We are delighted to announce a new SignVideo service for our deaf clients who use British Sign Language (BSL).

The free SignVideo service for deaf clients who use British Sign Language (BSL) works using video calls connected to fully qualified BSL interpreters and enables deaf clients to communicate through SignVideo either by calling the practice from home or when they attend the practice with their pet, for consultations, to pick up food, medication or for advice etc.

A client will need their own smartphone, computer or device with video and sound and their own data to use the service. The service is accessed by clicking on the SignVideo practice link from the practice contact us page on the website or using the SignVideo app.

You don’t need to go to the Horse Health Programme practice finder referred to in the video if you are already viewing this video from our practice website, you can access the Sign Video link from the Contact us Page on our website.

More information

To find out more about this service including the equipment you need, and to view the terms, click on the Deaf BSL Service page on our website.

The new service is available from 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays. Please note that this service may not cover all our opening hours, which you can check on our website.

To contact us now, using the new SignVideo service, click on the direct practice SignVideo link on our Contact Us page on the website.

The Cinnamon Trust is our charity of choice for 2020.

The charity provides support and peace of mind for elderly, hospitalised and terminally ill pet owners and their pets. The Trust’s primary objective is to respect and preserve the treasured relationship between owners and their pets.

What does The Cinnamon Trust do?

The Trust operates a national network of over 15,000 community service volunteers providing practical help when any aspect of day to day care poses a problem – for example, walking the dog for a housebound owner.

There is a national fostering service for pets whose owners face a spell in hospital – volunteers take pets into their own homes and care for them until owner and pet can be reunited.

The Trust also provides long term care for pets whose owners have died or moved to residential accommodation which will not accept pets.

When a pet is in the Trust’s care because the owner is in care, where possible the owner is kept in touch with visits or regular photos and letters.

How we can help The Cinnamon Trust?

In addition to the financial support that we can give through fundraising throughout the year, we all have the opportunity to make a positive difference for Cinnamon Trust by raising awareness of the work that they do throughout the UK.

The Trust is always on the lookout for volunteers who can help with dog walking or offering short term foster care for pets. Their website includes a map indicating the areas where they have the most urgent need for volunteer support. This is updated weekly.

The more volunteers they have the more people and pets they can help.

If you want to help, view the real time map and download a volunteer registration form.

The Cinnamon Trust regularly post heart-warming news and valuable information on their Facebook page, be sure to give them a like to stay updated.

They are also happy to accept personal donations via their Facebook page as Facebook does not not charge a fee for this service.

As part of our Autumn-Winter Newsletter 2019 we’ve focused on caring for your horse during winter months. Winter can bring some big management changes to your horse and it’s important that you adjust accordingly.

Tips for caring for horses during winter:

• Did you know hay has a much lower water content than grass? This alongside colder water in their bucket can often lead to dehydration and in severe cases impactions – which is a common cause of colic. To help avoid this: Monitor your horses water intake (a normal day >15L)
• Feed little and often to encourage the digestive tract to keep moving
• Tailoring the feed to their energy requirements and how this may have changed over the winter months
• Always make changes to their diet slowly
• Check your pastures for acorns and sycamore seeds fence off & rake any areas, ensure there is enough grazing and supply hay where necessary
• Make any management changes slowly (eg gradually reducing their turnout over a few weeks)

Keeping your horses moving:

• The warm up and cool down are crucial parts of protecting your athletes and this becomes even more important over the winter months. Make sure you warm your horse up slowly to reduce risk of injury and let their body temperature slowly return to normal after exercise.
• Osteoarthritis is one of the most common diseases affecting the equine population, this stiffness is often exacerbated over the winter months as horses spend longer periods standing in. There are many management options available to your horses.

This information has been taken from our Autumn-Winter Newsletter 2019, which also covers information on mud fever (pastern dermatitis).

Scott Dunn’s Equine Clinic Autumn-Winter Newsletter 2019

For any advice, please call to speak to one of our vets directly: 01344 426066

 

Our spring newsletter features a spotlight on the following:

• Equine flu
• Horse Health Programme
• A day in the life of a receptionist
• Monthly routine visit days
• Insurance reminder

Download the Scott Dunn’s Equine Clinic spring newsletter 2018 (PDF 2MB)