The Liphook Equine Hospital
Committed to caring for your horse
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News
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| Other news | |
Nothing stands still for long, and veterinary medicine and government legislation certainly do not. To improve standards for the public the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (the regulatory body for UK vets) have initiated a new accreditation scheme for practices, which was launched to the public in March 2006. Veterinary practices will, from that date be either non-accredited or, having passed various criteria, be accredited and if so, placed in one of three tiers. We are very proud to say that we have been accredited as a Tier 3 (the highest level) practice on the basis of our facilities, administration, personnel and service to our clients. Be assured that the practice ethos of excellence in equine veterinary medicine and surgery will long continue. For more information see www.rcvs.org.uk/practicestandards
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The Hospital has recently installed a brand new washing and drying system to provide the highest level of hygiene for the hospitals laundry. The system called 'Otex' produces Ozone within the wash cycle which kills all known bacteria, spores, mould and bugs. This means that we no longer require harsh detergents which may reactivate once a garment is worn, potentially creating an allergic reaction. Since we are so completely satisfied with the results we would like to offer the same high level of cleanliness to our clients wishing to have rugs or other items cleaned. For further details and pricing please contact either reception or the Yard General Manager by phone (01428 723594) or email. |
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From January 1st 2005, the FEI vaccination regulations changed. From now on horses must have 'flu boosters every 6 months rather than annually as previously. For more details see www.britisheventing.com |
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John retired from the partnership on 31 October 2004 but will, we are delighted to announce, remain as a part-time member of the Practice team. John purchased the Practice in 1976 from the widow of the late Richard Hartley and since then has led the Practice’s development to become one of the largest and busiest equine hospitals in the country. We are very pleased that he will remain with us and will still consult and operate for one week a month. He has also been appointed as Visiting Professor of Equine Surgery at The University of Melbourne, Australia, so will be taking brief tours down under in search of sun and surf in between his continuing duties at the Practice. Many clients have asked how we will mark this major change to the Practice but, primarily at John’s request, we will not be doing so at this stage as John is not leaving the Practice, rather just will be here less than before. He has no plans to retire completely and any “leaver’s party” will therefore be delayed, hopefully, for some considerable time. The partnership will continue
exactly as before and it is the aim of all the five remaining Partners
that we will maintain the ethos of the Practice that John
set up (for information
on practice members see the team).
A vaccination against strangles is now available for use in the UK (for information on the disease, see strangles). Other types of strangles vaccine have been available in USA and Australia for several years but have not been licensed in this country due to concerns over lack of effectiveness and side effects. This new vaccine (called "Equilis Strep E") is made by Intervet, the 2nd largest animal health company in the UK with a speciality in vaccine production. In order to gain a UK license this vaccine has been proven to be more effective than previous types and far safer also. It is based on novel vaccine technology and a very small amount (0.2ml) of vaccine is actually introduced into the horse's upper lip rather than an intramuscular injection as in other vaccine types. A small painless local swelling and pustule usually develops for a few days but there is no need to interupt exercise programmes and the horse can be ridden as normal. Trials have shown that the vaccine typically protects about 75% of horses against strangles infection - the remaining 25% may show some signs of strangles but are far less ill than unvaccinated horses. The vaccine is unnecessary and not recommended for widespread use in all horses and ponies. Rather a targeted approach is advised and use is recommended in yards that may be at an increased risk of strangles due to a history of previous cases on the yard or due to frequent movements on and off the yard, especially youngsters and newcomers from sales or dealers. The vaccine can be used in adults or in foals from 4 months of age. Two initial doses are required, 4 weeks apart, followed by boosters every 3-6 months depending on the height of the estimated risk on the yard. Vaccination in the face of a strangles outbreak is unlikely to be helpful unless horses have been vaccinated previously as a good response to initial vaccination does take several weeks. For further information or to discuss use of the vaccine in your horse, phone the hospital on 01428 723594.
Why not come and visit the
hospital and get an insight into how things work in a busy equine
practice. We are always happy to welcome groups of at least 10 people
(eg. livery yards, pony clubs etc…) to the hospital for a
tour of the facilities. See the operating theatre (there might even
be a horse ‘on the table’), the Xray suite, the MRI,
scanners, scopes and other equipment and see how they work. Questions
are always welcome and we can even arrange a short informative presentation
on particular aspects of horse health that might interest you. In
order to respect the privacy of in-patients we cannot however enter
into detailed discussion of individual horses at the hopsital. Tours
have to be arranged for the evenings rather than during the daytime
due to the workload at the hospital. Contact reception to enquire
further or to arrange a tour (01428 723594).
The Hospital has one of only two magnetic resonance units in the country that allows MR imaging of the lower limbs in standing horses without the need for general anaesthetic. The system is operated by a qualified imaging technician (Marie Luker) in conjunction with Jane Boswell, one of our orthopaedic surgeons. MRI is an excellent tool for imaging the different structures in the lower limb and is particularly useful in horses with lameness arising from the foot. This modality complements other imaging techniques and is helping to unravel the "mysteries" of navicular syndrome (see hospital facilities).
To help those of you who work during the week and who may find it difficult to take time off for an appointment for those important but non urgent matters, we have started a vaccination clinic for registered first opinion clients who wish to bring their horses or ponies to the Hospital on Saturday mornings. Short, (maximum of 20 minute), appointments are available on Saturday morning for such matters as vaccinations, teeth rasping or mare scanning. These appointments are not however suitable for injuries, illnesses, lamenesses or more complicated diagnostic procedures which will continue to be seen in the usual way. To make an appointment, please telephone the Reception team.
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