Giltspur Scientific

Based in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland, Giltspur Scientific Ltd., was established in 1991. The founder and Managing Director, Dr Ernest Logan invented the renowned plastic orthopaedic shoe for dairy cows known throughout the world as Cowslips or Sabottines.
Exported worldwide, the shoes have improved the welfare of millions of dairy cows by reducing the pain inflicted by lameness.
The Cowslip has won distinguished awards such as The Prince Philip Award for Merit, The New Zealand National Fieldays Award of Merit and the illustrious Inel d'Or Sante Animale.

Following on from the success of Cowslips, the official launch of Horse-Slips heralded the arrival of a revolutionary innovation in equine hoof care.
Already a winner of the highly acclaimed Invest Northern Ireland SMART award, Horse-Slips™ have enjoyed recent success in the Contour Innovative Equine Product competition. Horse-Slips incorporate modern design and application techniques and are an exciting new development for the Giltspur hoof care range.
Our sister company, Linnodee Diagnostics is involved in ground-breaking scientific research to provide specialised diagnostic test kits for veterinary and medical practitioners and diagnostic laboratories.

Linnodee Diagnostics

Linnodee was established in 1999 by the late Dr Ernest F Logan OBE and manufacture and research rapid diagnostics primarily for the detection of Leptospirosis in animals and humans. It is the sister company of Giltspur Scientific Limited responsible for the award-winning Cowslips™, a plastic orthopaedic shoe designed to aid the treatment of lameness in dairy cattle.
Leptospirosis is responsible for considerable economic losses in the farming industry as a consequence of abortions, still births, reduced fertility and reduced milk production.
Infected animals generally exhibit no clinical signs of infection so regular screening is vital for disease detection, surveillance and control. Leptospirosis is an occupational zoonosis, posing a significant risk of infection to those working with infected animals.

Using new and trusted technologies Linnodee have developed a range of rapid and reliable tests for both laboratory diagnosis and point-of-care diagnosis of Leptospirosis in animals and humans. Linnodee diagnostics are designed for the specific detection of the disease-causing serovar(s) associated with the target species.
Linnodee Diagnostics play a crucial role in the surveillance and control of Leptospirosis within animals and humans globally.
Linnodee product’s are used extensively locally, nationally and internationally. Export markets include Spain, Belgium, Germany, Japan, USA, Malaysia and India. The products have been employed in disease prevalence studies conducted in Europe, Japan, USA, Thailand and South America.

Linnodee Diagnostics have extended their manufacturing capabilities to include Lateral Flow Devices
Recently Linnodee have widened their manufacturing capabilities and expertise by investing in Lateral Flow Manufacturing Facilities and Lateral Flow Training.
Lateral Flow Devices are simple immunoassay-based testing platforms, employing immune-chromatographic technology, with the ability to detect the presence of a target analyte in a sample without the need for specialized and costly equipment. Linnodee is in the latter stages of developing a Lateral Flow Device for the detectionof Leptospirosis.
Leptospirosis is a type of bacterial infection spread from animals to humans and so it is zoonotic bacteria. In some cases, the infection can cause life-threatening problems, including organ failure and internal bleeding leading to death. Rapid diagnosis is crucial.
The Leptorapide® Lateral Flow Device will offer such crucial rapid diagnosis by generating a result ≤10 minutes allowing for speedy patient treatment if required.

Linnodee Diagnostics are accredited to ISO9001:2015 and EN ISO13485:2016
Linnodee conforms to International Standards. Customers can be confident that Linnodee products are safe, reliable and of high quality. Working to ISO Standards has made a positive difference to our business operations in the development and manufacture of diagnostic tests and services. The accreditation aids Linnodee’s commitment to promoting animal and human health worldwide. Linnodee Diagnostics currently has accreditation to:
ISO9001:2015     ISO13485:2016
Certificates are available upon request.