Gold Coast Equine Clinic

28/10/2024

📣🐑 SMALL RUMINANT SERVICES RESUMED 🐑📣
With the arrival of our new vet Jess we are now able to resume the small ruminant veterinary care that we have done in the past.

We can offer routine and emergency appointments for small ruminant patients including sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas. If you would like to discuss our services further, please call us on 07 55742466 and we can arrange for Dr Jess or Dr Imi to chat through your needs.

27/10/2024

What a fantastic event to be able to support 😁 The Pan Pacific Masters Dressage 2024 was full of smiling faces and great efforts by horse and rider alike. It was great to see our clients out and about doing their thing and also to meet new faces. The organisation by Nicole Tough and team was top class 👌. And the cherry on the cake was seeing nurse Casey Pierpoint on Seb collect not just 1 but 2 medals 🥇 👏. We look forward to supporting a lot more Equestrian Gold Coast Club events in the future.

25/10/2024

🐎🪳 Let's talk about: TICK PARALYSIS 🐎🪳

Recently, we had the sad outcome of euthanising a darling miniature pony who succumbed to severe metabolic acidosis, biochemistry imbalance, and eventually endotoxaemic shock. These were the cumulative effects of tick paralysis.

She had only 3 ticks on her face. And she did receive the tick anti serum treatment.

So what are the facts?
❓Ponies and foal are most commonly affected, due to their small size - severe tick paralysis normally doesn't affect ponies above 250kg bodyweight.

❓Regular sized horses can usually tolerate some ticks. An exception to this is if they are immunocompromised, or if there are large numbers of ticks.

❓Recent studies from the University of Queensland report that the potency of toxins from different types of tick vary between different geographical areas.

❓Canungra, Beechmont, and Tamborine Mountain appear to have the most toxic ticks, though much of the Gold Coast Hinterland is affected.

❓Clinical signs of tick toxicity include inappetance, lethargy, weakness or wobbliness, respiratory difficulties, food regurgitation, and recumbency.

📣ACT QUICKLY - with tick paralysis, time is crucial. Call your vet immediately if you notice anything untoward in your pony.

👍Prevention includes checking your horse daily by running your hands over their body. Ticks are most commonly found around the face, muzzle, and belly. Any lumps and bumps should be investigated.

👍GCEC sells a tick remover extraction device, which is inexpensive and user friendly - it is important to ensure that the tick is removed in entirety with the head not being left behind.

👍We also recommend:
- Clipping your horse
- Removing leaf litter
- Slashing long weeds and grasses on your property
- Avoid feeding and watering horses under trees
- Not using 'tick collars' - as horses can become tangled and injured in the paddock

👍GCEC firmly advocates use of BARRICADE S (active ingredients are cypermethrin and chlorfenvinphos). Although off label use for horses, the spray formulation is cheap and easily applied. Ask in clinic or one of our friendly veterinarians - Jess, Rhian, or Imi - when they're next visiting your property 🐎

Photo courtesy of: https://tickboss.com.au/types-of-ticks

18/10/2024

🌟🐴 WELCOME DR JESSICA RAMM 🐴🌟

We are delighted to welcome our most recent addition to the team Dr Jess Ramm.

Originally from North Queensland Jess graduated from James Cook University in 2019 and completed an 18 month internship at the prestigious Randwick Equine Centre. Since then she has worked in equine practice on the Sunshine Coast and more recently spent the last 12 months in the UK.

After missing the sunshine (and good coffee) for too long , Jess has recently made the move back to Oz and is looking forward to calling the Gold Coast home. Jess has a passion for all aspects of equine practice, particularly internal medicine. We are also lucky to have another "Jess" on board that has experience with other large animals so we can now offer again routine appointments for alpacas, sheep, goats etc.

We are delighted to have Jess on board, with another vet ensuring we can service our clients to the best of our abilities.

11/10/2024

Very excited to be part of this great event, with the count down now well and truly on 😁🐎! We are looking forward to seeing many of our fabulous clients doing what they love (that’s our four legged and two legged ones 😉).

Don’t forget to come and say hello over the weekend if you’re out and about competing ☺️

The Pan Pacific Masters Games has grown to become the biggest biennial masters games in the world🌍.

Renowned for its professional delivery and organisation PPMG 2022 attracted more than 16,000 participants and supporters from all over Australia and more than 30 countries delivering a significant economic boost to the city’s sport and tourism sectors. Go ☄️!

Equestrian Gold Coast Club is proud to host the Equestrian events, Dressage and Showjumping. The Dressage event proudly sponsored by Gold Coast Equine Clinic ⭐️.

