Byron Bay Equine Veterinary Practice

01/08/2024

Happy horse birthday! 🍎🎉🥕🍏🎉🎈(extra carrots and apples are accepted)

15/07/2024

🤧 Allergies 🤧

Caused by an over-reactive immune system, allergies require an initial exposure to an allergen which sensitises the system followed by a repeat exposure which illicits a response.

Allergic skin reactions result in urticaria (hives, as pictured here), pruritus (itching), thickened skin, hair loss, swollen eyes and muzzle. Some may have a respiratory component which manifests as coughing, exercise intolerance, or laboured breathing.

Common stimuli include insect bites, pollens, contact allergens (topical products, plants and tack gear), horse feed, and oral or injectable medications.

If your horse shows symptoms similar to that pictured below or listed above. Contact your vet to book a consult.

09/01/2024

🐴 LAMINITIS 🐴
Laminitis is a condition that affects horses and ponies causing inflammation and damage to the tissue that connects the hoof capsule to the underlying pedal bone within the hoof. Given the warm & wet weather we are having the grass is growing rapidly and we are starting to see more and more cases of laminitis.

Some of the risk factors for developing laminitis include:
🟢 Being overweight
🟢 Diets rich in carbohydrates (lush green grass or grain)
🟢 Being a pony or miniature horse or draft breed
🟢 Unrestricted access to grain (e.g. when the naughty pony breaks into the feed room
🟢 Being an older horse with Cushing's disease.
🟢 Having had prior episodes of laminitis

If you think your horse may be suffering with laminitis, contact us today to organise a consultation with one of our vets.

04/01/2024

🐴☀HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE ☀🐴

15/12/2023

🎄🎄REMINDER - CHRISTMAS HOURS🎄🎄
22nd DEC --> 1st JANUARY = no routine appointments e.g. dentals, castrations or vaccinations.

EMERGENCY ONLY:
25th Christmas Day
26th Boxing Day
1st New Years Day

12/12/2023

🦷 🧚🏼‍♀️ TOOTH FAIRY POST 🧚🏼‍♀️ 🦷
Sedation enables us to complete a dental on a relaxed & compliant horse, it enables us to do the highest standard of work we can. Not only is this great for the horse's experience but it enables us as vets to fully assess the dental status of your horse and pick up on any abnormalities. If you don't look - you won't see... If your horse is due for a dental then contact us for an appointment.

12/12/2023

🐍Summer is here which means our little slithery friends are out and about! 🐍

We have seen 2 cases of snakebites in Northern NSW in the past few days. Signs and symptoms to look out for in your horse if you suspect a snakebite are:
~ Progressive weakness and wobbly gait
~ Laboured breathing and increased respiratory rate
~ Puncture wounds/bleeding on lower limbs or face/muzzle (often these are rarely spotted)
~ Distal limb and/or facial swelling
~ Colic signs (sweating/pawing/rolling)
~ Lethargy, dullness or depression

If you notice your horse exhibiting any of these signs and suspect a snakebite please contact one of our vets immediately

07/12/2023

🦷 🧚🏼‍♀️ TOOTH FAIRY POST: ERUPTION CYST 🧚🏼‍♀️ 🦷
This was an interesting case Dr. Shanya attended to. The horse presented with a painful, firm swelling on the right mandible. A oral examination was performed and X-rays were taken shown below. We used a needle taped onto the horse to be used as a marker to identify which tooth the swelling correlated to. Luckily, there were no signs of tooth disease inside the mouth or on x-rays and this little mare responded well to medical treatment. These eruption cysts are boney enlargements that sometimes occur in 3-4yo horses around the time of eruption of the adult premolar teeth. If your young horse is showing similar sign be sure to contact a vet! These type of swellings can also be associated with tooth root abscesses.

