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Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Celtic Equine Vets Limited

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Celtic Equine Vets Limited

Celtic Equine Vets founded by Alan Hough (MVB Dublin) is an exclusively equine ambulatory practice c
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20/08/2024

Next in our series of informative posts about our visiting specialists and experts who provide their expertise to our clients in the safety and comfort of their own stables is Dr Safia Barakzai BVSc MSc DESTS Dipl. ECVS FRCVS from Equine Surgical Referrals

Safia is a regular visitor to the practice and many of our equine patients have benefited from her surgical expertise. She is is an internationally recognised specialist in equine surgery. Her expertise lies in soft tissue surgery, and in particular, upper respiratory disorders (‘wind’ problems), dental and sinus surgery and minimally invasive surgical techniques.

Safia is a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons (ECVS), holds both Certificate and Diploma in Equine Soft Tissue Surgery from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and is a RCVS and ECVS recognised surgical specialist. She has also been an associate member of the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging (ECDVI).

She qualified from Bristol University in 1998 and started her surgical training at the University of Edinburgh the following year. After her residency, she stayed on at the University of Edinburgh until 2012, working as a senior surgeon in the R(D)SVS referral hospital managing clinical cases, performing clinical research and training many other young equine surgeons who are now surgical specialists in their own right. She then spent 5 years working as an equine surgeon in private practice in the UK and Ireland, before setting up Equine Surgical Referrals as a mobile surgical consultancy in 2017.

Safia travels around the UK and to other countries to consult on cases and operate on horses, in collaboration with other veterinary practices.

Safia’s clinical research includes over 80 peer reviewed publications in the veterinary literature, plus 2 full textbooks and numerous other textbook chapters. Her main research interests are diagnosis and surgery of upper respiratory tract disorders and imaging and surgical treatment of dental and sinus disorders in the horse. She sits on the Editorial Consultants Board for Equine Veterinary Journal and was previously on the Editorial Review Board for Veterinary Surgery.

She is regularly invited to speak at local, national and international veterinary conferences and has been an examiner and chief examiner for the RCVS certificate.

15/08/2024

Next in our series of informative posts about our visiting specialists and experts who provide their expertise to our clients in the safety and comfort of their own stables is Dr Lesley Young BVSc DVA DVC DipECEIM PhD MRCVS

Lesley is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons recognised specialist in Veterinary cardiology and a Diplomate of the European College of Equine medicine.

Though a specialist in veterinary cardiology, her case-load is exclusively equine and whilst based at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket she made significant contributions into the understanding of heart murmurs and arrhythmias in athletic horses. In recognition of her contribution to this equine cardiology, she was invited to participate in the 2013 American and European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Consensus statement entitled “Recommendations for equine athletes with cardiovascular abnormalities”.

Lesley has been a specialist ambulatory consultant in equine cardiology for over a decade. She uses top specification ultrasound and electrocardiographic equipment, allowing her to give a comprehensive assessment of your horse’s heart either at your own yard.

We have found that the equine patients having cardiac investigations with Lesley are much more relaxed at home in their normal environment compared to the stress they would feel if they were having to be travelled to a clinic/hospital with all the unusual sights, sounds and smells that would accompany such a visit. This comes through in the scans and ECGs that we obtain during these investigations.

13/08/2024

Next in our series of informative posts about our visiting specialists and experts who provide their expertise to our clients in the safety and comfort of their own stables is Bryan O'Meara.

Bryan travels to veterinary clinics and practices throughout the UK to perform surgery on horses. He works with veterinarians offering a surgical opinion on lamenesses or surgically treatable disease. He is main interests are the upper airway, joint surgery (Keyhole) and surgery to treat lameness. He has an interest in performing surgery in the standing horse where it is safe and best for the horse so as to avoid the risk of general anaesthesia which is not insignificant in the horse (approximately 1 mortality in 200 general anaesthetics).

