Did you know that the rate of twin pregnancies in horses is generally estimated to be around 15-20% (for Thoroughbreds)?
Twin pregnancies are very undesirable in horses, very rarely resulting in live foals and putting the lives of both the mare and the foals at risk.
Check out these unilateral (both in the same horn of the uterus) twins Dr Ruth Taylor was expecting to see a couple of weeks ago. These embryos really didn’t want to leave each other’s sides!
Luckily the mare was scheduled for a pregnancy scan in the window to successful reduction (on or before day 16 ideally) and one twin was manouvered away from the other and pinched off.
Check the comments for a follow up video!
Whilst a routine procedure with excellent success rates in our vets’ hands, twin reduction is not without its risks. The physical manipulation and squeezing of the uterus and embryo is proven to release a pulse of Prostaglandin (a hormone which can end pregnancy). Our vets therefore always recommend an anti-inflammatory medication at the time of twin reduction, and often an additional pregnancy supporting hormone to minimize the risk of loosing both embryos.
Don’t forget to make sure your mare is scheduled for her early pregnancy scan - they are very important! If the date of ovulation is unknown, this can make scheduling the pregnancy tests tricky, so be sure to speak to our friendly staff or your local equine veterinarian to get the timing right.
#horsemedsa #horsemedhills #horsevet #equinevet #equinereproduction #horsetwins #horsebreeding #artificialinsemination #assistedreproduction #adelaidehills #southaustralia #adelaidehorses
It’s that time of year where our repro scanners are mostly resting and relaxing in preparation for the next season!
However many of our breeders like to bring their mares in for a check up in mid pregnancy, particularly if they are a tricky breeder or have a history of pregnancy loss.
We can often assess foal viability, foetal distress and placental health via a simple trans rectal (or sometimes trans abdominal) scan.
Check out this ADORABLE foetal heart Dr Ruth Taylor was able to visualize last week. Thank you to our fabulous client for allowing us to share 💓
Don’t forget to contact us at the clinic on 08 8391 9400 if you need any equine breeding advice.
#horsemedsa #horsemedhills #horsevet #equinevet #equinereproduction #horsebreeding #adelaidehills #southaustralia #adelaidehorses
Who loves a super cute 60 day pregnancy 😍😍
This tricky mare has a long term history of slipping foals between the 14 and 45 day mark and has failed to return a positive scan at 45 days for several years. She was being threatened with a new career as a pony club horse 😆 but she’s so well bred her new owner wanted to have one last try.
Under the care of Drs Fenella and Ruth, and our nurse Molly who has a special interest in equine reproduction, we were very excited to sneak in a little 60 day scan and see this little cutie with a nice strong heartbeat 💓
Do you have a tricky or difficult mare? We love a challenging repro case and our vets often have a trick or two up their sleeves!
#horsemedhills #horsemedsa #horsevet #equinevet #equinerepro #horsebreeding #foal #equinepregnancy #adelaidehills #southaustralia #adelaidehorses
📣 🌟 📣 🌟 📣 EXCITING NEWS!! 🌟 📣 🌟📣 🌟
We can finally announce our ONLINE store has gone LIVE!
💜 To CELEBRATE this news we’re giving everyone 10% OFF their first order using the code “welcome10”! ❤️
Check out https://www.horsemedsa.com/shop/
If your first aid kit is EMPTY then look 👀 no further for COMPETITIVE prices in horse health supplies. We’re also excited that this opens up our access to our very well priced 4cyte to everyone, regardless of whether you’re local to SA!
Come and have a browse and check out what we have available. And keep your eyes peeled for our special offers - each week we will have something different for a bargain price! Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to make sure you don’t miss out!
#horsemedsa #horsemedhills #morphettvilleequineclinic #horsevet #equinevet #onlinestore #horsefirstaid #horseshopping #equinefirstaid #adelaidehills #southaustralia #adelaidehorses
DID YOU KNOW?
Our gastroscopes are only $231! We often have clients who think the cost of a scope is prohibitive but we keep them as affordable as possible. This allows us to accurately diagnose and treat ulcers rather than guessing and spending money on expensive treatments!
This video is an oldie but a goodie - who can forget our nurse Kym’s talent as a video editor?!
Whilst we’ve undertaken a lot more gastrocopes since this video, it still shows some fantastic examples of what we see on a daily basis.
If you want further information about booking your horse in for a gastrocope give our friendly office staff a call and they can explain the entire process.
#horsemedsa #horsemedhills #horsevet #equinevet #egus #horseulcers #equinemedicine #gastroscopy #adelaidehills #southaustralia #adelaidehills
🏝 🏖 SAND COLIC 🏝 🏖
We have seen so many sand colics through winter. Many can be managed medically but some need intensive care.
How amazing is this video a client sent through to Dr Ruth for a sand colic she dealt with recently. All this from a mini pony in a short space of time! Huge thanks to our client for allowing us to share this for educational purposes.
So how can you tell if you horse has sand? Here are some great pointers:
🍲 Does your horse have a history of being poorly feed or below par nutrition, perhaps before you purchased him? Or are they the kind of horse that eats every scrap out of the dirt?
🏖 Does your horse live in a sandy area or have they previously (remember sand colics can take months or years to present after the initial sand burden is ingested)?
💩 Does your horse have intermittent diarrhoea or faecal water syndrome? Whilst there are many other causes this can be a symptom of a sand burden
🚨 Does your horse suffer from occasional low grade bouts of colic or has had colic episodes which drag on for a few days?
Horses with suspected sand burdens can be treated with drenching and pain relief, although they can also need more intensive support such as intravenous fluid therapy if actively colicing.
A great way to assess sand burden if you’re concerned is to Xray the abdomen. We can even grade and assess the volume of sand present, and repeat the X-rays after treatment to see if it has all passed!
