Coastal Equine Vets

04/01/2024

Celebrating my 1st year on Facebook and in business! Thank you for your continuing support. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉

24/12/2023

Merry Christmas everyone from us at Coastal Equine Vets 🎅🦄
Thank you for your wonderful support in our first year of business looking after your horses, ponies and donkeys 🫏🐎🦄

26/11/2023

💥💥 We are now offering ultrasound! 💥💥

For all your reproduction AND musculoskeletal ultrasound needs!

Get in touch to book in your horse/pony/donkey 🦄🦄

15/11/2023

I see things like this time and time again, as well as horses who have fractured teeth, periodontal disease, tooth root infections and many more issues, but the owner is told that it is fine.

I don't believe anyone can do a great job of assessing a horses teeth without sedation, which is why I routinely sedate every horse for dentistry.

Just because your horse has had its teeth done does not mean it was done well!

Contact us if you'd like your horses teeth checked out!

This horse 6 weeks ago had a dental by a “horse dentist in Qld who’s so good they don’t need drugs to do the dental”! 🏆🤠
The presence of this sharp enamel point at the back of the mouth , causing the ulceration to the cheek, must mean that they’re also “so good” that they don’t need to do BASIC dentistry techniques to be able to convince owners they are worthy of employing again and again ! 🤷‍♂️😔
Please do your horse a favour and don’t sell out on its welfare and ability to chew and behave well when ridden or driven, just because you can find someone who keeps the horse calm without sedation while doing the dental, through avoiding addressing the painful parts of the mouth!!! 😩😔

06/11/2023

Did you know we now do Equine Pre Purchase Exams??

We are now performing stage 1&2 and 1-5 pre-purchase exams in the BOP. plus with a portable digital xray machine we are equipped to take xrays on site.

A pre-purchase veterinary examination of a horse is a thorough “nose-to-tail” clinical examination, which is usually performed when a client is looking to buy a horse
Purchasing a horse can be a big investment, whether it is a kids pony or a high performance horse you want to know that the animal is healthy and suitable for your needs.
Our exam will give you the information you need to buy the right horse.

13/10/2023

Today is Vet Nurse and Vet Technician awareness day, we as vets could not survive without these amazing people!

So here's a thank you to my biggest supporter, chauffeur, handyman and my unofficial tech, Jethro. A few of you have met him out and about recently and know how lucky I am!

20/09/2023

Spring is here! Now is a great time to think about your horses, ponies and donkeys annual dental treatments

🐴🐴🦄🦄For now until the end of October Coastal Equine will be doing an Equine Dental Special!! Book in now to secure your spot! 🦄🦄🐴🐴

Routine dental care is essential to your horse's health with at least yearly examinations and floating required to keep them healthy and comfortable.

There are several reasons why our horses require these treatments, such as the fact that we have modified their diet and eating patterns through domestication and confinement. We also demand more from our performance horses, beginning at a younger age, than ever before.

With regular dental care your horse will be more comfortable, will utilize feed more efficiently, may perform better, and may even live longer.

Horses may suffer from many dental problems. The most common include:
-Sharp enamel points, causing cuts and ulcers of the cheeks and tongue
-Retained caps
-Hooks forming on the upper and lower cheek teeth
-Lost and/or broken teeth
-Abnormal or uneven bite planes
-Excessively worn teeth
-Abnormally long teeth
-Infected teeth and/or gums
-Misalignment/poor apposition
-Periodontal (gum) disease

Horses with dental problems may show obvious signs, such as pain or irritation, or they may show no noticeable signs at all. For this reason, periodic dental examinations are essential. Indicators of dental problems include:
-Loss of feed from mouth while eating, difficulty with chewing, or excessive salivation
-Loss of body condition
-Large or undigested feed particles (long stems or whole grain) in manure
-Head tilting or tossing, bit chewing, tongue lolling, fighting the bit, or resisting bridling
-Poor performance, such as lugging on the bridle, failing to turn or stop, even bucking
-Foul odor from mouth or nostrils, or traces of blood from the mouth
-Nasal discharge or swelling of the face, jaw, or mouth tissues

Thorough oral exams should be an essential part of an annual dental examination using sedation, a strong light and a mirror (or camera). Every dental exam provides the opportunity to perform routine preventative dental maintenance.

The end result is a healthier, more comfortable horse.

31/08/2023

Would you know if your horse had gastric (stomach) ulcers? Ulcers are extremely common, occurring in between 50-90% of our horses. 🐴🐴🦄🦄

🐎We are in the process of planning an equine stomach ulcer scoping day, please reach out if you are keen to have your horse scoped!🐎

Most horses with gastric ulcers show very few, if any, signs. Clinical signs commonly associated with their presence are: mild colic episodes (especially associated with feeding), dullness, attitude changes, reluctance to train, poor body condition, poor hair coat, and weight loss.

