Western Counties Equine Hospital

24/01/2025

Then VS now ⤴️ 🫏

Meet Milo the 8 year old Miniature donkey.

Milo had an unfortunate accident in his new field shelter, resulting in a nasty wound to one of his heel bulbs.

Milo’s quick thinking owner applied a light dressing and pressure bandage to stem the bleeding and protect his wound from further contamination whilst waiting for the vet to arrive.

Despite Milo’s wound he was walking well and the wound was assessed. The flap over the heel bulb was barely attached to the tissue below and the blood flow had been compromised, the skin flap was removed as it was no longer viable and Milo’s wound was left to heal by secondary intention.

With regular wound debridement, flushing, bandaging and manuka honey Milo’s wound healed very well and we are pleased to report he’s back out in the field with his best friend Pearl.

23/01/2025

Really good podcast episode featuring Alex Wood and B&W. It’s an interesting overview of the equine behavioural work Alex does.

On today’s Horse & Hound Podcast advertisement feature with CVS Equine, we talk to vet Alex Wood of B&W Equine Vets, which is part of the CVS Equine family. Alex talks about the challenges of dealing with vet-shy horses, and has some useful advice on how to retrain a horse who demonstrates undesirable behaviour to make the experience less stressful for all involved.

21/01/2025

Overground scoping 🔬🩺

What is this❓
A frequently performed imaging technique to assess the upper airway in race horses and competition horses whilst exercising. A soft endoscope is placed through the horse’s nose and sits in the pharynx and records the movement of the upper airway.

Why is this used❓
This provides useful additional information that may not be seen by endoscopy at rest in the stable. Abnormalities may affect performance, for example, an event horse tiring excessively during cross country. Surgery can improve the horse’s ability to breath more easily during exercise.

The second photo (different horse to the first photo) shows ⤵️
Axial deviation of the aryepiglottal fold, therefore narrowing the airway and reducing oxygen uptake. This was helped by laser surgery.

21/01/2025

The road is now OPEN from Culmstock to WCEH! Access is back to normal.

16/01/2025

The road is still closed. It is totally shut from the pub in Culmstock to WCEH. Everyone wanting to access the practice, will need to come through Uffculme.

We will update you when it re-opens.

ROAD CLOSURE‼️

You cannot access the practice from Culmstock due to a road closure. You will need to enter the practice from Uffculme direction.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused by this.

13/01/2025

ROAD CLOSURE‼️

You cannot access the practice from Culmstock due to a road closure. You will need to enter the practice from Uffculme direction.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused by this.

09/01/2025

MEET THE TEAM - WCEH Practice Manager - Heidi Tull! 🐶

Heidi started as a receptionist in 2016 and soon showed her reliability and brilliant organisational skills. In 2022 she was promoted to the practice manager role. Her day consists of organising staff to maintaining RCVS practice standards and so much more. Heidi is incredibly efficient and does a brilliant job of keeping vets Chris and Simon in check, as they lead the practice together. Heidi’s favourite part of her job is problem solving, whether it is client or staff based, and keeping the team motivated (which is normally food oriented). 🍩

Outside of work she enjoys baking, walking her dog Stan and watching NH racing and eventing. She is partial to watching Gavin and Stacy, and occasionally the Simpsons whilst making dinner. Alongside this she spends lots of time being taxi service to football training and matches for son Fin. ⚽️

03/01/2025

How to trot a horse up VS how NOT to ⬇️

Whether a horse is being trotted up for an examination or for a competition, it is imperative to do it correctly.

Top tips:
💡 Run at the correct speed for your horse.
💡 Do not told the horses head too tight, but have the lead rope short enough to maintain control.
💡 Stay straight.
💡 Run at your horses shoulder, not in front.
💡 Feel free to use a bridle if you have a lack of control in a headcollar.
💡 Make sure you have a flat surface.

