Merriwa Vet Surgery in Merriwa, New South Wales | Veterinary surgeon

Merriwa Vet Surgery

Locality: Merriwa, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 6548 2452

Address: 86 Bettington Street 2329 Merriwa, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.merriwavet.com.au

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24.01.2022 Sometimes it is hard to know what goes on inside the minds of a foal!! Lotti is an inquisitive 6 month old foal who got into a bind when she bit down on a gate before deciding to pull back while still biting down! Unfortunately she managed to pull one of her deciduous teeth out as well as fracturing a section of the bone around the teeth.... Another loose tooth was removed and the wound cleaned thoroughly. Given her young age the bone will likely heal by itself and she will need to be monitored over the next few years to see how the permanent teeth erupt.

23.01.2022 A couple of elderly horses that were seen recently.... Regular dental care throughout life can help to prevent your horses mouth from ending up like this. For horses that do find themselves in this position, the aim is to make them as comfortable as possible and to maintain them on an easily digestible pelleted feed.

23.01.2022 Are your bulls fit for the job?? A perfect Winters day and great backdrop for some bull testing this week! With most producers in rebuilding mode, it is important that we control everything within our power to ensure the upcoming joining period is as successful as possible.... A big part of this is making sure your bulls are ready to go. A breeding soundness exam prior to joining will help ensure your bulls are in the best shape to work. For more in depth information on what bull testing involves click on the link below... https://www.coolahvet.com.au/BullTesting.aspx

23.01.2022 Are your heifers on track for joining time??? With plenty of feed around and not enough mouths to eat it all, producers will be wanting to ensure the best possible conception rates in the heifers this year to help rebuild depleted breeding herds. Follow the link below for some important considerations to make to get your heifers in the best possible shape for joining time...... https://www.coolahvet.com.au/HeiferManagementPre-Joining.as

22.01.2022 GASTROSCOPY DAY WEDNESDAY 12th AUGUST Concerned that your horse may have gastric ulcers?? The only way to definitively diagnose gastric ulceration is by performing a gastroscopy.... At the same time if required we can perform a dental check up and treatment to save some costs of an extra sedation later on. If you are interested in getting your horse scoped please call the clinic to book a place.

22.01.2022 Give your foals the best start in life... The transfer of passive immunity from mare to foal via the colostrum is vital for a healthy start. Without it, foals are at a much greater risk of developing life threatening infections such as Salmonella. Unfortunately many mares do not produce adequate quantities or quality of colostrum or foals may not drink enough soon after a difficult birth.... These foals may not look any different from others until they get sick several days down the track and it is often too late. Fortunately, we can perform a blood test on your foal in the first day of life which will tell us whether or not they have received adequate antibodies. If they have not, we can then provide these antibodies in a plasma transfusion to ensure they are as protected as possible. Given the time, effort and money that is invested in getting these foals on the ground, performing this test as well as a health check is a simple way to reduce the risk of any issues early in life.

21.01.2022 Calving season is well and truly upon us and the good conditions experienced this year have contributed to a few issues! Time is of the essence when it comes to calvings... If you are not getting anywhere in 20-30 minutes give us a call sooner rather than later (especially late in the day - no one likes heading out at 7pm in the middle of winter!!). The other important rule is don’t pull too hard! If the calf is not coming relatively easily with a calving jack, don’t keep app...lying more and more force. You will end up with a paralysed cow worth nothing (or in one case recently a calf with 3 legs). Whilst no one likes unexpected costs, with prices for even cull heifers/cows northwards of $1500 it is well worth spending $350-700 (from a simple calving up to a difficult caesarian) to ensure the best possible chance of survival for the mother and calf. Even for those that require caesarian sections, survival rates are over 85% and still very much economically viable.

20.01.2022 Feeling itchy? These images are of some mites that were living in the ear of a very itchy rabbit. Ear mites are a parasite that live on the surface of the ear and can cause nasty ear infections, redness, scabs and can be a big nuisance to the animal!... Different types of ear mites can also affect dogs and cats too, but luckily there are effective treatments available for our pets. If your pet has itchy ears please contact us to arrange a vet appointment.

