Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital

15/11/2024

🐴🔍 What is a Cryptorchid? 🔍🐴

A crypt, rig or “cryptorchid horse” is a male horse whose testicles have not descended into the sc***um. This condition can affect one or both testicles and is important to recognize for both health and breeding reasons.

Most often, only one testicle is retained, which may be in the inguinal region or abdomen.

Why Does It Matter?

Health Risks: Cryptorchid horses can be at a higher risk for issues like testicular tumors and hormonal imbalances.
Breeding Limitations: Cryptorchids are generally not suitable for breeding, as they can pass on this condition to their offspring.
Behaviour: Depending on the hormones produced by the retained testicle(s), cryptorchids may display stallion-like behaviours even if they are not fully functional.
What to Do?
If you suspect your horse might be a cryptorchid, consult your veterinarian. They can perform an examination and suggest the best course of action. In many cases, surgical intervention to remove the retained testicle(s) is needed.

The safest way to remove abdominally retained testicles is through a keyhole surgery approach. Identifying the location of the retained testicle before surgery is crucial to minimize risks and ensure a fast recovery for your horse. This picture shows what your surgeon is looking for during the key hole surgery.

Knowledge is key to keeping our equine companions healthy and happy! If you have any questions or experiences to share, drop them in the comments! 🐎💕

13/11/2024

🐴✨ Success Story: A Dream Come True for SJS Quarter Horses! ✨🐴

We are so excited for SJS Quarter Horses who have welcomed 3 healthy fillies this year.

After a stressful few months, the safe arrival of Honey’s new filly foal, Mia, has been a huge highlight for SJS. 🍼💕

Honey took a couple of attempts to get in foal & required a short stay at GVEH to treat a bacterial infection in her uterus, also known as an endometritis - with a little help from Dr Kate Dugher & our reproduction department. GVEH offers an in-house culture & sensitivity service allowing us sample, grow & culture uterine bacteria & chose the appropriate treatment option within 48-72 hours.

2 months before Honey was due to foal her mammary glands enlarged earlier than you would expect for this stage of gestation. Dr Fiona Herzog performed a transrectal & transabdominal ultrasound exam to assess the combined uterus & placental thickness (CTUP). The foetus was alive but there were a few worrying areas of placental detachment noted, these findings are likely consistent with placentitis.

This meant that Honey’s pregnancy was high risk and required treatment & very close monitoring for the rest of gestation.

We were so pleased to hear that Honey foaled normally. Mia is Honey’s last foal & her owner was so pleased to get a filly so that she can continue the bloodline.

06/11/2024

🩸WARNING - Graphic Video🩸

🌟🐴✨ Check out this incredible video of a brave horse undergoing surgery to remove an ectopic tooth! 🦷💪 It’s amazing to see the dedication of the veterinary team! 🙌❤️

04/11/2024

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03/11/2024

01/11/2024

🌟 Do you know what's in your horse's mouth? 🐴

Dr. Denis has been at Oldbury Equine Clinic collaborating with their veterinary team on some fascinating dental cases! 🦷✨

Check out the video to learn more about the importance of equine dental care!

30/10/2024

🐴🚨 Diarrhea in Foals: When to Be Alarmed and How to Manage It 🚨🐴
💩GRAPHIC CONTENT💩
When to Be Alarmed:
🔹Consistency: Always contact your vet when the diarrhea is watery pipe stream.
🔹Duration: If diarrhea lasts more than 24 hours, it is time to consult your vet.
🔹Severity: Look for signs of dehydration (e.g., dry gums, lethargy, not nursing), severe abdominal discomfort or bloating.
🔹Accompanying Symptoms: If your foal has a fever, is off its feed, or shows signs of distress, seek veterinary help immediately.
Possible Diseases:
🔹Foal Heat Diarrhea: Common but usually mild, often around the time of the mare's first heat cycle after foaling. This diarrhea is associated to the establishment of a healthy gut bacterial flora in the foal, , and this happens to coincide with the time of the mare’s foal heat.
🔹Bacterial Infections such as Clostridium or Salmonella: these infections can cause severe diarrhea and can easily transmit to other foals.
🔹Rotavirus: Highly contagious and can spread rapidly in groups.
🔹Hypoxic damage: after lack of oxygen during the birth process, foals can become a dummy foal. However all organs including the gut can sustain damage. This can cause mild to extremely severe necrotizing diarrhea.
🔹Nutritional causes: when mares produce very rich milk, or when foals receive milk replacer (not mixed properly or a replacer not appropriate for horses), foals can develop diarrhea. This is usually mild and transitory.
Infection control measures need to be put in place when a foal develops diarrhea.
Hygiene Protocols/Measures on the Farm:
1. Clean Living Conditions: Regularly clean and disinfect equipment and stalls to minimize bacteria and parasites. Remove faeces from paddocks and pastures.
2. Isolation: Separate any affected foals from healthy ones to prevent the spread of infection, and use different equipment and clothes.
3. Handwashing: Practice good hygiene by washing hands after handling foals, especially if you’ve been in contact with a sick one.
4. Routine Health Checks: Keep an eye on all foals for early signs of illness and maintain regular veterinary visits for vaccinations and deworming.
5. Nutrition: Ensure that foals are receiving proper nutrition to support their immune systems.
Remember, early detection and proactive management can make a huge difference in your foal’s health! ! 🐎💕

