What do we vaccinate horses for?

The two main diseases we vaccinate for are tetanus and influenza.

Tetanus is caused by bacteria that is found in soil and droppings (not just rusty nails!). Even a small scratch risks infection with the bacteria. We strongly recommend that every horse is vaccinated for tetanus, as contracting the disease is usually fatal. Prevention against tetanus requires vaccination which can be done in a combined vaccine or on its own.

Equine influenza (EI) is a strain of the flu virus that is endemic in the equine population. It is highly contagious but can only spread between equines (ie. Horse to horse or horse to donkey). The virus spreads from contact between individuals, on fomites such as clothing, rugs and tack and it can become airborne (via water droplets) and spread surprising distances. Symptoms of EI include cough, nasal discharge, pyrexia (high temperature) and lethargy. Most horses recover from EI but recovery can take a long time. Very young and very old horses are more likely to suffer from life threatening infection of EI or secondary bacterial infections. The EI vaccination should protect against symptoms in most cases when it does not give full protection it is designed to be effective in reducing the symptoms and spread of the virus. EI vaccination is given either in a combined vaccine with tetanus or alone when tetanus booster isn’t required.

Other things we vaccinate for commonly are strangles (streptococcus equi equi) and equine herpes virus (EHV). The new strangles vaccination is very exciting as, unlike the older vaccine, can be given into the muscle. It works like the EI vaccine that it should give protection against strangles, however should the individual contract the disease (due to a high infective dose) it should vastly reduce the symptoms and spread. This vaccine also does not cause a false positive result on blood sampling (unlike the old vaccine). EHV vaccination is more commonly done in young/competition horses and pregnant mares.

Did you know we are an ISFM International Cat Friendly Clinic Silver award holder?

This is an award from the International Society for Feline Medicine and has proven we meet certain criteria to call ourselves a Cat Friendly Clinic.  We understand the particular stress cats are under when visiting a vet practice and take steps to minimise this. Stress impacts on welfare and also on the health of the cat – but above all we hate to see a stressed or fearful cat.

What does cat friendly clinic mean?

• We are trained in how to handle cats gently and with care (no scruffing here!) We separate out cats and dogs with separate areas of the waiting room and have separate hospital wards.
• We have equipment especially for cats for diagnosis and treatment e.g. cat scales, blood pressure cuffs, dental and laboratory equipment
• Staff, especially the Cat Advocates (vet Lucy Nowell and nurse Helena Dewhurst) undertake extra training and advocate cat friendly techniques and learning in practice
• We use pheromone diffusers and sprays in the consult rooms and cattery to help calm and reassure
• We meet and exceed minimum standards for equipment, safe anaesthetic use and monitoring, hygiene, infection control, 24hour care, laboratory and other diagnostic equipment (not an exclusive list)
• We employ ways of helping your cat settle when staying with us such as different foods, litter, bedding, hideaways – and above all love and TLC whether that be a respectful hands-off approach if the cat is happier with that, or full on cuddles!
• Your cat is our priority and you can be assured that s/he is given the best care while with us, whether that is a short check-up appointment or a longer period of hospitalisation.

If you have any questions, please contact Helena our  in the first instance on nurse@stationhousevets.co.uk or 01653 618303. Helena has long been a cat lover, has fostered and adopted many cats over the years and after qualifying as an RVN in 2017 have undertaken further qualifications with the ISFM.

International Cat Day takes place on 8th August every year. As custodians of this important day, International Cat Care are excited to announce that this year’s campaign is themed ‘Purrfect Play Every Day’.

We will be following the campaign across the week.

International Cat Care believe in a world in which each cat’s life experience will be as good as it can be. They do this by providing cat owners, veterinary professionals and those that live and work with cats with the resources, support and advice they need to care better for their cats.

They offer an A to Z Guide to your cats health for reference and do a lot of work with unowned cats.

They run regular campaigns which we like to follow and support as we can.

Cat Friendly Clinic

As an International Cat Care Cat Friendly Clinic we like to follow and support their regular campaigns.

The campaign

We now offer repeat medication ordering online via our website – click here to visit the form

Repeat medication for your pets and horses can now be ordered online using our quick and simple form.

You will need to allow two working days for all repeat medication requests to be processed, before coming to collect the medication from us.

We will need to see your pet once every 12 months for flea and worming products – ideally at your vaccination and annual health check appointment.

For pets who are on other regular ongoing medication a vet will need to see you for a Repeat Prescription & Health Check every 3 months.

Click to complete the form

For horses…..

