Equicall

19/06/2025

Some helpful advice from World Horse Welfare during this period of hot weather ☀️☀️☀️
Our vets are on the end of the phone and ready to attend your horse if needed but prevention is always key! 💦

The hot summer weather is here!☀️ Are you and your horses ready?🐴

We’ve rounded up some essential tips to help you keep your horse or pony healthy, happy, and comfortable during the warmer months.

🥵 From managing hydration to staying cool, these simple steps can make a big difference.

Visit our website for further advice on keeping your horse cool and happy 👉 http://bit.ly/4jYbm3B

18/06/2025

Ocular Emergencies in Horses:

Emergencies involving the eye (ocular emergencies) are routinely encountered by the Equicall team. They are particularly common in the summer months so it is a useful time of year to review this information which was written by one of our team for a recent Horse and Hound publication 🐎

When Is it An Emergency?
The difficulty with triaging an ocular emergency over the phone is that a horse or pony will always present in a very similar way when they have a painful eye - no matter what the cause. Clients tend to report a combination of some of the following signs:

-A closed or partially closed eyelid
-Discharge from the eye
-A reddened appearance to the eye
-A swollen eye or eyelid

Since all eye problems (ranging from mild to severe) present with a combination of these signs it is impossible to determine without further, more detailed examination what the horse is suffering with and what treatment it may require. Therefore any sign of ocular pain in horses is always deemed an emergency.

Causes and Risk Factors:
Ocular injuries generally result from an impact, a pe*******on or an abrasion / laceration.

More Common Injuries:
Abrasions of the globe (which often lead to formation of a corneal ulcer) can occur in any number of ways; browsing in hedgerows and consumption of straw are often assumed to be the cause but they can also be the result of self-trauma, especially if the horse has an underlying condition such as conjunctivitis (inflammation of the tissues around the eye) or uveitis (inflammation within the eye) as they create intense itchiness.
Periorbital lacerations are traumatic injuries sustained around the eye and are usually the result of accidental damage from the horse’s environment (protruding objects in stables or along fence lines etc)

Less Common Injuries:
Penetrations of the globe are thankfully rare but when seen are usually the result of an inadvertent thorny injury whilst hedgerow browsing
Blunt Impacts can occur if a horse is suffering with a neurological condition or visual loss and misjudges a wall or door. They also can just be freak accidents - a stable door blowing shut on a horse or running into something out in the field when scared.

Appropriate First Aid:
If a horse has sustained any type of eye injury it is always recommended to call your vet in the first instance. They will be able to advise you best on appropriate specific first aid but more than likely your horse will require a visit to establish the extent of the injury and appropriate treatment. If there is profuse bleeding from around the eye, application of firm pressure with something clean and non abrasive (like cotton wool soaked in water with most of the water squeezed out) for five minutes should help the bleeding to stop. If any bleeding or fluid is coming from the eye itself leave well alone as further damage could easily be done. Once any major bleeds have settled take the horse into a quiet area such as a stable and keep them calm until the vet arrives. Don’t be tempted to put anything in the eye and if the horse is calm it can be useful to take a photograph of the eye as it is as swelling can cause the eyelids to close very quickly. Sending a photo to your vet will really help them determine what might be going on and enable them to give you some more specific first aid advice to you over the phone whilst on their way to you.

Veterinary Intervention:
In almost all cases a vet will sedate a horse with an eye injury in order to enable a full thorough examination. They are likely to put some coloured fluorosceine stain into the eye to help detect any subtle irregularities in the surface of the cornea (the outermost layer of the eye). They may also perform a neurological exam to rule out any unexpected underlying causes. Due to the pain involved analgesics (pain relief) are likely to be administered and sometimes additionally the topical application of local anaesthetic to the eye or a nerve block to allow the eye to be examined more easily.
Anything you can find such as shavings bales to help support your horse’s head during the examination will be helpful as is holding the opposite side of the head from the side that the vet is examining. Having access to a dark stable is very useful for examining certain structural parts of the eye but we can often make do with a towel over the horse’s head or something similar.
Depending on the nature of the injury the vet will decide on the next step of treatment once the examination is complete. It may be referral to a hospital for specialist care or it may be that treatment can be started on the yard with application of appropriate drops or ointment as well as systemic pain relief such as Phenylbutazone (‘Bute’).

Time Factors:
The success of treatment of eye injuries is always improved with quick recognition of the injury and swift implementation of a treatment plan. The result of not noticing or delaying treatment in what may appear a minor injury can quickly become catastrophic. These conditions will always be painful too.

A successful outcome will be dependent on some of the following factors :

-Severity of original injury
-How promptly it was noticed and treatment instigated
-The response of the horse to the treatment (sometimes material or fungal pathogens populating corneal ulcers can change and create secondary problems which delay healing)
-How well the horse tolerates regular treatments to the eye (often horses require the placement of a catheter which enables medication to be delivered to the eye via a lavage kit from a place that is easier to administer them from - such as the withers)
-Whether the horse has any underlying conditions which may be affecting the immune system such as PPID (Cushing’s Disease)
-Whether the horse further traumatises the area due to discomfort

The aim of treatment is usually always to save the eye but if this cannot be done or if the horse is going to be left with a chronically painful eye then enucleation (removal of the globe) is a relatively uncomplicated surgery that can be performed. Horses and ponies tolerate the loss of an eye extremely well and appear to adapt very easily, many of which are still able to be ridden.

