To all our valued equine clients,
Following the Prime Minister’s instructions on 23/03 to stop all non-essential travel and contact, our governing body has produced guidelines covering what we as equine vets ARE and are NOT allowed to do. What we are not now allowed to do includes:
>> Flu vaccinations. All routine flu vaccinations to be halted for 1 month initially. BEVA are in urgent discussions with the governing bodies of the various equine disciplines to discuss if an exemption can be granted for horses whose vaccination lapse within that time frame. If not, we will be approaching the vaccine manufacturers to seek a vaccination amnesty once restrictions have been lifted
>> Routine dental work (but horses who are having difficulty eating or have other significant concerns will continue to be seen)
>> Mild lameness
>> Passport identification
>> Sarcoid treatment (unless a welfare concern)
>> Castration (unless there is a welfare concern or human health risk)
>> Prescription checks – these can now be done by video consultation – please contact the practice. For horses with PPID (Cushings Disease), ACTH blood tests will be postponed until after the lockdown has ceased and until then pergolide will continue to be prescribed at the current dose.
Tetanus, EHV vaccinations for pregnant mares and rotavirus vaccinations for pregnant mares will continue to be offered.
We will only be taking NEW bookings for ESSENTIAL visits. These are the type of visits you would call a vet to at a weekend. If you need advice or treatment for a non-urgent case our vets are now able to offer consultations by WhatsApp video (which will be charged at the normal examination rate but obviously do not incur call-out fees) and can then arrange for the relevant drugs to be posted to you or arrange collection. Please contact us at the practice if you have any concerns about your horse.
Clients who already have visits booked in will be contacted if we are no longer able to attend.
For stud clients, it is currently unclear which stallions will continue to stand and how much we will be allowed to do. We are awaiting further guidance from our governing body, which we hope will be available in the next 48hrs. We hope to be able to continue doing stud work as usual but it is also worth considering whether admitting your mare to the clinic for frozen insemination might be an option for your mare if chilled semen is not available.
Our 24/7 emergency service and inpatient facility continue to be available and our team remains extremely committed to your horse’s welfare and we hope that you, our clients, continue to be healthy in body and mind in these difficult times.
Sam and the HNVG Equine Team
For further updates, our website and social media outlets will be updated consistently.
Back to news
