Having a horse is a huge, life-long commitment. Whatever your horse’s purpose, how they perform depends on how healthy they are. Our team of equine experts have the experience and knowledge to ensure your horse receives top-quality care, so that they can perform at their best.
Your horse can get treatment in our dedicated equine surgery in Duns Cheeklaw. Our levels of care and expertise have served the Olympic Brazilian Equestrian eventing team as well as the winners of the Badminton horse trials. In fact, we were the first vets in the area to offer in-patient and surgical facilities, so bringing your horse to us ensures they receive the highest quality care.
We’re offering you a FREE first visit to your yard. Simply fill in your details below and your voucher will be emailed to you immediately.
Health checks and vaccinations
You may check your horse every day for any injuries or symptoms of illness already, but a thorough check by the experts is crucial for preventative care. Many subtle early signs of illness can often be missed, which can lead to a bigger, more costly problem further down the line.
We recommend scheduling a full health check for your horse once a year. In this appointment, our vets will examine them for any signs of arthritis, sarcoids, hoof imbalance, listen to the heart and lungs, check for dental problems, as well as carrying out a thorough check of both their external and internal condition and administering any necessary vaccinations.
We are more than happy to come and visit your horse for this examination, and if your horse is in a yard, you can group together with other horse-owners for a more cost-friendly yard-wide health check, or book in on a ‘zoned visit’ day for a free visit fee (see below).
Free Zoned Visits
Call 01361883742 to discuss further or to book your first visit!
Galedin Veterinary equine team have launched a zonal visit scheme to serve all existing clients. As part of this scheme, we are delighted to announce that all visit fees will be FREE! We have geographically divided our current practice area into five regions. Each region will be visited ONCE per week. For all routine calls which are organised for these days, there will be no visit charge!
Vets will only perform ‘routine’ work during these days. which will be routinely undertaken:
• Vaccinations
• Routine dental examinations
• Initial examinations
• Microchipping
• Repeat prescription examinations
• Blood samples
Non-routine calls such as lameness investigations, castrations, non-routine dental procedures, gastroscopy, vettings, in-depth medical investigations will not be able to be performed on these days, and a separate booking should be made in for such calls.
Artificial insemination and scanning
Getting your horse artificially inseminated is a fantastic way of selecting the best genes from a worldwide selection. Each individual situation is different, which is why it is of the utmost importance to make sure you know the options available to you. Our vets are extremely experienced in this process and are happy to discuss how to ensure the best results. They will then artificially inseminate your mare and return in 14-16 days to check the results with an ultrasound. If you have any questions about this process, please do not hesitate to ask.
Castration
If you have a stallion that you do not wish to breed, getting them castrated will help by preventing unwanted foals, as well as decreasing any aggressive behaviour. We recommend getting your horse castrated before one year of age, but it is possible to do the procedure at any point in their life. If you do get your horse castrated at this early age, it may cause your horse to grow taller, so it is worth taking this into consideration.
Our practice in Duns Cheeklaw has specialist equine equipment, for equine general anaesthesia, unlike any other vets in the area. Most colts can be done standing at home, under sedation. Those that are brought in for a general anaesthetic to be castrated are kept in overnight.
Rigs (stallions whose testicles have not descended) must be castrated under general anaesthesia. Our team of equine surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses are very skilled and experienced in performing this procedure
When you get your stallion castrated, you will be able to transport them to us with padded knock down boxes. Once they arrive at our surgery, they will be sedated for the surgical procedure. After their operation they should rest for 24 hours and exercise for at least one hour every day after that. It will take approximately six weeks for you to see the full effects of the procedure, but should result in a quieter, better-behaved horse.
X-rays
Imaging is an extremely important aspect of lameness and wound investigations. With three, state-of-the-art, mobile x-ray machines, we are able to provide patient-side images, either on the road or at the clinic. These images are of far superior quality to previous systems and allows for much more detailed assessment of any bone issues. Images are stored both on the machine and on our online database, allowing easy comparison of previous x-rays and forwarding of images to specialists for second opinions.
Vetting
When you buy a new horse, you want to know that it is fit for the purpose you intend before you build up an emotional attachment to it. Vetting is the way to do this. This involves a thorough examination of the horse you intend to buy, to make sure that it is in good health and meets the conditions of the sale. Think of it as an MOT, but for your horse rather than your car!
Here at Galedin Vets, you can choose to have your examination include up to five stages, with the fifth being the most in-depth. It is always recommended that you get your horse checked as thoroughly as possible, so that you are aware of any costly problems that could arise in the future. We would also recommend blood sampling of the horse at the time of vetting, so that this sample can be stored in case of any future disputes as to whether the horse had received painkillers before vetting. Additionally, you should always brief us as to what you intend to use your horse for, so we can check that it will be suitable for that purpose. The more we know about what you’d like to do with the horse, the better we’ll be able to advise you.
In some cases it may be worth the expense of further tests, such as x-rays or endoscopy to be as confident as possible that your potential purchase is as healthy as possible.
Click on the link below to download a copy of the questionnaire we ask to be completed, prior to vetting:
Dentals
Dental care for horses can often be neglected, which can lead to extreme pain and discomfort. Just like you, your horse should have their teeth examined by experts every six months. Badly maintained teeth can lead to malnutrition, weight loss, chronic colic, ulcers in the mouth, a swollen tongue, gum disease and even an inability to eat altogether. Your horse’s mouth will be checked for any swelling or signs of problems and then sedated before a full dental examination is carried out. As with health check appointments, we are able to visit you at your yard to carry out this assessment if you prefer.
Gastroscopy
It is not uncommon for performance or racing horses to develop stomach ulcers, or EGUS (equine gastric ulcer syndrome). In fact, this is the most common disease in horses in general, with 40% of leisure horses still affected. Unfortunately, this condition still often goes undiagnosed.
Stomach ulcers can greatly affect your horse’s performance by giving them a decreased appetite and even changing their temperament. At Galedin, we have a specialised gastroscope to observe your horse’s stomach. If you do suspect your horse has a stomach ulcer, our vets will insert the gastroscope and check all around their stomach. If an ulcer is present, there are luckily a number of medicines that our vets can prescribe to relieve the symptoms. Some people even notice the difference in their horse’s performance and temperament within the first few days.
Official height measuring
Your horse may need to be measured in order to enter certain events, or for their general health. Our equine vets are especially experienced in accurately and effeiciently measuring your horse, so you don’t have to.
McTimoney-Corley spinal manipulation
Our equine specialists are qualified to deliver McTimoney-Corley spinal manipulation. This can help your horse with any musculo-skeletal disorders they may have developed over time.
Ultrasound scanning
Horse owners tend to think of ultrasound scanning in connection with the assessment of tendon injuries. However the application of ultrasound scanning can be much wider, with ultrasound enabling assessment of ovarian activity prior to artificial insemination, scanning of the chest, heart and abdomen, and to help arrive at the correct diagnosis in some cases of colic.
At Galedin Equine we have top class ultrasound equipment to achieve the very best images and our vets are highly experienced, to interpret those images and make the most accurate diagnoses.