If you are looking to book a cat vaccination, please be aware that there is an ongoing shortage of some cat vaccines affecting all UK Veterinary practices. Find out more here.

Internal Medicine

The diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of diseases affecting the internal organs

Internal Medicine

The Equine Medicine Service at OVH is run by Emma Shipman and Adam Redpath. Adam who, having completed an internship at Oakham, stayed on to undertake his specialist training in equine medicine. Emma is a clinical lecturer in equine medicine at the University of Nottingham, working closely with other diploma holders in Internal Medicine, Pathology and Critical Care.

Internal medicine by definition is concerned with the diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of diseases affecting the internal organs, and with preventive medicine. We offer a specialised service for the investigation and treatment of medical disorders affecting most body systems (common problems are listed below):

  • Colic
  • Diarrhoea
  • Fever
  • Gastric ulceration
  • Infectious disease (Strangles, Colitis, etc)
  • Poor performance
  • Cough
  • Respiratory infections/allergy
  • Heart murmur/arrhythmia
  • Weight loss/gain
  • Muscle loss/Weakness/Tying-up
  • Neurological disease (Wobbler’s syndrome)
  • Laminitis (Cushing’s, Equine Metabolic Syndrome)
  • Metabolic/hormonal imbalance
  • Skin disease (itchiness, hair loss, swelling, sarcoids etc)
  • Eye disease (corneal ulceration, moon blindness, etc)
  • Liver disease
  • Urinary/kidney disease(cystitis, uroliths, sabbulous bladder)
  • Neonates (eg. meconium impactions, infections, umbilical hernias etc)
  • Basic nutrition
  • Advice on vaccination and de-worming
Liver BiopsyA colour Doppler ultrasound showing a ventricular septal defect

Together with our veterinary nursing team and interns we offer 24 hour veterinary care and monitoring of critically ill and post operative adult patients. We have access to excellent diagnostic equipment- videoendoscopy, ultrasound, ECG (exercising and 24h holter), radiography, nuclear scintigraphy and in house laboratory. We work closely with other colleaugues from the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science (including pathology, critical care, anaesthesia and cardiology specialists). The internal medicine team also consult closely with the surgical and reproduction teams to provide the best therapeutic plans and care for our patients.

The hospital also has 2 dedicated isolation stables for patients under investigation and treatment for contagious equine disease. We prefer that colleagues wishing to refer a horse with suspected infectious disease speak to a member of our staff to fully discuss the case prior to referral as we need to ensure the safety of our hospitalised patients at all times.  

We are also extremely happy to offer telephone advice to our referring vets on all aspects of internal medicine, and are happy to discuss cases both when continuing treatment with the primary care clinician, or prior to referral.

Return to Equine