Liphook Equine Hospital

As the Covid 19 lockdown period continues, the guidance from our governing bodies has been updated due to the extended period of time during which services will be restricted.  As a result,with effect from Tuesday 14th April, we will be following the updated advice from our governing body.  We will now be performing RISK ASSESSED work that is vital for equine health and welfare and this will include equine vaccinations, where the deadline is due imminently.

It is now considered appropriate to perform vaccinations as it is important to minimise the risk of an equine outbreak during this extended period of lockdown but in all circumstances this maywill only be done where it is considered safe to do so. Permitted vaccinations will not include 6 month competition booster vaccinations which are not deemed to be essential at this current time.  

Safety and distancing measures for vaccinations and other services where applicable will include :

– ensuring that your horse is tied up waiting prior to arrival

– the passport should be left out ready beside the stable/horse

– where a client is present this should be ONE person per visit (strictly no children or pets are to be present)

– a physical distance of 10m will be maintained where possible

– we will liaise with you across a 10m distance or by telephone

– if you are self-isolating or confirmed to have Covid 19 you SHOULD NOT be present at all and we will consider bringing a second practice member to assist safely

 *IF YOU THINK THAT SOCIAL DISTANCING CANNOT BE MAINTAINED PLEASE DISCUSS THIS WITH US BEFORE WE ARRIVE*

This does not mean that we can return to business as normal and we will assess all work remotely before determining if a visit is necessary. Wherever possible work will be by telemedicine consultations/phone calls. If work is non-essential and in the short term, no significant impact on equine welfare is likely to occur, then that work should continue to be delayed in line with the current RCVS advice. (This will include routine dental work, pre-purchase examinations, low grade lameness and poor performance investigations).

We are doing everything we can to safeguard human and equine health and welfare and to comply with the government guidelines.  We are keen to provide your horses with the care they may need but we will ensure at all times that we can ensure the safety of our vets and nurses, your own health and that of the general public. Thank you for all your help in complying with these regulations and for your loyalty to the practice in these difficult times. 

We have great respect for our medical colleagues and we are extremely concerned about the continuing pressures that the coronavirus outbreak is putting on the NHS and the most vulnerable members of our society. It is imperative that we continue to protect our staff, clients and their families and to be socially responsible and we will do everything we can to continue to uphold the directions of the government to help control the spread of Covid-19.

This advice will be kept under constant review and updated in line with government guidelines.

In accordance with current government guidelines, we will only be able to provide on-site emergency veterinary care.

We can now offer telemedicine consultations to provide the best veterinary support for you and your horse. We can arrange a telemedicine consultation to allow you to access veterinary care at this time.

Make sure all your horses’ needs are covered in case you have to self-isolate or are taken ill.

Click here to download our care plan form to give to your yard or a friend who will look after your horse if you can’t.

We hope you are all well and following government guidelines to stay safe whilst taking time to enjoy the companionship of your horses in these challenging times.

As vets, our jobs have always been about protecting animal health and welfare but each day we have seen new and essential guidance from the government. We now find ourselves in a position where it also our duty to do everything we can to protect human health, particularly those in our community who are most at risk.

Consequently we have reached the decision to stop all non-essential work.

We are cancelling all booked in work thereby limiting the movement of individuals and potential spread of COVID-19. This morning we will be contacting everyone with appointments already booked in. We expect our phone to be very busy so please wait for us to contact you.

We ask that if one of our vets does have to come to visit your horse in the event of an emergency that you ensure that you maintain excellent social distancing and we will work to do the same.

Your horse’s welfare is very important to us, as is the health of everyone in our community. If you are concerned about your horse’s health in any way, please phone our office in the first instance and we will be very happy for one of our vets to speak to you and give you advice.

We are pleased to report that, further to the decision to take the precautionary step to cease movement of horses in and out of the Hospital, we currently still have no horses in the Hospital showing signs of EHV-1 infection. Our initial concerns began at the beginning of last week with a horse that was admitted as an emergency to the Hospital which was subsequently shown to be shedding a very low quantity of EHV-1. That horse is now back at home and doing well. To be clear, we have had no fatalities or serious illness from EHV-1 at any time here at the Hospital. We have detected trace amounts of EHV-1 in a nasal swab from one other hospitalised horse late last week. This horse is in our isolation facility and remains fit, well and shows no signs of illness. It is uncertain whether this horse’s swab result was a consequence of transmission from the original horse admitted to the Hospital or a pre-existing latent infection. All other inpatients were swabbed at the same time and all returned negative results. We continue to monitor all the horses in the Hospital extremely closely but currently have no horses with clinical signs of EHV-1 infection in the Hospital.