17.01.2022 WOULD AN ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION PROGRAM WORK IN YOUR HERD?? -Do you have enough suitable heifer bulls this year? -Would you like access to superior genetics?... -Are you sick of culling most of the female progeny from your heifers? -Do you want to significantly tighten your calving period and the associated work load? -Do you want to set your heifers up to remain productive and in your herd for longer? If your answer to any of the these questions in yes than an AI program may be worth considering. Click on the link below for more detailed information on the benefits an AI program can bring to your operation. https://www.coolahvet.com.au/AIinCattle.aspx

17.01.2022 Pretty came into us after losing her appetite and becoming quite lethargic. An ultrasound showed that she had developed a condition called "pyometra" where the ...uterus fills with pus. She was quickly taken to surgery to remove the infected organ (weighing in at over a kilo!) and given fluids and antibiotics. After a bit of TLC, she has made a full recovery and is as happy as ever! See more

15.01.2022 Hooch came in to Coolah a few weeks ago after she had been off her food and a bit flat for a couple of days. A quick ultrasound revealed some fluid in her chest and an X-ray was taken for confirmation. You can see on the X-ray below that the fluid was taking up a large proportion of her thoracic cavity, severely restricting her lungs from filling with enough air. A needle was placed in the chest to get a sample and the fluid examined under the microscope to determine its sour...ce. The large number of white bloods cells confirmed that it was pus due to an infection. A chest drain was then placed to suction the pus off continuously over the next 4 days whilst an aggressive course of antibiotics was initiated. After 4 days in hospital the drain was able to removed and Hooch was able go home to continue her recovery.

13.01.2022 These nasty hooks were found in a pony during a routine dental examination last week. The deep ulceration of the soft tissues at the back of the mouth are clear to see. Consider how irritating and painful a barely visible cold sore is in our own mouths and you can appreciate the level of discomfort issues like these can cause for our horses.

11.01.2022 Equine Gastroscopy Clinic this WEDNESDAY 12th August If you are concerned that your horse may have gastric ulcers the only way to diagnose them (or rule them out) is via scoping. For more info or to make a booking call the Coolah Clinic on 6377 1258

09.01.2022 Even immediately after waking up from surgery, Ariston was only interested in his next feed!

05.01.2022 Poor Vinnie came to see us a couple of weeks ago because he had a sore eye. On examination, his eyeball was completely white and the decision was made to remove... it as it was unable to be treated medically. Vinnie was a lovely patient and has been healing well at home. Hopefully he is a bit more comfortable now and can lounge around in peace! See more

05.01.2022 Could your horse have gastric ulcers??? A large number of performance horses suffer from stomach ulcers and clinical signs may include: - Reduced appetite or slow eating... - Weight loss/poor condition - Decreased performance - Wind sucking - Episodic colic However in many cases clinical signs may be very mild and not detectable. It is not until after treatment that an improvement in performance/behaviour/etc is noticed. If you suspect your horse may have gastric ulcers or you just want to make sure they are running on all cylinders then book into our gastroscopy clinic on WEDNESDAY 12th AUGUST.

05.01.2022 Last week saw Chris doing some ovarian scanning in 700 heifers prior to them going into an AI program to ensure that they are all cycling and ready to go. This allows the identification and culling of any late maturing heifers which helps to create some selection pressure to create an earlier maturing herd. It also saves the costs involved in the AI of those animals and allows them to be off loaded several months earlier if feed is tight.... The process involves visualising the ovaries (red outlines in the photos) on ultrasound and determining whether any structures such as follicles (blue outlines) or CLs (yellow outline) are present which would indicate that the heifer is sexually mature and actively cycling.

