Horse Vet Dentist

08/05/2024

WORLD DONKEY DAY 8TH MAY 2024

Today is a day to give thanks to the wonderful desert animal the Donkey.
Their unique characteristic, strength and intelligence have been utilised by humans for centuries and they are one of the most hard working animals in the world today.

I am fortunate as a veterinarian to give dental care to many well loved donkeys and it has been a pleasure!
However, many donkeys throughout the world are vulnerable to significant welfare issues but we are grateful for a number of charitable organisations that help support these donkeys.
We want to remember in particular, on World Donkey Day, those equids in conflict zones throughout the world. Thousands of donkeys have been impacted by the recent wars in Sudan and Gaza and urgently need our help.

Safe Haven for Donkeys https://www.facebook.com/safehaven4donkeys
have been working tirelessly in Egypt, Israel and now Gaza and are trying to raise funds for food and veterinary aid for donkeys currently affected by the conflict in Gaza.

Please help support this worthy charity and make a difference to donkeys in the world.
https://www.safehaven4donkeys.org/gaza/

This page is run by Safe Haven's UK office, for more info visit www.safehaven4donkeys.org

31/12/2023

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024!!

That's a wrap to what was an incredibly hectic 2023 year.

We've had the joy and pleasure to serve and treat so many horses, ponies, donkeys, zebras, giraffes, wombats and meet lovely people along the way.

We've had complex surgeries extracting diseased and painful teeth. Sinus surgeries secondary to infected teeth. Routine dentals to keep horses happy and pain free.

This year we continued teaching the next generation of equine veterinarians, tutor the ever-growing number of equine vets now doing dentistry and attending Toothfest 2023 where world leaders came together to share their knowledge of dentistry.

The future is very bright for advancing the welfare of horses and other mammals in providing the highest level of veterinary dental care.

Thank you to all clients and organisations who have embraced and encouraged the best welfare standards possible.

Thank you again to all in the profession for your referrals over the year.

From all the team at HVD we wish you all the very best of fortune and good health for you and all your animals in 2024

23/12/2023

Happy Christmas to all our wonderful clients, referring veterinarians, paraprofessionals and most importantly the many horses, ponies, donkeys and other species we have seen over the year.

This year we have chosen AnimalAidAbroad as our chosen charity and will be sending out Christmas donations to worthy causes around the world helping amongst others donkeys in need - a beautiful equid that deserves care and respect .

Meet Deefor the miniature Irish Donkey having his annual dental check up - he’s so adorable ❤️❤️ Smoochies are his favourite treat & he’s hoping a new bucket will be arriving from Hygain for Christmas!!😊😊

Merry Christmas everyone & maybe check out this worthy charity ..

www.animalaidabroad.org

https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAidAbroad?mibextid=LQQJ4d

12/11/2023

Recent studies have found that up to 70% of horses have undiagnosed dental problems. Find out more about horse teeth and equine dentistry here.

12/11/2023

“NO PAIN ? - CHECK AGAIN”
Dental Awareness Week in the UK

A great initiative by my good friends and colleagues from the Equine Dental Clinic Ltd and British Horse Society.
This is certainly worth a look and you can even get your free digital download to improve your understanding of dental pain in horses, something we here at HorseVetDentist are extremely passionate about 😊😊 🐎
Enjoy the week ahead!!

UK’s first and largest Specialist equine vet dental practice. All routine and advanced procedures.

02/06/2023

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the recent passing of Semangka the Malayan Tapir, at Melbourbe Zoo last week.
Semangka was the most beautiful animal that brought joy to so many people that visited the zoo.
We had the honour and privilege to be part of her veterinary dental care over many years.
We think especially of her amazing team of zookeepers and veterinary staff- their incredible dedication to Semangka’s care. She will be sorely missed by them all.
RIP Semangka ❤️❤️

07/05/2023

Whether a Royalist or Republican.. one cannot but admire and be in awe of the incredible spectacular that was the horse parade proudly executed by the King’s Troop and Household Cavalry during the Coronation.
Even more proud is knowing they receive the best possible dental care by my good friends & veterinary colleagues at the Equine Dental Clinic Ltd in the UK.
Congratulations to the team. 🐴🐴😊😊🦷🍾

