Following the Prime Minsters Public Address this evening we have decided that we have the moral responsibility to our staff, public and local community to change the way in which we provide our veterinary service.

Effective immediately ( 23rd March 2020 ) we are postponing all routine work. Over the coming 24 hrs we will be contacting all clients booked in for routine work to try and facilitate a compromise. This will be achieved where possible through the use of Telemedicine Consults ( Telephones calls, Video Conferencing, Emails, Media Messaging ).

There is no change to our emergency service, both in and out of office hours. If your horse has sustained an injury or illness that constitutes an emergency on animal welfare grounds we will attend – please call the practice as normal.

During this visit we will adhere to strict physical distancing rules, in addition to the following protocols:

• When a visit has been confirmed we will only attend if we have been given assurances that any individual handling the patient has not had any of the clinical signs consistent with COVID-19, has not been in contact with confirmed cases or has been in any form of isolation – as per government guidelines.
• When attending any visit no spectators should be present – only the attending vet in conjunction with the owner or handler. There should be no more than TWO people present at any visit.
• When present a minimum of 2 metres distance must be maintained at any time. If this is not possible we will use addition personal protective equipment (PPE).
• We recommend all clients wash their hands as per the government guidelines before and after each visit.
• If possible we would prefer to attend patients and have a discussion about any findings / treatment plans over the phone.
• We request you do not touch any equipment (unless instructed to do so) and please be patient as we will be spending an increased amount of time disinfecting equipment between visits.

Our advice will be updated following governing body guidelines  as and when they are communicated to us..

Visits which do not fall into the category of an emergency, will be categorised as to whether specific veterinary advice or treatment is necessary to prevent further complications. Those that would have routinely been given a visit will then be offered a telemedicine consultation with a vet for a reduced cost due to the inability for the vet to conduct a ‘physical’ exam. We will be posting further updates in the morning, however we are keen to utilise all video conferencing ( FaceTime, WhatsApp etc ) in order to improve our clinical advice and potential choices with regards to treatments.