The PPMG is a participation event, celebrating beyond youth and its motto is- ‘If you love your sport, you are good enough to compete.’

Adjoined with PPMG is a special entertainment hub at the where all athletes, volunteers and officials are welcome. From November 2-9 live music, and a special Country theme night of line dancing for us Equestrians post event on Tuesday November 5th💃🕺🏼.

We are very excited to host this special event, and look forward to seeing you and your horses🦄 sand dancing on the Gold Coast🤩.

Where legends come to play!

06/10/2024

📣😁 WELCOME TO OUR NEW FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER 😁📣

Following on from our introduction of new equine nurse Dani last week we are equally delighted to announce the addition of Isabel Monk as our new Front of House Manager extraordinaire.

After graduating with a BSc in Equine Science in the UK, Isabel worked in racing for trainers including John Gosden and Amanda Perrett. Prior to moving to Brisbane in 2017 she worked for 6 years at Emma Balding's Kingsclere stud foaling down, prepping yearlings and for the racing club spelling and rehabilitating horses.

Upon moving to Australia with her border collies and following on from having her son Woody, Isabel branched out into retail as a customer service manager where she has honed her skills for the last few years.

We are very excited to have a Front of House Manager with a great mix of exceptional customer service training and extensive equine knowledge. And Isabel is certainly happy to be returning to her equine roots in a somewhat different role here at GCEC.

You will no doubt be speaking to Isabel in the months ahead and we couldn't be happier with such a fabulous addition to the team.

04/10/2024

🥳💂KING'S BIRTHDAY LONG WEEKEND OPENING HOURS 💂🥳
🌟24/7 AFTER HOURS COVER AS ALWAYS🌟

As we enter into the long weekend in celebration of the King's Birthday, here at GCEC we as always are available 24/7 for any unexpected emergencies.

The office will be closed on Monday for the Public Holiday (medication pick up available by appointment from 9-10am) but our vets are contactable via the normal number 07 55742466, and Option 2, 24/7 to assist with any emergencies.

Have a fabulous long weekend everyone and in the nicest possible way we hope we don't see you 😉🤞

04/10/2024

🐴🌟Product spotlight of the week: KER B-Quiet ® 🌟🐴

❓How it works:
Do you have a situation coming up that your horse may deem as stressful, such as a competition, weaning, early stages of training or introduction to a new environment?

This supplement is full of thiamine and magnesium - deficiencies of which can manifest as irritable, excitable, highly strung, nervous or anxious horses - often resulting in poor performance. Thiamine is important for carbohydrate metabolism and nerve transmission. Thiamine and organic magnesium can assist with nerve functionality, minimising anxiety. As our exercise fanatics would know magnesium has a vital role in muscle and nerve function.

❓It may be useful for:
- Horses who receive high grain, low forage diets
- Those in heavy performance work
- Horse exhibiting anxiety when competing
- Any horse in a situation that may increase anxiety - including prolonged box rest

🌟Reported by owners as easier to feed than other calming supplements - such as powders and pastes - B-Quiet is loved by horses for its delicious taste and pelleted format! 🌟

Sounds like a good match for your horse? Available now - in clinic and at home visits with Gold Coast Equine Clinic. Price matched with all local produce stores. Contact us as always if you want more information on 07 55742466.

28/09/2024

Delighted to be supporting the EGCC Winter Dressage Festival ☺️ There is nothing better than seeing your clients out and about doing what they do best 🐎! And how good that even despite the rain and wind of yesterday the venue is still very much good to go 👏👌. Good luck to all competitors today and we hope to see you all at our title sponsor event the Pan Pacific Masters Games 2024 which we have on good authority has full entries and is going to be a fabulous event for all involved.

28/09/2024

📣😁 NEW STAFF INTRODUCTIONS 😁📣

Over the last couple of months we've been lucky to have some great additions to the GCEC Team. Our first introduction to make is our new nurse Danielle Campbell.

Dani joined the GCEC team in August and already we don't know what we did without her! Dani was born into the racing community, her father a jockey before he turned his hand to training and her mother was a picnic race jockey. Thus horses have been in her blood from a very young age. Dani did a little training herself for 3 years in country NSW before moving up to the Gold Coast 5 years ago. Since being on the coast she has worked with top level performance horses and loved just as much the stunning Warmbloods as she does her Thoroughbreds. On Dani's days off you can find her spending time with her family & most likely trying to keep up with her energetic little boy Harry.

