Medicine

Gastrointestinal & weight loss

Problems of the stomach and intestines are common in horses, in particular colic, gastric ulceration and inflammatory bowel disease. Gastroscopy requires the horses to be starved for 18hrs and water removed during the last 6hrs to allow visualisation of the stomach and duodenum for ulcers. Biopsies of the duodenum can be taken during the procedure to diagnose inflammatory bowel disease. Rectal biopsies are also useful for investigating weight loss and ultrasound examination is used to identify abnormalities of the intestines, liver and kidneys.

Colic

Many colics do not require surgery and are managed medically with analgesics (painkillers), fluids and monitoring. Diagnosis is obtained using clinical examination, blood tests, ultrasound and abdominal paracentesis (belly tap). It is important to determine if a horse requires surgery as early as possible.

Cardiology

Resting and exercise ECGs are taken to assess the heart’s rhythm and detect any abnormalities. Some of these may only be apparent during exercise. A common cardiac complaint is atrial fibrillation, which is a significant cause of poor performance, and can be treated with quinidine or electrical cardioversion. Ultrasound examination of the heart (echocardiography) allows assessment of the heart chambers and blood flow using colour flow Doppler. This is useful in investigation of heart murmurs.

Respiratory

Respiratory problems are very common in horses. These include inflammatory airway disease in racehorses and performance horses, recurrent airway obstruction (RAO/asthma) and upper and lower respiratory tract infections. These are diagnosed using a combination of clinical examination, endoscopy, tracheal exudate sampling, bronchioalveolar lavage and laboratory tests. This enables treatment to be aimed specifically at the underlying cause of the cough/nasal discharge/poor performance.

Foal medicine

Sick foals can deteriorate rapidly and require early and appropriate therapy. The common illnesses include respiratory infections, intestinal infections, joint and bone infections (joint-ill), septicaemia and neonatal maladjustment syndrome (“dummy” foals). Intensive care is often required and involves continuous monitoring, feeding, fluids and other treatments.

Ophthalmology

Eye problems are common in horses. Any horse with swelling or pain in the eye will need to be examined promptly as the eye can deteriorate quickly. Conditions such as corneal ulcers, uveitis and traumatic injuries are genuine equine emergencies.

All our vets are trained in examining eyes in detail, including at vettings. Should topical treatments not resolve the issue, eye surgery such as cyclosporine implants, conjunctival grafts, or in the worst cases enucleation via GA or standing sedation, can be performed at TCEH.

Dermatology

Skin problems are very common and while these often look similar, the underlying causes such as allergic reactions, bacterial infections and fungal infections all need to be treated differently. Because of this, horses with skin problems are best examined by their vet to determine the best course of treatment.

Stud medicine & AI

Our reproduction/stud vets are experienced in fresh, chilled and frozen semen artificial insemination (AI) as well as natural breeding for Thoroughbred mares. Mares can be examined at home or can attend TCEH for management under an AI package deal.

We carry out routine health screening, vaccinations (such as EHV in the 5th, 7th and 9th months of pregnancy), bloods and swabs of mares & stallions, and can also carry out infertility investigations in both mares and stallions. We have facilities for frozen semen storage at TCEH and our lab is HBLB registered for CEM screening.

It is important to note that if you are importing semen from abroad for AI in the UK, that it is illegal for the semen to be shipped without an original valid health certificate (ITAHC) issued in the country from which the semen originated. A photocopy of the certificate is not sufficient.