It is important to get an accurate diagnosis when dealing with suspected gastric ulcers by performing a gastroscopy (stomach scope). Without a definitive diagnosis, we may be subjecting our horses to unnecessary medications.

Scoping for ulcers also enables us to make decisions about treatment- we can see which part of the stomach is ulcerated, which influences what treatment and management changes are recommended. Follow up scopes are then also vital to monitor the effectiveness of the medication and when it’s time to stop treatment.

27/08/2023

As we are nearing the end of the month this your last chance to get in on our fantastic $300 deal for Hoof Balance x-rays!

Why is Hoof balance important?

Incorrect hoof balance is common cause of lameness. Correct trimming and shoeing are two of the most important influences on the soundness of your horse.

A correctly trimmed and shod hoof should be functionally and biomechanically efficient, minimising strain on the tendons and ligaments higher up the limb while maintaining resilience of the hoof wall. The balance includes having the correct toe length and a correct hoof-pastern axis as well as mediolateral balance.

A “broken-back” hoof-pastern axis, where the horse has long toes and under-run heels, puts more stress on the structures at the back of the leg such as the navicular bone, suspensory ligament, and the digital flexor tendons. Predisposing a horse to navicular disease, chronic heel pain, tendon and ligament strains and quarter cracks in the hoof.

An upright hoof with a “broken forward” hoof pastern axis will put excessive strain on the knee and fetlock joints which may predispose to arthritic changes in these joints.

A correct break-over point will reduce leverage pressures on the hoof. The break-over is the final phase in the stride, as the hoof is leaving the ground to be moved forward. Toe length and hoof-pastern axis affect break-over. A long toe acts as a long lever arm, thus increasing strain on the tendons and ligaments and slowing break-over,

Medial-lateral hoof balance ensures that the forces are distributed evenly across the joints higher up the limb.

Hoof balance is best assessed by taking radiographs (x-rays) of the feet, 2 xrays are taken- from the front and from the side. These xrays can be used to ensure your horse is trimmed and shod in the best balance with their conformation.

18/08/2023

What a week! Thank you all for your support!

If you're waiting for reports please bear with me, I have taken a heap of xrays these last couple of weeks and need to catch up.

For now I'm looking forward to some weekend time with my family 😊

10/08/2023

Hi team

Just letting you all know I'm away for the weekend to celebrate my birthday, so if you have any horse emergencies please call Orla on 02041766577 😊😁

01/08/2023

Hey team,

I'm heading to Omanawa tomorrow if anyone in the kaimais, pyes pa general area is in need of any equine vet work
Dentals, vaccinations, lameness workups, xrays and more!
Save on mileage and contact us today!

Picture of some of my crazy critters, 2 and 4 legged

29/07/2023

Guess what this means?! 😁😁

For the month of August we will be doing hoof balance packages for only $300!
Get in touch now to get your horses feet sorted before spring.

The old saying 'no foot, no horse' is still so true and just like we wouldn't want to wear uncomfortable shoes, our horses need comfortable feet to perform to the best of their ability.

Stay tuned for more about healthy hooves 🐴🦄

10/07/2023

Tetanus - Is your horse protected?

Tetanus is a disease caused by the spores of the bacteria Clostridium tetani, which are commonly found in soil and faeces.

The bacteria can enter the body through any wound, but particularly puncture wounds, and exposed tissues such as foals umbilical cords and the uterus of post-foaling mares.

The bacteria is anaerobic, meaning it thrives in low oxygen conditions – such as deep puncture wounds or areas of damage to the blood supply to tissues.
However, tetanus can result from any break in the skin that allows the spores to enter the body.

If the conditions are right the bacteria multiply and release neurotoxins, which then travel via nerves or the bloodstream to the brain and spinal cord.
Here they cause the classic symptoms of tetanus by interfering with certain neurotransmitters, causing painful muscle contractions and spasms.

The muscle stiffness causes the tail to stand out straight, the ears to stand up, 'lockjaw' and a 'grimace', and the third eyelid to come across.
Progressively the affected horse will be in a huge amount of pain, will not be able to move, become recumbent and die due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles.

Most affected horses do die, and there is no really effective treatment once horses have tetanus.

Horses are THE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE of all domestic animals to tetanus toxins.

However the vaccine for tetanus is very effective! Please ensure your horses and donkeys are protected!

If you have any questions regarding your horses tetanus vaccination status please get in touch!

20/06/2023

Hiya everyone on this wet BOP afternoon 🖐

I'm heading to pyes pa tomorrow if anyone in the area, or oropi needs their horse to be seen 🐴🦄🫏

Picture of my view 'between the ears' today before the rain really set in!

18/06/2023

As we approach another wet week, something stressing a lot of horse owners out is the dreaded Mud Fever!

Mud Fever is a skin condition usually associated with the lower legs, and most commonly pink skinned areas. It shows up as red, sore areas of skin, which may be weeping, or have crusty patches.

