Surgery/Referral
Whilst we are able to care for most conditions and circumstances at your home stable, there are cases where the best course of action is to refer your horse or pony to an Equine Hospital.
As an independent practice, our vets at Agnew Equine are able to review each case and, where necessary, recommend referral to the most appropriate hospital in the circumstances to help with the specialised care of your horse or pony.
We consider many factors and our recommendations will depend on your horse or pony’s condition, the specialised clinicians available, the proximity of the hospital to your location (bearing in mind the urgency and your travel preferences or limitations), the specific diagnostic equipment and capabilities of each hospital, and as each hospital works a bit differently - we weigh up how they typically communicate with both referring vets and clients and how that fits with your needs.
What to Expect?
We understand that this can be a stressful time for many owners, so we support you to ensure your referral will go as smoothly as possible. Here is how the referral process works.
- Once your vet has made the decision to refer your horse, Agnew Equine will contact the hospital to inform them of the incoming referral. If it is an emergency, just be on your way while we speak with the clinicians to prepare for your arrival.
- For more routine referrals, someone from the hospital team will contact you to arrange the appointment and timings for your horse.
- Once that is confirmed, our vet will speak with the clinicians or surgeon at the hospital who will be involved in your case. We will share your horse or pony’s history and supporting information and any observations of the case that could be useful.
- The clinicians or surgeon at the referral hospital will have committed to proactively keep your Agnew vet updated on your horse’s case so we can stay informed and able to support you along the way
You Still Have Our Support
As your regular vets, we will have built a good understanding of the background and needs of your horse or pony - and also for you as the owner. It is for this reason that we feel it is important to always strive to work with the referral vet so that everyone is fully informed of the bigger picture and history, as well as the details of this particular case and how we got here.
As you liaise directly with the referral hospital, we are always here for questions, advice or guidance with any decisions that you may have.
