Services

Check out our extensive equine services

Our aim is to put your horse first.

Over the past 15 years we have developed a bespoke clinic to meet your needs and assist us in providing a great service for you and your horse.

We are happy to cover approximately a 20-mile radius extending from Rufford, Ormskirk to visit our equine clients. For pre-purchase vetting with pre-arrangement we can travel further afield.

Emergency care is also offered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including bank holidays for all our equine clients.

  • Gastroscopy is often used confirm the presence of gastric ulcers, their severity and location of ulceration. This procedure is performed in stocks at our clinic but can be avaible for yard clinics if required. It is usually well-tolerated by the horse and takes around 20 minutes. Horses are ready to travel home when the sedation has begun to wear off (usually after about 30 minutes).

  • Laser surgery can be used as a non-invasive method of treating a variety of surgical conditions. We most commonly use laser in the removal of sarcoids. Laser offers the benefits of reduced haemorrhage (bleeding) and postoperative swelling as opposed to conventional surgery. Postoperative wounds are also tend to be less painful.

  • In house faecal egg count testing is available with results within 24-48 hours along with a worming programme.

    Please download a Worm Egg Count Form.

  • Routine Surgery and Vaccinations
  • Lameness Examinations and Joint Treatments
  • Portable Diagnostics
  • Pre-Purchase Examination
  • Dental Work
  • Telemetric ECG
  • In-House Laboratory

Routine Surgery and Vaccinations

Standing sedation and general anaesthesia can be performed within our theatre. Procedures often performed include castration, rig castration, wound repair, sarcoid removal, hernia repair, eyelid repair, enucleation, dental extractions and sinus surgery.

Please click here to download a consent form.

 

Influenza and Tetanus vaccinations are recommended; other vaccinations available are Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1 and EHV-4) and Strangles on request.

 

We offer a comprehensive reproduction service with AI Packages available:

  • Approved AI centre with on-site laboratory
  • Several veterinary surgeons with AI experience
  • Excellent handling and restraint facilities
  • Experienced staff to handle mares
  • AI with fresh, chilled and frozen semen
  • Ultrasound scanner
  • Liquid nitrogen storage of frozen semen
  • Veterinary office on site

Lameness Examinations and Joint Treatments

Trot up and exercise areas – hard standing for lunging, menage for lunging and ridden assessment. Our vets are highly experienced in all nerve and joint blocks and diagnostic imaging techniques.

We are happy to work with owners' farriers for remedial and advanced techniques, but can also offer this through appropriate specialist farriers as required.

Shock Wave treatment can be performed within our clinic or out at your yard. The treatment can be useful in cases of chronic pain that have been refractory to conventional treatment and typically involves three treatments at two week intervals.

Portable Diagnostics

  • Our state of the art digital x-ray machine enables images to be stored on computer and magnified so that subtle changes that may not be visible on conventional films can be identified. The system is highly portable allowing horses to be x-rayed off site in cases of laminitis or suspected fracture.
  • Ultrasound is particularly useful to help in the diagnosis of tendon and ligament injuries. It is also the main method of pregnancy diagnosis and fertility monitoring. We can carry ultrasonography on and off site depending on the individual case.
  • A fibre optic endoscope can be used to examine the upper respiratory tract. Endoscopy is particularly useful in the diagnosis of ‘wind conditions’ where your horse may make a noise at exercise. It can also be used to obtain samples from the trachea which help in the diagnosis of chronic coughs (called tracheal washes) or to investigate problems within the gutteral pouches. Endoscopy can be performed at your yard or within our clinic.

Our equine department has the facilities to hospitalise patients for extended treatment if required, for example, during the post operative period, intensive care, wound management, eye treatment or cast monitoring.

Pre-Purchase Examination

We recommended that all horses purchased should undergo a veterinary examination to assess their soundness and suitability for your specific requirements. The vetting examination is carried out under the guidelines set out by the RCVS and BEVA and is performed in 5 stages.

Two types of pre-purchase examination or “vetting” are available – a five stage vetting (taking on average one and a half hours) or a two-stage vetting (limited pre-purchase examination). Bloods and x-rays may be taken if required. 