Bryan is a European Specialist in Equine Surgery. He also has an RCVS certificate in Equine Orthopaedics and a Masters of Veterinary Medicine from Glasgow University where he investigated a new surgical technique and surgical instrument. He completed a Senior Clinical Scholarship Residency Programme in Equine Surgery between O'Gorman Slater Main and Partners, Newbury and Glasgow University which was funded by The Horse Trust.

Bryan has presented work on tendon disease in racehorses at the European College of Veterinary Surgeons, and at the British Equine Veterinary Association conferences, and has published studies in the Equine Veterinary Journal, Irish Veterinary Journal and Equine Veterinary Education among other publications. He has a special interest in Dynamic Endoscopy (Overground Endoscopy) and upper respiratory tract surgery (WIND OPS). Bryan has extensive experience of equine practice, having worked in several practices in the UK and in his native Ireland.

08/08/2024

As a purely ambulatory practice we have always brought all of the services, equipment and expertise of a much larger equine hospital/clinic to our clients at the comfort of their own stable, either on a yard or at their home. Over the years we have seen repeatedly that horses, ponies and donkeys are much more relaxed in their own environment rather than having to be loaded, transported and unloaded into a strange building with lots of unusual smells, noises and sights.

Over the next week we will be highlighting just some of the advanced services we provide to our clients at their stables.

We will start with one of our most frequent visiting experts, Kieran from The Equine Dental Surgery who provides his expertise to perform any advanced dental procedures that the vets in the practice need assistance with.

Dr Kieran Rowley is an RCVS Advanced Veterinary Practitioner in Equine Dentistry. and runs his own purely equine dental practice called The Equine Dental Surgery. Kieran can carry out a full range of advanced dental procedures at our clients yard so they are involved in every stage of the treatment.

In just the last two months we have the pleasure of Kieran to visit four times and in that time he has worked, with our vets in attendance, on;

One case requiring restorations on three upper molar teeth affected with Infundibular Caries and the complicated extraction of another upper molar tooth
One case requiring restorations on two upper molar teeth affected with Infundibular Caries
One case requiring the complicated extraction of three fractured upper molar teeth and the restoration of Infundibular Caries on another upper tooth
One case requiring restorations on seven upper molar teeth affected with Infundibular Caries
One case requiring the extraction of a diseased incisor, the pulp capping of another incisor and the root canal treatment of another incisor
One case requiring restorations on three upper molar teeth affected with Infundibular Caries
One case requiring restorations on one upper molar tooth affected with Infundibular Caries
One case requiring the complicated extraction of a diseased upper molar via a procedure called a MTE or Minimal Invasive Transbuccal Extraction
One case requiring the complicated extraction of a diseased upper molar in a miniature Shetland that needs specialised dental equipment
One case requiring restorations on one upper molar tooth affected with Infundibular Caries and the complicated extraction of another upper molar tooth.

As you can see, because we carry out the routine dental work for well over 90% of our clients, we find plenty of cases requiring advanced dental procedures to keep Kieran busy when he comes down.

Below is a testimonial from our client Emma whose pony River had infundibular caries detected by Chloe on a routine dental examination. Alan then attended and performed a detailed dental oroscopic examination and took a series of dental x-rays to ensure there was no root involvement. She then had Kieran attend with Alan to perform the necessary restorations.

"I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Celtic Equine Vets for River’s recent dental treatment. From the moment Chloe spotted the problem at a routine dental examination, to the work done by Kieran, the dental expert, it all went seamlessly.
Most importantly it was a very calm, stress free experience for our pony, as Alan was able to come and take the x-rays and do the dental oroscope examinations here at home – in the field shelter! Even better was that Kieran was also able to travel to us and do the dental work here in a stable, and River was back out grazing that afternoon.

I was involved in the process all the way through. To be able to
offer these wonderful facilities from your own home, made for a very calm stress free day.

Thank you Celtic Equine Vets."

07/08/2024

Unfortunately we recently received abusive electronic communication from a now ex- client over a very routine matter.

Abuse of any member of our team, in any form, will not be tolerated and will result in the immediate withdrawal of our veterinary services and the removal of that individual from our books.

