At Bell Equine our mortality rate is very low (less than 1% excluding colic cases). The risks and benefits associated with each surgical procedure are carefully weighed on an individual basis for each patient, and it will only be performed if appropriate.

Avantages of general anaesthesia:

• Decrease in stress
• Lack of pain and discomfort
• Absense of movement
• Increased safety for the patient and veterinary personnel

Disadvantages and risks:

• Injury (including fractures, muscle damage and nerve injury) during the period of induction and recovery
• Cardiovascular / respiratory complications during anesthesia
• Development of post-anasthetic colic

Factors to consider prior to general anaesthesia:

• If your horse is insured and the surgery is planned (elective rather than emergency), you should inform the insurance company that we intend to perform a surgery and, where appropriate, check that the insurers are prepared to cover the costs of this. Where possible this should be done well in advance of your horse’s surgery date. You can download our guide for insurance claims HERE.

• As a minimum, all horses undergoing surgery should be up-to-date with their tetanus vaccines. Please check your horse’s passport prior to your horse’s surgery and let us know if your horse is overdue a tetanus vaccine. Also check in the passport that your horse is signed out of the human food chain - if not please let us know.

• If possible, shoes should be removed prior to bringing your horse to BELL EQUINE Equine to undergo surgery.  

• For most surgeries we do not starve horses prior to the operation although there are a few specific surgieries before which we may request food is witheld, please ask your vet if you are uncertain whether you should withold feed. For planned procedures, horses generally will not receive ‘hard feed’ on the morning before anaesthesia. Horses kept on pasture should be kept in a stall and on hay 24 hours prior to anaesthesia. Nursing foals will only be muzzled for 30-60 minutes prior to induction.

• Please bring your horse’s passport to BELL EQUINE when he / she is admitted. Please also bring any rugs you want your horse to wear if your horse stays overnight. Hay and feed are provided but if your horse has specific dietary requirements, please check that we can provide this, but if not, please bring these feed types with you.

• The risks of the anaesthesia and specific surgery that your horse is undergoing will be discussed with you prior to the procedure. Please discuss any concerns or ask any questions that you may have with teh vet / nurse when your horse is admitted to the hospital. Routinely, owners will not be allowed to watch the surgical procedure to prevent stimulatingof your horse and distracting operating theatre personnel.

Anaesthetic / surgery procedure:

Anaesthesia (making horses fully unconscious by use of anaesthetic drugs) involves a number of risks which we will discuss with you prior to any procedure and please do ask if you have any additional questions. At BELL EQUINE our mortality rate for general anaesthesia is very low (less than 1%, excluding colic cases).  The risks and benefits associated with each surgical procedure are carefully considered on an individual basis for each patient. Surgery will only be performed, if necessary and appropriate. 

General anaesthesia is, therefore, mainly indicated for medical or surgical procedures that cannot be performed in a safe, careful and efficient manner under standing sedation.  General anaesthesia is only performed by trained veterinary surgeons, and we use the most up-to-date and safest techniques available in order to minimize the risks to your horse. However, despite these precautions, you should be aware that very sick patients are at higher risk of suffering from anaesthetic complications. Risks specific to your horse will be discussed prior to the procedure but please ask us if you have specific queries.

• An intravenous catheter will be routinely placed prior to anaesthesia and surgery in most horses so that we have permanent immediate access to give drugs during anaesthesia. This generally involves clipping a small area on the neck (placing the intravenous catheter is essential in all but extremely brief surgeries, and placing the catheter without clipping poses a small risk of complication).

• Recovery from anaesthesia can take 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the animal and on the length of the procedure.  For safety reasons and to avoid stimulating your horse, owners are not allowed near their horses during the recovery period. 

• Horses should only be transported once fully recovered from the anaesthetic and only after your veterinarian has advised it is safe to do so. Most horses undergoing surgery will stay in the clinic at least overnight, but horses may be discharged the same day under specific circumstances.

