The Equine Clinic is a unique workplace with outpatient and inpatient activities. Its scope is not only nationwide but extends beyond the borders of the Czech Republic. It has become a destination for patients coming from the Slovak Republic, Austria, Poland and occasionally from other countries. It is a central reference diagnostic and treatment facility with emergency and non-stop services. The clinic provides its services in a wide range of equine medicine, including diagnosis and therapy of internal horse diseases, skin diseases, causes of exercise intolerance, physiology and pathology of horse reproduction, both stallions and mares, including ejaculate collection and preparation of fresh and frozen insemination doses, artificial insemination of mares and embryo transfer. Furthermore, diagnostics and therapy of foal diseases, orthopaedic diagnostics, surgical and conservative treatment of complicated wounds, treatment of fractures, skin transplantation, conservative and surgical treatment of colic diseases, ophthalmological examination and treatment, gastroscopy, laryngoscopy, bronchoscopy, arthroscopy, laparoscopy, ultrasound and X-ray diagnostics and determination and evaluation of selected parameters from laboratory diagnostics. In recent years, the clinic has been intensively developing techniques for minimally invasive surgery under endoscopic control, such as ablation of the nephrosplenic space, cryptorchidectomy, ovariectomy, or laser surgery in the area of paranasal sinuses and nasopharynx. Due to the considerable financial investment of the clinic in a new digital system for taking X-rays, the clinic can diagnose X-ray findings that were not detectable by the previous technique. The workplace of imaging diagnostics is thus able to reflect the high demands of the European standard.
The independent Equine Clinic was established only after the completion of the Pavilion of Large Animal Clinics in 1999. Its first head in 1999 was Prof. Jaroslav Hanák, DVM, D.Sc., Dipl. ECEIM.
At present, the clinic is divided into three closely cooperating departments – Department of Equine Surgery and Orthopaedics, Department of Internal Diseases of Horses, and Department of Equine Reproduction. The whole team is then complemented by highly professional operating theatre and stable technicians.
Teaching
Regarding teaching, Equine Clinic provides courses of Internal Diseases of Equine (FVM, in Czech and English degree programme), Equine Diseases I, II (FVHE, in Czech and English degree programme), Surgery and Orthopaedics of Large Animals (FVM, in Czech and English degree programme), Surgery and Orthopaedics of Large Animals I, II (FVHE, Czech and English degree programme ), Day One Skills – Surgery and Orthopaedics of Large Animals (both FVM and FVHE in Czech and English degree programme), Equine Exercise Physiology (FVM, in Czech and English degree programme), Horse Riding (both FVM and FVHE, in Czech and English degree programme), Clinical Cases Demonstration (FVM, FVHE), and Equine Diseases (10-week modules in the 6th year for students of FVM in Czech and English degree programmes). The clinic is also involved in teaching other courses such as General Surgery and Anesthesiology, Imaging Diagnostics, Andrology and Artificial Insemination, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Obstetrics and Animal Reproduction, Skills - Obstetrics and Gynecology, Horse Welfare and Equestrian, Assisted Reproduction, both for FVM and FVHE, Czech and English degree programme.
The clinic is involved in education through the European Board of Veterinary Specialization (EBVS). Prof. Jaroslav Hanák, DVM, D.Sc. is a graduate member of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (dipl. ECEIM) and currently the residency in the same board was completed by Zuzana Drábková, DVM, PhD, who is intensively preparing for the final exams. Two more academic staff members completed their residency in the board
of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons (ECVS) and are going to sit their final exams, one more member of staff is currently studying.
Research
Equine Clinic focuses its research on the current needs of the practice. Its employees repeatedly participate in IGA and ITA projects. The research reflects the specialization of individual departments, e.g., the study of skin cancers in horses, the origin, causes and development of myopathies, advanced methods of ejaculate preservation and preparation of insemination doses from stallions or methods and approaches of surgical treatment of specific disabilities and diseases in horses.
Facilities, instrumentation and equipment
The Equine Clinic is located in Professor Klobouk’s Pavilion. It has 3 operating theatres, 5 specialized examination rooms, including a high-speed simulator for the diagnosis of exercise intolerances in horses. The capacity for hospitalisation is 50 stables; 8 of them are equipped for intensive care of hospitalized patients, 12 boxes have separate outdoor enclosures allowing greater comfort for long-term housed patients, and 10 boxes are outdoor, separated from high infection pressure and demanding running of the clinic, and are used to house training horses. Last year, the clinic was equipped with a cooling box for the short-term storage of carcasses. A large and small auditorium and a seminar room are an integral part of the clinic.
The facility also includes a covered hall serving as a diagnostic and orthopaedic centre for moving and examining patients and teaching the course of Horse Welfare and Equestrian. In addition, the hall has an andrology laboratory accredited for the collection and processing of frozen stallion insemination batches. The hall is also used for representational purposes and it is a place where university-wide social and sports events are regularly held.
Prominent personalities in the history of the clinic
Prof. MVDr. František Král – a significant representative of internal medicine, founder of the field of dermatology, between 1931–1933 rector of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Brno
Prof. MVDr. Karel Šobra – a prominent internist and long–time head of the
Prof. MVDr. Josef Zakopal, CSc.
Prof. MVDr. Alois Hanslian – a significant representative of onychology, between 1933–1935 the rector of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Brno
Prof. MVDr. Karel Pardubský – the founder of the Czechoslovak veterinary surgery, between 1937–1945 the rector of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Brno
Prof. MVDr. František Jurný – a prominent surgeon and author of essential textbooks on surgery, long-time head of the surgical clinic
Prof. MVDr. Emanuel Král – the founder of veterinary orthopaedics, significantly contributed to the establishment of the department of radiology and completion of the surgical–orthopaedic pavilion
Prof. MVDr. Ján Kottman, CSc. – has fundamentally contributed to the development of veterinary surgery, equine orthopaedics and veterinary ophthalmology.
Prof. MVDr. Jaroslav Hanák, D.Sc., dipl. ECEIM – the first head of the newly established Equine Clinic, a representative of veterinary care for sport horses
The head of the clinic
The current head of the Equine Clinic is Asst.Prof. MVDr. Markéta Sedlinská, PhD.
Asst.Prof. MVDr. Markéta Sedlinská, PhD.
