Author: sussex_admin

Current Equine Herpes Virus Outbreak

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The BEF have produced the attached document (below) to advise people returning from Europe on their obligations with regards to the current EHV 1 outbreak.

Please read and take note – we really do not want this nasty virus spreading in the UK.  The fact that there are currently no shows in the UK due to the COVID restrictions will help reduce the spread.

Please note the comments regarding vaccination at the end of the document – it may be advisable to vaccinate if you are planning to go to shows this summer.

BS protocol March 2021 fv

Horse Rescue….

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On 29th January 2021, one of our vets, Grace O’Donovan, was called out to a stallion that had become stuck down in his stable overnight. Macho had become stuck in the corner of his stable but was also suffering from lymphangitis of his right hind leg, making it difficult for him to stand up. The highly skilled animal rescue team of West Sussex Fire and Rescue were quickly in attendance to assist getting Macho to his feet. Macho was heavily sedated and moved onto skids so he could be moved to an area where we could assist him in standing up. Macho was extremely painful on his very swollen right hind, so a decision was made to assist him when he stood up using strops and a tractor.

 

 

Lymphangitis is an extremely painful condition causing inflammation of the lymph vessels and lymph nodes, usually in a hindlimb. Generally, but not always, there is a break in the skin or dermatitis which allows infection to get through the skin and into the lymphatic system. Once the infection affects the lymph nodes and lymph vessels it restricts the drainage in the leg causing the leg to swell. Lymphangitis is characterised by a ‘tree-trunk’ leg, pain when feeling the lymph nodes at the top of the leg, a high temperature and the horse can often appear ill, depressed and off their food.

 

Early intervention and treatment is essential in these cases.

 

We are pleased to report that Macho was released into the care of his own vet and  is making a good recovery.

 

 

 

SEH – COVID statement – Lockdown 3.0 – 5th Jan 2021

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Following the PMs announcement last night that the nation will be entering into a third lockdown we felt it was important to reassure our loyal Sussex Equine Hospital clients that we will be providing a full, normal service both on the road and in the hospital.

 

As things stand at the moment the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has issued a very brief statement indicating that vets are able to continue with work as normal (having made the necessary risk assessments) and that it is unlikely that we will be restricted to emergency only procedures, as we were in the first lockdown.

 

The directive from the government is that where possible people should work from home. As such we are going to return to a skeleton staff working in the office, with the remainder of the office team working from home. With the fancy IT system that we have you will not notice a difference when you call the office. The hospital, clinical staff will not change at this stage.

 

This new variant of the COVID virus certainly seems to be more contagious, with this in mind we will be stepping up our human biosecurity protocols again, both in the hospital and out on the road. Please do let us know when booking appointments if anyone is unwell at the yards our vets and nurses will be visiting. Likewise please do not attend the hospital with patients if you are showing COVID symptoms. Other arrangements can be made to see patients if there are COVID concerns.

 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our clients for their support over the last year, we in return will continue to provide the highest possible levels of service and care that we can during this tricky time.

 

Best wishes to all for the New Year

The Directors

 

 

 

 

Coronavirus – Update

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Further to the Prime Minister’s announcement last night and following the guidelines set out by The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), our vets will be doing emergency work only with immediate effect.

As vets our primary role is to maintain the health and welfare of the equine patients under our care.  During the current National Emergency we are having to balance animal care with our responsibilities to the human health of the members of our team, as well as the health of our clients and the wider population.

We have already put into place many procedures to protect human health.  Most of our office team have been working from home for a number of days and this system has been functioning very well.  Our ambulatory vets are minimising their interaction with our hospital teams and we are following all the other distancing guidelines published by the Government and our professional bodies.

We have tried to maintain a normal service on the road and in the hospital, unfortunately we are now having to impose restrictions on the type of work that we are doing.

Please rest assured that we aim to maintain our usual excellent level of care for emergency cases 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the road.   The stud vet team will continue to handle all foalings and foal related issues, including post-foaling checks.  Our hospital will remain fully open to admit all types of emergency cases.  Our lab will also continue to process samples that are required to be run.

Our vets will be available on the phone (01903 883050) and by email (info@sussexequinehospital.co.uk) to offer any advice that you require.

If you are uncertain as to whether your horse fits the emergency criteria then please do call and discuss the situation with us.

Our office staff will also be on the end of the phone to deal with all your usual requirements.

As a practice, we will do all we can to maintain the balance between human health and animal health and welfare, as soon as we are permitted to we will be in a position to rapidly return to our normal routine service.

We wish all our clients the very best

The Directors

Coronavirus – Clients please read and share

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The team at the Sussex Equine Hospital are working hard to maintain a normal 24/7 service to our equine patients and all our clients.  The Covid – 19 virus is a rapidly developing situation, we must balance our patient care with keeping our staff fit and well.

At this time we will be providing a totally normal service out on the road with our ambulatory team of vets. The hospital will also be running as normal admitting both routine and emergency patients for our full range of procedures.

In order to keep our service operating as smoothly as possible we are instigating the following changes to our daily business:

Office staff:

Our offices will be staffed on site with a skeleton team.  However the remainder of the office team will be working from home.  We have an amazing telephone and IT system that allows our staff to function at home as though they are sitting at desks close to each other in the office.  From the outside you will not notice anything different.

Ambulatory and stud vet teams:

Our Ambulatory and stud vets will still be out on the road as normal. Appointments can be made via the normal Practice number (01903 883050). In order to reduce contact between the ambulatory vets and the hospital staff they are being asked to come into the hospital only to restock their cars and drop off lab samples.

Hospital team:

We will continue to provide the full range of diagnostic, surgical and treatment procedures; however we will be admitting and discharging all patients in the car park, clients will not be allowed into the reception or yard until further notice. Please remain by your lorry and wait for a staff member to assist you.  Our gates will be operating on an out of hours setting, please pull up to the gate and press CALL and the gate will be opened for you.

Prescriptions:

If you need to come to the hospital to collect a prescription, please call in advance to allow us to prepare you drugs for collection. As normal payment will be required at the time of ordering.

Your responsibility:

We request that clients update us on their own health status. If you are unwell, in particular with a cough or elevated temperature, please let us know in advance of your appointment.  Alternative arrangements will need to be made for the handling of your horses, to protect the health of our vets and nurses.

Our responsibility:

We are monitoring the Government guidelines and will respond accordingly.  Our new distancing procedures have been put in place to reduce the risk, not only to our staff but also to our clients.  Any members of staff that become unwell will be isolated appropriately.

We are grateful for our clients’ continued support and will endeavour to maintain the highest standard of care and service during these the virus outbreak. 

We take this opportunity to wish all our clients the best of health in these very challenging times.