Lily came to see Katie as a second opinion after 6 months unresolved respiratory noise/exercise intolerance. Her owner was at her wit's end as this once speedy pony could not cope with exercise.
1. Lily had overground endoscopy whilst being ridden. Lily made a harsh inspiratory/expiratory noise, particularly at canter, and transiently a vibrant expiratory noise.
2. Anatomy of upper airway.
3. Lily had Soft Palate Instability, worst during canter. The expiratory noise was associated with alar fold collapse.
Palatal instability is a difficult condition to treat, and can be predisposed by respiratory inflammation, high body condition score and low fitness level. Sadly, Lily had sEA that was not controlled and had gained weight and lost fitness as she was not able to cope with exercise.
Under Katie's guidance, a continuous programme of inhaled medications, change in tack and yard location was instigated. There is often a vicious cycle that horses make a noise and lose fitness because understandably owners are cautious to exercise. This leads to weight gain.
4.Lily failed to improve and was admitted to KEH for surgery, with consultant surgeon Dr. Safia Barakzai, of Equine Surgical Referrals. Here you can see Lily undergoing palatal thermocautery, performed under standing sedation.
5. The Alar Folds (red arrow) are part of the false nostril. Alar fold collapse causes expiratory obstruction and may contribute to nasopharyngeal collapse.
6. Nerve block placed in infra-orbital canal to desensitise the nostrils.
7. The second video shows alar fold resection using an electrosurgical Ligasure device.
8. Two alar folds removed.
Lily started a fittening programme and continued environmental management and treatment with inhalers to ensure Asthma controlled.
9. After 6 months Lily is out eventing, having lost weight, doing what she loves best. Well done to Lily's owner, to Dr. Safia Barakzai for specialist surgical skills, to Katie for specialist internal medicine sk
๐ฌ๏ธ๐ด Understanding Equine Asthma ๐พ
Is your horse experiencing chronic coughing, nasal discharge, or labored breathing? They might be suffering from equine asthma, a respiratory condition similar to asthma in humans. With the current heatwave and high pollen count, symptoms can worsen. It's crucial to manage their environment, reduce dust, and consult your vet for the best treatment options. Ensuring clean, ventilated stables and using dust-free bedding can make a world of difference. Let's keep our equine friends healthy and breathing easy! ๐๐
#EquineAsthma #KEH #Kentequinehospital #Independentequinehospital #Independentequinevets #Equinevetsinkent #Equinevetssoutheast
Biscuit's Story
This gorgeous boy came in to see us 3 weeks ago after a routine dental assessment identified Infundibular Caries on 2 of his cheek teeth. He brought his buddy, Cookie, with him for moral support!!
Biscuit wasn't showing any clinical signs despite the severe pathology, and often horses and ponies are good at hiding dental pain, especially when, like these guys, they aren't ridden, so don't have a bit in their mouth.
The radiographs show both teeth (106 and 206) probing deeply (>1.5cm) and both teeth had a small amount of movement.
Under standing sedation and intra-oral local anaesthetic blocks, Natalia and Katie got to work and extracted both teeth. Interestingly, on examination of the teeth afterwards, you can see the hole in the root connecting with the crown, see the food impacted in it and see the pus coming out of the root as the needle advances through.
Natalia was delighted and Biscuit immediately felt better. Biscuit was monitored closely overnight after his sedation, as sedation can decrease gut motility and lead to colic. Close monitoring after the procedure by our hospital interns enables prophylactic enteral fluids and analgesia to be administered to ensure the most comfortable of recoveries for Biscuit. He was also on fine form at his 2 week post-op check!
Remember - no pain check again !
#nopaincheckagain #notinastable #equinedentistry #independentvets #independentequinevets #Kentequinehospital
Rig Surgery
RIG SURGERY
We thought you would like to see our new operating theatre in action with a short video from start to finish of a recent Rig Surgery. This cute pony presented with only one testicle in his scrotum. On ultrasound exam, the retained testicle was seen in the abdominal cavity, just inside the deep inguinal ring.
In this video you can see:
๐ดThe operating table all set up for surgery.
๐ดThe surgical team performing a Safe Surgery checklist prior to surgery where we confirm procedure, consent, sterility, anaesthetic plan, surgery plan, medication plan and everyones' role prior to the procedure.
๐ด Induction of anaesthesia
๐ด Use of the padded crush door to ensure safe induction of anaesthesia for horse and team
๐ด Hoisting pony on to the surgery table having been intubated in induction box
๐ด Ventilator ensuring the pony is well oxygenated during anaesthesia
๐ด Anaesthetists ensuring all positioning and monitoring equipment is correct
๐ด Surgeons scrubbing up prior to gowning and gloving
๐ด Nurses prepping the surgical site
๐ด Surgeon and assistant draping the patient to ensure sterility
๐ด Surgeon has identified and exteriorised the retained testicle!!