We value our team too much to allow them to suffer even one incident of abuse as we know they try their absolute hardest every day with every client to provide the very best service they can.

03/08/2024

All set up at The Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy for the Equine Fair today. Tickets still available. Alan will be doing his demonstration of our approach to modern equine dentistry at 10.45am in Area 2.

02/08/2024

Hoping to see loads of our amazing clients at this great event tomorrow. Don't forget Alan is doing a demonstration of our approach to modern equine dentistry at 10.45am in Area 2.

30/07/2024

The complete list for events and demonstrations taking place this Saturday at The Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy fair that we proud to be a part of.

26/07/2024

We are hoping some of our amazing clients may be able to help.

One of our brilliant team is looking for self contained accommodation that is pet friendly, available from end of August and ideally located in Romsey, Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, Southampton, or Totton areas. The property must have safe and secure car parking and ideally be furnished.

If you have such a property, or know of anything suitable, please email the details including the address of the property to [email protected]

09/07/2024

Why do we place such a huge importance on providing our own “Out of Hours” (OOH) emergency service to our clients.

Here is just a small selection of the emergency calls that our vets have responded to recently which shows why we are so proud to cover our own OOH calls;

A much-loved horse had become impaled on a gate and suffered catastrophic injuries. Our vet, covering our duty that evening, got to the premises in under 30 minutes. They knew exactly where the client was as we store the what3words for each of our clients location. The owners knew the attending vet well and trusted their recommendation that the only treatment option was to let the horse go. A horrible situation for everyone involved but at least the horse did not suffer for a minute longer than necessary.

On another night at midnight one of our vets was called to attend an amazing 32-year-old pony that we have had the pleasure of looking after for the last 15 years. Again, our vet knew exactly where the client was without the need for directions or multiple phone calls to locate them. They attended in under 30 minutes. Our vet knew the owners and pony well and they also had access to all the pony’s clinical notes which included recent treatment with another vet in the practice. The pony had suffered a serious injury and it was decided, after much discussion between the vet and the owners that it would be the best thing for the pony to let him go. Our vet felt strongly how important it was that, after 15 years of doing all the normal routine work for this pony and his owners, now his time had come, it was right that the last procedure should be carried out by the vets who knew him best. How bad would it have been for the owners and pony, if on this most important of nights, our practice had passed our OOH responsibilities to another practice or 3rd party provider. This would have resulted in a vet attending that did not have the pony clinical notes, never met the pony of owners before, possibly struggled to find the location and possibly taken a lot longer to get there as they might be based outside the practice’s area.

One of client’s precious mares gave birth to a premature foal early one weekend. Again, our vet was in attendance in under 30 minutes. The foal was in a very weakened state when examined. The vet managed, singled handled, to place an intravenous canula in a squirming foal and administer life saving fluids. They then managed, through their extensive local knowledge to arrange transport for the mare and foal urgently to a referral hospital with a local contact as all other local transporters where unavailable. We are glad to report that the mare and foal are doing very well.

The area our practice covers overlaps with 11 other equine practices. In one area 2 practices share their OOH duties. In another area 2 other practices share their OOH duties. 6 practices pass over their OOH duties to a 3rd party provider. This 3rd party business supplies one vet to cover for all 6 practices at the same time. Clients of these practices might not see a vet from their own practice outside of normal office hours. That vet will not have access to the relevant clinical notes and it might take longer for that vet to respond as they might be located outside the practice’s normal area and they may be covering for multiple practices at the same time.

Practices who no longer cover their own OOH all of the time are required to clearly inform their clients of this fact. They are also required to provide clear information on their new OOH arrangements so their clients can make an informed decision if they wish to engage with such a service

We strongly believe that if we provide the veterinary care to your precious equines during the weekdays then our vets should also be the ones looking after your horses, ponies and donkeys if they get into difficulty outside of office hours. To ensure we protect our ability to respond promptly to our loyal and regular clients if they need us in an emergency, we will decline to carry out consultations OOH requested by clients of another practice unless the circumstances are exceptional.