06/12/2023

With an El Niño declared & temps soaring on the east coast, it’s crucial to keep a watchful eye on your horse for any signs of heat stress. 🐎 Stay vigilant and keep them safe this summer ☀️

05/12/2023

🩹 🩺 TENDON INJURIES 🩹 🩺 *image shows a lesion in the superficial digital flexor tendon
Tendon injuries are all to common in racing & sport horses. With portable wireless ultrasounds we are able to assess the severity of such tendon injuries as well as provide prognosis.
Things you can do to reduce the risk of tendon injuries:
1. Always ride on good footing - uneven or deep footing can predispose to injury,
2. Good trimming/shoeing - have your horse on a 4-6wk trim/shoe cycle to avoid unnecessary load on your horse's tendons
3. Conditioning - ensure your horse is properly conditioned in training prior to increasing work load or intensity, increases in training should be small and incremental
4. Warm up - always warm your horse up before 'work' - allow 10-15mins for walk prior to commencing more rigorous work
5. Know the signs to look for: swelling, heat & lameness, if your horse shows any of these signs - cease work and organise an assessment by your vet ASAP.

28/11/2023

🐴 🩺 FOAL IGG TESTING 🩺 🐴
We offer 24hr foal assessments where one of our vets conduct a physical examination of your foal as well as take a blood sample to conduct IgG testing. This test tells us if your foal has received enough of the mare's colostrum which is vital to the foal's immune function - even a foal suckling well can have low IgG if the mare's colostrum was of poor quality. Foals without enough IgG are at a much higher risk of developing life-threatening infections. Contact us to book in for your foal's day old health check.

23/11/2023

🎄🎄CHRISTMAS HOURS🎄🎄
Christmas is fast approaching! We would like to advise everyone we will be running from 22nd December - 1st January with NO ROUTINE APPOINTMENTS in this period. The public holidays 25th, 26th of December & 1st of January = EMERGENCY ONLY.

If your horse has any routine needs e.g. vaccinations, dental check-ups or castrations then please contact us now to book in as spots are filling up before Christmas. We will still be attending urgent cases as needed e.g. sick horses, lameness etc over the above mentioned period.

21/11/2023

🦷 🦷 BEFORE & AFTER DENTAL 🦷 🦷
A great example of what we achieve when reducing those sharp enamel points. Remember that this is only one of many issues we can see in horses' mouths. It is only with sedation & a light source that we can properly examine each tooth looking for periodontal disease, pulp exposures, fractured teeth, caries and more! Safe to say this horse will be feeling much better without those pesky sharp edges digging into his cheek.

14/11/2023

A satisfying before & after photo of a stitch up Dr. Shanya attended a few weeks back. Often these large wounds will break down to some degree which this wound did. We still ended up with a great result - and a much shorter healing time then if we had left it to heal without bringing the edges together.

11/11/2023

08/11/2023

West Nile Virus (WNV) is a mosquito borne virus belonging to the genus Flavivirus. A strain of WNV, Kunjin virus is endemic in parts of Australia and has been present for many years. In 2011, there was a large outbreak of neurological disease in horses in South East Australia caused by a variant of the Australian strain. It was confirmed in a horse from the Central West region in February 2017, with further infections confirmed in the Hunter and Riverina regions in February 2022. Practice vector control!

30/10/2023

A rare photo of our 3 hardworking vets all together 🐎
Dr. Khiani Mortimer (left), Dr. Shanya Canavan (middle) and Dr. Kevin Squire (right) 🩺

17/10/2023

🦷🐴🩺 DENTAL CHECKS IN YOUNG HORSES 🦷🐴🩺

We are often asked when a horse should have its first dental check up - the answer is anywhere from 6-12mo of age. We then reccomend 6 monthly checks until they are 6yo and should have all their adult teeth present. Young teeth still get sharp and there are other problems we can see such as eruptions problems, retained baby teeth etc.

This guy had his dental check and maintenance today - we discovered a retained baby tooth which was loose and smelly with rotting feed stuck in around it. He will be feeling much better now it is out.

If you would like to book an appointment with one of our vets please reach out.

10/10/2023

EORTH - Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis

This was one of Dr. Shanya's cases and was picked up during a routine dental examination where this horse despite being sedated was showing extreme pain with the application of the dental gag.

