Special Appeals
Breaking the Strangles Hold | Breakthrough In Sight for Glaucoma Treatment | Imaging, Not Imagining | Accelerating Towards the Future in Cancer Care
At the Animal Health Trust, we are renowned for our expertise, ground-breaking research and validation of new equipment and technologies long before many other veterinary establishments. In order to maintain our position at the top of our game, we are constantly campaigning to raise vital funds which allow us to buy new equipment, employ first class staff and develop ways of improving animal health and welfare.
To find out more about our current appeals, click on the links above or scroll down the page.
“Breaking the Strangles Hold”
The AHT and The British Horse Society have joined forces to launch this campaign which aims to increase awareness of the disease, Strangles, and help to raise the vitally needed funds. We urgently need to raise £250,000 to accelerate research into the development of improved means of diagnosis and prevention - ultimately to eliminate the disease.
Strangles is the most commonly diagnosed infectious disease of horses worldwide and is of major welfare and economic importance. The bacteriology group at the Animal Health Trust is dedicated to applying scientific research to the improved health of horses through the eradication of this ‘equine plague’.
Clinical signs of Strangles include fever, profuse nasal discharge and abscessed lymph nodes of the head and neck. The swelling of these lymph nodes may, in severe cases, restrict the airway, hence the name ‘Strangles’.
Scientists at the Animal Health Trust have discovered that S. equi has genetic characteristics typically found in Yersinia pestis – the causative agent of human plague. They are currently developing blood tests capable of identifying long-term carriers of Strangles, which will enable us to reduce disease spread. Safe and effective strangles vaccines are also being designed at the AHT that can be widely used throughout the equine community.
The campaign was launched in February 2007 by AHT’s President, HRH The Princess Royal, and has been supported widely by leading figures in the eventing, racing and show jumping world. Thanks to nationwide help and support, by the beginning of 2008, the £100,000 barrier had already been broken.
Progress is well on the way to developing a vaccine against this awful disease, so please help us raise the essential funds we need to take our final steps towards eradicating it for good.
Breakthrough In Sight for Glaucoma Treatment
At the AHT, we have a dedicated team of ophthalmologists who regularly treat various eye conditions in dogs, cats and horses. One of the most serious eye conditions in dogs is glaucoma, for which, at the moment, there is no real long term solution. Now, however, thanks to pioneering new laser equipment, we may have the answer.
Glaucoma affects hundreds of dogs across a range of breeds every year. Not only is it terribly painful, but will, in a short space of time, cause blindness. It can affect one or both eyes, and is the result of a build up of pressure in the eye.
At the AHT, our team of specialists frequently deals with cases of glaucoma. Head of the Ophthalmology Department is Jane Sansom, who has been treating the disease for years and tried everything – drops, medication and surgery – none of which offer long term success.
In 2006, Jane learnt of a new piece of equipment officially titled endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP), which was proving highly successful in the treatment of glaucoma in people. It involves the insertion of an incredibly fine endoscopic laser inside the eye, which then burns away the fluid-producing areas and reduces eye pressure.
In June 2007, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Western Eye Hospital, Philip Bloom, came to the Trust to supervise our surgeons in performing the procedure on four dogs with glaucoma. All were successful.
One dog treated was 13-year-old Jack Russell, Polly, who had been coming to the Trust for five years with various eye problems, culminating in the removal of one eye. She then contracted glaucoma in her remaining eye, for which she received several methods of treatment, none to great avail. Polly was a perfect candidate for the laser treatment, and owner Mrs. Bond says her terrier is now like a new dog.
With our own laser equipment at the AHT, we will be able to offer hundreds of dogs treatment which would not only relieve them of the pain of eye disease, but could also help them retain their sight. We will be the only veterinary institute outside the USA offering this treatment.
We have therefore launched our Laser Appeal to raise £50,000 to cover the cost of this incredible equipment, which can also be used to treat retinal conditions.