29/04/2023

Today is World Veterinary Day 🎂🎂🎂
This is a moment when we acknowledge the countless people working in all aspects of the veterinary profession including the vets, nurses, technicians, managers, office staff, industry reps, research scientists, welfare officers and so many more.
We commit our professional life to the health & welfare of animals in the world and strive to improve their quality of life..
Thank you to my fellow colleagues and workers both at HvD and across the globe ❤️❤️

08/04/2023

Wishing all our clients and horses a very happy Easter period.
Keep warm and dry especially those of you in Victoria!! Crazy weather !
Easter bunny has arrived
NB real carrots for horses only and pets - chocolate for humans only 😂😂🐴🐴

14/02/2023

Post 2 :
HORSE WITH FACIAL SWELLING & PERIAPICAL ABSCESS : TOOTH EXTRACTION & RECOVERY

Following on from our dramatic abscess the offending tooth (107) was successfully extracted intra-orally and it came out without fracturing! 😊😊
We placed the horse on intravenous fluids and sedation and a regional nerve block was administered to desensitise the region & make it completely numb prior to surgery.
The socket was flushed thoroughly to remove the remaining abscess & then packed with medical grade Manuka honey and a plug that was removed a week later.
The horse has made a fantastic recovery & back happily eating and enjoying life.

Check out the size of the tooth.

The cause of the infection in this case is most likely blood-borne infection, correctly termed Anachoresis. Bacteria would have lodged around the developing apices (roots) & created an infection that led to an abscess. Very bad luck for this horse 🥲🥲🥲😞

The images of the face were only taken 9 days later - incredible healing 😊😊.

Thanks to everyone who got involved in this case.
Lots more to share with you. 👍

11/02/2023

THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR - LANCING THE ABSCESS! VIDEO POSTED 🤢
Still had to extract the offending tooth as well!

Many thanks to Emma Wood Advantage Equine for referring this interesting case.

Check out the oroscopic video of this horses cheek teeth - now we have a diagnosis for sure !!

EXCELLENT COMMENTS!

Possible causes for this acute onset swelling :
1. FOREIGN BODY: grass seeds, wood splinters, any other weird & wondeful objects horses love to rub on causing an object to enter 😖😖
2. TRAUMA: kick to side of face : bone fracture / periosteal bone reaction leading to bone sequestra (slivers of bone now seen as a foreign body by the horse)
3. DENTAL RELATED PATHOLOGY : periapical abscess / tooth root abscess leading to a secondary facial swelling & abscess : Not that common to get such a marked reaction as this 🤔🤔
4. NEOPLASIA/CANCER : very rare to present as sudden onset and get so large rapidly- but always on the differential list 😊

WHAT DO WE DO NEXT TO FIND OUT MORE????

The referring veterinarian did a great workup /investigation by taking radiographs (x-rays) of the area checking for all the things we just listed including sialoliths.
Radiographs were sent to the HvD team and we identified the problem …

PERIAPICAL (tooth root) ABSCESS OF CHEEK TOOTH 107

Check out the radiographic images..

3yo TB Horse with facial swelling - what’s your diagnosis???

Sudden onset hot & painful facial swelling … what are the possibilities for this (differentials)…
Post your answer in comments

20/01/2023

Lucky to visit some beautiful properties on our travels doing veterinary dentistry. I just love this magnificent place overlooking the huge lake & stunning Gumtrees. I think the horses love it too!

 We saw an interesting case as well – have a look at the colour of the cheek teeth, the upper right, and lower right were heavily stained
(Marked in blue) compared to the upper left and lower left arcades, which were normal staining. This alerts us to the fact that the horse is not chewing on the right side, and most likely is because of discomfort/pain. A closer observation revealed the problem, a rogue tooth that needed extracting. Hopefully, we’ll see a huge difference in the chewing pattern and this horse will be a lot happier, thanks to a thorough examination. 😊😊🤞🤞🐴🐴👍👍

19/01/2023

01/01/2023

Happy New Year 2023!

Wishing all our clients, colleagues and horses a successful, safe and prosperous year ahead.
Thank you for all your support in 2022.
Looking forward to an exciting 2023 for all at the HvD Team!
Enjoy this beautiful weather here in Australia!

24/12/2022

Happy Christmas!
Wishing all our loyal clients, referring colleagues and of course our wonderful horses a fantastic festive season!