• Anaesthetic drugs have a tendency to slow bowel movements down, which might increase the risk for colic following anaesthesia.  Watch your horse carefully for any signs of colic, especially in the first 24 hours following general anaesthesia and to make sure that he/she is passing droppings. Provision of a laxative diet / grass may be helpful immediately after surgery to reduce the risk of impaction colic. If your horse needs to be kept on box rest after his/her surgery, then it is particularly important to make sure that he/she is passing droppings regularly and has free access to ad lib water. If possible (check with your vet) he/she will likely benefit from being walked out of the stable and being hand-grazed several times a day.

Performing medical and surgical procedures in a standing position and under heavy sedation is a valuable alternative to general anaesthesia in some cases.

If feasible, the former is preferred to general anaesthesia. However, risks and benefits associated with performance of procedures under sedation are carefully weighed on an individual basis for each patient. Performing medical or surgical procedures in a standing position will only be considered if they can be carried out in a safe, careful and efficient manner.

Advantages of standing surgery:

• Avoidance of the risks and disadvantages of general anaesthesia
• Usually cheaper than general anaesthesia

Advantages of standing surgery:

• Movement of the patient has the potential to complicate performance of surgical procedures and increase risks associated with the procedure
• Sensitivity to sedative agents varies considerably between patients. There is a very small risk of the horse lying down during the procedure
• Not all risks are eliminated, in particular post operative colic can occur following heavy, prolonged sedation

Information for owners of horses undergoing surgery (standing):

Before the Surgery:

• If your horse is insured and the surgery is planned, you should inform the insurance company that we intend to perform a surgery and, where appropriate, check that the insurers are prepared to cover the costs of this. Where possible this should be done well in advance of your horse’s surgery date. You can download our guide for insurance claims HERE.

• As a minimum, all horses undergoing surgery should be up-to-date with their tetanus vaccines. Please check your horse’s passport prior to your horse’s surgery and let us know if your horse is overdue a tetanus vaccine. Also check in the passport that your horse is signed out of the human food chain - if not, please let us know.

• Shoes can generally be left on in horses undergoing most standing surgeries. If you are uncertain, please ask your vet.

• For most standing surgeries we do not starve horses prior to the operation although there are few specific surgeries before which we may request food is withheld; please ask your vet if you are uncertain whether you should withhold food.

• Please bring your horse’s passport to BELL EQUINE when he / she is admitted. Please also bring any rugs you want your horse to wear if your horse stays overnight. Hay and feed are provided but if your horse has specific dietary requirements, please bring these feed types.

• The risks of the specific surgery that your horse is undergoing will be discussed with you prior to the procedure. Routinely, owners will not be allowed to watch the surgical procedure to prevent stimulation of your horse.

Surgical Procedure:

• An intravenous catheter will be routinely placed prior to standing surgery in most horses. This generally involves clipping a small area on the neck. Please let us know if you do not consent to us clipping (placing a catheter without clipping can pose a small risk of complication).

• Standing surgery is general performed with the horse sedated and with the area being operated on anaesthetised using 'nerve blocks' so your horse does not feel any pain during the surgical procedure. This may results in additional clipped patches near teh operated area.

• Recovery from sedation can take 1 - 3 hours (longer for certain procedured). For as long as your horse looks slightly sleepy, food and water should be withheld until your horse has fully recovered from teh sedation. Proper function of the swallowing reflexs is impaired whist sedation lasts and the horse would be at risk of choke (oesophogeal obstruction).

• Horses should only be transported, once fully recovered from sedatives and only after our veterinary team has advised it is safe to do so. Some horses undergoing standing surgery will stay in the clinic overnight but most will be discharged the same day.

• Sedative drugs have a tendency to slow bowel movements down, which might increase the risk for colic.  Watch your horse carefully for any signs of colic, especially in the first 24 hours following standing surgery and to make sure that he/she is passing droppings. Provision of a laxative diet / grass may be helpful immediately after surgery to reduce the risk of impaction colic. If your horse needs to be kept on box rest after his/her surgery, then it is particularly important to make sure that he/she is passing droppings regularly and has free access to ad lib water. If possible (check with your vet) he/she will likely benefit from being walked out of the stable several times a day.