Surgical Facilities

The Minster Equine Clinic is equipped with a purpose built surgery suite, and two padded anaesthetic induction and recovery stalls. In theatre there is a fully networked digital station and a direct digital radiography (DR) system capability for taking and viewing digital radiographs and ultrasound images during surgery. For arthroscopic, laparoscopic and upper airway procedures, a networked digital capture system is used to take and store images and videos during surgery. Five stalls are located within the surgical building to accommodate our high risk and intensive care cases.

Abdominal (Colic) Surgery

Great improvements in survival rates following colic surgery can now be achieved due to earlier recognition of colic at the yard and earlier referral for potential surgery. The Minster equine clinic offers a specialist surgical, medical and 24hr veterinary intensive care team to accept all referrals should your horse require emergency surgery. Non-emergency abdominal surgeries also performed include umbilical hernia repair in foals and abdominal and flank hernias in adults.

Laparoscopic Surgery

Abdominal laparoscopy (key-hole) minimally invasive surgery (in which an endoscope is inserted through a small stab incision into the abdominal cavity) can be performed in the standing or anaesthetized horse. Excellent visualization of abdominal organs and the reduced size of the abdominal incisions required may enable the horse to return to competition sooner than conventional techniques. Examples of this technique include:

  • Removal of ovarian tumours (granulosa cell tumours) or abnormally functioning ovaries
  • Removal of abdominally retained testicles (rig castration)
  • Investigation of chronic low-grade colic

Respiratory Surgery

Partial obstruction of the upper airway due to abnormal anatomy or function is a very common cause of poor performance in both racehorses and sport horses that may be accompanied by an abnormal noise while exercising.  The most commonly encountered conditions include:

  • Larygeal hemiplegia (roarer)
  • Intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP)
  • Epiglottic entrapment
  • Surgical treatments performed at the Minster Equine Clinic include the tie-back (for roarer), a tie-forward (for DDSP) and oral endoscopic hook release or endoscopic laser release (for epiglottic entrapment).
  • Sinus and dental surgeries are also regularly performed on the pleasure and performance horse either standing or under general anaesthesia.

Urogenital Surgery

The Minster Equine Clinic is equipped to perform a range of urogenital procedures. In the mare, these include routine post covering procedures, to surgical correction of post foaling uterine, vaginal and vulval injuries. In the stallion or gelding, the most commonly performed procedures include those for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma (tumour) on the penis/prepuce. Procedures performed vary from a simple circumcision to remove the tumour, to phallectomy with retroversion (removal of the majority of the penis).  Other procedures performed include the removal of bladder stones in adult males, the removal of fully descended and retained abdominal testicles (rigg) by open and laparoscopic techniques, and the repair of bladder tears in new-born foals.

Opthalmic Surgery

The Minster equine clinic is equipped to surgically treat both the emergency eye laceration or rupture, and the more specialized procedures such as corneal grafting, the insertion of various orbital and corneal implants and corneal regenerative therapies.