Soft Tissue Surgery

The major disciplines in equine soft tissue surgery include abdominal (colic) surgery, airway, and urogenital surgery. At all times of the day and night, a team consisting of surgeon, nurse, anaesthetist and intern veterinary surgeon are within 10 minutes of the hospital and on standby. All four of our surgeons working on the Soft Tissue Service hold the European Diploma in Surgery and have extensive experience.

Breathing problems are a surprisingly common cause of poor performance in the horse and over the last decade treatment has taken a major leap forward with improved diagnosis provided by dynamic endoscopy, a technique in which NEH has been at the forefront since its emergence. Headed up by surgeon Mark Hillyer, NEH regularly performs laser surgical procedures under standing sedation, as well as approximately 75 airway surgeries under general anaesthesia annually.

The most common laparoscopic procedures performed at NEH include ovariectomy, cryptorchid castration and oviductal prostaglandin treatment. The latter pioneering technique was developed by NEH Equine Practice veterinarian Huw Neal, along with the Equine Fertility Unit. Matt Smith leads the general laparoscopic surgery service.