What to expect-arthroscopy for removal of articular fragments:
-Items to bring to the clinic prior to admission:
-On admission:
-At discharge:
-At home:
What to expect-laparoscopy:
-On admission
-At discharge
What to expect-colic:
-On arrival at the hospital your horse will undergo a number of routine diagnostic procedures to determine whether or not your horse can be managed with medical treatment or whether the type of colic requires a life saving emergency surgery.
-If the horse can be managed medically, the clinician will discuss the treatment plan and length of stay with you. In general the horse will stay for 2-3 days and will be ready for discharge once back on a feeding routine.
-If the horse requires surgery, a life saving abdominal exploratory laparotomy will be performed. Depending on the type of colic, it may be that the intestine is out of position and needs to be replaced correctly, or that a more complicated surgery needs to be performed, with untwisting of intestine and removal of devitalised tissue, a procedure known as a resection.
-If surgery is performed, the horse will require intensive care with hospitalisation for approximately 5-7 days. This may be longer, depending on how sick the horse is on presentation at the hospital. The horse will receive general supportive care and restricted feeding programme in the post-operative period. This period of intensive care is just as important as the initial surgical procedure itself and is crucial to the horse’s well being.
-Colic is just a symptom of abdominal pain and not a diagnosis. The cause of the colic and the length of time it has been present, are the most important factors that will determine whether or not your horse has a successful outcome. We can treat and cure almost every colic case if we see the horse on time, while the vital parameters and physiological status is still stable.
What to expect-castration:
What to expect-functional upper airway examination:
What to expect-MRI:
-Your horse’s shoes and all traces of metal will be removed from the feet (both either front or back shoes have to be removed) prior to entry into the scanner.
-The scan is performed under standing sedation on an out-patient basis.
-If no further examinations are to be performed, then the horse will be ready to go home following the scan.
-A full written specialist report will be available after the exam.
What to expect-gamma scintigraphy:
-The horse will be admitted to the hospital on either the day before or the morning of the scan. Horses will be discharged 24-48 hours following the scan depending on whether further investigation or treatment has been requested.
-The horse can either be admitted solely for the scan, or as part of further evaluation and treatment of orthopaedic problems.
-A radio-active isotope will be injected into the horse by intravenous injection.
-The isotope is attached to a marker, which binds to regions of increased bone turnover. A gamma camera will then be used to detect the intensity of the uptake throughout the horse’s skeletal system. Regions of increased activity/inflammation will show up as ‘hot spots’. The technique can also be used to identify certain soft tissue injuries.
-The horse will stay in isolation protocol for one day following the scan. This is to allow for decay of the radioactive isotope and is dependent on the half-life of the product used. The isotope is not dangerous for your horse in any way, but for humans repeated exposure to the isotope once excreted by the horse in urine should be avoided.
-The horse will be ready to go home the day after the scan or further orthopaedic evaluation, imaging and treatment will be undertaken at this time if necessary.
What to expect-emergency admissions:
-The hospital is open to emergency admissions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
-Appointments for emergency admissions can be made via our out of hours emergency line.
-A team of European Specialists in Surgery, Internal Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging will be available to deal with the specific needs of your horse including life saving surgical intervention.
We offer:
Dental cases-what to expect:
-On arrival at the clinic your horse will be assessed by one of our surgeons.
-A detailed history will be obtained.
-The horse will be fully assessed under standing sedation, including oral examination with intra-oral endoscopy. Further diagnostic procedures including radiography, nasal endoscopy, CT and sinoscopy will be performed as necessary.
-In cases where dental extraction (normally standing/ occasionally under general anaesthesia) or tooth filling (normally standing/ occasionally under general anaesthesia) is indicated, the horse will be hospitalised and treatment will be carried out the day following admission to the clinic.
-If an infected tooth needs to be removed, this will be performed under standing sedation utilizing a variety of techniques.
-If the horse has an associated dental sinusitis, the horse will most likely need prolonged hospitalisation with daily sinus lavage for 7-10 days.
-If sinoscopy or sinus lavage is performed this will be performed via a direct trephine hole in the horse’s head overlying the sinuses.
-In some cases where a larger field of access is required, a sinus flap may need to be performed to gain access to the region of interest.
Gastroscopy-what to expect:
-The procedure is usually performed on an outpatient basis.
-In order to fully evaluate the lining of the stomach, the stomach needs to be empty. We therefore ask that horses presenting for gastroscopy have no access to food for 12 hours and no water for 6 hours prior to the procedure. If this cannot be performed at home, then the horse may be admitted to the hospital the day prior to the gastroscopy, where food and water intake can be restricted as necessary.
-The oesophagus, stomach and proximal duodenum can all be fully evaluated.
-Biopsies of regions of interest can be obtained as necessary.
-Treatment programmes will be tailored to the individual needs of your horse.