100 years of Seadown Veterinary Practice

A Unique Milestone for Seadown Vets as they Celebrate 100 years of Caring for the Animals of the New Forest

First established in 1923, this unique veterinary practice has been treating and caring for animals ever since

This year, Seadown Veterinary Group - the New Forest mixed veterinary practice based in Hythe, celebrates its 100th Anniversary year. It’s a huge achievement to have successfully and happily served the local community, its people and its animals, for almost a century and is unique for the veterinary industry.

It's no wonder after almost 100 years, that Seadown have become the trusted, experts in equine, small holder and companion animal veterinary medicine in the area. They are unique in having long term, in-depth understanding and experience of treating animals in this beautiful national park, and are rightly proud to play an active role in the forest and wider community.

Seadown is a very special place just like the beautiful New Forest that it serves.

Laura Trigg, BVSc Cert AVP(EP) MRCVS, senior equine vet and Seadown Clinical Director continues:

'It means the world to us all at Seadown, to be celebrating such an amazing 100 year milestone. We are incredibly grateful to all the staff, patients and clients who have continually supported the practice throughout the years. It really is a huge honour to serve the New Forest people and animal communities, and to be a part of many fascinating historical traditions and age-old forest ways.

'Family’ is deeply rooted in our Seadown ethos, in every sense of the word – we have several family members who work together within the Seadown veterinary and nursing teams and we have some clients who have continued to use our services through several different generations. In addition, perhaps not surprisingly, some of our vets and nurses were children when they first encountered the practice, these ‘children’ then became adults, trained with us, and now work here!

It all means Seadown is a particularly special veterinary practice with a precious and unique heritage. It’s something we all strive to maintain and something to be cherished. Not just now but for the next 100 years too’

Not surprisingly Seadown is the veterinary practice of choice here for Marchwood

Not only for the military dogs and the Dockyard security dogs but also the Pony Breeders and The Commoners.

In every respect Seadown is deeply embedded in the forest ways and activities including the famous New Forest Show, the New Forest pony sales, the welfare tours, Christmas point to point, breeder council meetings and AGM's. It's a busy practice, with never a dull moment.

Seadown equine vet and Clinical Director Gillies Moffat BVSc Cert GP (Eq) describes his own typical workload.

'We're lucky in having a huge diversity of horses that we treat, not just the ponies on the forest but everything from competition horses, pleasure ponies, donkeys, to miniature Shetlands and we get involved in just about everything too - routine health care , a considerable amount of geriatric medicine, lameness investigations including stem cell therapy. As well as clinical cases we also spend a lot of time with the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Animal unit, due to their position in the UK as leading animal rescue unit, so there have been many an hour spent in bogs and ditches!'

As if Seadown wasn't busy enough, the veterinary practice also has a thriving eye referral service. This means that if your own family vet is presented with a particularly challenging eye case, or one which requires specialist equipment or attention, they may suggest you visit Seadown. The team here is comprised of two experts, Seadown Clinical Director, Anna Jennings BVSc CertVOphthal MRCVS and Kate McMorris BVetMed CertVOphthal MRCVS who work with dedicated assistants, to deliver routine ophthalmology procedures as successfully as the more innovative ones, like an Eagle Owl that Kate once treated.

All in all, it's not hard to see why this wonderful veterinary practice has operated successfully through the many years. It's a business that cherishes traditional family values and has a unique 'sense of place'. In today's busy and stressful world, it's wonderful to see a long established business continue to work as a family team, caring for one another and where all patients are treated as their own. The staff here even go above and beyond their own day jobs to work with the major charities, taking in stray dogs, offering cat rescue and even setting up their own collections to help those less fortunate than themselves. It's a place dedicated to the people and animals of the forest and the caring, compassionate people who help them.

Many, many congratulations Seadown on your special 100th anniversary, and here’s to the next 100 years.

Seadown Veterinary Services

Seadown Veterinary Group has three Clinical Directors, all of whom are practising vets. The mixed practice was first established in 1923 and has served the local area continuously since then.

In the early years farm animals kept on and around the New Forest, provided the main workload. Branches were opened in Totton in 1962 and Lymington in 1964 at a time when companion animals were becoming more important.

As the practice grew, new premises were needed and at Hythe the Seadown surgery was granted Hospital status soon after it was established in 1974.

Extensions to the hospital were added in 1990 and 2000 to keep up with the increasing numbers of patients.

Our Lymington premises were extended in 2009, enabling us to carry out minor surgery and run nurse clinics there.

Seadown values the local community and is involved in the care and welfare of New Forest ponies, cattle and wildlife. We also have a large number of equine and small holder clients across the New Forest and beyond. It is the Clinical Director’s intention to continue investment into the practice and they are always looking at ways to update the hospital’s services and facilities.