This is a painful dental disorder affecting the incisor and canine teeth, that is typically seen in older horses (>15yrs). It is a progressive disease that is often missed until lesions are very advanced.

EOTRH causes the roots of the affected teeth to start to dissolve, which is an inflammatory process. During this process the tooth lays down extra cementum. As the disease progresses, the teeth become loose and can fracture. Characteristics of EOTRH on visual exam include gingivitis (inflammation of the gum), gingival hyperplasia or recession, loose or fractured teeth. These teeth also commonly develop infections at the root, this can be identified as draining sinus/pimple like structures on gum line.

Horses are very stoic when it comes to oral pain. Clinic signs in horses affected by EOTRH range from asymptomatic, to weight loss, to signs of extreme oral pain (rubbing face, unwillingness to eat) and even colic. A common complaint is horses not biting down on treats such as apples/carrots as willingly as previously.

The etiology of EOTRH is not fully understood currently but similar disease processes are seen in both human and feline patients. One suggested theory is that is it an immune-mediated syndrome.

Since EOTRH is a painful and progressive disease, it is important that a thorough examination is made of incisors and canine teeth during your horses’ routine dental examinations. If any changes consistent with EORTH are identified, intraoral radiographs are recommended. There is currently no effective medical treatment and horses with clinical and radiographic signs should be considered candidates for extractions.

Owners often worry that old horses will struggle post incisor removal but in fact the opposite is true. Horses’ quality of life improves drastically once the oral pain is removed. Horse often gain weight post extraction and seem more comfortable.

06/10/2023

While it’s a common equine emergency, espophageal obstruction (“choke”) can look alarming, especially if you've never seen it before. Unlike in human medicine, where choking refers to a tracheal (or windpipe) obstruction, choke in horses refers to an obstruction of the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

Most commonly, choking occur when horses eat concentrated feed too quickly without chewing it appropriately, which results in a firm bolus lodged in the animal's esophagus. However, esophageal obstruction can also occur with hay or straw, hard treats, carrots, or nonfood objects. Poor dentition, which leads to inadequate chewing, is also a frequent cause of choke.

While common, chokes can have serious consequences so be sure to call your veterinarian as soon as you notice signs of choke. A bad choke is fairly obvious to both veterinarians and horse owners, but a mild choke could be confused with an upper respiratory tract infection or colic.

Read more about this condition on our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/understanding-choke-horses

06/10/2023

But with expert farrier care we can help this horse recover. Cateful balanced trimming. Hoof wall augmentation. And balanced shoeing. We want this bad hoof wall to grow out in about 3 months. We're off to a good start.

06/10/2023

Bad hoof care can lead to many problems 1. Dished hoof wall. 2. Multiple hoof wall cracks. And 3. Arrow to thin and flaky rim. This horse did not want to exercise on this leg because of the discomfort in the hoof.

03/10/2023

A great post about laminitis myths!

🐴 𝙇𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢𝙨 𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙇𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙨

🌱 It’s spring in Australia and therefore peak laminitis season. Despite all of the science and meticulously researched information we have available on how to best support an equine recovering from laminitis, there is still so much dangerous advice circulating and I’m a bit fed up about it.

🐴 Myth #1: White chaff and hay is what you should feed a laminitic horse.

🌱 Truth #1: White chaff and hay are derived from cereal crops which almost always have a high sugar and starch content. Please, for the love of god, do not feed a laminitic horse wheaten or oaten chaff/hay.

🐴 Myth #2: Bran is a safe feed for laminitic horses as it’s a good source of fibre.

🌱 Truth #2: Bran can be thrown in the same category as white chaffs and hays given it is derived from cereal grains. It is too high in sugar and starch to be considered safe, regardless of the fibre content.

🐴 Myth #3: When soaking hay, the colour of the water indicates how much sugar is being soaked out.

🌱 Truth #3: The dark colouration you see coming from hay that is soaked in water has nothing to do with the sugar content and instead is the tannins leaching from the hay. Don’t assume clear post-soaking water means that the hay is low in sugar.