Dani brings to the team a wealth of equine knowledge and her permanent smile and energy is certainly contagious! We couldn't be happier welcoming her to the GCEC Team and I'm sure if you haven't already seen her out and about with our vets on the road you will soon.

27/09/2024

🐴🌟Product spotlight of the week: KER Gold Pellet ® 🐴🌟

❓How it works:
Provides a low caloric, nutritionally dense supplement. It is bursting with amino acids, and essential minerals, such as calcium, phosphorous, sodium, chloride, magnesium, zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, manganese, iron and chromium. It contains appropriate levels of B Vitamins and Vitamins A, D, E and K, as well as Biotin, Folic Acid and Yeast culture.

❓Why use Gold Pellet:
- Low calories for good doers or those with concurrent metabolic disease, such as Pars Pituitary Intermedia Dysfunction or Equine Metabolic Syndrome.
- Sport horses requiring a delicious source of multi-vitamin
- Supplementation to roughage only diets, home-mixed rations or when premixed feeds contain less than recommended feeding rates.
- Can be fed alone for horses in good condition, or mix with chaff, grain or hay, as part of your horse's usual diet.
- Our 3.6kg size lasts approximately 36 days, based on an average 100g daily serving.

😍We LOVE this product and feel it is so useful to ensure that your horse gets everything it needs for general health in a low volume, low calorie form - that means it's safe FOR ALL horses and ponies😍

Sounds like a good match for your horse? Available now - in clinic and on the road. Price matched with all local feed stores. You really won't get better bang for buck in terms of all round health supplementation 👌

24/09/2024

Delighted to be supporting local business and excited about having these manuka honey products in stock from Equihoney. The Equibalm looks to have a range of potential benefits for Queensland itch so watch this space 🐎🩺

Equihoney is NOW AVAILABLE at Gold Coast Equine Clinic! 🍯 Be sure to ask about our range at your next appointment 😊

21/09/2024

Amazing start to a stunning Pink Ribbon Raceday Aquis Park for Racing. With Twigman only just pipped at the post for 1st in the 1st race and Rollercoaster romping home for 1st in the 2nd. Great work team 👏👏🐎

837 Followers, 339 Following, 363 Posts

16/09/2024

🐴❓"Should I insure my horse?" ❓🐴

Is perhaps better rephrased as "Can I afford to cover costs if my horse needs a vet in an emergency?" or "If something happened to my horse, could I afford to purchase another horse of the same level of education, breeding, age and experience?"

With the constant escalation in cost of living, this discussion is more relevant than ever.

While every costs adds up, we do encourage investing in insurance for your horse - as it will save you in the long run and give you peace of mind that you can do what is needed in the event of injury or illness.

Here are some primary top tips when choosing your insurance provider:
a) Choose an insurance policy that is the right fit for you. Do you want cover against emergencies and accidents only? Or do you want to include mortality, theft and straying cover? High performance racehorses may opt for bloodstock or thoroughbred insurance. Consider if this is right for your business. Are you a riding school, and need public liability cover? Are you a breeder and want to insure in case your primary stallion becomes infertile or incapable of natural cover? It may be worth considering insurance for cosmetic purposes, tack and floats, and personal accident insurance in case of a serious injury incurred while riding or when in control of the horse.
b) Consider using an insurance broker. 'Fitton Insurance Brokers Australia Pty Ltd' are one such company based in Toowoomba, and provide advice Australia-wide.
c) Do not just look at the price and assume all policies provide the same coverage.

Consider excess and limit of financial compensation. When communicating with insurance companies, it is worth noting their customer service and efficiency in responding to your enquiry. This can be a good indicator of how reliable the insurance company can be.

Some options available in SE QLD include, but are not limited to:
- Affinity Equine Insurance
- Petcover
- HQ Insurance
- Logans
- Gow Gates
- AIS Insurance Brokers
- Fittons Insurance Brokers

Whilst we do not provide recommendations around insurance companies and what they have to offer, our vets are well versed in having a conversation around the benefits that insurance for vets fees offers and have a number of client testimonials, where insurance has given them the ability to get the gold standard treatment for their horse. As always you can chat with us when we see you out and about or you can call the clinic on 55742466 to find out more.

29/08/2024

Our clinic will be closed this Friday 30th August, 2024 for the Gold Coast Show Day Public Holiday.

As always we will have a vet available for emergencies. If you have an emergency with your horse, please call us on 5574 2466, then press option 2 to be put through to the on call vet. We will be on call for the Gold Coast Show and all of your other equine needs.

