Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic

19/04/2024

On Tuesday evening we held a clinical CPD meeting for vets at the Holiday Inn, Maidstone. Around 30 vets from the local area attended to hear three talks on topics related to reproduction, foaling and foals.

Jonathan Pycock (a specialist in equine reproduction from Yorkshire) gave an in-depth talk about artificial insemination and the challenges of getting mares in foal by this method.

Chris Wiggins, our consultant farrier, discussed how to manage common leg deformities in foals, including “bent legs” and flexural deformities.

Ceri Sherlock, one of our specialist imagers and surgeons, then finished off the evening by discussing the emergency management of dystocia (abnormal birth) in the mare; the talked generated a lot of discussion about the problems of dealing with these stressful situations.

19/04/2024

⚠️⚠️⚠️ WARNING - contains graphic content ⚠️⚠️⚠️

With Strangles Awareness Week coming up next month, do watch this short film on ARGENTO'S journey with strangles.

18/04/2024

Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic vets Karen and Janine are on duty as part of the FEI veterinary team at Chard Equestrian in Somerset over the next few days - and they are definitely enjoying the sunshine! 😎

15/04/2024

Happy Monday! We're starting the week off in the best way possible with the safe arrival of this lovely little filly!

The beautiful TINKS, who had AI with us last year, gave birth to the most stunning buckskin filly last week and their owner reports both are doing incredibly well 😍

12/04/2024

Thank you to those who have already completed this on-line owners survey on equine Cushings disease to help the The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) research team.

If your horse is over 10 years old, has recently been tested for cushings, please take a few moments to complete the on-line survey.

🐎 Calling all UK horse and pony owners - can you help the RVC research team?
Is your horse/pony more than 10 years old?
Has it been recently tested for Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) also known as Equine Cushings ?
We'd like to hear from you regardless of whether the outcome was negative or positive.
We are investigating the quality of life of older horses both with and without PPID.
Survey takes approximately 10 minutes
➡️ https://rvc.uk.com/PPID-test-survey-2024SM

09/04/2024

Coming soon ..... Strangles Awareness Week 2024!

09/04/2024

Ambulatory vet Emma caught this beautiful rainbow early this morning out on her first call! 🌈

02/04/2024

Please be aware that our email is on a go slow today (Tuesday2nd April), so if you need an urgent response, phone us instead on 01622 813700. We are working to fix the IT glitch as quickly as we can, meanwhile thank you for your patience.

02/04/2024

We are experiencing problems with our phone lines this morning. If you could please bare with and try us again later if you have a non-urgent query, but if you have an emergency, please call 01622 812984 which will go through to our reception team.

Thank you very much for your patience.

30/03/2024

Don't forget the clocks go forward an hour tonight! Spring is around the corner!

29/03/2024

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter weekend 🐣🐴🍫🌼

27/03/2024

We had a busy castration day yesterday run by Michael De Cozar and Janine Terschuur.

We have two more dates for castration clinics both here at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic and for our East Kent clients at Bramling Livery yard near Canterbury.

We have our final castration clinic coming up on TUESDAY 16th APRIL for our East Kent clients at Bramling Court Livery and another clinic at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic on TUESDAY 9th APRIL.

There are a few factors which need to be considered prior to booking:
- The clinics are for registered clients of Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic
- The c**t must be under 4 years old
- Both testicles must be palpable
- A £50 deposit is required on booking to secure a place

Please note: vaccinations, passport & micro-chipping, additional post castration antibiotics or post castrate complications are not included in the cost and would be in addition to the castrate fee. If you require passporting and microchipping for your c**t booked in on one of the clinics, however, this can be done at a reduced fee at the same time if required.

IF you would like more infromation or to booking a c**t in, please call 01622 813700.

21/03/2024

A HUGE thank you to all who joined us for our Breeding Talk on Tuesday night. We all had so much fun seeing so many of you.

Huge thanks to our speakers: Ceri, Karen, Emma, Sam, Harriet & Pippa who gave incredibly informative talks, and to the staff who helped throughout the evening. And of course to our wonderful clients who came and made the evening so much fun!

We look forward to seeing you all again soon!

20/03/2024

Happy !