Mrs. Bond, owner of Polly, said, “This equipment will change the lives of so many dogs and will be absolutely brilliant. I really hope that the Trust will be able to raise sufficint funds to cover the cost.”
Imaging, Not Imagining
AHT Equine is unique in its ability to diagnose and manage injuries in performance horses, and is a recognised centre of excellence in the field of equine orthopaedics. The team at AHT Equine, including leading clinicians Sue Dyson and Rachel Murray, has built up a wealth of knowledge by comparing images produced by different techniques and relating this back to the clinical problem.
Diagnostic Imaging at the Trust is based on four methods, which can be used separately or in combination, depending on the nature of the case. Nuclear scintigraphy is a technique that involves injecting a radioactive marker that localises in areas of damaged tissue. A special gamma camera can then capture images of the region under investigation. Since installing the system in 1997, the Trust has treated over 3,500 cases, but in recent years, technology has progressed rapidly and there is now increased potential for new applications, including the exciting possibility that equine diagnostics could follow the human field and even produce 3D images. AHT Equine has been offered the opportunity to become involved in this exciting innovation if we are able to install a suitable system.
Ultrasonography, also known as ultrasound, is a non-invasive procedure which enables deep structures of the body to be visualised by recording the reflections of high energy sound waves directed at tendons, ligaments, bones and joints. Unfortunately, we are now encountering difficulties relating to the slow speed of image acquisition and digital archiving. This is greatly reducing the number of cases able to benefit from our expertise. Improved efficiency would also increase our ability to undertake clinical research, improving lameness diagnosis, future research and ongoing equine welfare.
Radiography produces images, called radiographs, of internal structures by passing x-rays through the body. AHT Equine already has in place computed radiography technology providing digital images which are of superior diagnostic quality to traditional x-ray images. However, the actual x-ray machine obtaining these images needs to be replaced in order to provide clinical excellence and allow us to undertake research in support of the veterinary profession.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (more commonly known as MRI) is a procedure by which a magnet linked to a computer creates a 3-dimensional view of a horse’s limbs, head or internal structures. At the AHT, we have two MRI scanners; a high field scanner, also used for small animals, which requires the horse to be anaesthetised, and a new standing MRI system for which they only need to be sedated. No other institute in the world has both systems available for clinical purposes. Annual maintenance costs for both MRI scanners are substantial, but they are working efficiently and we do not envisage needing to replace them for some years.
All of the above is required to enable us to fulfill our ongoing commitment to the equine sports disciplines. Early and accurate diagnosis is essential in order to carry out successful treatment and return competition horses to their full athletic ability as soon as possible. It is equally important to recognise those horses who, because of the nature of their condition, do not have the potential to regain this ability.
To find out how to support this equine project, please contact the Fundraising Department on 01638 751000.
Accelerating Towards the Future in Cancer Care
Cancer statistics amongst animals are staggering, with one in four dogs and one in six cats being affected. Here at the AHT, we pride ourselves on our excellent oncology department and the care and expertise we can offer patients.
One vital piece of very advanced equipment we need to be able to reduce these statistics is a Linear Accelerator. This machine works by delivering high-energy radiation beams to break down tumours. This radiotherapy technique can destroy cancer cells, while sparing the surrounding normal tissue.
Our ability to give cancer patients the best possible treatment is currently hampered by a lack of this piece of key equipment. While we are fortunate to have first class facilities and equipment in some areas of cancer management, such as our MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanner and chemotherapy suite, we are lacking in this major areas that is essential to provide a complete level of care.
The use of radiotherapy is absolutely vital for the treatment of some cancer types, as it is in people. We are currently sharing a radiotherapy facility but this severely reduces the number of patients we are able to treat.
Linear Accelerators are common in US specialist veterinary centres and we know the benefits that they bring. We aim to become the leading veterinary Cancer Centre in Europe but cannot achieve this goal without investment in such technology.
To date we have raised over £300,000 towards a complete upgrade of our imaging facilities. We need a further £900,000 over the next two years and are appealing for funds from other charitable trusts and foundations and from individual donors.