04.01.2022 We recently paid a visit to see Orlando after he suffered a case of choke and his owners noticed a lump above his eye. The lump was very firm and moderately painful so it was decided to take some X-rays to see what was going on. In some good news for Orlando, it was determined that the lump was likely secondary to trauma rather than something more sinister like a tumour!! With the lump being close to the ramus of the mandible (blue arrow), it would have been causing pain for ...him to chew, likely the cause of the episode of choke through not chewing his food thoroughly. A course of anti-inflammatories and Orlando should be well on the way to recovery.

04.01.2022 As the weather warms up, we are seeing a spike in the number of dogs diagnosed with Parvo. Parvo is a viral disease which causes vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy,... inappetance and is often fatal. The disease is spread through contaminated faeces and can persist in the environment for a very long time. Thankfully, Parvo is preventable with vaccination. All pups should be vaccinated three times at 6, 10 and 14 weeks and annually thereafter. A puppy should not be taken into public areas or areas with a known Parvo history until two weeks after their final vaccination to ensure they are completely protected. They also should not interact with any dogs with unknown vaccination status until this time. If you have any unvaccinated dogs or if you are unsure if your dog is up to date with their vaccinations, please call the clinic to find out and book them in if needed. See more

04.01.2022 Sally is normally a very cranky old girl who came in to see us as she wasn’t eating and was very flat. On examination she had a very painful abdomen and x-rays showed that she had an abnormal piece of bone in her belly, likely in her small intestine. An exploratory laparotomy was performed to examine the gastrointestinal tract and the piece of bone was found lodged in the end of the small intestine creating an obstruction. Due to the damage done to the intestine, an enterectomy was performed to remove the affected section and the ends stitched back together. The next day we knew Sally was back to her old self and ready to go home when she tried to bite all the staff!

02.01.2022 Wolf teeth - what are they?? There is often some confusion among horse owners about what wolf teeth are, why they are present and what can be done about them. Wolf teeth are vestigial teeth (meaning they are no longer necessary but still present). The ancestors of modern horses were much smaller in size and had 7 cheek teeth suited to browsing bushes and shrubs.... As horses have evolved they have grown larger and their primary diet has changed to grazing grasses. As part of this their cheek teeth have also increased in size to provide more chewing surface. Eventually there was only room for 6 cheek teeth, and over thousands of generations the first tooth has shrunk in size to the point where it is not even present in all horses. Wolf teeth are typically located just in front of the first cheek teeth. They are generally located in the upper jaw only however may occur in the lower jaw or may only occur on one side and not the other. They can be a range of sizes - from a few millimeters to as big as the other cheek teeth. In the wild, wolf teeth rarely cause any problems. However in our domestic horses, issues can occur with contact between the bit and the wolf teeth - resulting in pain and discomfort when riding. Due to the fact that they do not serve any useful purpose and occasionally cause harm, we recommend removal of the wolf teeth at a young age - preferably before they have a bit placed in their mouths. Like all teeth, wolf teeth contain nerves and blood vessels and should be removed under local anaesthetic. The aim is always to remove the whole tooth, root and crown, intact. On occasion this is not always possible however wolf teeth should NEVER be intentionally fractured/broken off at the gum level. Wolf teeth are often confused with canine teeth. Canines are much larger teeth found closer to the incisor teeth. They occur more commonly in males than females and are used by stallions for fighting.

01.01.2022 A big horse with a big tooth ache! Sir Percival is a young Shire Horse who at 2.5 years old already towers above most other horses. A few weeks ago his owners noticed some swelling under his jaw which eventually broke out and started draining a small amount of pus. Immediately, given the location and his age, we were concerned about a tooth root abscess and this was confirmed on x-rays. The difference between the affected tooth root (red arrow) and the opposite normal tooth (...blue arrow) can be easily appreciated. Left alone, this tooth would continue to cause ongoing pain and would eventually fracture as it becomes more brittle. This would likely lead to many more issues with the rest of his teeth as he ages. As such, it is planned to remove the tooth sooner rather than later. As it has only recently erupted into the mouth, there is not much crown to grab onto to extract it (red circle in photo). Therefore we will manage the infection with antibiotics as required to buy us a few months if possible to allow the tooth to erupt further and make the process of extraction a little easier.