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Nov 2009
Client Evening 25th November
Please see new page -
Client Events - for report on our
Veteran Care Evening plus news of our plans for further events in
2010.
Oct 2009
Autumn Update
Drug
prices reduced!
Angie has been
busy driving hard bargains with our suppliers & as a result we
have been able to REDUCE prices on several drugs which many of
our clients need on a long-term basis. These include
equipalazone and danilon, ventipulmin, sputolosin and
gastroguard. To be able to give you this reduction we have to
“pay with order” and so would really appreciate it if you would
help us by paying when you order from us.
Passports & microchips
Don’t panic if you
haven’t got a passport for any of your horses but you do need to
get one. Any of the vets can complete the forms for you when
they see your horse, either when visiting you or you can bring
the horse to the Clinic & save the visit fee. We charge just £15
to do these – you will also have to pay the fee required by the
passport issuing body. We hold stock of the BHS forms. If you
prefer to use another organisation please get the form before
booking your appointment. All new passports now require the
horse to be microchipped as well – some of the breed societies
issue their own microchips. We charge £5 to insert a chip you
have purchased in advance or £15 to supply & insert.
Please can you
have your passport to hand when the vet visits because there are
increasingly complex rules about them being checked before
treatment is given. You also need to make sure that you have
completed the “not for human consumption” statement in the
passport, otherwise we are very restricted in what drugs we can
use. For example, bute is banned unless the declaration is
completed.
Routine dental checks
Just as in people,
it is not just the teeth which should be checked but the whole
mouth & tongue. There are potentially serious problems can be
averted if they are identified & treated early. We are therefore
recommending that we examine all horses at the time of annual
booster injections. We use a dental gag to examine the mouth &
teeth properly, this costs just £10. If any rasping or other
dental treatment is needed we can advise you what is needed, the
cost of it & can often complete it immediately. We only
undertake rasping etc if it is actually in the horse’s best
interest. If all is well we will examine & leave well alone. We
have powered dental tools but use these in relatively few cases
because over treatment can be as bad for your horse as under
treatment. To chew hay your horse needs teeth with a grinding
surface, not a totally smooth one!
Tetanus
We have recently
seen horses die of tetanus. Tetanus will always be a risk to
horses and it breaks our hearts to see horses suffering and
dying from this awful condition. Vaccination is easy, quick and
cheap. To be protected your horse needs 2 doses initially, with
a few weeks between, then we recommend annual boosters.
Currently we charge just £7 per dose. If your horse is not
protected PLEASE book now for a first dose. Ask everyone at your
yard or your neighbours if they need theirs done too & share the
visit fee.
Veteran horse healthcare scheme
Watch this space
in the coming weeks for more information. We are launching a
scheme to help older horses stay fit, active & happy...
Pay
your invoices over the phone
The banks are
steadily increasing their fees to cash cheques. If you can
possibly pay by credit/debit card instead that will help us keep
our overheads down & so avoid a general price increase. It also
saves you time and the cost of the stamp!
If you have never
tried this, all you need to do is ring us during office hours
(after 10am is best) with your card to hand. A quick call is all
it takes. Thank you.
Jan 2009
Happy New Year!
We can hardly believe that it is 2009
already and we are nearly three years old! 2008 was an
extremely busy year for the clinic, particularly during the breeding
season - with all the usual problems that young foals bring along
with the pleasure - and many mares in for AI. If you wish to breed
from your mare by AI this year please contact the clinic and we will
be pleased to send you the details of our packages for chilled and
frozen semen.
Our 'vaccination amnesty' in the autumn
was a great success, with many clients taking advantage of our offer
of a free second vaccination for both flu and tetanus. Tetanus is a
truly horrible disease and vaccination is cheap and easy. We
hope that none of our clients will leave their horses unprotected.
We have purchased some new equipment in
2008 including an additional new scanner head designed to give
better images in awkward places on the limbs and an arthroscope
'magic eye' to allow us to treat conditions such as septic joints
and tendon sheaths, annular ligament problems and OCD in a minimally
invasive way.
We are very pleased that Ollie Crowe
BVSc Cert ES (orth) MRCVS, regularly works with us at the clinic as
a visiting surgeon specialising in orthopaedic surgery.
Finally , as we mentioned in our recent
newsletter, we feel that in these days of economic uncertainty, it
is more important than ever to keep horses insured. That way if your
horse should have a serious problem you can rest assured that the
best treatment option will be given at no cost to yourself. One word
of warning though, some insurance companies are a lot more reliable
than others... we recommend that you do your research before taking
out a policy. We will be happy to advise you of those to
avoid.
We hope you and your horses (ponies,
donkeys and mules included!) have a happy and enjoyable 2009!
May 2007
Good news for owners of
laminitic horses and ponies
Pergolide - the very effective drug for
treatment of laminitis - has now come off patent. This will
mean reduced costs for owners of laminitics.