31/12/2024

Happy New Year from everyone at WCEH - we look forward to seeing all of your 2025 happy healthy horses 🐎 🍾

WCEH have had a busy year, with 112 horses admitted with colic, with the majority going home fit and well, and roughly 130 vettings! 🏥

Scroll down to a previous post to see how colic can potentially be avoided ⬇️

27/12/2024

So lovely to see so many of our clients enjoying Christmas with their horses 🎄

Thank you for all these brilliant pictures!

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas from everyone here at WCEH ❤️🎅🏼🎄

Please share any Christmassy photos you have of your horses, we would love to see them.

19/12/2024

Congratulations to Chris Honour Racing at Higher Whiddon Farm and connections 🥇

Mayhem Mya winning the Southwest Rail Solutions Handicap Hurdle 🏆

19/12/2024

🚨WARNING: Graphic content 🚨

Laparoscopic ovariectomy ⬇️

Some mares experience severe mood swings or exhibit lameness or recurrent colic associated with their ovaries. One treatment option is surgical removal via keyhole surgery. Our surgical team make small flank incisions and insert a tiny camera and instruments to locate, ligate and remove the ovaries. The small incisions heal quickly and the mare can be back in ridden work by 6 weeks.

If you think your mare would benefit from this surgery, please contact our team to discuss ☎️

14/12/2024

WCEH Christmas office opening hours ⬇️🎄🎅🏼

12/12/2024

Please place your orders before 3pm on Monday (16/12). After this date we cannot guarantee a pre-Christmas delivery.

12/12/2024

CONGRATULATIONS Charly Cottrell for passing her exams first time to become a Registered Equine Vet nurse 📚👏🏼

Charly has been studying for 2.5 years at the Open College of Equine Studies, alongside working full time here at WCEH. She carried out her study online one day a week, along with making several trips a year up to college to undergo exams and OSCE practice. She has now completed all of her written exams, her nursing progressive log and her final practical exam, and passed with flying colours 🥂

Things you may not know about our brilliant nurses:
🏡 The on duty nurse sleeps on site.
💤 The on duty nurse almost every night gets up at 3am to check the barn.
🔬 They are in charge of obtaining our MRI images, which can take a whole day.
🧪 They are in charge of our in house laboratory, often producing same day results.

09/12/2024

Equine Grass Sickness (EGS) breakthrough‼️

The recent discovery linking EGS to a neurotoxic enzyme, similar to toxins found in snake venoms, represents a significant breakthrough in understanding and potentially treating this devastating condition.

The Disease: 🦠
Equine grass sickness is a fatal condition affecting horses that graze on pasture, especially during cold and dry weather conditions. Horses suffering from EGS experience intestinal paralysis, colic, muscle weakness, tremors, and inability to swallow, often leading to death in about 1% of cases on high-risk premises.

Identification of the Neurotoxin: 📚
The research team, led by experts from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies’ Equine Hospital, discovered that phospholipase A2, a type of neurotoxic enzyme, is likely the cause of the disease. This enzyme damages the neuromuscular junctions—the vital sites where nerve signals communicate with muscles—leading to paralysis, particularly of the gastrointestinal tract. This damage is linked to the clinical signs of the disease, such as colic and muscle wasting.

Microbial Origin: 🧫
The enzyme is thought to be produced by a microbe (likely a bacterium or fungus) that grows on pasture during cold and dry periods, which precede outbreaks of EGS.

Similarities with Snake Venoms: 🐍
The neurotoxin responsible for equine grass sickness has been shown to have a similar action to toxins found in the venom of many poisonous snakes. While venomous snakes do not cause EGS, some therapeutic treatments currently being developed for human nerve regeneration after snake bites may offer promising treatments for horses suffering from the disease.

Therapeutic and Diagnostic Potential: 🔬
The breakthrough offers hope for novel diagnostic tests and treatments for EGS. Research into the microbial sources of the neurotoxin is ongoing, and the development of treatments based on snake venom therapies is an exciting possibility.