Christmas has arrived for Smokey & Iggy our HvD mascots. Packed with Lucerne hay, carrots and treats!
Don’t forget to spoil your horse’s today xx

Best wishes from all the HvD team xx❤️❤️🍾🍾 🐴 🐎

22/12/2022

Big thank you for three great dental days with Kirsten Gillen Back In Motion Mooroduc.
We saw some repeat visitors with good dental health and some new interesting cases, which highlights the importance of proper dental care.
Thanks Kirsten for the warm hospitality. See you in 2023 !☺️☺️

16/05/2022

DOES YOUR HORSE HAVE PPID??

It’s that time of year again when we are very fortunate to have free blood testing available to screen your horse for PPID incorrectly known as Cushing’s syndrome.

PPID is a chronic & debilitating syndrome in horses and owners need to be very aware of this significant and often undiagnosed problem.

Now is the time to enquire with your vet practice about the free blood tests available. We have already started screening some of our own patients and finding a number who are positive for PPID.

Hurry as blood tests are in limited supply.

See below for further information.

Would you recognize PPID (Equine Cushing’s disease) in your horse or pony?


What is all the current talk about PPID (Equine Cushing’s disease)? Today, Equine Cushing’s Disease is often more accurately described as PPID (Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction) and is a common hormonal dysfunction in horses. It can affect as many as 1 in 7 horses and ponies over the age of 151 but can occasionally be seen in younger horses too!

In horses affected by PPID, the pituitary gland produces an excess of hormones which can cause imbalances in a number of your horse’s normal bodily functions. This can cause a whole range of problems that vary in severity according to how far the disease has progressed.


What should you be watching out for?

The most characteristic symptoms for late stage PPID include changes to the hair coat, changes in your horse’s body conformation (unusual areas of fat deposits / muscle wasting / rounded abdomen) and laminitis. Laminitis, also refered to as founder or sinker, has the greatest potential to impact your horse’s quality of life. Laminitis is a painful condition that affect the feet and hooves of horses and ponies.

PPID symptoms are diverse and vary in severity according to the disease stage. Here is a more inclusive list of some of the signs you might see:


Early

• Decreased athletic performance
• Change in attitude/lethargy
• Delayed haircoat shedding
• Increased areas of hairiness
• Change in body conformation
• Regional fat deposits (e.g. neck)
• Laminitis
• Infertility


Advanced

• Lethargy
• Generalized hairiness (hypertrichosis/hirsutism)
• Loss of seasonal haircoat shedding
• Recurrent infections (e.g. sole abscesses or sinus infections)
• Neurologic deficits (e.g. blindness)
• Abnormal sweating (increased or decreased)
• Absent reproductive cycle / infertility
• Skeletal muscle atrophy
• Regional fat deposits
• Increased drinking and urinating
• Laminitis
• Rounded abdomen

What should I do if I think my horse/pony has PPID?

You can help a lot by watching for early signs of PPID and contacting us on (insert clinic number here) if you think your horse needs to be checked. A simple blood test can help diagnose PPID. For this test a single blood sample is taken to measure the level of the hormone ACTH which is abnormally high in horses that suffer from PPID2. This test is most sensitive at diagnosing early PPID if performed in the autumn.


How do we treat PPID?

We can work with you to help manage your horse’s health. We have considerable experience in diagnosis and treatment of PPID. When effective treatment and management is started early, horses with PPID can expect to enjoy many healthy, quality years to come.

For more information go to:
www.talkaboutlaminitis.com.au
www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.nz

1. McGowan TW, Hodgson DR, McGowan CM. The prevalence of equine Cushing’s syndrome in aged horses. In: Proceedings from the 25th American College of Veterinary inter Medicine Forum: June 6-9, 2007; Seattle, WA. Abstract 603

2. Durham et al. Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction: Diagnosis and treatment 2014 Equine vet. Educ. 26;42:16-223

23/12/2021

Wishing all our wonderful clients and their horses a well deserved Christmas 🌲 break and exciting New Year 🍾🍾

We wanted to thank you all for your support through 2021 and for giving your horses the best quality care in all aspects of their life including dentistry!!

Happy Christmas everyone !

We will be supporting our two favourite charities RDA and Animal Aid Abroad again this Christmas 😊😊😊🙏🏻