ABOUT our

Services

HOSPITAL SERVICES

Fethard Equine Hospital

The horses in our hospital are given the highest standard of veterinary care. We have veterinary surgeon interns residing onsite providing 24 hour care of inpatients. We have an excellent team of dedicated nurses and hospital staff with the experience and skill to look after all ages and breeds of horse that are admitted.

HOSPITAL SERVICES

Surgery

FEH has four board-certified specialist consultant surgeons whom share together a diverse range of expertise from their respective experiences to bring high-quality, diligent care to each surgical patient. All surgeons are well-versed in an extensive range of both emergency and elective procedures.

FEH’s case load is amongst the highest in Europe, performing approximately 2,300 + surgeries per year. Our hospital is able to offer comprehensive care-from the diagnosis of surgical disease to performing the surgical procedure and post-operative care. To make this possible, the surgeons work alongside a hardworking and caring team of nurses, interns, our medicine team and hospital staff to offer incomparable surgical management to ensure your horse is receiving all-inclusive and attentive 24-hour care.

HOSPITAL SERVICES

Orthopaedic and Soft Tissue Surgery

Orthopedic Surgery

FEH offers state of the art orthopedic surgical care including:

• Arthroscopic surgery
• Fracture Repair: Both Standing and under general anesthetic.
• ALD Surgery

Soft Tissue Surgery

FEH offers a vast array of surgical capabilities including, but not limited to:

• Respiratory Examination (Static and Dynamic Exam)
• Respiratory “Wind” surgery (Hobday, Tie-Forward, Tie-back, etc.)
• Laparoscopic surgery
• Obstetrical/Reproductive surgery
• Sinus surgery

HOSPITAL SERVICES

Emergency Surgery 

With our on-call specialist surgeons, nurses and diligent interns, FEH is able to provide our clients and patients 24-hour emergency care and surgery.

For emergencies, please call the main reception line at +353 52 6130795.

• Please be sure to ALWAYS ring ahead before bringing your horse into the hospital to allow for adequate time for staff to arrive and prepare for emergencies.
• Please note that a deposit will be required before treatment for all emergencies.
• Our on-call nurse will advise you on our procedures and consult/inform the on-call surgeon. 

HOSPITAL SERVICES

Lameness and Sports Medicine

FEH offers top-quality care for your high-performance equine athlete. With lameness evaluation being one of our busiest hospital services, 2,000+ cases/year, our strong case load constantly offers new and challenging cases to continue to expand our knowledge and expertise to benefit our clients and patients.

Services that we provide include the following:

• Lameness Exams
• “Poor Performance” Exams (Which may/can include some of the following:)
• Bloodwork
• Abdominal/Thorax (Lung) Ultrasound
• Gastroscopy
• Heart Evaluation (Echocardiogram (Scan) and Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Respiratory Examination (Static and Dynamic Exams)

• Advanced Imaging:
• Digital Radiographs
• Ultrasound
• Advanced Sports Medicine and Regenerative Therapy:
• Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy
• IRAP
• PRP
• Stem Cell Therapy
• Mesotherapy

HOSPITAL SERVICES

Internal Medicine

General Medicine and Advanced Techniques

Our medicine service sees approximately 400 cases/year (approximately 150/400 neonates). Our medicine team is fully equipped with regards to capabilities for comprehensive diagnostics and care under our specialist medicine consultant. In addition to our comprehensive year round care, additionally our seasonal medicine staff during the breeding season allows for the ability to care for a large number of critical patients during the busy months. Some of our services include:

• Gastroscopy
• Abdominal Ultrasound
• Thoracic/Lung Ultrasound
• Heart Evaluation (Echocardiogram (Scan) and Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Respiratory Evaluation/Diagnostics (Lung wash, re-breathing exam, imaging etc)
• Neurological Examination
• Gastrointestinal Evaluation and Diagnostics
• Fetal/Neonatal Evaluation and Care
• Nutrition
• Biosecurity
• Emergency Care

Critical and Neonatal Care

Our medicine unit is outfitted to accommodate a high volume of critical patients, including the specialised needs of neonates. Using cutting-edge techniques, the medicine unit works together with the surgical team for the most comprehensive care of all medical and surgical needs of critical patients to ensure they are receiving the diligent attention these cases require.

Respiratory Endoscopic Evaluation

FEH offers a thorough evaluation of the airway using our dynamic upper respiratory endoscope which can be used to evaluate the horses’ airway in the horses’ natural working environment. This allows for a comprehensive evaluation of what occurs in the airway at rest and during work.

HOSPITAL SERVICES

Respiratory Endoscopic Evaluation

FEH offers thorough evaluation of the airway using our dynamic upper respiratory endoscope which can be used to evaluate the horses’ airway in the horses’ natural working environment. This allows for a comprehensive evaluation of what occurs in the airway at rest and during work.

HOSPITAL SERVICES

MRI

Our standing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine provides cross-sectional images of the lower limbs while the horse is weight bearing. It can be done under sedation and therefore we can operate it as a day-patient procedure where appropriate. This advanced diagnostic tool is very useful for accurately identifying the precise location and extent of soft tissue injuries (such as tendon and ligament damage) and subtle bone pathology (such as signs of an early fracture or early stages of navicular disease) that may not be visible via other imaging techniques, such as X-ray or ultrasound. The MRI hugely helps us provide a more targeted and effective treatment and rehabilitation plan.

The images are reported by a team of dedicated board certified Equine radiologists at VET.CT. Each of the radiologists has extensive experience working with elite racehorses and sports horses. They work closely with our team to help optimise the outcomes of our patients.

AMBULATORY SERVICES

O’Byrne and Halley Ambulatory Services

O’Byrne and Halley Ambulatory Services offer an extensive field care program.

Services include:

• Preventative care (Vaccinations, deworming, Herd health)
• Travel Documentation (Coggins, Heath Certificate)
• Sales Vetting’s
• Radiographic screening and sales X-rays
• Pre-purchase evaluation
• Upper airway endoscopy
• Reproduction management (Breeding management, Reproductive ultrasound etc.)
• Emergency Care
• Lameness/Digital Radiographs