Enjoy this beautiful sunshine and smile as much as the gorgeous LEX! 😃😍

20/03/2024

UPDATE:

There has also been an accident on 7-Mile Lane (B2016) and emergency services are attending.

** TRAFFIC UPDATE AROUND Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic **

All the roads around the practice are currently extremely busy and there are delays on both the A228 & A26.

We have heard reports the M26 is shut near Wrotham which we assume is what has had a knock on effect to all the surrounding roads, so if you are coming to the hospital, please leave extra time as there are currently delays on all routes to us.

16/03/2024

** INVITATION TO BREEDING TALK 19th MARCH 2024:

We still have a few spaces for our client evening on Breeding and Foaling the 19th MARCH 2024 here at the hospital.

You will have the chance to listen to 6 short talks ranging from decisions on breeding, foaling (when it goes smoothly and when it does not go so smoothly!) to new born foal care.

If you would like to join us do get in touch to reserve your seat as it will be on a first come first served basis due to a limit on numbers, but we do have a few spaces left. Please email [email protected] to reserve your place.

15/03/2024

We have a couple more spaces on our final castration clinic coming up on WEDNESDAY 20th March for our East Kent clients at Bramling Court Livery near Canterbury with vet Harriet Fairhurst.

If you are wishing to get a c**t castrated and it is easier for you to head to Bramling than Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic for one of our castration clinics, do call the office on 01622 813700.

There are a few factors which need to be considered prior to booking:
- The clinics are for registered clients of Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic
- The c**t must be under 4 years old
- Both testicles must be palpable
- A £50 deposit is required on booking to secure a place

Please note: vaccinations, passport & micro-chipping, additional post castration antibiotics or post castrate complications are not included in the cost and would be in addition to the castrate fee. If you require passporting and microchipping for your c**t booked in on one of the clinics, however, this can be done at a reduced fee at the same time if required.

We also have several more dates for clinics at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic.

08/03/2024

** INVITATION TO BREEDING TALK 19th MARCH 2024:

If you are thinking of breeding your mare this season or have a foal due, we would like to invite you to an evening of short talks on all aspects of breeding on the 19th MARCH 2024 here at the hospital.

You will have the chance to listen to 6 short talks ranging from decisions on breeding, foaling (when it goes smoothly and when it does not go so smoothly!) to new born foal care.

If you would like to join us do get in touch to reserve your seat as it will be on a first come first served basis due to a limit on numbers, but we do have a few spaces left. Please email [email protected] to reserve your place.

07/03/2024

You may never have seen behind the scenes in a veterinary practice. So take a look at the work our vets and nurses do on the front line every day to look after animals in veterinary practices, hospitals, in the field and on call - so that they receive the best possible care.

Thanks to Molly Case for the poem you have written about our profession.

05/03/2024

We have our final castration clinic coming up on WEDNESDAY 20th March for our East Kent clients at Bramling Court Livery near Canterbury with vet Harriet Fairhurst.

If you are wishing to get a c**t castrated and it is easier for you to head to Bramling than Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic for one of our castration clinics, do call the office on 01622 813700.

There are a few factors which need to be considered prior to booking:
- The clinics are for registered clients of Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic
- The c**t must be under 4 years old
- Both testicles must be palpable
- A £50 deposit is required on booking to secure a place
Please note: vaccinations, passport & micro-chipping, additional post castration antibiotics or post castrate complications are not included in the cost and would be in addition to the castrate fee. If you require passporting and microchipping for your c**t booked in on one of the clinics, however, this can be done at a reduced fee at the same time if required.

We also have several more dates for clinics at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic, which we will advise of later this week.

03/03/2024

On Monday 4th March 2024, there will be planned roadworks on Butchers Lane. We should have full access to the hospital, so please come to us as normal - from the A228, into The Street (so as to avoid Mereworth village itself) and up into Butchers Lane. There will be road closure signs but the works are planned beyond the clinic, so please do not follow diversions which will be down narrow lanes.

Any problems, do not hesitate to call Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic on 01622 813700.

27/02/2024

Our patient of the day is little Heidi, who was the perfect patient for ambulatory vet Emma to start 'training' the next generation!

Emma had been out vaccinating Heidi who is the beloved pony of her little niece, who was very a very keen student! 😍

26/02/2024

It may not feel like it today but the evenings are finally getting longer and spring is definitely just around the corner ... as well as moulting season - so beautifully illustrated here!

