to introduce in response to instructions
from Brussels. We can do no better than to agree with HRH The Princess
Royal who, when opening the British Veterinary Association's Congress
in September, described the proposals as "almost absurd".
Up until now we have always advised that clients should adopt a
wait and see attitude to these, mainly to see whether in fact the
scheme will take off and if so how it will be implemented. We still
have very major doubts, not only as to the actual purpose of the
scheme but also as to whether or not it will ever prove workable.
However we do not wish to become in any way agitators for an anti-Government
rebellion amongst the equestrian community and thus our advice to
our clients now is that you should, probably, comply with the legislation
and make your applications for your passports before the end of
December. There are, amazingly, over 60 different stud books and
societies who are able to issue passports and they all have different
procedures and different costs. However, we are afraid that we cannot
make recommendations as to which organisation will suit your purposes
better.
The purpose of the horse passport scheme is to prevent horses that
eventually end up in the human food chain having had certain medications
that could endanger human consumers. A much more useful by-product
of the scheme will be to help ensure that many of the medicines
which were threatened with being banned by the EU may still be allowed
for those horses that are not intended for human consumption. In
a nutshell the first owner of the horse will have to decide whether
or not that horse is going to end up in the human food chain. If
not then there is a much wider range of medicines that we will be
allowed to use. If they are to end up in the human food chain they
will have only a restricted range of treatment available. It will
probably be possible to change, once, from the meat to pleasure
category but it seems most unlikely you will ever be able to change
from the pleasure back to the meat category. The horse will need
to be accompanied by its passport at all times, especially when
being sold, and it may well yet become compulsory for the passport
to accompany horses that are admitted to our hospital. The Government
has not yet published full details of the proposed scheme although
it will become law before the end of the year.
One of our major worries is that this scheme has in fact missed
out on some very useful potential benefits to the equestrian community.
Whereas for the first time ever we may have an accurate picture
of the number and distribution of horses in the UK, passports will
never be entirely accurate (as owners can complete the identifications
as well as entering their interpretation of the horse's breeding
and dates of foaling).
DEFRA have decided not to combine the paper passport with any permanent
form of identification for the horse e.g. a microchip. An accurate
passport scheme that could have positively identified each and every
individual horse and combined that with information regarding its
breeding and age would have been a most useful step forward, in
our opinion, for the UK horse industry. Sadly that opportunity will
not now occur but for pragmatic reasons we would suggest that clients
follow DEFRA's advice and apply for their passports before the end
of this year.
If you require further information, DEFRA have a website at www.defra.gov.uk
and also a telephone helpline that you may wish to consult. Their
number is 08459 335577
Rest assured! Whatever the government decides to do with the horse
passport scheme we will continue to treat all horses - even those
who haven’t yet applied for one.
Staff News.
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Miss Elizabeth Rabinovitz
as our new Yard Manager, in succession to Jo Payze who is leaving
to travel to Africa. Elizabeth was, until recently, the Eventing
Discipline Director of the United States Equestrian Federation and
before that had extensive experience of running large competition
and showing yards, as well as commercial management experience.
Together with the enlarged nursing team she will, we are certain,
further strengthen the care of the horses entrusted to us.
We have recently welcomed Miss Nikki Brown MRCVS and Miss Olivia
Lewis MRCVS to the enlarged team of House Vets, who perform such
a vital role in the care of our in patients. We remain committed
to, and proud of, the fact that our equine hospital provides the
most comprehensive 24 hour veterinary and nursing care available
in the UK.
We are very sorry to announce that Malcolm Morley will be leaving
the Practice at the end of October and we wish him every good fortune
in his new venture. Malcolm has been with us for two tours of duty
since he qualified ten years ago and we will miss his personality
and enthusiasm. Peter Gallon will leave the Practice for an extended
tour of the south of Australia over the winter before returning
to us next March. In addition we are pleased to announce that Huw
Griffiths has been appointed to join the ambulatory team and will
start in the New Year. He comes to us having gained experience in
Wales and in the South East, and we welcome him to the Practice
team.
Website.
Our website is constantly being expanded and rewritten and we welcome
comments about it. For ease it can now be accessed through the shortened
version of www.TheLeh.co.uk as well as via the extended original
address. This site contains a wealth of information both about the
Practice and about current veterinary medical topics relating to
your horses. It is not designed, nor is it suitable, for making
enquiries about a particular horse's health problems or for making
appointments but it does, we hope, provide you with a wealth of
background information about your horse's health. Any suggestions
or additions are always welcomed.
Annual health checks.
This scheme will run again this winter until the end of February.
Further details are available on our website or from Reception.
This provides a cost effective clinical and laboratory assessment
of your horse’s health.
The driveway.
The approach to the Hospital is both narrow and has blind corners.
Please drive slowly to be safe and to avoid injury to horses and
their handlers. The speed limit is a maximum of 20 mph but please
drive less than that when visibility is restricted. |
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