North Queensland Specialist Equine Service in Aitkenvale, Queensland | Veterinary surgeon

North Queensland Specialist Equine Service

Locality: Aitkenvale, Queensland

Phone: +61 7 4779 0233

Address: 32-34 Anne Street 4814 Aitkenvale, QLD, Australia

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

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24.01.2022 According to a recent study, horses that require removal of one eye (unilateral enucleation) continue to successfully compete in athletic events. Hopefully this may help concerned owners when faced with making the difficult decision to enucleate when the medical and or surgical management of eye diseases doesn’t work. Complications following surgery occurred very rarely, and 90% of owners were pleased with the outcome. Various conditions can lead to enucleation, including, o...cular trauma, glaucoma, neoplasia (sun cancer), equine recurrent uveitis, endophthalmitis, and severe corneal ulceration. To collect more information on the impact of enucleation, 119 owners of horses that underwent the procedure were surveyed. While most horses were used for pleasure-riding, others, approximately one-quarter of included horses, were competitive in show-jumping and dressage. Overall, 77% of enucleated horses performed at an equivalent or higher level than prior to enucleation. Major reasons for owner concern prior to enucleation included post-surgical performance; safety while riding; cost of surgery; quality of life and discomfort following surgery; and cosmetic outcome. The study found, however, such fears were largely unfounded. Complications following surgery occurred very rarely, and 90% of owners were pleased with the outcome. This included owners who reported being concerned or even very concerned prior to surgery. The researchers therefore concluded, Horses can return successfully to a variety of disciplines following enucleation. Owners are satisfied with the outcome and pleased that enucleation was performed. *Wright, K., J.L. Ireland, and D.I. Rendle. A multicentre study of long-term follow-up and owner satisfaction following enucleation in horses. Equine Veterinary Journal. In press. See more

23.01.2022 Does this look familiar? All too often during the off season we see horses with hooves that look like this. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1826053150967494&id=1380413568864790

20.01.2022 Navicular disease is a common cause of lameness in horses of all athletic disciplines. Lameness originates from the navicular bone and associated structures, including the suspensory or collateral ligament of the navicular bone, navicular bursa, distal impar ligament, deep digital flexor tendon (but not including primary deep digital flexor tendonitis). Navicular disease reportedly accounts for 3050% of forelimb lameness cases with affected horses typically presenting betwee...n 6-9 years old usually with bilateral, insidious forelimb lameness, although sometimes affected horses can present acutely. X-ray findings associated with navicular disease including enlarged or misshapen synovial fossae, cystic lesions, increased palmar cortical thickness and proximal cortical extension of the navicular bone, enthesiophyte formation within the suspensory/collateral ligament attachments, corticomedullary sclerosis, distal border fragmentation or ossification within the distal impar ligament have all been associated with pathology and lameness. Practically treatment methods include therapeutic farriery aimed at reducing forces on the navicular bone, deep digital flexor tendon and in the coffin joint along with medicating the coffin joint and or navicular bursa and selected surgical treatments. Stay tuned for more information on a newly available treatment for navicular disease. See more

20.01.2022 #christmas via ripl.com

20.01.2022 We had a great day yesterday with Dr. Luke Wells-Smith from Motion - Equine Podiatry Consulting. Luke demonstrated a new hoof product called @FormaHoof as well as consulted on horses with a history of hoof complaints. Thank you to all of the local farriers who attended and got some hands on experience with this new product. Thank you also to all of the horse owners and clients who came along. I think everyone benefited greatly from Luke’s experience and practical approach to farriery. Hopefully we can continue to have Luke visit and consult for us at #TVC and #NQSES on a regular basis.

18.01.2022 At #NQSES we have been using regenerative medicine techniques for over a decade in the treatment of tendon, ligament and joint injuries with very good success rates. But, can regenerative medicine play a role in the rehabilitation of horses with laminitis? http://kera.equinews.com//regenerative-therapies-laminitic

17.01.2022 #NQSES would like to wish all of our clients, referring Vets and their families a safe and enjoyable Christmas. Thank you for your support throughout 2017. We look forward to working with you all again in the New Year!

15.01.2022 Study confirms Hendra vaccination does not affect racing performance. http://ava.informz.net//2018-7-February%20-%20Study%20Conf

15.01.2022 Want to improve your knowledge of equine hoof anatomy? This will do it...... http://www.anatomy-of-the-equine.com/Coffin-Bone.html

15.01.2022 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com//understanding_managing_en

13.01.2022 Keep this date in mind! On the 19th June 2018 we are fortunate enough to have Dr. Luke Wells-Smith visiting us for the day. Dr. Wells-Smith is a veterinarian and farrier and will be at TVC to promote and demonstrate a revolutionary new hoof product called Forma Hoof.He will also be able to consult on individual horses with hoof problems and work with your farrier to arrive a the best possible solution. So if you would like to be part of this day drop us a line ASAP as numbers will be limited! Hope to see you there!

13.01.2022 It's always great to hear how our patients are going after they have gone home. Back in April this year Jedediah Toomey was referred to us for evaluation of severe colic. Jed underwent emergency colic surgery to treat a feacalith obstruction of his large colon. After surgery and several days on IV fluids in the Townsville Vet Clinic, he was sent home to be looked after by his mum, Taelor. The great news is that he is back in work and competed in the two handed campdraft in Charters Towers a few weeks ago. Thank you Taelor for sending us this fantastic photo and allowing us to share this with everyone! If this image doesn't convey pure joy I don't know what does!