May 2007
Now on video
We have just purchased a
state-of-the-art, 3m-long video endoscope which will allow us to
perform endoscopic examinations of a horse's stomach (eg to check
for ulcers) and the first part of the intestine, as well as the
larynx and airways for wind problems. The endoscope is
equipped with a colour video screen so owners can also see what's
going on.
March 2007
We're One! Happy Birthday
to us!
Penblwydd hapus i ni
Penblwydd hapus i ni
Penblwydd hapus annwyl ni-i
Penblwydd hapus i ni
Only one, but going strong. Diolch
yn fawr iawn i chi / Thank you.
March 2007
Jones top of the charts (It's
not unusual)
No, it's not Tom, it's the very exciting
and much talked-about Dyffryn Tywi Client List Surname Chart. Jones
- nobody can keep up with them - are way out on top at the end of our first year. Here's the full top
ten:
1st - Jones - 46
2nd - Davies - 31
3rd - Thomas - 19
4th - Evans - 18
5th - Williams - 16
6th - Morgan - 13
7th - Lewis - 12
8th - Rees - 8
9th - Smith - 8
10th - Richards - 7
A brief glance down the full surnames list shows
the old trades are well represented: as well as the 8 Smiths,
we have a Collier, a Cartwright, a Taylor, a Sadler, a Miller, 3
Bakers, 2 Cookes, a Hunter, a Butcher and, last but not least, a
Hooker. Religion is not forgotten with Abraham and Moses, and the aristocracy are also with
us: 2 Dukes, 2 Knights, Squires, a King and a Royal. Out
in the garden we have Clay, a Stone and a Weed, whilst locked in the
garage there are 2 Fords and a Bentley. Don't forget the
wildlife: we've got Gibbons, 2 Fish, a Bird and a Parrott.
Finally, and adjectivally, we have Little and Long, Sharp and
Strong, Tough and Wild, and - it has to end somewhere - Crapp.
March 2007
More hospital beds
Due to increasing numbers of
in-patients, we have had to put up another stable block. We
are very grateful to
Cozeehomes who
provided an excellent service, supplying three great new
timber stables for us at very short notice.
December 2006
Practice Manager appointed
Angela Bowles has joined us as Practice
Manager. A qualified nurse, Angela's background is in mending people
and managing doctors. At Dyffryn Tywi, she'll now be managing
vets instead (a challenge if ever there was one). Angela is
married with children and lives in Caio. She has horses and her
daughter is a keen eventer.
Thursday 19th October 2006
Colic and strangles at the
Halfway Inn
More than two hundred clients attended
our first Clients Evening and enjoyed the warm hospitality (and free
drinks) at the Halfway Inn.
Dave Weaver from
Intervet talked
about strangles and the latest methods of prevention and treatment.
Nigel Woodford, our new visiting surgeon, then gave a presentation
on colic, explaining the different types and their causes.
17th September 2006
Lisa is British Team Vet at European Trec Championships
Lisa was selected to be British Team Vet
at this year's European Trec Championships held in Devon. Trec
is one of the newest equine disciplines - see
BHS TREC. Originating from
France, it aims to test a horse and rider's ability to navigate
across country and negotiate the various obstacles that they might
meet along the way.
September 2006
New additions to the Dyffryn Tywi team
Two new staff joined our team in
September.
Jemma Cooke has started as a full time
veterinary nurse, providing much-needed assistance to Lisa and Phil,
both around the clinic and on visits. Jemma will
also be carrying out laboratory work as we increase our in-house
capabilities. Jemma lives in Burry Port near Llanelli.
She has been riding since the age of six and acquired her first pony
at nine. Jemma has a passion for competetive riding,
particularly hunter trials and show jumping.
Nigel Woodford has joined us as a
visiting surgeon. Nigel is based at Bristol University Vet
School.
Saturday 4th March 2006
Snow, sunshine and crowds at
Clinic Open Day
Our first Open Day was a great success!
At least three hundred people braved the early morning snow showers
to be rewarded by bright sunshine and a chance to see the brand new
clinic. There was a buzz of excitement in the air and general
agreement that a facility of this kind was much needed in the area.
Thank you to everybody who came along!
We are pleased to
announce the winners of the Open Day Prize Draw are as follows:
·
1 x
One year’s free wormers - Gill Green
·
1 x
One box of 100 Synequin sachets – Alan Bassett
·
1 x
Free health check (including weighing, blood test, dental
check and rasp) – Marianne Goddard
·
1 x
Hoof Dressing – Tracey Butcher
·
1 x
Cooper’s fly repellent – Marg Lewis
·
2 x
Panacur Equine Guard (Intervet) – Lise Cook & Evie Royal
·
2 x
Pyratape P (Intervet) – Isobell Tomsett & Anne Williams
·
8 x
Weighbands – Shan Hamer, P Thompson, Lucy Bastin,
Pam Holden, Helen Galliene-Smite, Jenny Yates,
Stuart Hardy, Helen Harries
·
4 x
Lead ropes – Conway Morgan, Jo Amblin, Linda Court, Jill Keer
·
1 x
Welly Bag – Jane Sandals
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