The photos shown demonstrate a couple of very painful eyes seen and treated by our Equicall vets. We’d love to hear any success stories you have to share!

02/06/2025

A very important message from the wonderful team at Severn Edge Equine Vets 🧡

💙🐴 Be Kind to Your Equine Vet And Their Team 🐴💙

Behind every healthy horse is a dedicated vet who works long hours, braves all weather, and shows up—day or night—for emergencies. The team at Severn Edge Equine really do.
✅ They miss holidays, birthdays and special occasions
✅ They work day and night through the week and weekends
✅ They care deeply—sometimes more than you realize.

They are our heroes, but they are only human! They sacrifice so much to simply do their very best!
A kind word, a little patience, and mutual respect go a long way.
Let’s keep our equine community strong by supporting the people who care for our horses' health and well-being.

02/06/2025

Seeing wild ponies grazed on common land is a great reminder of how they are designed to live. Their bodies have yet to catch up with domestication and are perfectly suited to sparse and varied grazing as well as covering huge distances on foot each day. They store fat in the spring and the summer when food is more available and nutritious and they use those stores in the colder months - literally shivering it off to help keep warm. These natural fluctuations are designed for survival.
Unfortunately laminitis is a complex disease that we now see all year round as management drifts further from the ideal.
Prevention is always better than cure and these ponies grazing over the Pebblebed Heaths of East Devon are a lovely demonstration of how well ponies thrive in their natural habitat 🐴
Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust

22/05/2025

Our CVS Equine division has introduced mandatory personal protective equipment (PPE) for all of our veterinary colleagues. 🐴🚨

It follows our 3-year research project, collaborating with the University of Liverpool , which revealed 90% of veterinary clinicians have experienced an injury during their career.

All our vets, nurses & technicians will be required to wear a hard hat in the vicinity of a horse, pony or donkey – whether in practice, on a yard, or at a client’s premises. It is hoped the move will reduce injuries to the head – one of the most common traumas to be suffered by equine vets identified by the research, usually sustained when examining distal limbs.

Dr. John Tulloch, European Specialist in Veterinary Public Health University of Liverpool who led the research, has said: “Vet visits are not an ‘everyday activity’. Many horses will be on heightened alert. Some may be more prone to unpredictable behaviour. Vets are often in a vulnerable situation. Our research found many injuries happen when a horse kicks or pushes someone over and their head makes impact with the ground. So, wearing a hard hat will be a big step towards preventing these injuries.”

Our Equine Director Sophie Ignarski also added: “All clinicians are at risk in their day-to-day work – whether newly qualified or very experienced. So we've decided to make wearing hard hats mandatory to minimise the potential risk, understanding it can never be fully eliminated. We hope it serves to support and progress the equine veterinary industry more widely.”



Alnorthumbria Equine Vets Scott Dunn's Equine Clinic Oaklands Equine Hospital Valley Equine Hospital Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic Severn Edge Equine Vets Wessex Equine Equine Veterinary Centre B&W Equine Hospital B&W Equine Vets Western Counties Equine Hospital Phoenix Equine Corner House Equine Clinic Endell Equine Hospital Cinder Hill Equine Clinic Frome Equine Vets Seadown Equine Epona Equine Vets Equicall

[Visual description: A CVS equine colleague wearing a hard hat with a horse]

20/05/2025

Check out what the Equicall vets and many other CVS staff are up to… 🏃🏅🐎 🚴‍♂️

As the sun was starting to set on another day of the CVS Group Plc Team Distance Challenge I felt a little disappointment realising that we’re already into the third week of four. The distance challenge created by Equicall director Ian Bellis is becoming an eagerly anticipated feature of each year...

10/05/2025

When the office views are this good!!

Equicall are expanding and recruiting equine vets in many areas all over the UK so please get in touch if you fancy the challenge of something new!

🧡 One week on / one week off rota so you only are on call covering out-of-hours for half of the year
🧡 Weekday time on your week ‘on’ is downtime for resting, doing your own horses etc
🧡 Work from home
🧡 Enjoy support from your partner practice
🧡 Working with over 30 other equine vets all supporting each other through the working week
🧡 Staff discount for veterinary care for your own horses and pets
🧡 Wages equivalent to working full time standard practice hours

Reach out to us via DM or the Equicall website to have an informal chat with the friendly bosses or a current employee. We can let you know if we have anything upcoming vacancies in your area 🩺

10/05/2025

Our vets have been super busy with foals this week!

For those with mares still to foal we would recommend the following guidance:

1) Have a foaling plan including phone numbers of an emergency veterinary contact and local horse transport agency.
2) Maintain a good awareness of hygiene before, during and after foaling.
3) Ensure adequate colostrum intake within the first 12 hours of life.
4) Consider a neonatal exam within 24 hours after birth with a follow up IgG test where appropriate.

Whilst waiting please enjoy the sunshine!! 😎

29/04/2025

Check out this article written by one of our fantastic vets, Angela 🐎

She writes extremely eloquently about the dynamic juggle of successfully balancing a career in Equine Veterinary Medicine with parenting and embarking on additional professional challenges.

Over the next few weeks we will be looking at the ways in which Equicall, as a workplace, provides stability and fulfilment to passionate Equine vets who want more from their careers than a ‘standard’ role in Equine Practice.

We are grateful to Vet Record and Angela for championing how well Equine Vets can think ‘outside the box’!

https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/vetr.5478

Equicall
CVS UK