Anvil Equine Veterinary Clinic
Tuckmans Farm
Bar Lane Copsale
Horsham Sussex RH13 9AY

E: anvilvets@aol.com T: 01403 731213

NEWS FROM ANVIL

It is always good to see the daffodils come out on the drive and know that spring has arrived, especially when the winter seemed longer and harder than usual and who would have believed back in January that we would be hoping for some rain by May!

Alastair slipped on the ice in early December and broke his leg. Fortunately it was a Sunday, we got it plastered up and he didn’t miss a single call – unbelievable but true! I got to drive the Volvo for 6 weeks which meant not only did I enjoy meeting our clients and becoming an “extreme ice and snow” driving expert, but also made me fully appreciate how taxing the life of an equine vet can be at times. Long miles on treacherous roads to reach emergencies, and sadly we had many in that bad weather.

It was older animals who struggled most with the conditions. Enforced confinement as well as the awful conditions underfoot proved too much for some and we were sad to lose a number of “golden oldies” who had been on the books for many years. Our sympathy goes to you all, as does our thanks for your loyalty over the years.

In the light of both how busy the practice is, and the cost of diesel, we really have to make a big effort to book calls in carefully. I would like to thank you all for being as flexible as you usually are – it is really appreciated. Again, if we can rely on you to try and fit in with us time wise we are less likely to have to put up call out charges!

Do not forget about our clinics. We run several across the practice area, they usually take place once a month and have a zero or minimal call out charge depending on the number of horses to be seen. If you are on a yard with a reasonable number of horses and think a clinic might work for you, please give me a call at the practice to discuss it.  A clinic can potentially save you a lot of money over the course of a year.

Insurance is a topic which clients ring up to discuss more and more, with the most common question being whether to insure or not in the light of exclusions being put on various bits as soon as they go slightly wrong! Our advice however is to insure your horses. Even a moderately severe wound requiring ongoing treatment can reach over £1000 very quickly. Choose your company carefully, ask other horse owners for their recommendations. Think about the maximum allowed for veterinary fees in the year and ask about speed of paying claims. We ask you to pay us directly and claim your money back from the company. My advice to clients has always been to pay by credit card and get the insurance form to us immediately. The money should then reach you before you have to pay your credit card bill. Recently however, some companies have been taking 3 to 4 months to pay out on claims!

Some of you will have already met Eamon McLaughlin who now shares our 24 hour emergency cover with Alastair. Eamon works independently from Anvil and we are pleased to have another very experienced vet to attend out of hours calls. Alastair and Eamon also cover for each other on a daily basis if an urgent call comes in and one is closer than the other and can attend faster.