24/06/2024

"Practical First Aid and Bandaging Clinic for Celtic Equine Vets Clients and BHS Members only"

We are delighted to be running this very practical and hands on course in conjunction with BHS at The Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy centre in Bransgore this Wednesday 26th June. The event will start at 7pm and will last approx 2 hours.

Attendees with have the opportunity to purchase fully equipped first aid kits, a quality digital thermometer and a quality stethoscope at the event.

Priority booking is open for Celtic Equine Vets clients. Places cost £15 per person and are non-refundable. Tickets are limited to maximum of 4 per person.

To book your place please email [email protected] with yourt details and then please call the office on 02380 814155 between 8.30am and 5.30pm to pay for your ticket(s) over the phone.

13/06/2024

Why our clients receive the very best laminitis treatment and preventative advice.

Unfortunately we are seeing a huge of number of very painful laminitic cases at the moment- not very surprising given the grass growth at the moment and the number of overweight equines.

If you are unfortunate enough for your equine to suffer with this serious condition why is Celtic Equine Vets the best choice to help you.

-We are the only local practice that has a fully qualified equine nutritionist working in the practice so we can give very accurate and personalised advice on diet both for treatment and prevention.

- We have a mobile weighbridge so we can accurately weigh your equine at the comfort of your yard

- We are the only practice where every vet carries their own HD digital x-ray system with them at all times. We can take foot balance x-rays in any environment and without the need for additional visits.

-We are an independent practice so we don't have "sales targets" to hit so we never over-treat our patients.

-We are one of the very few local practices that cover our own out of hours emergency service-you will always see one of our vets, we will have your clinical notes with us and we will get to you promptly as we don't cover any areas outside our practice.

-Recent market research has shown our charges, across a range of services, are on average 40% less that other local practices.

We will be running a series of informative posts on Laminitis and in particular Equine Metabolic Syndrome over the next week.

03/06/2024

"Practical First Aid and Bandaging Clinic for Celtic Equine Vets Clients and BHS Members only"

We are delighted to be running this very practical and hands on course in conjunction with BHS at The Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy centre in Bransgore on Wednesday 26th June. The event will start at 7pm and will last approx 2 hours. Attendees with have the opportunity to purchase fully equipped first aid kits, a quality digital thermometer and a quality stethoscope at the event.

Priority booking is open for Celtic Equine Vets clients only from now until Monday 10th June. Places cost £15 per person and are non-refundable if cancelled after 5pm on Friday 21st June. Tickets are limited to maximum of 4 per person.

To book your place please email [email protected] with yourt details and then please call the office on 02380 814155 between 8.30am and 5.30pm to pay for your ticket(s) over the phone.

28/05/2024

We love to hear the experiences of new clients to the practice. In the last few months we have welcomed the largest number of new clients in our practice's history.

This, we believe, is a reflection of our growing local reputation as a proudly indpendent practice where client care is at the core of the practice. Our unique position in providing our own emergency cover and the fact we are on average 40% less expensive across a range of services compared to other local practices is also attracting alot of new clients.

22/05/2024

How do I know if my horse has gastric ulcers?

A gastroscope is passed to visualise the inner lining of the stomach for signs of ulceration of the non-glandular ('squamous') and glandular parts of the stomach. At Celtic Equine Vets, we offer a mobile gastroscope service, allowing the procedure to be performed from the comfort at your stable or yard. We find that horses tend to be less stressed by remaining in their home environment, rather than travelling to a clinic for the procedure to be performed.

For Gastric Ulcer Awareness Month, Celtic Equine Vets are teaming up with BOVA to provide gastroscopes at a discounted rate. Completion of a questionnaire will entitle you to a £50 voucher that can be redeemed against the normal cost of our gastroscopy, and allows us to assess whether your horse is a suitable candidate before undertaking the procedure.

