Andrew Melling Vets Ltd

Andrew Melling Vets Ltd Andrew Melling set up the practice in 1992. The practice has since expanded, and now has 5 vets and 4 office staff.

We always strive to offer the very best veterinary care possible at the lowest price possible. We treat all equine and farm animals whether on a working farm or those kept as pets including cows, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, pigs and poultry as well as horses and donkeys.

This weekend, one of our ladies played Rugby with her team Leyland Warriors - Women Masters The team played to raise awa...
26/10/2025

This weekend, one of our ladies played Rugby with her team Leyland Warriors - Women Masters
The team played to raise awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
This cause is extremely close to our hearts here at Andrew Mellings as one of our lovely ladies has been affected by Breast Cancer, found on a routine Mammogram.🫶
So ladies AND Gents, please make sure you're checking your b***s for any lumps or bumps and make sure you book any routine checks available to you! 🙂
🎀🙏

👋🏻 MEET THE TEAM MONDAY 👋🏻 It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these and since we’ve had a few new faces join the ...
20/10/2025

👋🏻 MEET THE TEAM MONDAY 👋🏻

It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these and since we’ve had a few new faces join the team in recent years we thought we would introduce them properly

Starting with someone who’s face you probably all recognise and know very well 😂

Name: Dr Andrew Melling B.V.Sc MRCVS

Position: Senior Veterinary Surgeon

Background: Andrew graduated from Liverpool Vet School in 1981 and worked in mixed practice and then small animal practice for 11 years. Following this he started his own practice ‘Andrew Melling Vets’ in 1992 and the rest as they say is history.

His favourite part about being a vet is the job itself - he said you can’t be a vet for this long unless you enjoy it! His preferred clinical area is anything equine based but specially lameness cases 🐎

When not working Andrew enjoys fishing, craft beer, adventure holidays, wildlife, and a glass of red wine (the good stuff) 🐟🍷🗻

20/10/2025

Hi everyone 🤗!

We have a new card payment system in place as of today.
This should make payments a lot easier.

We have the ability to send you a payment link also, so please don't think it's a spam text message link or email, it's just us trying to make your life a bit easier 😊

We hope you'll find it useful moving forward.

As always, thank you to you all 🙏

In August we received an emergency call out of hours for a horse that was stuck in deep mud. It was a summers day when t...
15/10/2025

In August we received an emergency call out of hours for a horse that was stuck in deep mud. It was a summers day when there had been an unusually heavy volume of rainfall in a short space of time 🌧️

Bonnie was heading for a small spring of water for a drink when the ground quite literally gave way beneath her hooves, in a field she had been in for most of her life, leaving her shoulder deep and trapped in mud. Had her owner not been looking for her to put her rug on that evening, the outcome could have been very different.

Our vet Vicky, alongside two teams from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) attended the call. Thanks to some strong painkillers, sedation, and the relentless efforts and determination from GMFRS Bonnie was extracted from the deep mud (as pictured), straps were then placed around her abdomen and using a tractor we were able to lift her back onto her feet. 🚜 👨🏼‍🚒 🚒

It’s not until you look back on these images you realise Bonnie was quite literally up to her neck in mud! It was a worrying 24hrs once we got Bonnie back on her feet as she had some quite significant injuries, but thanks to the round the clock care from her diligent owners we are pleased to say she has made a full recovery and is back out in the field with her buddies (see photos below 🥰)

Sadly calls like Bonnie’s are more common than we would like, our practice attends anywhere between 5-15 calls to trapped animals/ livestock with the fire brigade each year. Most of these involve animals having access to areas they shouldn’t, broken fences/ boundaries or animals stuck in ditches. Please check your fields and ensure they are safe and there are no hazards to your pets/ animals, and make sure you check on your animals daily, even when they’re turned out, as sadly not all stories have a happy ending like Bonnie’s 🐴

A special thank you to Bonnie’s amazing family for allowing us to share her story, and these pictures to help raise awareness and educate others. If her story can prevent even one animal and family going through what she/ they did that night, then it’s been worth it. And thank you to GMFRS for providing invaluable help and support, we couldn’t do it without you 🫶🏻

14/10/2025

🛑 A few frosty mornings might make it tempting, but with mild, wet weather still around, redworm on the pasture are still active. Treating now for encysted redworm risks reinfection, especially if your horses are still grazing or living out.

❄️ You’ve probably heard the advice to worm after the first frost. This helps stop bot flies and prevents new eggs from being laid, but don’t rely on frost alone to time your encysted redworm treatment. Wait until we’ve had several consecutive days below 6°C, usually between late December and February.

🍂 If you haven’t tested since July, now’s the time for an autumn worm count for redworm and ascarids. Young or old horses may need additional consideration regarding their encysted redworm treatment, depending on their Autumn results.

💬 Need advice? Get in touch and one of our friendly experts can help you plan the right worm control plan for your horse.

The importance of scoping horses that have had strangles ‼️🦠As a practice we often receive a lot of queries from clients...
12/10/2025

The importance of scoping horses that have had strangles ‼️🦠

As a practice we often receive a lot of queries from clients when we recommend post strangles endoscopy to confirm horses are clear.

Some people assume it’s an easy way for vets to make money, however it is the only way of knowing an animal is truly free from strangles.

