Practice Facilities

 

 

 

The clinic is on a site of approximately six acres (including over four and a half acres of paddocks) located in a peaceful rural setting.  We have large car and lorry parking areas with a safe secure trotting up and examination area.  We currently have five stables (including a large mare and foal box) to hospitalise horses.  We positively encourage horses to come to the clinic as outpatients where we have all the clinic’s resources at our disposal to provide a better service (and also save our clients a visit fee).

 

 

 

Practice facilities

 

 

 

At our clinic we can offer the following:

 

·        Radiography, with an automatic x-ray processor so that our clients may see the resulting radiographs within minutes of being taken.

·        Digital ultrasonagraphy, both for lameness evaluation of soft tissue structures as well as reproductive work. (We can reliably diagnose pregnancy 14 days after conception).

·      Digital endoscopy, we can examine the upper respiratory tract of all sizes of horse as well as the stomachs of the smaller ones.  Owners and handlers can view the findings on a television screen whilst the examination is being carried out.

·        We have our own practice laboratory on site.  We can get same day Haematology and Biochemistry blood results.  We also do our own overnight cultures of cervical/ endometrial swabs, /smears for mares during the stud season.

·        Veterinary (5 stage) pre-purchase examinations, or Veterinary examinations for mortality insurance.

·        We have our own operating theatre where we can carry out a wide variety of surgical procedures.

·        We have on site stabling for both surgical and medical patients and we are happy to keep mares at the clinic for AI.

·        We have started running lameness investigation clinics together with registered physiotherapist Susanna Grady for lame horses who have concurrent back problems.

·        We are happy to liase with our clients own Farriers for surgical or remedial shoeing, alternatively we have surgical farriery clinics with Richard Gerkin at the practice premises.

·        We run a Dentistry clinic, where in addition to routine tooth rasping and extractions by qualified veterinary surgeons, we can also try to improve the horse’s acceptance of the bit by creating ‘bit seats’.  Alternatively we are happy to work with BEVA approved equine dentists at our client’s own premises.

·        For clients who do not have access to their own transport we can normally arrange transportation both to and from the clinic.  The charge for this service is a matter of negotiation between the transporters and the client directly.

·        We can now offer our clients both therapeutic ultrasound together with LASER therapy, to facilitate the healing of soft tissue injuries and wounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Services provided  

 

 

All our clinical records are fully computerised.  We send out vaccination booster reminders to our clients as well a giving them a reminder sticker to put on the passport cover at the time of  each vaccination.  We must stress however that no veterinary practice can accept responsibility for ensuring that all the vaccinations given to individual horses, comply with the specific rules of competition (these are dictated by the individual governing bodies e.g. the FEI etc, and may change at any time) or that they are given on time.  This will always be the individual owners sole responsibility.  In essence it is no defence in law to drive an untaxed vehicle on the road and to say that the DVLA did not send you a reminder!

 

We are always happy to advise clients on preventative medicine (e.g. worm control etc) for their individual horses and to discuss whether other vaccination programmes (e.g. Herpes or Strangles vaccinations) are indicated. 

 

 

Equine 'MOT's.

 

We would like to take this opportunity to recommend our annual preventative healthcare or ‘MOT’ programme.  This includes the following

 

 

The results of this examination (along with any subsequent tests performed during the following year) can be filled in on a folder, which we provide.  This 'MOT' is aimed primarily at the middle aged to older horses and we see it as an annual 'well man /well woman' type of check up.  This gives you the reassurance that he /she is still in good health and continues to be safe to ride.  The benefit of this examination is that we hope to detect diseases earlier, when hopefully they are easier and cheaper! to treat, this should result in less time spent off work.  This will build up into a detailed clinical and medical record of your horse.  This is especially useful as owners are expected to keep their horse’s medical records by their insurers and we particularly recommend it for horses and ponies over the age of 10 or 12 years of age.  We usually recommend that a good time to consider this examination is when your horse is due his /her annual booster vaccinations.  This package costs £65.00 (plus VAT) and is available for those clients who wish to avail themselves of it (this currently represents a saving of a third off the full price if these services were charged for separately).  This price does NOT include the cost of any sedation (if required) and it only covers the cost of routine tooth rasping, (i.e. the grinding of molar hooks, /the creation of bit seats etc is NOT included).  

 

 

 

Whilst we do not run a small animal clinic, we are happy to do routine vaccinations of both cats and dogs whilst attending our clients horses.  Additionally we are happy to provide routine wormers and flea control treatments for these animals.  We would be happy to recommend local small animal clinics to our clients for any other clinical services.

 

 

 

The dual Hickstead Derby winner Kilbaha, a previous patient of our clinic.  

 

Acorns Equine Clinic complementary products:

 

We are pleased to announce that we have just launched our own range of complementary products as an aid to the treatment of several of the common problems we encounter in our client's horses.  These are extremely competitively priced and are all zero rated for VAT.  Our new range currently includes the following:

Glucosamine:

Glucosamine has traditionally been use as an anti-arthritis treatment in conjunction with chondroitin sulphate.  However doubts exist as to whether chondroitin sulphate is absorbed in a biologically active form.  For this reason our product is 99.9% pure glucosamine.  Glucosamine is well absorbed after oral administration, it appears to protect damaged cartilage and to reduce the inflammation in arthritis.  A 1KG tub of glucosamine should last a 500kg horse about 100 days at normal dose rates.

 Echinacea leaf:

Echinacea (common name purple cone flower), was the most widely used medicinal plant by the plains Indians in the USA.  Both the leaf and the root appear to be medically useful.  It is believed to have both antiviral and antibacterial properties as well as an ability to boost the immune system and to help with wound healing.  Echinacea seems to be particularly useful for horses that have respiratory infections, (especially viral infections) .  It doesn't appear to be harmful at normal doses, (but skin rashes and itchiness have been noted in people with high dose usage over longer periods of time).  A 1.5kg tub of Echinacea lasts a 500kg horse about 30 days at normal dose rates.     

Boswellia Extract:

Boswellia Serrata, (common name Frankincense), is a tree found in many parts of India, the middle east and north Africa.  It has been used for a long time in folk medicine to treat arthritis.  The parts used (gum resin) contain essential oils, gum and terpenoids.  The terpenoids appear to have an action similar to the non steroidal (NSAIDS), -drugs currently used in both humans and animals, (e.g. Ketoprofen, -used in human arthritis).  Although it appears to act in a similar way to the NSAIDS, it currently does not appear to be as toxic.  It is a very useful product either on its own or when combined with glucosamine for horses with arthritis.  A 300g tub should last a 500kg horse about 20-30 days at normal dose rates.  

Hoof supplement:

Main ingredients, biotin, calcium, phosphorous and magnesium from purely herbal sources.  This is a natural product and has exceptional bio availability for high level absorption by the body.  Our hoof supplement is designed to promote the growth of healthy hardy resilient horn and is particularly useful in horses with brittle hoof walls.  It should be noted that it takes between six and nine months for new horn to grow down from the coronet, so it should ideally be fed for several months to gain the maximum benefit. A 2.5kg tub lasts an average 500kg horse an average of 20 days on the loading dose and 40 days on the maintenance dose.    

 

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