30/10/2024

🔥 Come down and see us at WB Hunters Shepparton! 🔥
Join us for a FREE BBQ lunch happening now until 2 PM! 🍔🌭
Explore the fantastic products WB Hunters has to offer, and don’t miss our PortaSafe setup!
We can’t wait to see you there!

30/10/2024

The Working Committee of the Welsh National Show would like to thank Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital for their generous support.

https://gvequine.com.au/ #

25/10/2024

🌟 Exciting news! 🌟 Check out this quick video of a 45-day scan of a horse pregnancy! 🐴❤️ It’s amazing to see this little one growing inside! 🐎✨

23/10/2024

🐴 Care of the older horse 🐴

While age is not a disease, sometimes our golden oldies need help to stay in tip top shape.

Feeding: Not all horses need supplementary feed, but some do benefit from extra hay or concentrate feeds as the digestive system of older horses can work less effectively as they age. Ensuring your horse always has access to good quality grass or hay keeps their digestive system working. Adding in easily digestible, high calorie feeds designed for the older horse can be helpful.

Dental check: Older horses need regular annual dental checks. If you notice your horse struggling to eat hay, dropping feed, or losing weight despite having an adequate amount of feed then book in for a dental examination.

Get checked for PPID: Also known as Equine Cushings Disease, PPID is a common disease in older horses and can cause a weakened immune system. There are many different signs of PPID – everyone is probably familiar with the curly hair coat that doesn’t shed, but there are actually a wide variety of signs that your horse has PPID. These include: recurrent laminitis, recurrent foot abscesses, lethargy, poor muscle condition, abnormal distribution of fat, excess thirst and urination and abnormal sweating.

21/10/2024

Time to check the poo! 💩💩
With Spring upon us it is important to perform regular faecal worm egg counts for your horses. Not all horses need de-worming all the time, some horses are naturally good at resisting worm infections and need to be de-wormed much less frequently.
Over-using de-worming drugs leads to resistance which means the de-worming drugs are not effective at killing worms when we need them killed.
To avoid over-treating your horse, we recommend performing faecal worm egg counts every 3 months to monitor the worm burden in your horse.
Collecting poo is easy, as soon as you see a fresh dropping, collect approximately 10g from around the poo, breaking open faecal balls and sampling from the middle. Keep the sample refrigerated and drop it into the hospital within 2 days of collection.
We also have pre-made poo collection kits available which are FREE!

For the month of October only: Discounted faecal worm egg count price! Usual price $15, new price $12.50!
Or drop in 5 samples together for a price of $50 ($10 per sample!)

16/10/2024

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16/10/2024

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14/10/2024

🌟 Exciting News from GVEH! 🌟

We are proud to announce that our very own Clinical Director, Dr. Denis Verwilghen, has been officially endorsed by the Victorian Veterinary Board as a Registered Specialist in Equine Dentistry, making him one of only two specialist equine dentists in all of Australia! 🦷🐴

Dr. Verwilghen holds the unique distinction of being a double-boarded specialist in both Equine Surgery www.ecvs.org and Equine Dentistry www.evdc.org , the only one in Australasia! This means that GVEH continues to lead the way in providing world-class, comprehensive care for your horses, ensuring the highest level of expertise and precision in both surgical and dental treatments.

Your horse deserves the best, and at GVEH, we’re committed to providing just that. 💙

📞 Contact us today to learn more about how we can help with all your equine care needs!

11/10/2024

Welcome Zazy ✨

02/10/2024

GVEH have recently purchased 3 new frozen semen shippers to add to the fleet. A reminder to organise your frozen semen to arrive at your vet clinic before your mare does. Haven’t decided what to breed too yet? Visit our website to see what frozen semen we have available for distribution or give our Repro team a call.
Website - Stallions Available – Frozen Semen | GV Equine Hospital