Up to 10% of all horses that test positive for strangles will become lifelong carriers. Carriers can appear healthy and symptom free, but can still spread the infection to others horses, especially under stress. They are a MAJOR source of new outbreaks.

The image below is from a young horse that tested positive for strangles over summer, the horse was isolated and 4 weeks on from the last clinical signs of strangles we scoped him to check he was negative. During scoping we always check both guttural pouches, as this is commonly where the bacteria will sit. Whilst one pouch was clear, this is what we found in the other - a chondroid. Had we not performed this scope, this horse could have gone on to infect many other horses.

While the main outbreak of strangles in our area seems to be settling down, remember that strangles is always present and owners should always remain vigilant if their horses have any of the classic clinical signs!

02/10/2025

Good Afternoon to our lovely clients.

Just to make you aware, anyone collecting medication or needing to come into the office, please park correctly as recently drivers parking on the whole pavement outside our office have received tickets from the parking warden.

Thankyou 🅿️🚗

26/09/2025

POLITE NOTICE🐴🐄🐖🐑🐐🦙

Our office is usually open Saturday morning for calls and collections of medication. Unfortunately due to staff illness our office will be closed this Saturday morning (Sept 27th) from 9-12pm.

Our phone lines will automatically divert to the on call vet at 9am. Please avoid calling on Saturday to book routine appointments and for medication queries, where possible please ring the office today or Monday to arrange this.

Please rest assured that the on call emergency vet will be available 24/7 over the weekend as usual for emergency call outs only.
Thankyou as always for your understanding! 🫶🫶

WORMING 🪱🪱🪱We are seeing a large proportion of farmers/ small holders who are reporting poor weight gain, ill thrift, su...
25/09/2025

WORMING 🪱🪱🪱

We are seeing a large proportion of farmers/ small holders who are reporting poor weight gain, ill thrift, sudden death, scours etc in their flocks.

In the majority of these cases we are running either a blood profile or doing a worm and fluke egg count. In the last few weeks we’ve seen worm egg counts up to 4000 epg ‼️ For context anything about 250 epg is considered a high burden and worming is recommended.

There is an increasing resistance issue among worming products now so it’s vital that the following are observed and implemented if possible:

• Worm egg counting before worming to see if the animals actually need to be wormed

• Not just blanket worming all animals‼️ This leads to animals being wormed that don’t need to be and the development of resistance among worming products

• Moving animals to clean pasture 7-10d after worming! Never move animals straight onto clean pasture after worming as this encourages resistance!

• Use an appropriate wormer for your problem, ie if you have a high worm burden but not fluke then don’t use a combination worm and fluke product, just use the product you need.

• Don’t use the same wormer over and over again, rotate wormers to expose worms to different products and prevent the build up of resistance and keep a susceptible population

• If you are worming a group of sheep, dose for the heaviest animal as under dosing encourages resistance.

• Re worm egg counting a week or so after worming to check that the wormer has worked!

Don’t forget that a lot of products will reduce a worm burden in animals but not prevent re infection so they can be reinfected as soon as the following day. We see a lot of people who say ‘it can’t be worms, I wormed them 1 month ago’ sadly this isn’t the case and worm burdens must still be considered if the clinical signs fit.

Although resistance isn’t quite as big of an issue in horses, the same principles apply to worming!

If you have any queries about wormers, worm egg counts or want general advice please contact us 🔬

How beautiful is this little filly foal that was born over the weekend at Smithills Open Farm 😍🥰She is an Eriskay foal w...
24/09/2025

How beautiful is this little filly foal that was born over the weekend at Smithills Open Farm 😍🥰

She is an Eriskay foal which means not only is she gorgeous but incredibly rare! There are fewer than 300 of this breed of pony left in the whole world. For context this means they are rarer than many species including giant pandas and tigers!

Smithills also have another two Eriskay foals due in spring next year, which is testament to the hard work and dedication Louise has put into the breeding programme!

This foal is Smithills Silver Goose and we cannot wait to meet her soon🐴

Last Friday some of our vets attended the annual BEVA congress in Birmingham. This is a day designed to keep vets inform...
14/09/2025

Last Friday some of our vets attended the annual BEVA congress in Birmingham. This is a day designed to keep vets informed of all the lastest developments in the equine world. This year there were talks on colic, orthopaedics, dentistry, and allergies, to name but a few. They all had a great day, and acquired quite a few free pens at the same time! 🐎🐎🐎

FOAL FRIDAY 🐎Have you heard of the 1-2-3 rule with foaling?✅ ONE: the foal should stand within one hour of birth ✅ TWO: ...
30/05/2025

FOAL FRIDAY 🐎

Have you heard of the 1-2-3 rule with foaling?

✅ ONE: the foal should stand within one hour of birth
✅ TWO: the foal should nurse within two hours of birth
✅ THREE: the mare should have passed her full placenta and the foal should be actively nursing within three hours of birth

If you’re worried your mare or foal are not meeting these milestones please call us! It is vital foals received adequate colostrum during the first hours of life 🩺🍼🐎

P.s. how gorgeous is this filly foal - born yesterday and already a little character🥰🫶🏻 thank you to her owner for letting us share these pictures!

Address

76 Church Street
Bolton
BL66AB

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 12pm

Telephone

01204668108

Website

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