We hope you enjoy the long weekend - it sure looks to be a hot one ☀️! Winter? What Winter!

24/08/2024

🐴🌟 Product spotlight of the week: KER EquiShure ® 🐴🌟

- How it works:
We love this product and use it in multiple clinical situations. The site of fermentation in the horse is at the end of its digestive tract, in the caecum and colon. Hence, for pH buffers to be effective, they must survive for long enough in the digestive tract to reach the hindgut. EquiShure® products are time released, meaning they do not begin to neutralise acidity until they reach the end of the gastro intestinal tract. The encapsulated technology is time-dependent; that is, the capsule delivering the bicarbonate is not degraded until 6 hours has passed, permitting delivery to the caecum and colon, permitting effective delivery of the ingredients.

Useful for:
- High grain or high sugar diets
- Low pH in the hindgut
- Subclinical acidosis
- Hindgut acidosis
- Reduced feed conversion efficiency
- Inflammation and irritation in the caecum and colon
- Horses showing signs of stereotypical behaviours, irritability, or behavioural signs of colic (e.g pawing, flank watching).
- Horses having courses of bute for pain management - recent research has shown it's benefits in reducing the risk of colitis

As with all of our supplements we price match the local produce store and they are part of our loyalty scheme. Pick up from the office in Bundall or we can often drop off if we are passing. And as always if you have any concerns around your horse including recent changes in behaviour please don't hesitate to contact us on 07 55742466

21/08/2024

📣⚡WE ARE RECRUITING - FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER EXTRAORDINAIRE WANTED ⚡📣

Here at Gold Coast Equine Clinic we are looking for another exceptional team member - this time to lead our team in the true sense of the word as Front of House Manager and customer service extraordinaire!

What the role needs:
• Minimum 2 years' experience in a customer serving role
• Reception experience in a vet clinic or in health services is preferable but not essential
• Exceptional customer service skills and a “can-do” attitude
• Basic background equine knowledge

What the role involves:
• Providing outstanding customer service over the phone and face-to-face - including answering sole charge a multi-line phone system
• Welcoming clients and their horses to the clinic
• Managing the daily diary and co-ordinating appointments
• Liaising with vets and vet nurses to ensure efficient daily scheduling
• Financial transactions
• General administration and office tasks as directed - including management of the primary e-mail address – excellent computer skills are a must
• Ensuring a neat and tidy presentation of the reception.
• The role is full time but two part time positions will also be considered for the right candidates - reception hours are 8.30am-5.30pm Monday to Friday.

What you need to be to fill the role:
• You must be a genuinely motivated, proactive and enthusiastic person who, by example, creates and contributes to an amazingly positive workplace culture.
• Have a vibrant and positive attitude, contributing to a friendly and professional working environment.
• Love talking to people and forming a good rapport with them.
• Mature, professional and confident approach when communicating with clients, demonstrating compassion and kindness.
• Have strong attention to detail, the ability to manage competing priorities, show initiative, meet regular deadlines, work well under pressure along with being solution focussed.
• Excellent computer skills.

To learn more about us visit our website at goldcoastequineclinic.com.au or our page Gold Coast Equine Clinic.
If you’re interested in joining a team of great women, in a role with ample opportunities to develop, apply now with your resume and cover letter to [email protected]. We would also love for you to include a brief video/voice recording introducing yourself and why you want to work with us here at GCEC and what you would bring to the role.

Applications close on the 6th September 2024. We will contact you if you’re successfully selected for interview.

14/08/2024

🐴 FAECAL EGG COUNT’s - WHY TO DO THEM? 🐴
The importance of faecal egg counts as compared with regular de-worming is hi-lighted by Virbac in this upcoming webinar. Sign up and learn all you need to know.

With the newly installed Imagyst Faecal Egg Count machine at GCEC we can provide even more accurate FECs in record time.

For the month of September we will be offering discounted FECs at only $25 per horse. You just either need to give them to one of our vets during an on site visit or drop them into the office at Bundall. Take this opportunity to know where your horse is at and implement targeted worming - it will benefit not only your horse but the equine community at large 😁

Webinar! 28th August 2024 🐴
"Best practice worming made easy"
Join Dr. Anne Beasley to learn about the value of faecal egg counts and how they can be used to support a sustainable worm management strategy for your horses.

Prizes on offer and an exclusive promo code for a free FEC test 💩🪱
DATE: 28 August 2024
TIME: 6:30 - 7:30 PM
RSVP: Register now via the link! 👇

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8753443406505783387