Influenza vaccines

• Primary vaccine
• 2nd vaccine 21-92 days after first
• 3rd vaccine 150-215 days after second and thereafter annually unless competing under FEI rules in which case the most recent vaccine must be within 6 months and 21 days
• No competing or racing allowed within 7 days of vaccination

Herpes vaccination
To minimise chance of herpes virus abortion mares should be vaccinated at 5, 7 and 9 months of pregnancy.

Rotavirus
To minimise severity and chance of rota virus diarroea in foals mares should be vaccinated at 8, 9 and 10 months of pregnancy.

Pre-purchase examinations
We undertake pre-purchase examinations (vettings) on all types of horses. Our portable digital x-ray machine allows us to do many of the examinations on the road. The full five stage examination consists of:
 
Stage 1 - Preliminary examination
This is the methodical examination of the animal’s body to assess general appearance and condition.  It includes examination of the teeth, the resting heart, the eyes by ophthalmoscope, the skin, the limbs and feet, and flexion of the limb joints to reveal pain of limitation of movement.

Stage 2 - Trotting up
The animal is walked and trotted on hard, level ground in order to detect gross abnormalities of gait and action.

Stage 3 - Strenuous exercise
The animal is given sufficient strenuous exercise (1) to make it breathe deeply and rapidly so that any unusual breathing sounds may be heard; (2) to increase the action of the heart so that abnormalities may be more easily detected; and (3) to tire the animal so that strains or injuries may be revealed by stiffness or lameness after a period of rest.

Stage 4 - A period of rest
The horse is allowed to stand quietly for a period. During this time the breathing and heart are checked as they return to their resting levels.

Stage 5 - The second trot and foot examination
The horse is walked and trotted again, turned sharply and backed, in order to reveal abnormalities exacerbated by the strenuous exercise stage.
 
A part vetting consists of stages 1 and 2. This is a cheaper alternative to a full 5 stage exam but the examination is obviously more limited.

We carry out routine dental work on the road. We have recently purchased power tools to enable us to perform more complex dental tasks. We also do a large number of teeth extractions at the practice under standing sedation or general anaesthesia.

The practice performs approximately 50 laparotomy (large hole) colic surgeries a year. Survival rates have improved significantly over the last few years (75% long term survival rates) with better techniques and intensive after-care management.

This enables us to perform keyhole surgery in the abdomen. It is very useful for removing ovarian tumours and investigating low grade unusual colic cases.

The practice has an excellent reputation for wind surgery started by Jeffrey Brain and carried on by Richard Tyler. The common procedures performed are:
Hobday
Incision into the larynx to remove the laryngeal sacs and left vocal cord to reduce airway interference associated with a mild degree of laryngeal paralysis.  
Tieback
The arytenoid cartilage of the larynx is anchored permanently open. This procedure is performed when there is more severe laryngeal paralysis.
Pinfire soft palate
Scarring is produced on the edge of the soft palate to increase palate rigidity and thereby decrease the chance of displacement of the soft palate during strenuous exercies (when the horse ‘gurgles’ or swallows his tongue).
Tie forward
Involves moving the epiglottis more forward in the larynx to minimise the chance of the soft palate displacing or dislocating.

Key hold surgery in joints and tendon sheaths is commonly performed at the practice. The arthroscope is frequently used to remove chips and fragments from the joints, to help assist in fracture repair and to flush infection out of synovial structures.

Fracture repair is routinely done at the practice. Reduction of the fracture is normally achieved by a compression screw or screws being inserted across the fracture line.

Involves visiting studs and ultrasound examination of the mare to manipulate and monitor her cycling to optimise breeching and early pregnancy diagnosis to prevent twins. The practice has some of the top English National Hunt sires, Kayf Tara and Midnight Legend, on its books generating a large amount of work.

Both frozen and fresh semen is routinely used to inseminate sport horses. Special packages are available to minimise costs.

Greg Staniek has been actively involved with non-surgical embryo transfer for over 15 years. He often works in conjunction with John Newcombe achieving excellent success rates. Again special packages designed for your mare are available.

Is often undertaken and can involve hysteroscopy, laparoscopy and uterine biopsy. Due to the large amount of equipment and specialist skills involved this is routinely performed at the practice.