Horses who are on ongoing regular medication, our equine vets will need to see your horse every 6 months for a Repeat Prescription & Health Check.

Click to complete the form

Note

For cat owners across Yorkshire we offer the Cats Protection subsidised neutering scheme which means eligible clients pay just £10 towards the procedure.

You will have to complete a voucher form declaring their eligibility.

• Means tested benefits : universal credit, income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit, pension credit, Income based ESA or ISA, working tax credit and child tax credit
• Household annual income of less than £25,000
• Full time students
• ALSO stray, feral and farm cats

To check your eligibility please contact the Cats Protection League on 03000 121212 before booking your procedure.

What’s included?

Once you have confirmed your eligibility – either by self declaration, or as required by the Cats Protection League, call us on 01653 618303 to book your neutering surgery and an admit appointment.

We will need to register you and your cat(s) with us. We can then book a suitable date for the surgery.  You will need to pay your £10 contribution at this point, or provide proof from the CPL that you are eligible for the surgery to be paid for fully by them.

Prior to the surgery we will email you instructions for feeding and medication requirements in anticipation of your admit appointment.

Please arrive 5-10 minutes before your admit appointment time so you can complete the self certifying Cats Protection Voucher.  Your admit appointment will be with a vet if we haven’t seen your cat before; or with a nurse if you are an existing client.  Once the surgery is over and your cat is in recovery, we will call you to organise a discharge time later in the day.  You will also need to come back for a follow up post-op check a few days after the surgery.

Want to go ahead?

Many owners know to bring their dog or cat for ‘annual jabs’ but most are not sure why, and some are not even sure if this is necessary.    In short- it really is!

Dogs are vaccinated against Canine distemper virus (CDV), canine adenovirus ( infectious hepatitis), canine parvovirus and Leptospirosis. For many years we did not see a lot of CDV in the UK due to vaccination but case numbers are rising due to increased numbers of dogs imported into the UK from Eastern Europe. Parvovirus is common in urban areas and causes an often fatal diarrhoea especially in puppies. Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease in humans) is caught from rats, specifically  rats urine and is more common in rural areas. Leptosporosis can be passed from an infected dog to a human and is often fatal.

Dogs are also vaccinated against Contagious Canine Cough (kennel cough) this disease causes ill health and is highly contagious but rarely fatal.

Vaccinating cats

Pet rabbits require one vaccination annually to protect against myxomatosis and RDH 1 and 2 (rabbit haemorrhagic disease) all of which can be caught from wild rabbits and are usually fatal. These diseases can be brought into your home or garden from something as simple as walking where wild rabbits have been, so even house rabbits require vaccination.

Vets recommend puppies have a full vaccination course, and the first annual booster vaccination include everything mentioned above . After the first booster vaccination against contagious canine cough and Leptospirosis is required annually and everything else every third year. Contrary to occasional rumours these vaccinations are not harmful and as animals get older they do not build up a resistance to any of these diseases. The vaccination protocols need to be followed to protect your pet. Out of date/lapsed vaccinations can mean you cannot use doggy day care or boarding kennels and can it can invalidate your pet health insurance policy.

Vaccination amnesty

During June, July and August, at Station House Vets we are running a  ‘vaccination amnesty’ this means that if your dog or cats vaccination course has lapsed and requires re starting to get back on track

(2 vaccinations 4 weeks apart) this can be done

for the price of a booster £52.50, saving £22.50!!

Between 15 May and 15 June, the Oral Health Foundation will be raising awareness of important health issues and ready to put a smile on everybody’s face.

Oral Health Foundation want you to join in and make a positive difference to the oral health of millions of people – and so we thought we  should also include our pets!

Vetschoice antibacterial, enzymatic, and abrasive Toothpaste is the most effective way to control dental plaque.  Use it daily using the convenient finger toothbrush supplied with the paste. Dogs and cats often tolerate a finger toothbrush better than a regular brush and the delicious beefy taste of the toothpaste will mean that your pet looks forward to teeth brushing every day! We also have regular small toothbrushes for pets that will accept or prefer a bigger brush.

Vetschoice Dental Gum Wipes are the next best thing to brushing. Our handy wipes mean that you can keep on top of your pet’s dental hygiene quickly and easily, especially when on the move.

On top of this, Vetschoice Plaqaid water additive allows for healthy dental support. By simply adding this to your pet’s freshwater every day, you can help reduce the bacteria in the saliva and on the teeth or gums. Not all pets take to Plaqaid® straightaway so start with a small amount first and then gradually build-up to the recommended daily amount.