Black Sheep
Ted’s early morning reverie was rudely interrupted by a large black Range Rover bearing down on him as he swung into the practice car park. Ted stamped on his brakes, causing the usual vet car flotsam... | 3 min read
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It had been a great College reunion weekend so far. Thirty years had flown by and despite a few receding hairlines, several expanding waistlines, one or two “lost to follow-up” and one whose escapades meant he was “unavoidably detained” in Colombia for the foreseeable future, the majority were present and correct and following a tour of the upgraded campus, including the new Student Wellness Centre (didn’t that used to be called the bar? – Ed), until it was time to return to the hotel for drinks and dinner. A few glasses of red to the good, Julian and Sandy, housemates as students and subsequently equine practitioners significantly longer in the tooth than most of their patients, switched from grape to grain (that never ends well – Ed.) and settled themselves into tub chairs in the bar away from the throb of the eighties disco only those without new hips and hearing aids could enjoy. Talk inevitably turned to work and it was not long before that bête noir of equine practice, the pre-purchase examination, came up for discussion.Just the ticket
Sandy, a self-confessed luddite when it came to technology, grumbled that as if things weren’t bad enough, he was now increasingly bombarded by Uncle Tom Cobley and all sending him radiographs, often of dubious quality, via various apps on his new-fangled smartphone (chosen for him by his teenage daughter) and accompanied by a demand for an opinion on whether the beast involved was suitable for purchase. Glancing over his shoulder rather dramatically and adopting a conspiratorial tone, Sandy speculated whether by agreeing to do so he was “sailing close to the wind” with his VDS policy? Draining his glass, Julian chuckled, saying he’d had an almost identical conversation with one of the Society’s equine Claims Consultants a couple of weeks earlier. She had sympathised, understanding only too well how just such a situation might arise but nonetheless had advised Julian he would indeed be at risk of imperilling his cover; fortunately, a solution was now at hand and Julian had been pleasantly surprised when she had informed him of the Society’s new addition to its armamentarium of PPE resources, which rejoiced in the title of the “Certificate of Veterinary Examination of Radiographs of a Horse on Behalf of a Prospective Purchaser”, challenging to recall when three sheets to the wind but impressively rattled off by Julian. The Claims Consultant went on to explain this would allow Julian, and his peers at the coal face of equine practice, to offer such a service to their clients while remaining compliant with their VDS policy.
"Fortunately, a solution was now at hand and Julian had been pleasantly surprised when she had informed him of the Society’s new addition to its armamentarium of PPE resources"
Sandy was now all ears, thanks to a well-known High Street brand, but had questions: what if the images were rubbish or not all the required views were available? What about confirming the beast’s identity? What if the images had been taken elsewhere or been tampered with (Sandy’s daughter had told him all about AI, which in Sandy’s head had always meant artificial insemination)? Julian held up a hand and, pausing for a brief sip of his newly replenished glass, continued his impromptu sales pitch by explaining the Society had taken all potential banana skins into account and Sandy had only to call the Society or log in via their website, where all would be revealed. An enlightened Sandy gratefully toasted his friend, making a mental note to phone the VDS office the following week while simultaneously wondering if he could sneak past the disco without getting dragged into a conga. Our Membership team is here to help. If you have any questions about your VDS Policy or the new Certificate of Veterinary Examination of Radiographs of a Horse on Behalf of a Prospective Purchaser, please contact us at: For full details on pre-purchase examinations and your VDS Policy wording, please visit the PPE section on our website, or refer to you policy documents.
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More from the Spring newsletter...
Too hot to handle
Gavin’s attention drifted somewhat as a shard of Spring sunshine refracted through the tiny consulting room window, an architect’s lamentable nod to allowing a token shaft of natural light... | 3.5 min read
VetSafe - New Look, New Features, New Home
We're excited to announce that VetSafe has moved to a brand-new platform and is now live! Find out what this means for you and what VetSafe can do for you and your team... | 1 min read
