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What to look out for to ensure that your horse is healthy It is important to be familiar with the signs of good health, so that any illness or abnormality can be detected in the early stages. A healthy horse or pony should have: • A bright, alert attitude, with pricked ears taking an interest in their surroundings • A good appetite • A shiny coat with healthy skin that is loose and supple • Clear, bright eyes with no discharge • Clean nostrils (a small amount of watery discharge is normal) • Good condition without being fat • Droppings that are passed regularly and are not too loose or too firm • A body temperature of between 37 and 38.5º C (98.5-100.5º F) • A pulse rate of 28-42 beats per minute • A respiration rate of 8-16 breaths per minute. The horse’s breathing movements should be smooth and relaxed • Moist and salmon pink-coloured mucous membranes Since every horse is unique, it is important to know what is normal for your own horse. For example, horses will often have an increased pulse and respiratory rate if they are excited. If you have any doubts about your horse’s health, the best person to consult is your vet. How to contact your vet Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic provides a 24 hour service for emergencies. You can contact us by telephoning 01622 813700 at any time. • At night our answer machine will give you an emergency number to ring (PLEASE, ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES), and the duty vet should ring back within 5 minutes. If you have not been called back within a few minutes, you should leave a second message Emergencies include choke, colic, problems with foalings, injuries and large wounds, severe lameness and any other condition when your horse is in acute pain (link to when to call vet). If you are unsure at the time, then please ask us. • Normal office hours are between 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday REMINDERS: How to help the vet provide the best care for your horse Please ensure that your horse is caught, clean and with its feet picked out, ready for when the vet arrives. A clean bucket of water, soap and towel is certainly appreciated by the vet! Somebody who knows the horse and its history needs to be there to see the vet. We try to keep to time for our appointments, but emergencies have to be fitted in as well; if we are delayed we will endevour to ring and let you know what is happening, or we can ring when we are on the way to your yard to save you waiting. When making an appointment with the office, please make sure you leave a mobile number which you will have with you at the time of your appointment. Passports The passport and/or vaccination certificate should be available for every horse and ready for the vet. Different vaccinations need to be given every year, so it is important we check the paperwork before we treat the horse. This may save you money and unnecessary injections for your horse or pony. In most cases, injections against tetanus only need to be given every two or three years, but we need the vaccination records to check what is required before injecting the horse. All horses, ponies and donkeys are required to possess a passport. Animals without a passport are not allowed to be sold, exported, slaughtered for human consumption, transported to attend a competition or show, or moved to new premises. We recommend that you sign the passport declaration that your horse IS NOT intended for human consumption. When we treat your horse we can then use all medical options that are available, and there is no need for them to be recorded in the passport which reduces the paperwork required. In the absence of a passport, it becomes your responsibility to record the medicines administered and the last date of administration. We will supply the treatment details on our invoices to assist you.PASSPORTS Payment When you first register as a client at BELL EQUINE, you will be asked to pay at the time of treatment. Thereafter once your details are confirmed with our accounts department, then the office may agree that you can be invoiced, however, all invoices must be paid within 28 days of receipt. We provide a discount of 10% of the net total for payment at the time of the visit or 5% for payment within 14 days of receipt of the statement. We accept cash, cheques, debit and credit cards. If you have any questions regarding payment or insurance, speak to our accounts office on 01622 816033 between 8.30 and 4.30 on weekdays. Preventive Medicine Preventive medicine includes the procedures that should be routinely carried out to keep your horse in good health and protected from disease. These procedures include: 1. Vaccination against equine influenza and tetanus. Depending on the risks of your particular situation, vaccination against EHV-1, EHV-4 (herpes virus) and strangles may also be worthwhile; ask the vet for advice. 2. A worming programme; we can provide further information specific to your yard. 3. Regular dental checks: we can perform dentistry at your horse’s yard and we also run clinics at our hospital. In addition, every horse should: 1. Be checked regularly every day. Horses should be inspected at least twice daily. 2. Have regular hoof care from a farrier: If a horse has foot problems do consult the vet as well. We run a foot clinic regularly at the hospital. Planning Ahead Missing any of these important preventative procedures may result in a horse or pony being unable to work and may be an expensive oversight. If a vaccination is given late, the whole course may need to be started again. We will attempt to send vaccination reminders, but this is not a fool-proof system and it is your responsibility to ensure appointments are made before the next vaccination falls due. It is therefore advisable to plan your worming programme and book visits for vaccination, dentistry and shoeing well in advance. Do not forget retired horses, brood mares and companion animals as they require the same consideration and veterinary care. They are at risk even if they rarely leave the field. Booking a visit and sharing the cost Whether you keep your horse at home or in a livery yard, it is more cost effective to arrange a shared visit from the vet. The travelling costs of the vet can then be shared between a number of owners. Although it will not always be feasible to provide a shared visit, we will do our best to arrange this if it is possible. MAKING BOOKINGS WELL IN ADVANCE CAN ASSIST US WITH THIS TOO. Another option is to bring your horse to the clinic, since you will not have to pay a call out fee, and if your horse is at our Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons approved equine hospital there will be more help and equipment to carry out any investigations or treatments required. We have expertise available in all fields of equine medicine, surgery and breeding, including artificial insemination. Further help If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us, either on the main office number 01622 813700 or speak directly to the vet looking after your horse. If you have any specific complaints or concerns, please feel free to contact any of the partners. |