26/02/2024

UPDATE 1:00PM:-
We appear to be back to normal, so thank you for baring with us. If you have any problems getting through to us however, do please let us know by emailing [email protected].

09:30AM:- We are having a few intermittent issues with our phone lines this morning. Do please bare with us, we are working hard to get them back up to full speed.

If you have an urgent emergency and are struggling to get through, please call 01622 812984.

Thank you for your patience and we'll keep you all updated.

21/02/2024

The The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) are currently running a study to investigate the behaviour and quality of life of older horses both with and without Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), also known as cushings.

If your horse or pony is over 10 years old and is being tested or has very recently been tested for PPID, regardless of whether the outcome was negative or positive, we're asking if you would spare a few minutes to complete the survey .

Please follow the link here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TFZT75L?fbclid=IwAR0FXJSIUr-dZjKDUw_6Gw-KqfX4nYoDZoPNBfuvIxVMv5wrkHdLBqSrZyI

🐎 Calling all UK horse and pony owners - can you help the RVC research team?
Is your horse/pony more than 10 years old?
Has it been recently tested for Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) also known as Equine Cushings ?
We'd like to hear from you regardless of whether the outcome was negative or positive.
We are investigating the quality of life of older horses both with and without PPID.
Survey takes approximately 10 minutes
➡️ https://rvc.uk.com/PPID-test-survey-2024SM

20/02/2024

In honour of , we wanted to share just a few of the many pets associated with the Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic team, all of whom brighten our day on a daily basis! 🥰🐶🐱🐔🐴🫏

19/02/2024

** 2024 BREEDING SEASON **

The weather may have disguised it recently, but we're now officially thinking about the start of the 2024 breeding season!

Prior to breeding, we recommend a ‘Pre-Breeding Examination‘. This will enable us to take the necessary samples for testing, such as CEM and EVA, in addition to a full reproductive examination.

We have a fantastic team of vets and stud nurses led by Emma, who have many years of experience between them all. They are supported by our hospital facilities and nursing team, where we can accommodate mares and foals, typically with grass livery (stabling also available), to enable the AI packages to be as successful as possible.

Please call us on 01622 813700 or email on [email protected] and ask to speak to one of the stud team to discuss your mare’s requirements or if you have any questions regarding any aspect of breeding.

** INVITATION TO BREEDING TALK 19th MARCH 2024:

If you are thinking of breeding your mare this season or have a foal due, we would like to invite you to an evening of short talks on all aspects of breeding on the 19th MARCH 2024 here at the hospital.

If you would like to join us do get in touch to reserve your seat as it will be on a first come first served basis and numbers will need to be limited. Please call 01622 813700 or email [email protected] to reserve your place.

16/02/2024

HUGE congratulations to our wonderful Michael De Cozar!

He has just successfully passed his ECVS surgical speciality examinations, becoming a European Board Specialist in large animal surgery.

This qualification covers all aspects of general, soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery in large animals, particularly in equine. These exams have been accomplished, after completing a surgical residency here at Bell Equine, and are the highest level of post-graduate training a vet can achieve.

Michael now joins 3 other board certified equine surgeons, 2 diagnostic imaging specialists, 3 internal medicine specialists and 2 sports medicine specialists at the hospital.

14/02/2024

** EQUINE VETERINARY NURSE MATERNITY COVER **

We are looking for an enthusiastic RVN or SVN with horse-handling experience to join our busy team for maternity cover. The role will be Monday to Friday between hours of 8:00am and 5.30pm, including an OOH rota.

If you would like to know more or apply for the role, please follow the link below:
https://www.careerswithcvs.co.uk/jobs/vacancy/veterinary-nurse-student-veterinary-nurse--bell0076/18322/description/

For an informal chat or further information on the role please contact Kelly or Lauren at Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic on 01622 813700.

14/02/2024

Happy Valentines Day from our gorgeous in-patients Alice and Alfie!

Not sure Alice is as impressed with her Valentines Day hug from nurse Kayleigh and vet Helen as Alfie is 😂 but there's a lot of love for our two favourite in-patients today (not that we need any excuse to steal a hug with these two!)

Do send us your Valentines Day hugs with your four-legged friends😍