It is caused by an environmental bacteria, wet and damaged skin provides an ideal environment for bacteria to enter and grow. If left untreated the bacteria involved can travel deeper into the soft tissues and up the leg, causing cellulitis.

TREATING: The use of oils, grease or ointments is not recommended as they can actually exacerbate an infection. However, certain preparations that are available on veterinary prescription are highly effective at treating mud fever, including a silver based cream called Flamazine.
This does involve bandaging and stabling the horse, but it is a very effective treatment.
Certain cases of mud fever may require systemic antibiotics especially if they have become a deeper infection.

PREVENTION: An obvious solution to controlling mud fever is avoiding wet, muddy conditions (which can also be difficult when it never seems to stop raining for very long!) Try to keep gateways and shelters mud free (putting down wood chip or sand in high traffic areas) and bring horses off muddy pasture if possible.
Hairy legs can act as a trap for mud and create the perfect warm, moist conditions that the bugs thrive in, therefore clipping of hairy legs can be very useful as it helps too keep them clean and dry. Plus any lesions will be noticed sooner.

Keeping legs clean and dry is most important. Wet, macerated skin provides the perfect conditions for the bacteria to grow and multiply.
It is not worth washing your horses legs every day unless they are thoroughly dried too. Paper towels, old bath towels and even using a hairdryer on a cool setting are good ways of getting legs dry after gentle cleansing with water or a weak chlorhex solution.

If you have any questions or have a horse who you are struggling with mud fever with please let us know, we are only too happy to help!

# # # This week I'm in the Pyes Pa area on Wednesday if anyone is keen to split mileage for any equine vet work! # # #

25/05/2023

After the great response from last week I thought I'd spread the word again!

Next week, either Tuesday or Wednesday, I'll be heading in the Tikitere direction. If anyone in this area would like to jump on this and reduce mileage for dentals, vaccinations or anything else let me know!

The remainder of the week has a few spots open still so let's try for another oropi/ohauiti/pyes pa run on one of the other days.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Picture snapped at the Taupo 3 day where I was an FEI vet a couple of weeks ago, just as the fog was clearing to make a stunning day👌

16/05/2023

Hi team

I have spaces this week if you'd like to jump in while we have a chance with some fine weather to get some vet work done with your horses!

Dentistry, vaccinations, worm counts, and more!

Share the mileage even and book in for Thursday if you're in Oropi or Pyes Pa 😁

Send us a message if you're keen 🐎🫏🦄

02/05/2023

🪱🪱🪱 Let's talk about Worms 🪱🪱🪱

Many of you will have seen a recent post that has been widely shared and was originally written by some lovely vet colleagues in the South Island. They were imploring everyone to stop worming their horses unnecessarily and this is absolutely SUPER IMPORTANT for us in the BOP too!!

Throughout NZ we are seeing more and more occurrences of equine worms becoming resistant to several of the families of worm drenches we have available to us. Over drenching is leading to these issues occurring.

For too long horse owners have been blanket drenching their horses at regular intervals when in reality they probably don't need it! In fact most horses may only need 1-2 drenches per year.

Most adult horses are able to suppress internal parasites, in a sense becoming 'somewhat immune'. It has been shown that only 20% of the horse population will be high egg shedding individuals and will contribute 80% of the eggs in the pasture.

We need to be identifying and strategically treating these high egg shedding horses through Faecal Egg Counts, thereby minimising pasture contamination, along with our usual management strategies including poo picking.

OK, so what do we do?? Faecal egg counts should be taken from every horse and each animal treated as an individual.

Send us a sample of EACH of your horses poo to do a FAECAL EGG COUNT and then we can work out an individual plan for your farm. This usually works out cheaper than blanket treatment and will SAVE LIVES in the long run!

Let's do this now BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!

18/04/2023

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FHPY7TT
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- Lauren :)

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16/04/2023

DID YOU KNOW??

It is also vitally important that miniatures and donkeys have regular dental treatment!
In fact, they often have more dental issues than larger equines due to their small sized heads and relatively large teeth.

Book in your equine dentals this month and receive a FREE Ultramox worm drench

07/03/2023

Thanks to the wonderful Tussock Art & Ink - Kate Huxford for designing our great new logo and taking photos with the beautiful Charm and my old mate Luke.
I'm enjoying being back in the game and grateful for all your support 😊

28/02/2023

We have been busy getting out and about sorting the smiles of our old favorites and meeting new ones

If your horse/pony/donkey needs their annual dental treatment get in touch, and remember to tell your friends and share the mileage

😁🐴🫏🦄😁

30/01/2023

30/01/2023

We are excited to be offering discounted veterinary dentals for the month of February to celebrate our official opening!

PM us or text/call 0277010540 to get your horse/pony/donkeys smile sorted 😁

01/01/2023

BOP equine vet services coming very soon! Watch this space! Looking forward to seeing you all and your 4 leg equine friends again 🐎🫏🦄