Emergencies
equine emergency care
24/7 Emergency Equine Veterinary Care in Dorset, Hampshire & Wiltshire
We provide a 24-hour emergency service for all our clients, ensuring rapid response when it matters most. During office hours, your emergency call will be answered promptly by a member of our team. As an independent practice, we handle all our own out-of-hours care, so whenever you call in an emergency, you’ll always speak directly with one of our vets -someone who knows you and your horse.
Call this number in the event of an emergency
During opening hours, select option 2 for our dedicated emergency line; outside of hours, you’ll be connected immediately.
Triage
We will evaluate the situation promptly by asking a few essential questions.
Details
Please have your contact details and an exact location ready; we recommend using What3Words for precise locations.
Dispatch
We will quickly locate the nearest experienced equine vet from our practice and dispatch them to you right away.
Interim advice
Below, we’ve provided some basic advice for you to follow while waiting for the vet to arrive.
Immediate interim advice
Bleeding
Bleeding can be controlled with finger pressure or a well-padded, tightly applied bandage. Remember that horses can lose about 20% of their blood volume - around 8 liters in a 500kg horse - before experiencing hypovolemic shock. Wounds, especially those penetrating joints or tendon sheaths, are particularly serious once bleeding is stopped.
Breathing difficulties
Breathing difficulties may stem from dust allergies, similar to asthma; move the horse to fresh air immediately. A vet can provide medications to open airways or remove obstructions, with symptoms like coughing, wheezing, or in severe cases, cyanosis and collapse.
Foaling
Breathing difficulties may stem from dust allergies, similar to asthma; move the horse to fresh air immediately. A vet can provide medications to open airways or remove obstructions, with symptoms like coughing, wheezing, or in severe cases, cyanosis and collapse.
Colic
Encourage rolling horses to stand and walk if safe, as this prevents injury. Remove feed and seek emergency assistance for pain relief, treatment, and early identification of potential surgery needs, as early recognition can improve survival rates.
Choke
Remove all feed and gently massage the gullet. While many cases resolve on their own, choke can lead to inhalation pneumonia if prolonged. Any horse can experience choke, especially if they eat quickly or have dental issues; routine dentistry can help prevent this. If choke is recurrent, a vet may use injections to relax the gullet or perform an endoscopic exam to address the blockage.
Azoturia / Tying-up / Myopathy
In cases of azoturia or tying-up, do not force the horse to walk. Keep the hindquarters warm and arrange transport back to a stable if possible. A vet will provide pain relief and fluids to protect the kidneys from muscle damage, with further advice and medication to prevent recurrence based on blood tests.