๐ด Surgeon suturing closed the incisions
๐ด Hoisting the pony into the padded recovery box
๐ด All recovered safely and walking back to his stable
๐ด His first sloppy mash post surgery as a gelding!!
We hope you enjoyed seeing the team at work in our new operating theatre. We have four clinicians on call that have been trained in busy referral centres performing hundreds of anaesthetics a year, ably assisted by our interns and two in house RCVS Surgery Certificate Holders, with over 25 year's surgical experience, and Visiting Specialist Diplomats in Orthopaedic and Soft Tissue Surgery, should your horse need it.
#operatingtheatre #surgicalsuite #rigsurgery #surgicalteam #anaesthetist #KEH #kentequinehospital #equinevetsinkent #Emergencyequinevet
๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ! ๐ฉโโ๏ธ
We could probably make a full-length film detailing everything our nurses do at the practice, but for now, here is a snippet of just some of the amazing work our nursing team do. Weโre sure you will agree, they are absolutely wonderful in every way!
Welcome to Princess Leia!!!
On this most miserable of May Day BHs in yet more pouring rain, we thought we would brighten your feed with the cutest little Princess Leia born on Saturday morning!!
Delphine, one of our Emergency Vet team, went out to perform a mare and foal check and stomach tube this little beauty as she hadnโt suckled properly within a few hours of being born.
She is very bright and very excited to meet all her new friends!!
Remember that after being born your foal should:
- Be able to rest on its chest/sit in sternal within 10-15 minutes
- Be able to suckle within 2 hours (preferably within 20 minutes!)
- Suckle frequently from the mare
- Pass meconium (first faeces) within 4 hours
- Urinate within 6 to 10 hours
Foal care:
- Navel dip (with diluted iodine or chlorhexidine) 2-3 times a day for the first 3 days
- Tetanus Antitoxin injection
Remember to check the mare as well:
- Check for the presence of colostrum (first milk)
- Check the vulva for tears
- The placenta should be completely expelled within 3 hours
- Check her tetanus status (vaccination up to date)
Remember that at Kent Equine Hospital, we will never outsource our emergency care 24/7 365 days a year, and have our own dedicated experienced emergency team. One of our vets is always available to give you advice over the phone and will be happy to come and help you take care of your new born baby!
#welovefoals #foalcare #emergencyfoalings #foalings #foals #emergencyvetteam #wewillneveroutsourceouremergencycare #independentequinevet #independentequinevets #kentequinehospital
WORLD VETERINARY DAY 2024
Today is World Veterinary Day, a day to celebrate veterinary surgeons worldwide and thank them for the passion and dedication to the health and well-being of all animals.
Today we are proud of and thank our vet team, Olivia, Natalia, Elsa, Jose, Delphine, Georgia and Katie for their hard work, teamwork, compassion, empathy and skill in caring for the horses, ponies and donkeys in Kent. Our veterinary care goes on 24/7 365 days a year.
Thank you for all that you do.
#WorldVeterinaryDay #wvd24 #WVD #worldveterinaryday2024 #WorldVeterinaryDay2024๐ด #kentequinehospital #keh #teamkeh #independentequinevets
Sinus surgery
Luna came for a short hospital stay recently for a sinus cyst removal.
This suspected sinus cyst was identified at a routine dental examination performed by our colleagues at Equine Dentistry Referrals. Luna was admitted to the hospital. All upper airway and sinus procedures at KEH are performed by specialist surgeon Dr. Safia Barakzai, of Equine Surgical Referrals, and cared for pre- and post-operatively by our very own Internal Medicine Specialist and hospital team of interns and nurses.
We were able to successfully remove the cyst under standing sedation and local anaesthetic nerve blocks. In the video, you can see a hole being made into the sinuses and a camera being placed in the sinuses to examine all the sinus compartments. This sinus cyst was hiding in the rostral maxillary sinus. After that, a maxillary bone flap is made with a saw, chisel and hammer!! allowing direct access to the sinus compartment containing the fluid filled sac. You can see fluid being drawn out of the cyst prior to removal. The bone flap is closed and a tube is placed into the sinus to allow a few days of flushing post surgery. We are pleased to report that Luna is on the mend, having been checked up and had all her staples removed.
Dr. Barakzai regularly consults with us here at Kent Equine Hospital, in particular for dynamic exercising endoscopies for horses that are making a noise at exercise, for tie-back surgery and for any other upper airway and sinus problems.
#KEH #Kentequinehospital #Independentequinehospital #Independentequinevets #Equinevetsinkent #Equinevetssoutheast #equinesurgery #specialistcare
Willy Wednesday
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ
Yep, you heard it here first. We officially declare today โWilly Wednesdayโ and we strongly encourage all men to close their eyes for this short video.