With the current cost of living crisis, Celtic Equine Vets know the importance of economic transparency. So how much does it cost? During the offer period, a gastroscope including sedation and VAT will cost £255 upon presentation of the voucher. Please note that the cost of the visit fee is not included in this price, as it varies from client to client.

Please see below examples of glandular ulcers, plus a 'normal pylorus' (outflow of the stomach) to compare with.

Want to know more or book in? Our friendly office team is on hand to answer any questions you may have - please call (02380 814155) or email ([email protected]).

18/05/2024

How is strangles diagnosed?

Vets can use different tests to diagnose strangles, depending on the circumstances. They will usually start with a visual examination to look for external signs of the disease and check the horse’s temperature. They can then take samples to be sent for testing to help confirm or rule out strangles infection:

Swabs – can collect samples of discharge from a horse’s nostrils or a burst abscess and are usually the best option for early stages of infection. Specialist swabs can also sample material from the top of a horse’s nasal passages where bacteria are likely to be present in an infected horse. Sometimes sterile saline can be flushed up the nostril and the fluid that comes back down the nostril collected. This is called a nasopharyngeal lavage and the fluid collected can be swabbed and tested. This offeres a high sensitivity test. Swabbing is less reliable than endoscopy, and repeat tests are often needed to increase confidence in a negative result and may miss positive cases so this is no longer advised.

Guttural pouch endoscopy– is the gold standard test for strangles in horses that have established infection or are in the recovery phase of disease. An endoscope is used to enter both the horse’s guttural pouch, which are air sacs at the top of each nasal passage. Strangles loves guttural pouches as this is where bacteria can survive longer than the illness it causes. Checking and taking samples from the guttural pouches should be routine for any horse that is known or suspected to have had strangles so infection can be found and cleared before it spreads. This is also the only definitive way to check if a horse is a carrier.

Blood samples – will not carry the disease itself but can contain strangles antibodies that the horse’s immune system produces as a response to infection or in a horse that has become a strangles carrier. It can take up to two weeks for antibodies to be detected in a blood sample, so this test is less likely to be used for horses in the early stages of disease. Not every horse with strangles antibodies will be infected so further testing is usually needed to determine if the blood result is caused by live bacteria or not. The blood test has been repeatedly shown to not be able to identify carriers so it should not be used as a screening test if a horse is moving yards/being bought or sold. This is why we do not offer it as a pre-movement screening test.

16/05/2024

How do horses get strangles?

Strangles is NOT an airborne disease, though a horse can cough or snort infected material several feet. However, the disease can spread rapidly between horses, especially those that have not been exposed to the disease in the past. Strangles bacteria spread most easily through direct contact between horse, but can also be passed on indirectly via surfaces, equipment, water and people’s hands and clothing.

We find in this area alot of Strangles transmission is from owners allowing their horses to drink from streams/troughs on the forest and sharing buckets etc on yards with new arrivals.

Strangles is especially challenging because some horses become 'strangles carriers' after being infected. This means they still have strangles bacteria hidden in their respiratory system, but are otherwise perfectly healthy. Carriers can shed bacteria intermittently, able to infect other horses without anyone knowing where the disease has come from.

It is vital all horses are checked as they recover from strangles so treatment can be used to help them clear any remaining infection and prevent them becoming carriers.

14/05/2024

What is Strangles?

Strangles is an extremely contagious illness that affects the horse’s upper respiratory tract. It is the most common infectious disease in the UK and worldwide. Strangles is caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus equi, not a virus.

Strangles outbreaks can involve many or even all horses becoming ill on yards where they live or interact. Any horse can get strangles, whatever their age, breed, health or value.

Our vets deal with many cases of Strangles each year in our practice area due to the endemic reservoir of Strangles in the population of ponies roaming over The New Forest.