Typically we can perform abdominal X-rays on farm and often clients are surprised at the affordability of the procedure as it usually only requires 2-3 Xray images.
Don’t forget to contact us at the clinic on 08 8391 9400 if you are concerned about your horse.
#horsemedsa #horsemedhills #horsevet #equinevet #sandcolic #horsecolic #equinemedicine #adelaidehills #southaustralia #adelaidehorses
Here’s an interesting case that Dr Fenella has seen recently.
This horse has a case of “thumps” - also known as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter. This is just like the horse having hiccups!
The thumps is caused by excitation of the phrenic nerve, which runs adjacent to the heart but also controls the diaphragm. The over excited nerve begins to fire in time with the heart beat, meaning the diaphragm twitches 40-60 times a minute!
Whilst the thumps is not dangerous in itself, it is often a symptom of dehydration or electrolyte imbalance, and this needs to be corrected. It is most commonly seen in endurance and racehorses.
Luckily this horse responded well to treatment and is back to normal!
Thank you to the owners for allowing us to share this video for education purposes.
#horsemedsa #horsemedhills #horsevet #equinevet #equinemedicine #southaustralia #adelaidehorses
Have you ever wondered what recovery after kissing spine surgery looks like?
Many people think that back surgery goes hand in hand with a really long downtime, however most horses start a rehab program quite quickly after surgery. This means they can be back to performing at their previous level (or better!) without back pain relatively rapidly.
Check out this video of a horse that had surgery approximately 4 months ago - and an extensive surgery at that! 8 spaces in total were operated on, 5 with bone shaves and 3 with ligament cuts. Great to see this horse moving and feeling so well! All credit to the dedicated owners for doing such a great job at rehab, and also allowing to share this video.
#horsemedsa #horsemedhills #horsevet #equinevet #kissingspine #backsurgery #equinesurgery #southaustralia #adelaidehills #adelaidehorses
Who loves a good haematoma video 🙌 🙌 🙌
Here’s Dr Brodie lancing a tricky haematoma over a stifle. Whilst they’re great fun to watch, haematomas are something that require careful management and care to resolve.
Lance them too early and they will continue to bleed or fill. Too late and they can form scar tissue or thickening. Infection is also a possibility and when they overly a structure such as the stifle joint in this case, it’s important to lance them in just the right spot.
They are a commonly sustained injury, usually from a trauma such as a kick.
Thank you to the wonderful owners of this horse for letting us share this video!
#horsemedsa #horsemedhills #horsevet #equinevet #southaustralia #adelaidehills #vetvideos #haematoma
Hello little swimmers! 🏊♀️ 🏊♀️ 🏊♀️ 🏊♀️
Just when we think breeding is over….there’s another mare that pops up! 👶 🐴 At least it’s good to see that semen swimming - this sample after 25 years in the deep freeze! 🥶 ❄️
Lucky our vets appear to be inexhaustible 😅
#horsemedsa #horsemedhills #horsevet #equinevet #equinerepro #horsebreeding #southaustralia #adelaidehills
Have you ever heard of the disease SHIVERS?
Shivers is a disease that commonly affects young to middle aged horses (usually 5-10 years old), is over represented in geldings, and is usually seen in big horses (16.2hh +).
The disease affects the neuromuscular system and is often progressive in severity, although some horses can maintain the same level of function for a long time.
The primary clinical signs are:
🥶 Signs may only occur infrequently or intermittently, particularly in the early stages of the disease
🥶 Many horses are worse when stressed or anxious
🥶 Signs can be very tricky to pinpoint, particularly when horses are mildly affected. Affected horses may also have other orthopaedic problems, and shivers signs can also mimic other diseases
🥶 Like stringhalt, shivers is most commonly seen when backing up
🥶 Affected horses usually back up abnormally, with shakey, trembling or tense movements of the hind limbs. There are often jerky tail movements
🥶 A classic early warning sign is a horse that is inexplicably difficult to lift the hind limbs and very difficult to shoe
🥶 Many horses struggle getting off the float as seen in this video
Shivers is commonly confused with stringhalt but can usually be differentiated by careful observation by an experienced veterinarian
Unfortunately there are very few treatments for Shivers, and none which have been shown to resolve the disease. Treatment is usually supportive. Some horses will rapidly progress to the point where they are dangerous to be around, and their quality of life is affected. Others may remain static and can be ridden. The progression of the disease is impossible to predict although horses affected from a young age tend to have a worse prognosis
We would like extend a huge thank you to our wonderful client who allowed us to use this video for this post so others could learn from her experience. Unfortunately the handsome fellow in this video had to be put to sleep
🙌 If there’s a favorite type of video the vets share with us here in the office, it’s got to be a good pimple popping one! 🙌
Check out this video Dr Dan Humphrey recently shared showing him draining a lovely abscess over the back of the hock. Nurse Kym had to jump out of the way to avoid being sprayed with pus!
You’ll be pleased to hear after appropriate treatment the horse is doing well. It’s a tricky spot to deal with!
#horsemedsa #horsemedhills #horsevet #equinevet #drpimplepopper #pimplepopper #abscess #abscessdrainage
⚠️ WARNING - NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH! ⚠️
How’s this for a great video of Dr Michael Taylor draining a pectoral haematoma recently!
Haematomas are a common injury in horses, usually resulting from blunt force trauma such as a kick. Often the body will resorb the haematoma given time, however when they form in spots where gravity doesn’t help much (like this!), they can need draining.
The horse is usually then treated with pain relief, antibiotics and tetanus prophylaxis, as well as gentle exercise to assist drainage. The prognosis is excellent for a full recovery!
#horsemedsa #horsemedhills #horsevet #equinevet #haematoma #equinesurgery #horsesurgery
