Equicall

07/10/2025

We thought it was about time to debunk some myths about Equicall!

Myth #1: Equicall only provide out of hours relief to CVS practices

This is false: many independent practices utilise the Equicall service to give their vets more downtime and to enable more strategic sharing of the ‘out of hours’ rota.

We’d love some of those independent practices to say ‘hi’ in the comments 👋

And for those considering whether Equicall might be able to help your independent equine practice please don’t hesitate to drop us a message - we’d love to hear from you too! 🧡

04/10/2025

Valuable advice from Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic regarding Atypical Myopathy which is always a huge concern to all of our emergency vets. So worthwhile to be vigilant 🙏

With stormy weather over the last 24 hours, now is the time to be extra vigilant regarding Atypical Myopathy.

Atypical myopathy (AM) is a muscle disease which can be caused when horses eat a toxin found in the seeds, seedlings and leaves of the Sycamore tree.

We tend to see most cases at this time of year due to the leaves and characteristic 'helicopter' seeds coming down, and in spring when seedlings start to come up.

Horses with this disease develop severe muscle damage. This occurs because the muscles aren’t able to generate enough energy. Muscle damage can lead to a horse becoming weak, reluctant to move or unable to stand. They will often show signs of sweating, distress, reduced appetite and other colic-like signs. Swelling or hardening of the muscles is sometimes visible and they can resent being touched.

What can I do to minimise the risk of my horse developing AM?

• Check fields and tree lines for the presence of sycamore trees. The 'helicopter' seeds can be carried a long way in the wind so regularly inspect pastures for sycamore seeds, leaves and seedling and remove if seen

• Fence off any contaminated areas of pasture and remove horses from the pasture while doing so. If possible, remove stock entirely from the pasture during high risk times of year (autumn & spring)

• Provide extra forage (hay or haylage) as some seeds will remain on the pasture and in spring the seeds germinate rapidly and new seedlings will appear daily. This extra forage reduces the likelihood of the seeds or seedlings being eaten

• Reduce stocking density on a pasture so there is plenty of grass for the horses to eat

• Monitor horses closely after they have been moved from an affected pasture as disease can occur up to four days after exposure

If you think your horse may have this disease, contact your vet immediately.
Further information can be found on our website: https://bellequine.co.uk/faqs/clinical-information/poisonous-plants

04/10/2025

Last week the majority of our expanding team drove from their bases all over the UK to meet at Oxford for 2 days of CPD (Continuing Professional Development).

The team meet remotely 4 times a month so already know each other well but rarely get the opportunity to meet in person so the vets made the most of every second - organising walks, run clubs, swims and gym sessions (and a few drinks out in Oxford itself!) in and around the sessions.

Imogen Johns from B&W Equine Vets kindly kicked things off with a clinical lecture on Cardiorespiratory Emergencies and then hosted discussions on Colitis and Ophthalmology cases that vets within the team had recently dealt with.

Other scenario based emergencies were then discussed in detail amongst the team with support from Imogen who was able to impart extensive practical advice.

Day 2 (remarkably attended in full despite enthusiastic dancing until 2am in Oxford!) started with a superb session from Carolyne Crowe from The Veterinary Defence Society Limited. Her engaging presentation gave us all a huge amount to think about with regard to client communication skills and improving every aspect of our out of hours consults.

The second part of the day included an update on the success of Equicall as a growing business and what the team can do to improve our services further. Sophie Ignarski from CVS UK provided context to the privileged position that we are in as a unique branch of CVS Equine and showed support and gratitude for the efforts made by all staff through a hard year.

The impeccably organised event (THANK YOU CHLOE!) was a fantastic opportunity for our team to strengthen our existing close bonds and build on our professional and clinical skills in a way which was completely relevant to the unique work we do when attending emergencies.

Thank you to CVS Equine, Ian, James, Chloe, Sophie, Imogen, Carolyne and also to Leonardo Hotels who looked after us so well! 🫶

29/09/2025

In light of the tragic events that happened over the weekend, we are starting a donation corner for everyone affected by the local arson attacks.

If you have any horsey items big or small you would like to donate, please drop them into the practice:

Severn Edge Equine,
The Bullring,
Hollybush Road,
WV16 4AR

28/09/2025

Following on from our last post….

Vets have warned owners of the dangers of over rugging horses, particularly in the spring and autumn when daytime temperatures can fluctuate

25/09/2025

As the temperature is starting to drop overnight here is some helpful guidance when rugging horses.

We generally see far more issues associated with OVER rugging than UNDER rugging so if in doubt go with the lower option!

Please share this guide with anyone who it may help and save it to your phone for quick reference 🐎

24/09/2025

Thanks to Sussex Equine Hospital for this advice on Acorn Toxicity - definitely worth a share as a very helpful reminder to all horse owners 🌳

24/09/2025

Don’t forget all clients of CVS practices who are members of the Horse Health Program receive a 10% discount on veterinary treatments, including those incurred when Equicall attend emergencies out of hours 🚨

22/09/2025

19/09/2025

Lovely to be able to share this post from Stride Equine Vets! Rachel has been part of the Equicall Team from the very early days and is always calm in a crisis!! A hugely experienced vet and someone who can turn her hand to absolutely anything as you can see from some of her adventures. We’re so proud to have Rachel on our team providing out of hours cover in the South East 🧡

𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 - 𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐋 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐌𝐑𝐂𝐕𝐒 - 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐕𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐍

Rachel graduated from Glasgow University in 2010 and after a couple years in mixed equine/farm practice in Yorkshire decided to specialise in horses.

Rachel has certificates in equine lameness and surgery and spent several years in Australia specialising in stud work and sports horse medicine.

Originally from Lancashire, Rachel moved to the south coast in 2021 to be closer to the sea and allowing her to split her time between her two passions - horses, and sailing!

In 2023 she took a sabbatical to race around the world on a sailing yacht.

Rachel now enjoys spending her time as a night owl ,specialising in equine emergencies as part of Equicall , whilst also having time to enjoy being near the sea.

We are extremely lucky to have Rachel cover Stride Equine Vets out of hours every second week making her an invaluable member of the Stride Equine team.

15/09/2025

Jess is one of the best! 🫶

10/09/2025

It’s hard to know where Equicomms start and finish when it comes to how seamlessly they meet the Equicall service. We wouldn’t be able to do the job we do without them and are so proud to be linked to them 🧡🫶 thank you Equicomms for looking after the clients and our vets so well. There is nothing you cannot sort for us 🧡