What are the symptoms of strangles?
It can take up to 21 days for a newly infected horse to show signs of illness.
The earliest signs of strangles are usually fever (a resting temperature above 38.5oc) and being off-colour. As the disease progresses it can cause:
1)Thick nasal discharge
2)Swollen lymph nodes around the horse's head
3)Abscesses on lymph nodes
4)Trouble swallowing and loss of appetite
5)Difficulty breathing (hence the name 'strangles')
6)A cough
7)Dullness and depression associated with fever

Some horses only show mild signs of disease, such as slight nasal discharge or briefly raised temperature and loss of appetite. This is the most common presentation our vets see in our practice. However, these individuals can still pass infection on, and the next horse may become much sicker.

Further information on Strangles will be posted during this week

03/05/2024

Continuing on from our post yesterday on our post-foaling examination serice.

We can also discuss onwards management such as worm control, microchipping, passporting and vaccination, so you know an exact plan for the first six months.

Signs of concern that should prompt seeking immediate veterinary assistance:
- Resuscitation issues immediately post-foaling
- The foal becomes dull, depressed, or collapses
- The foal fails to stand within a couple of hours
- The foal goes 'off suck', or fails to suck within three to four hours of birth
- Milk is seen coming from the nostrils
- No meconium is passed within six hours, or non-productive straining to defaecate is noted
- The mare is not allowing the foal to nurse

The placenta
Should be checked for completeness, signs of placentitis, meconium staining etc. If you aren't sure, please put the placenta to one side in a bucket of water and we can check it with you.

Don't forget the mare!
Please monitor for signs of colic, dullness, depression, fever or a pottery gait.
Call your vet if the placenta fails to pass within three to four hours.

The team at Celtic Equine Vets are looking forward to meeting your little ones soon!

A huge thank you to the owners of these beautiful c**t and filly foals for allowing us to share their cuteness with the world!

02/05/2024

An early vet check: how to give your newborn foal the best start to life.

I think that there is nothing more awe-inspiring than watching the birth of a foal. I'm always amazed by how quickly they gain their feet, it feels a personal triumph the first time they latch on to the mare's teat, and you cannot help but grin with their first zoomies around the paddock.

However, newborn foals are vulnerable and can crash and burn quickly. For this reason, it is advisable to have a veterinary check to pick up on the early signs of potential problems within two days of birth.

Your vet is likely to ask the following questions:
- Whether the foal was born when expected?
- Whether this is the mare's first foal?
- Whether there were any problems during the pregnancy?
- Whether assistance was required during the foaling?
- Whether the foaling was observed?
- Which surface of the placenta was outermost during foaling? ('red velvet' chorioallantois or silvery allantoamnion)
- How quickly the foal gained its feet? This should be within 30-60 minutes
- How quickly the foal got 'on suck'? This should be within a couple of hours, and they should be nursing 5-7 times per hour thereafter
- Whether the foal has passed urine and meconium (dark faeces)?

It is important to dip the foal's navel in 1-2% iodine solution a few times daily for the first three days (wear gloves whilst doing so!).

The newborn foal check will involve a thorough check for congenital defects such as cataract, cleft palate and angular limb deformities, and for acquired problems such as rib fractures or the early signs of sepsis. Tetanus anti-toxin will also be administered during the newborn foal check.

There is also the option of taking a blood sample to check the levels of circulating antibodies within the blood, indicating whether the foal had sufficient colostrum from the mare. Foals do not receive the mare's antibodies across the placenta like human babies, and are completely immunologically naive when born - so receiving the dam's first milk is imperative! Foals that have low levels of antibodies are more prone to infection, and steps can be taken to prevent this such as plasma transfusions.

We will be providing more information on this post-foaling examination service we can provide tomorrow evening.

01/05/2024

Contact the office to receive your questionnaire which may entitle you to a voucher for £50 off the normal cost of a gastroscope during May.