One of the commonest tumours that affects the pen*s is Squamous Cell carcinoma (SCC). The early stages of this disease can be difficult to spot, especially if your gelding is a little shy! SCC is always best dealt with promptly, at the earliest stages, by a specialist vet, and we have several surgical and adjunct medical therapies available to manage these cases.
However, in some cases that present to us late in the stage of disease, where general anaesthesia is not an option, we have to provide palliative care for the horse's welfare and comfort. This case progressed very rapidly from a small plaque to a large painful invasive mass, causing him to kick repeatedly at his sheath. Fortunately, there was no spread beyond the local area so a salvage procedure was performed under standing sedation and local nerve blocks.
This procedure is called "reefing". This was not to establish a cure but to provide shorter term comfort. In this case, it enabled the horse to be much more comfortable very quickly, and continue his pampered retirement.
#checkyourbits #dontbeshy #geldings #squamouscellcarcinoma #veterinaryspecialist #KEH #Kentequinehospital #Independentequinehospital #Independentequinevets #Equinevetsinkent #Equinevetssoutheast
๐๐ฐ๐ข๐ณ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐๐ข๐ณ
This is Twiz.
Twiz was found by his mum feeling quite sorry for himself. He was very dull, didnโt want to eat, was hypersalivating and moving his mouth constantly and his nose and cheeks looked swollen.
An oral examination performed by our lovely vet Elsa, found a 2.5cm wooden splinter lodged in the gap between 2 teeth. The splinter was lodged into the side of his tongue creating a large ulcer! Elsa carefully removed the splinter and flushed Twizโs mouth, and following some pain relief, he was back to eating soft feed the very next day.
Well done Elsa ๐
#KEH #Kentequinehospital #Independentequinehospital #Independentequinevets #Equinevetsinkent #Equinevetssoutheast
Emergency vets
๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฅฐ
Weโre so incredibly proud of the fact that we cover our own out of hours emergency service. We feel itโs important that there is an established bond between you and the veterinary team that care for your horses at any given time of day, and we know that it helps to see a friendly face during times of trouble.
We also care about our team which is why we have invested heavily in employing dedicated emergency vets, so our daytime vets get plenty of rest.
We are the ONLY INDEPENDENT equine vets in the South East that employs a dedicated emergency only team. This means they are super experienced at dealing with all kinds of emergencies. They have all worked in big referral hospitals across the world prior to becoming emergency vets, where they have been in charge of admitting sick horses and dealing with every kind of emergency, from a nasty wound to a surgical colic.
So here they are, our amazing vet team, who are supported during evenings and weekends by our equally incredible nursing team. We guarantee never to out-source our emergency services to ensure you receive the highest levels of continuous care around the clock. โฐ๐โ๏ธ
#dedicatedemergencyservice #emergencyequinevets #KEH #Kentequinehospital #Independentequinehospital #Independentequinevets #Equinevetsinkent #Equinevetssoutheast
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฐ
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฐ
You may have recently seen that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have published an initial review on the fees within the veterinary industry. For many of us, this review is greatly welcomed, and we feel will have a positive impact on the industry allowing for complete transparency for all.
Many of you will know, that Kent Equine Hospital is a proudly ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐๐ง๐ญ equine practice which are sadly now few and far between. We are the only independently owned private equine practice with full surgical facilities and our own in- house dedicated experienced emergency team, within the Kent area. Being Independent means everything to us, it allows us full autonomy when making decisions so that we can always put our clients, patients, team, and our local community at the forefront of everything we do.
Our practice is guided by our guiding principles, and strong core values that allow us to adopt a true customer focused culture. The whole team at Kent Equine Hospital feeds into this culture and understands the importance of how to deliver the best customer experience possible, each time.
๐๐จ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐?
The review will hopefully result in more openness and transparency for all, especially surrounding which practices are corporate owned and those that remain independent. This includes any referral services you may be offered.
The current regulatory framework has been described by the CMA as โoutdated and no longer fit for purposeโ. As it stands, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) can only regulate Veterinary Surgeons & Nurses, but not the business owners. This needs to change and should in future mean business owners and corporate entities can be held accountable.
The most substantial and import
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ
Come and spend some time in the lab with us and run a worm egg count test! ๐ชฑ๐ฉ
๐ต He is the one and only ๐ต- Chesney
This lovely boy was in yesterday for a gastroscope with biopsies, a detailed abdominal ultrasound, and a dental endoscopy. He was so well behaved, and for those of you โyoungโ enough to remember you might get the song reference :D
#KEH #Kentequinehospital #Independentequinehospital #Independentequinevets #Equinevetsinkent #Equinevetssoutheast #equineendoscopy #equineultrasonography