12.01.2022 Don't neglect your horse's feet in the off season. Horses are often turned out to spell over the hotter months in North Queensland and when the time comes to get ready for the new competition season, we are often asked to look at cases of White Line Disease or Seedy-toe. This is an excellent article which may save you valuable competition time come the new year. http://www.thehorse.com//the-frustrations-of-white-line-di

12.01.2022 New treatment for Navicular disease has been released for use in Australia http://www.osphos.com/

12.01.2022 Dr. Brad Dowling from #NQSES will be visiting Malanda on the 8th November for second opinions, specialist consultations and surgical procedures. This may be our last visit for 2017 so contact Tableland Veterinary Service or North Queensland Equine Clinic to reserve your spot! #TVS #NQEC https://www.facebook.com/NorthQueensland//1464090797032279

12.01.2022 https://www.abc.net.au//hendra-vaccine-horse-deat/11208974

10.01.2022 Have you got a ‘pudgy pony’ or one that has been diagnosed with equine metabolic syndrome? Well the University of Glasgow has released an App that allows you to calculate your horse’s body condition score. https://itunes.apple.com//equine-body-condit/id1390384352 Simply enter your horse’s name, age and an optional photo and the App will take through step by step to grade the relevant areas or body fat accumulation to assist in body condition scoring and create a record for future reference and to monitor changes in body condition over time.

03.01.2022 Today we remember the 100th anniversary of the battle of Beersheba. The final phase of the battle was the famous mounted charge of the 4th Light Horse Brigade. The attack on the strategically important town of Beersheba had been launched at dawn, but by late afternoon British forces had made little headway. At dusk, the Australian horsemen of the 4th Light Horse Brigade charged, using their bayonets as swords, breaking through the Turkish defences and seizing the town. The capture of Beersheba enabled British forces to break the Ottoman line near Gaza and advance into Palestine. The Turkish defenders suffered many casualties, and between 700 and 1,000 were captured. Thirty-one light horsemen were killed in the charge and 36 were wounded. At least 70 horses died.

03.01.2022 The BOM is predicting some rain in the New Year - wouldn't that be nice! If it does rain the green grass that follows will be great to see but be warned - the risk of pasture induced laminitis will be real. Here is a nice article about Equine Metabolic Syndrome and endocrinopathic laminitis by Dr Simon Bailey. Endocrinopathic Laminitis (EL) is due to high levels of insulin, which cause the breakdown of the laminae in the foot. It is different to inflammatory laminitis, which ...can follow starch overload, colic or retained placenta (often called Sepsis-Associated Laminitis or SAL). Endocrine laminitis is triggered by sugar and starch in pasture and feeds, In some horses, particularly overweight horses, normal levels of insulin are unable to move ingested glucose out of the blood and into the cells where it is needed, so larger amounts of insulin are needed. These high levels of insulin cause the laminae to stretch and weaken, allowing the pedal/coffin bone and hoof wall to separate. Horses prone to EMS tend to be those designed to live on sparse grazing. With access to improved pasture, they maximise storage of calories and can become overweight. Regular body condition scoring and keeping a horse at its correct weight are important to reduce the risk of endocrine laminitis, as is feeding a low sugar/starch diet, which may mean restricting grass. A diet of hay and a balancer that provides minerals, vitamins and protein will be suitable for many at-risk horses, but don't feed less than 1.25% of a horse's bodyweight per day without consulting a vet. Monitoring insulin levels can help predict laminitis risk. Vets should be consulted if a horse moves stiffly or unwillingly, particularly on hard ground - early diagnosis of laminitis (with identification and removal/treatment of the cause and correct support and realignment of the feet) can prevent months of discomfort. Note that PPID can also cause endocrine laminitis, also through insulin dysregulation, and horses with endocrine laminitis will usually have ACTH tested as well as insulin to help assess whether they have PPID and require treatment with pergolide.

01.01.2022 Have you picked your winner for the Melbourne Cup yet? Studied the form guide carefully? If we could accurately predict racing performance I'm sure many of us would be retired by now! One of the most common things owners and trainers want measured in their horse prior to a race start is the red blood cell count. There are some important features of the horse that must be taken into account though when interpreting RBC counts. Horses store 50% of their RBC in an organ called t...Continue reading

01.01.2022 With the summer months approaching and some recent rain and green grass it is timely to to review some relevant Australian research into the prevalence of laminitis in ponies. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com//10.1111/avj.12635/abstract Researchers surveyed a population of 233 horses and ponies in Victoria and found 15.0% of animals (35 individuals) were reported to have suffered from at least one episode of laminitis. Of the animals that had suffered from laminitis, more th...an half had experienced multiple episodes. The majority of previously laminitic horses and ponies (71.4%) had not experienced an episode of laminitis within the past 12 months; however, 14.2% had experienced an incident within the past month. The proportion of ponies affected by laminitis (31/142; 21.8%) was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than the proportion of horses affected by laminitis (4/91; 4.4%). The incidence of laminitis within the pony group sampled was 6.5 cases per 100 pony years, while the incidence in horses was 0.55 cases per 100 horse years. When a horse has laminitis, the cause/s should be identified and removed/treated, the feet X-rayed and appropriately supported, trimmed and realigned using therapeutic farriery techniques to maximise the chance of recovery.