Equine Vets - E C Straiton and Partners Veterinary Hospital, Staffordshire

Experienced Equine Care and Advice

E.C. Straiton & Partners provide comprehensive veterinary care for over 6,000 horses across Staffordshire, ranging from Miniature Shetlands to Shires.

From advice on vaccination protocols and worming programmes to in depth lameness investigation and surgery, our passionate and progressive team of equine veterinary staff are well placed to support you and your equine when you need us.

The dedicated Equine Unit at Penkridge is well-equipped and continues to evolve as advances in veterinary science are made.

Our 24 hour service and emergency call-out is available to our registered clients providing assurance that we are here when you need it the most.

To register your horse call: 01785 712235.

Routine Care

Vaccinations

We recommend that all horses are vaccinated against influenza and tetanus.
If tetanus is contracted it is almost always fatal in horses causing a great deal of suffering despite being entirely preventable.

Influenza is a highly infectious disease and an outbreak can lead to large numbers of horses falling ill and being unable to work for a significant length of time. In young, old or infirm horses influenza can also prove to be fatal.

Dental Care

Dental care is one of the most important aspects of routine care. Broadly speaking teeth should be checked once every 12 months, however, some horses may need them checking more regularly.

We offer this service for a fixed fee, including sedation if needed, and can also be added on alongside a routine vaccine visit if required.

We refer tooth fractures, caries, fillings, and other advanced procedures to Neil Townsend, a specialist in equine dentistry and surgery, who visits our practice to work alongside our vets to give your horse the best possible treatment.

Worming

An effective worming regime plays an essential role in maintaining your horse’s health. We are happy to provide advice – whether it is for individual horses or whole yards – to both analyse the worm problem and put forward a treatment plan.

We utilise Faecal Worm Egg Counts (FWEC) during the spring, summer and autumn to assess which horses need worming and target specific worms at the correct time of year to effectively kill them. We also offer parasite sampling carried out via Liverpool University’s Diagnosteq laboratory (www.diagnosteq.com) for roundworms and tapeworms.

Worming Packages

Diagnostics

Understanding the problem, quickly

A quick and accurate diagnosis enables our team to advise an appropriate course of treatment or medicine for your equine. The facilities at E.C. Straiton and Partners help to provide vital information during examination.

Lameness Work Ups – thorough examination of the limb/limbs affected and include specific lunging and trot-up areas, diagnostic analgesia, digital radiography systems (x-rays), and stabling if required.

Gastroscopy – full video gastroscopies offer invaluable information in the diagnosis of equine gastric ulcers. A tube containing a digital video camera is inserted through the nose and into the stomach via the oesophagus to provide an informative view and accurate diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

Endoscopy/Bronchoscopy – video endoscopy and bronchoscopy for the diagnosis and treatment of airway diseases. Bronchoalveolar lavage is a useful technique used in the diagnosis of inflammatory airway diseases such as COPD. Guttural pouch examination and medication provides invaluable access to the areas affected by strangles, chondroids or mycoses.

Minor Surgery – carried out by our experienced vets and we have a safe and secure knock down and recovery box where your equine will receive the very best attention from our dedicated team. Our visiting specialist provides laser sarcoid removal and photodynamic therapy to effectively treat and remove sarcoids.

Worm egg counts – Either as part of our worming programmes or for your own worming control, we offer worm egg counts in house to assess the worm burden of your horse. From this we can tailor worming treatments and programmes to get the best possible worm control without resistance.

Equine Facilities

We provide comprehensive facilities for our equine patients that are constantly under review and evolving as veterinary science developments.

Our latest investments include –

			A dedicated equine examination area with ‘stocks’ to make procedures like endoscopy and ultrasound examinations safer and easier for both patients and staff.
Two new large stables and a padded ‘knock down’ box where surgical procedures are carried out, overlooked by a windowed gallery enabling patients to be monitored day and night without disturbance.
A concrete ‘trot up’ area & lunging ring for investigating lameness or gait problems completes the equine facility.

			A digital radiography system, adding to existing digital ultrasound equipment, to produce quality x-rays that can be viewed and stored digitally on our imaging machines.
Flexible digital endoscope to allow examination of the upper respiratory tract and gutteral pouches and to take samples for analysis.
Paddock to allow free exercise.

Pre-Purchase Examination

An Informed Equine Investment

We encourage purchasers of new horses to consider having a veterinary pre-purchase examination carried out to try to identify any conditions which may make the horse or pony unsuitable for purchase for the purpose for which it is intended.

Equine pre-purchase examinations fall into 2 categories:

Two stage examination

This is a basic examination which comprises:

An examination of the horse at rest- including examination of eyes, heart, lungs, back, limbs, genital organs and skin.
An examination of the horse led up at walk and trot, turned and backed up – to assess basic gait.
This examination will usually take 30-40 minutes and a report of findings will be issued. It must be remembered, however that there may be potential concerns that will NOT be detected during a 2 stage examination.
If this is being carried out for insurance purposes, please check with your intended insurance company the level of pre purchase examination they require.

Five stage examination

This is a more comprehensive examination which includes the initial 2 stages and expands to comprise of:

Strenuous exercise
Period of rest
A second trot up and foot examination
Blood samples may be collected and stored for an additional charge. Should an issue arise after purchase these samples may be used to ensure the horse was not under any treatment at the time of purchase.
X-rays may also be taken for an additional charge; these may be useful in identifying already disclosed changes or if the animals conformation is relevant to their desired purpose. Please discuss this at the time of booking in your pre-purchase examination.

To book a Pre-Purchase Examination call: 01785 712235

Veterinary Hospital Admission

If your horse requires treatment that can’t be undertaken at your premises we offer comfortable stabling facilities at our veterinary hospital which allow us to make the best use of the equipment and facilities.

Should your horse be booked in for a procedure at the veterinary hospital, for example gelding or sarcoid surgery, your vet will discuss with you any specific requirements.

In general we ask:

For your horse to be transported to the hospital and to arrive between 9am and 10am.
A hay net (filled with your horses normal hay) is left with us.
Any medication your horse would routinely take is left upon admission, unless advised otherwise by your vet.

If you need to contact us during your horses stay please call the Nursing Team on 01785 712235

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