Three Counties Equine Hospital

JanetGeorge

JanetGeorge

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 June 2001
Messages
7,006
Location
Shropshire/Worcs. borders
www.horseandhound.co.uk
I felt I just had to say how great they are - including all the vets I have had dealings with. I was prompted by getting the bill for a horse I sadly lost. He had colic and a twist of the small colon as a result of a condition that's virtually unknown - small colon dysmotility. He was in hospital for 2 weeks after the op - as they tried incredibly hard to find how to feed him (every time he had a few mouthfuls, it was enough to start a mild-ish colic.) I finally took him home to carry out the same 'treatment' (which was basically taking him out for 10 minute long picks of grass 6 times a day.) People who saw him on the first day couldn't tell he'd had ANYTHING wrong with him - his condition was great and he looked happy and healthy - but it sadly didn't last and he died a day later, JUST before one of these great vets arrived to try to treat him.

The things they were great at?

Surgery, general care and follow up, stable facilities etc.
Communication - all vets very happy to take the time to TALK to me
Day to day stable care - stables immaculate, grooms attentive to every detail.

The things they weren't great at - absolutely nothing!

It can never be 'easy' to lose a nice young horse at 5 - especially one you have bred, bred mother of, backed etc etc. But Three Counties Equine Hospital eased every step of the way for me - and gave Alvin his best possible chance.

This case was 'finalised' by receiving their bill. It was about £3,000 LESS than I expected (based on thinking the op itself would be around £5,000) and expecting a reasonably hefty charge for 'care and management' (for 2 weeks) - to say nothing of the final 'visit' - a 38 mile journey early on a Sunday morning. The total bill was £5,200 odd.

I guess I'm saying a public 'thank you' and assuring ANYONE who has a horse for whom their vet suggests referral to 3 Counties, grab it - your horse will have the best possible care and attention and you won't 'suffer' financially!
 
So sorry you lost your boy :( those vets really are great, we rushed my friends horse in a while back who had a thorny twig stuck in her windpipe which was closing up, and we couldnt have been more impressed. Hugs to you xx
 
So sorry to hear about your horse, that must have been terribly upsetting.

But agreed, they are all incredibly approachable and professional vets, the nurses are lovely and so are the admin staff. The whole team is fantastic. I use them for everyday stuff and it's a weight off my mind to know I have that back up available.
 
So sorry that you lost your horse.

We took a very poorly foal to them, they were absolutely brilliant and diagnosed and treated her for ulcers. She made a full recovery and is a strapping lass now. The bills were very reasonable for the wonderful care she received. They were never too busy to talk us through her treatment.
 
I think they have an Open Day soon, their 25th anniversary? Glad to hear of excellent reports. I have only been there once for diagnostic tests, the facilities are really good, and everyone pleasant.
 
yes it's the open day on Saturday 19th. I wish I was going, I think you can look round their new MRI unit which I'd love to have a nose at! I'm fence judging at Monmouth horse trials though, bummer!
 
Another with a great experience from them. My horse had the kissing spine ligament desmotomy op 2 years ago and they've always been open and plain speaking with me about what was involved and the general prognosis. The bill was reasonable too, and they were quick to fit him in for a check up last year when we had a little blip when I panicked that something had gone wrong!
 
3 Counties are so good at their job. It's cheaper to get them out just the once for a proper diagnosis, than have a local vet out umpty tumpty times and never get a proper opinion. Sorry about your loss , always hurts.
 
oh, so sorry to hear about the loss of your young horse. So dreadfully upsetting. But I am glad that you felt his care lacked nothing - that makes such a difference doesn't it. x x
 
I'm slightly alarmed that I first saw Liam in 1984 ...... would still be my vets if I lived in the area and they are a hard act to follow. My first choice for referral or 2nd opinion.
 
It's great to hear people supporting a great service and making a public thankyou: we probably don't do it enough! I moved from 3 Counties Equine to another surgery and have found them to be fantastic so hooray for great vets wherever we find them!!
 
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I agree, wonderful vets. I remember covering Liam in tears when my hunter lost his battle on the table with colic.

The open day will be well worth a visit, I have seen the MRI unit recently, my mare was looked at in February.
 
One thing the Alvin experience has done is to make me even more paranoid abou colic than I was before. I had a slight case the other day - a pure-bred 10 year old called Rambo. I've still got him because we kept him on as a stallion - and he failed grading. So I castrated him - and kept him on as a potential hunter for my husband. And now ruddy husband has decided he doesn't want to hunt anymore ....

First sign was in the morning when he wasn't fussed about tucking into a new haylage net - and the lass who fed him noticed she could see NO poo in the stable. That was it. We put him in the field for a couple of hours, keeping an eye on him. Nothing. He came in - his belly was definitely slightly distended and he wasn't hungry - that was enough. Called my local vets and got Junior vet on call to come right out - and I was TERRIFIED that she wouldn't be able to cope. So was she - the first bad colic she had dealt with very shortly after she started her first job after qualifying was my divine Raj, my RID stallion who was 22. She thought he was beyond help - but she didn't dare say so. She gave him all the usual stuff and went. Half an hour later I was on the phone to Bill - to ask him to come back and that Raj be PTS. While I was on the phone, one of the grooms who had been watching him came screaming - he'd died! Probably his heart gave out thanks to a combination of age with acute pain. (VERY like happened with Alvin!)

She got it 100% right with Rambo who had an early spasmodic colic (his gut sounds were amazing!) He recovered virtually immediately - though I was doing constant checks on him for the next 24 hours and we're STILL watching that his poo output is 'normal'.

I hardly get a colic, thankfully. In the last 5 years I had only had 3 - ALL were 22. Raj, and my two foundation brood mares. Rosie had 'got better' from a not too severe attack of colic - about 36 hours after (with not a single symptom) we found her lying dead with NO sign that she'd thrashed around. Portia was different - her attack was severe (she had an 8 week old colt at foot), Bill was on the spot fast and had very little trouble persuading me she had to be PTS. I KNOW he wouldn't have left my stud without putting her down. So 3 deaths to colic - I must have had 80 odd horses each time. Not BAD - or 'unfair'. Of course, dear Alvin made up for that and gave me a horrendous case - de to something SO rare that even the vets at 3 Counties hadn't seen it before (small colon dysmotility.)

It IS unfair that as fast as my vet Bill can get a 'new' vet (as in newly qualified) trained up to be a reasonably good horse vet the young vet manages to get into a TOP equine hospital to coninue their education and Bill has to start again. It's bloody unfair that Bill is only 5 years younger than me - if he retires while I am still breeding ....... But I KNOW that if that happens 3 Counties will become my FIRST vets - I've checked and they are 36 miles away and will take 54 minutes from start to finish if vet doesn't break the law wih speed! There is a closer equine practice - but I know from a couple of experiences with THEM (mainly other people getting horses vetted by them) that they would never have my confidence. One HAS to say that Bill has been my vet since he was a new Junior at the practice he is now Senior Partner at - 28 years ago! I won't live long enough to build the confidence in ANY vet - no matter how good he or she is - that I have with Bill. But I already have a LOT of confidence in vets at 3 Counties - including 4 of the 6 partners, and 2 out of 9 of the 'junior' vets. Another 2 of the 'junior' vets have experience in Australia on their CVs (or at least on their background on the website) and 20 years as a grown up serious horse owner in Australia makes me know that vets that are not good with horses stand little chance of survival there, lol!!

I have to say it - if you don't have good confidence in your vet NOW - don't wait until your horse is critically ill or badly injured to do something about it!
 
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