Address

The Old Barn
Lyndhurst
SO437FY

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 5:30pm

Website

http://www.celticequinevets.co.uk/

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Videos

Clinical Scenario of the week Part 3 The first of our new ‘case of the week’ series is the big friendly giant Bailey, who was recently seen by our vet Kirsty after suffering a nasty screw penetration into his frog. The thread on the screw made removal challenging and required anaesthetising his foot with a nerve block. We think that you’ll agree that removal of the screw is very satisfying to watch and we just had to share it with you! We are delighted to report that Bailey is making a good recovery. In his spare time, he likes nothing more than to teach his owner’s children to ride. Bailey was such a lovely patient and we wish him all the best in the future. What do you think of the video of removing the screw from Bailey’s frog? Is there a particular topic you’d like to hear from us about? Comment below

Remember, remember the 5th November… gunpowder, treason and plot! Part two. - In or out? This depends on the individual circumstance. When making this decision, consider the distance between your field or stable and any planned/known firework displays, where your horse is most relaxed and balance up whether departing from their normal routine will cause more stress than the fireworks. If departing from your normal routine, start a few nights in advance to stagger the stressors. Whatever the environment, ensure that it is as safe as possible by removing hazards such as broken fencing, protruding nails/screws or items that they might trip over. Consider whether your horse could take a well-deserved ‘holiday’ in a quieter yard if local displays are going to be too close for comfort. - Noise competition/cancellation If your horse is stabled, consider leaving a radio on to try to drown out the sound of fireworks. Try this a few days in advance so that they become accustomed to it, and leave the radio outside of your horse’s reach (it’s a concert, not a rave!). Alternatively, consider noise cancelling fly veils or masks, or even horse ear plugs (yes, they do exist)! Stay tuned for part three coming tomorrow: how can my vet help with my horse’s firework phobia? What distraction can I use to help my horse cope with fireworks? What should I do the day after a firework display?

Remember, remember the 5th November… gunpowder, treason and plot! Part one. The 5th November is a date rich in history and tradition, but our-four legged friends haven’t the foggiest as to what fireworks are, why we set them off and who Guy Fawkes is! What can we do to make fireworks season a little easier for them? - Forewarned is forearmed Find out if there are any planned displays arranged in proximity to your horse. Keep an eye on social media, village noticeboards, local newspapers, and speak to your neighbours (no pun intended) to see if they are planning any fireworks. - Safety first! Remember that horses can be unpredictable at the best of times and it is safe to say that fireworks do not count as the best of times. Consider wearing a hat and gloves if you have to handle your horse during a firework display, and never put yourself in a position where you might get hurt. (We know, you know this all already!). Stay tuned for part two coming tomorrow – should I stable my horse, or keep them at pasture? How can I use sound to my advantage?

Here is the video of the Infundibular Caries being probed by the K file. As you can see the whole K file disappeared into the Caries. We would only ever use such a sharp metal probe in the mouth of a sedated equine. There is alot of very sensitive structures in the mouth such as the palatine artery could be easily damaged by using such instruments in an unsedated equine that would be moving its head around.

And now the video you have all been waiting for. The pony was sedated and the skin numbed with local anaesthetic. A large incision was made at the bottom edge of the lump to ensure the best drainage angle possible. The pony received intravenous antibiotics and anti-inflamatories and was provided with a course of oral medication as well. The owner is flushing out the lump twice a day with a dilute hibiscrub solution ensuring the drainage port is kept open as long as possible.

We are constantly investing in the most up to date equipment for our vets so they can continue to provide the very best service possible to our lovely clients. In this video our vet, Charlotte is using the latest piece of dental equipment we have supplied to each of our vets to ensure we provide the highest standard of dental care that we can. This battery powered high pressure water flushing system has made a big impact on our dental services already. One head for the hand piece is used to thoroughly flush the mouth of all food material. Without removing all food material from the oral cavity dental pathology will be missed. It is very worrying when clients inform us that their previous dental service provider would not flush the mouth out before carrying our dental work. Another head for the hand piece is used under higher pressure to pick and flush out diastema. A diastema is a gap between two teeth where food becomes impacted, rots and inflames and causes erosion of the gum. This condition is very painful and if left untreated will result in premature loosening of the teeth. Diastema treatment is classified as a category 3 dental procedure and as such should only be carried out by a vet. It is our experience due to the discomfort and pain caused by diastema that they can only be properly identified and treated under sedation. Diastema are the most common dental condition we identify in horses that have had their previous dental care carried out without sedation.