Dental Work

All of our equine vets have undertaken further post graduate dental training. The practice offers routine and advanced techniques, including radiography, extraction, diastema widening, flushing and packing.

Oroscope

An endoscopic examination of the horses oral cavity can increase our ability to visualise dental pathology such as tooth fractures, diastema (gaps in between teeth which pack food and become painful) and oral masses. Images may then be stored on file for future reference.

Telemetric ECG

Electrocardiography (ECG) is used for diagnosing abnormalities of the heart and cardiac rhythm. Telemetric electrocardiography allows us to record an ECG over a prolonged period (up to 24 hours) during stabling or at exercise. The ECG is recorded onto an SD card and can be watched on a remote computer in real time (from up to 50 metres away) allowing your horse to be ridden if required.

In-House Laboratory

A bespoke laboratory supports the vets and all the horses under our care. The advantage of our in-house laboratory is that we can obtain urgent laboratory results quickly, most being completed the same day. We can run a vast variety of haematological and biochemical tests on blood samples.  Other investigations on samples such as cytology on blood smears, checking for skin parasites and worm egg counts may also be performed.

Practice information

Rufford

Back
  • Mon
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 7:00pm Appointments - 9:00am - 6:30pm
  • Tue
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 7:00pm Appointments - 9:00am - 6:30pm
  • Wed
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 7:00pm Appointments - 9:00am - 6:30pm
  • Thu
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 7:00pm Appointments - 9:00am - 6:30pm
  • Fri
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 7:00pm Appointments - 9:00am - 6:30pm
  • Sat
    Closed - contact Southport Branch
  • Sun
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 1:00pm Appointments - 9:00am - 12:00pm
Back

Find us here:

9 Holly Lane Rufford Ormskirk L40 1SH
get directions with Google Maps

Southport

Back
  • Mon
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 7:00pm Appointments - 9:00am - 6:30pm
  • Tue
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 7:00pm Appointments - 9:00am - 6:30pm
  • Wed
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 7:00pm Appointments - 9:00am - 6:30pm
  • Thu
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 7:00pm Appointments - 9:00am - 6:30pm
  • Fri
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 7:00pm Appointments - 9:00am - 6:30pm
  • Sat
    Phone Lines - 8:00am - 1:00pm Appointments - 9.00 to 12.00
  • Sun
    Closed - contact Rufford branch
Back

Find us here:

127 Wennington Road Southport Merseyside PR9 7AH
get directions with Google Maps

Tarleton

Back
  • Mon
    Phone Lines: 8:30am - 12:00pm / 1:00pm - 5:30pm Appointments - 9.00am to 5:00pm Closed 12pm-1pm for lunch
  • Tue
    Phone Lines: 8:30am - 12:00pm / 1:00pm - 5:30pm Appointments - 9.00am to 5:00pm Closed 12pm-1pm for lunch
  • Wed
    Phone Lines: 8:30am - 12:00pm / 1:00pm - 5:30pm Appointments - 9.00am to 5:00pm Closed 12pm-1pm for lunch
  • Thu
    Phone Lines: 8:30am - 12:00pm / 1:00pm - 5:30pm Appointments - 9.00am to 5:00pm Closed 12pm-1pm for lunch
  • Fri
    Phone Lines: 8:30am - 12:00pm / 1:00pm - 5:30pm Appointments - 9.00am to 5:00pm Closed 12pm-1pm for lunch
  • Sat
    Closed
  • Sun
    Closed
Back

Find us here:

63a Church Road Tarleton Preston Lancashire PR4 6UQ
get directions with Google Maps

Oakvilla

Back
  • Mon
    Pre-booked appointments only
  • Tue
    Pre-booked appointments only
  • Wed
    Pre-booked appointments only
  • Thu
    Pre-booked appointments only
  • Fri
    Pre-booked appointments only
  • Sat
    Pre-booked appointments only
  • Sun
    Pre-booked appointments only
Back

Find us here:

Holmeswood Road Rufford Ormskirk Lancashire L40 1TZ
get directions with Google Maps