These notes are intended to help you prepare for your horse’s procedure and to help ensure that his/her time at the clinic is as comfortable as possible. Please read these notes carefully and please contact the clinic if you have any questions.
For the majority of our patients, we require that the horse be brought in to the clinic the day before they are due to be operated on. This allows them some time to adjust to their new surroundings and enables us to give them a thorough examination prior to their procedure.
All stables and the yard are covered by CCTV this is remotely accessible by our staff and on call vet at all times. There are no staff on the premises routinely from 6pm to 8am, but all in patients are checked by the duty vet at 10pm and as required through the night.
We would encourage all owners to bring in their own hay/haylage and any hard feed that the horse may require during its stay; this helps us to keep down our boarding charges and helps to ensure your horse feels settled at the clinic, with minimal disruption to his/her routine. Please also bring in any rugs that your horse may require during his/her stay. Horses are often cold following a general anaesthetic or sedation so we would recommend bringing a thermatex-type rug for the horse to wear in the immediate post-op period, even if your horse does not normally wear a rug.
Please ensure that your horse is clean and thoroughly groomed before transporting him/her to the clinic for surgery. The operating theatre needs to be kept as sterile as possible and a clean horse will enable us to reduce the risk of post-op infection. Horses undergoing a general anaesthetic and surgery need to have their shoes removed in order to prevent them injuring themselves during their recovery from the anaesthetic. It is therefore advisable to ask your farrier to remove your horse’s shoes prior to bringing him/her in to the clinic. If we need to remove the shoes there will be an additional charge made for this.
It is essential that any owner of a horse undergoing a procedure at the clinic fills in and signs a consent form; your horse will not be able to go for surgery without completion of this. These forms are usually filled in when the horse is dropped off at the clinic. If, however, you are unable to come in at the same time as your horse, please telephone the clinic to make alternative arrangements for signing these forms.
Please feel free to telephone the Clinic to enquire about your horse’s condition and progress. It is usually more convenient if you telephone after mid-morning, by which time any daily checks will have been carried out. The office is open 8.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. You are welcome to visit your horse during its stay but, if you wish to talk to a vet during your visit, please telephone the clinic to arrange a specific time for this.
It is the responsibility of you, the owner, to notify your insurance company of any treatment your horse is undergoing. As the requirements of the various companies differ, please ensure that you keep your insurance company up-to-date and that you comply with their requirements. This is particularly important for any non-emergency surgery. If your insurance company require any form of communication from the vet in charge of the case, prior to surgery, please ensure that the vet receives adequate notice of this so that any correspondence with the insurance company can be completed in time.
Should you have any queries or concerns regarding your horse, please bring this immediately to the attention of the attending Veterinary Surgeon. If the vet is unavailable, please leave a message with Reception and we will contact you as soon as possible.
We all hope that your horse’s stay at the Clinic is successful. Please rest assured that we will do all that we can to ensure this.
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