🐴 Myth #4: Grain-free premixed feeds are suitable for laminitic horses.

🌱 Truth #4: In my experience, laminitic horses do better on whole food diets rather than premixed feeds. It’s not only the sugar and starch content that is important, but also the protein and fat content. A grain-free feed that is high in protein and fat is still potentially unsuitable.

🐴 Myth #5: Feeds that are labelled as “grain-free” or “laminitis safe” are exactly that.

🌱 Truth #5: I know of several feeds labelled “laminitis safe” that contain cereal by-products such as oaten or wheaten chaff/hay. There are also plenty of feeds that claim to be grain-free that contain by-products such as bran, pollard, or millrun. The manufacturer’s argument is that the feed is “whole” grain-free.

🐎 Read your feed, guys. There are so many feeds that are marketed poorly and simply do not support the recovery of our laminitic equines. Stop taking nutritional advice from people who are not up to speed on the latest information regarding feeding the laminitic equine.

03/10/2023

🌷🌷Spring has sprung and there is the pitter patter of little hooves running around...

We are branching out into some reproductive work - we now have a brand new portable ultrasound for mare scans, pregnancy checks and we can organise foal IgG testing. If you have any inquiries please get in touch.

28/09/2023

26/09/2023

👀 EYES = EMERGENCIES 🚑 🚑

You will hear us say this time and time again. If you notice any eye changes in your horse - swelling, weeping, squinting or cloudiness contact us immediately. Eyes treated early respond better to those left for >24hrs. The worse the lesion gets the less likely it is to respond to treatment in the field. Lesions like this pictured can easily progress to the point where the horse looses sight in the eye or needs the eye removed.

This owner was extremely diligent - her horse had minimal changes - no squinting or weeping but she noticed the small defect in the eye which with sedation, a nerve block and some special eye stain we were able to identify a corneal ulcer which is now responding well to treatment.

26/09/2023

Dr. Shanya's little helper...
This little one was keen to see what was going on in the back of the work car!

21/09/2023

We get lots of questions about feeding salt to horses, below has some great information regarding this…

📖 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙩

🐴 I love reading about misconceptions when it comes to feeding horses, but today I’d like to debunk some common myths about good old sodium chloride.

🧂 Myth #1: Salt only needs to be fed when the weather is hot.

🐴 Truth #1: Salt needs to be fed 365 days a year because it is vital for many bodily processes and is excreted in sweat, saliva, mucous and urine. Even in the midst of winter, horses need salt.

🧂 Myth #2: Horses instinctively know to drink water regularly, especially when they are hot and sweaty.

🐴 Truth #2: A horse’s thirst reflex is triggered by sodium, which is a component of salt. Horses’ sodium requirements need to be met in order to seek water.

🧂 Myth #3: A horse can meet their sodium and chloride requirements with a salt block alone.

🐴 Truth #3: Unlike cattle, horses do not have an abrasive tongue and are not designed to lick harsh surfaces to extract nutrients. While it is technically possible for a horse to consume their daily salt requirement from a salt block, it is much less work and more physiologically-appropriate for them to consume loose salt that is either provided in a meal or left out free-choice.

🧂 Myth #4: Horses know what nutrients they need and can self-medicate with supplements such as vitamins and minerals.

🐴 Truth #4: Salt is the only nutrient horses have been studied and proven to actively seek out when it is required. They will not seek out other nutrients “because they know they need it.” Look at how much salt and molasses (palatable additives) are added to free-choice supplements.

🧂 Myth #5: Himalayan rock salt is better for horses than plain salt.

🐴 Truth #5: Himalayan rock salt contains naturally occurring components other than sodium and chloride. Some may view this as a positive; however, it is usually a more expensive means of supplementing salt, and often contains traces of iron which almost never needs to be supplemented given horses are generally oversupplied iron by their forage intake alone.

🐎 Your horse should be receiving a minimum of 10g of salt per 100kg of body weight each day; typically more after exercise, intense weather, or illness.