All week we will be hearing from people with lived experience of Strangles – a disease that varies from mild to malicious and one that people tend to learn about only after an outbreak happens. In this episode we chat to horse owners Michelle Ross and Angie Driver to get an insight into what it’s like to care for a horse with Strangles. What’s your experience of the disease? Join the conversation in the comments below Listen here or on your favourite podcast player https://www.redwings.org.uk/saw-youtube #SAW2021 #SpeakOutOnStrangles #Strangles

Recently Alan was called to attend a mare that had prolapsed her uterus after foaling. This a very rare but potentially fatal condition. Thankfully after some concerted pressure the uterus went back in to where it was meant to be. The mare was quite poorly for a few days but thankfully has made a full recovery.

Did you know we have not just one but two of the very latest high definition completely portable digital x-ray units in the practice. The practice recently invested over £80,000 in purchasing the two units. This large investment in the practice is part of our continued mission to provide our clients with all the services and expertise of a large equine clinic but at the comfort of the clients own yard or home and with the personal touch of a smaller more client focused practice. The pictures show Marta using the portable x-ray system to take foot balance x-rays for a new client who did not have mains electric at their premises and did want to have to transport their pony to another clinic to have the x-rays taken. They contacted us after hearing we had a portable x-ray system and we were delighted to be able to help them obtain the x-rays they needed to help with the pony's treatment. As the images appear on the laptop within 3 seconds of the x-ray been taken we are able to give advice and/or a diagnosis to the client almost immediately. If needed we can send the x-rays straight away via email to specialist vets for immediate advice in case referral to a specialist hospital is required. Our x-ray supplier also manufactures the special black shoes that Marta is seen fitting on the front feet. These new and novel shoes, which do not show up on the x-rays ensure that the front feet are level and we no longer have to reply on hoping the patient would stay standing on ordinary blocks of wood. As all of the components of the x-ray system are battery powered we can take x-rays in any situation at any time. The x-ray generator we have is powerful enough to be able to obtain x-rays of the skull, neck and back of even large breed horses at the clients yard. Please contact the office if you have any queries regarding our x-ray system or would like to discuss any x-ray requirements you may have with one of our vets on 02380 814155. A big thank you to Tim Woodcock for k

And the winner of our equine photography competition is ......

Celtic Equine Vets segment from the programme "Britain by Bike" that aired on Channel 5 tonight.

Celtic Equine Vets are on the television at 8pm on Friday 20th October on Channel 5. ‘Britain by Bike’ features Larry and George Lamb touring the New Forest and includes a segment with Celtic Equine Vets. Celtic Equine Vets were contacted by the Channel 5 in house documentary production team in early spring as George and Larry Lamb were in the planning stages of a programme on the New Forest National Park. They wanted to spend a day with a New Forest Equine vet such as Alan to learn more about attending to the health of local people’s horses but particularly New Forest Ponies. The filming was booked for the end of May and as you can see from the photographs the weather was beautiful and showed the area at its best. The finished programme features Alan attending to our client June Whitham’s New Forest brood mare ‘Delight’s Double’ who they scan for pregnancy with Larry and George. Larry takes to the veterinary process incredibly well whereas George is a little more squeamish of the scanning. The programme visits other local industries, people and villages which include a segment with our office administrator Kate Robb's partner and local farrier Rob who shows the two men how to make and shoe a pony. Both men were genuinely interested and friendly and said their series cycling through and investigating British National Parks had introduced them to areas of the country neither had visited before. Both men were so impressed with the New Forest that they plan to bring their own families back to visit.

So lovely to get such a great update from one of our clients. Great dedication by the owner had a lot to do with the positive outcome to this case. "Thought you might like to see real success story thanks to Alan. This is my little partially blind badly laminitic Shetland that couldn't walk 3 months ago playing with my dog today. He chases the dog then they swop over. It's so great to watch so thank you so much my vet and brilliant farrier."