Equus Veterinary Services

29/05/2026

📣🐴PSA (Pony Service Announcement) 📣

Happy Friday from Jaffa and the whole team ! Have a great weekend 😊

20/05/2026

🔍 Equus Evidence: Can you diagnose gastric ulcers from “ulcer behaviour” alone?

Many horse owners associate signs like girthiness, poor performance or attitude changes with gastric ulcers. But a new 2025 study in competition dressage horses found these signs were not reliable predictors of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS).

📚 Researchers examined 80 competition dressage horses:
• 69% had ulcers confirmed on gastroscopy
• BUT 31% of horses suspected of ulcers had no ulcers at all

⚠️ One of the biggest take-home messages:
Girth aversion was common in BOTH ulcer and non-ulcer horses.

The study also found:
🐴 Clinical signs alone could not accurately diagnose ulcers
🐴 F***l blood tests were unreliable screening tools
🐴 Some horses improved clinically despite persistent ulcers
🐴 Others still showed signs even after ulcers healed

👉 Poor performance, girthiness and behavioural changes can also be linked to:
• Musculoskeletal pain
• Saddle fit issues
• Respiratory disease
• Dental problems
• Training and management factors

👨‍⚕️ Dr Dan’s Take
I had the opportunity to scope hundreds of racehorses while working in the UK, and one thing became obvious very quickly — you simply couldn’t pick which horses had ulcers just by looking at them.

Some horses looked a million dollars, were performing at the top level, and were still suffering in silence. Others with obvious behavioural or performance concerns scoped completely clean.

That’s why proper diagnosis matters. Treating based on “ulcer behaviour” alone risks missing the real problem.

✅ Gastroscopy remains the gold standard for diagnosing and monitoring EGUS.

At Equus Vets, we take a whole-horse approach to poor performance investigations — because prevention is better than cure, and accurate diagnosis matters for keeping horses happy, healthy and sound.

📖 Reference
Frippiat T, Bonhomme M, Dyson S, Votion DM. Evaluation of Owner-Reported Clinical Signs and F***l Occult Blood Tests as Predictors of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Competition Dressage Horses. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 2025;39:e70248. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.70248

09/05/2026

Great to see the incredible work of the EVDS South Grafton team being recognised internationally! 🌍🦷🐴✨

Dr Dan first attended an EVDS course 15 years ago and still says it was the best continuing education he has experienced in his international veterinary career. The depth of knowledge, practical training and commitment to equine welfare are second to none. 👏

At Equus Vets, all of our veterinarians complete advanced dentistry training to ensure we provide the highest standard of care for your horses — because prevention is always better than cure. 🐎💙

This week, Dr Anna has been attending the latest EVDS training, continuing our commitment to keeping your horses happy, healthy and sound. 📚✨ We can’t wait to see what new knowledge, tips and tricks she brings back to Equus . 🙌

Across Australia, there's a shortage of veterinarians - and even fewer with skills to help horses, w

04/05/2026

How Shockwave Therapy Works in Horses:
Shockwave therapy delivers high-energy acoustic pressure waves into injured tissue. These waves create rapid pressure changes that trigger mechanotransduction — mechanical stress on cells that kickstarts the body’s natural healing response.
This leads to:
• Release of growth factors and healing proteins
• Increased blood flow and new blood vessel formation
• Controlled microtrauma that restarts healing in chronic injuries
• Reduced inflammation and pain relief
Key Benefits:
✅ Accelerates healing of tendons and ligaments
✅ Reduces chronic pain and inflammation
✅ Speeds up recovery from injuries
✅ Improves mobility and performance
✅ Effective for suspensory desmitis, navicular syndrome, back pain, and more
No surgery. Minimal downtime. Many horses show clear improvement after just a few sessions.
If your horse is dealing with a stubborn injury, shockwave therapy is worth considering.

25/04/2026

🐴 Happy World Veterinary Day! 🩺

Today we celebrate the dedication and passion of veterinarians everywhere who work tirelessly to keep animals healthy, happy, and performing at their best.

At Equus Veterinary Services, we’re proud to recognise our incredible team — Dr's Dan, Kellie, Anna, and Brad — for their commitment to equine care across South Australia.

From preventative health and dentistry to sports medicine and breeding, their focus is always on keeping your horses sound and thriving.

✨ Prevention is better than cure
✨ Keeping your horses happy, healthy and sound

Join us in thanking all veterinarians for the vital role they play in animal welfare today and every day.

07/04/2026

🚗 Gawler Zone Update – More Availability! 🐴

Our Gawler Zone days have been filling up fast! To ensure we can continue to support our clients and patients, we’re excited to introduce a second Gawler Zone day.

📅 Now available: Tuesdays & Fridays

This update will help by:
✔️ Increasing appointment availability
✔️ Making scheduling easier
✔️ Helping reduce travel costs with a fixed travel fee of $20

With rising fuel costs, this allows you to plan ahead and combine visits—because prevention is better than cure.

We’re committed to keeping your horses happy, healthy, and sound.

📞 Contact us to book your next visit in the Gawler Zone

02/04/2026

🦷🌟An equine dental oroscope (also called a dental endoscope or dentalscope) is a specialized veterinary endoscope: a slender, rigid or semi-rigid tube with a high-resolution camera, bright LED light, and often wireless video transmission.
It is inserted into a horse’s mouth to provide magnified, well-lit views of the oral cavity, teeth, gums, and molar arcades. 

This tiny camera is amazing 😍 as it helps us to detect hidden issues—such as tooth decay, fractures, diastemata, periodontal disease, or sharp enamel points—that are difficult or impossible to see with mirrors or manual examination alone. This leads to more accurate diagnosis, precise treatment, better documentation (via images/video), and improved long-term horse health and performance. 

Overall, it shifts equine dentistry from guesswork to evidence-based care.

17/03/2026

👀Nasolacrimal Duct Flushing in Horses – Clearing Blocked Tear Ducts

Horses can develop blocked nasolacrimal ducts (tear ducts), leading to excessive tearing (epiphora), crusty discharge around the eye, or recurrent eye infections. The duct drains tears from the eye’s inner corner down into the nostril
—blockages often occur from debris, mucus, inflammation, or infection.

🩺Common signs: 👇

• Persistent watery or mucoid discharge from one or both eyes
• Staining/wetness down the face
• Rubbing at the eye
• Secondary conjunctivitis

13/03/2026

Arthramid joint injection 🐎💉

In this video, Dr Dan is injecting a fetlock joint with Arthramid, a polyacrylamide hydrogel used to support horses with joint inflammation and early arthritis.

Arthramid integrates into the joint lining (synovial membrane) where it helps reduce inflammation, improve joint cushioning and support long-term joint health. This can lead to improved comfort and performance, particularly in sport and performance horses 🏇

Because it works by supporting the joint environment rather than just suppressing inflammation, Arthramid can provide longer-lasting improvement in some horses.

Careful sterile preparation and accurate joint injection are essential to ensure the safest and most effective treatment ✨🧤

At Equus Veterinary Services, our focus is keeping horses happy, healthy and sound — because prevention and early intervention are key to maintaining joint health and performance 💙🐴

05/03/2026

⭐️The Power of Ultrasound ⭐️

Ultrasound remains one of the most valuable diagnostic tools in equine veterinary medicine. It is non-invasive, radiation-free, and provides real-time imaging of soft tissue structures that cannot be assessed through other means

It is indispensable for evaluating thoracic conditions, including rib fractures. Studies show ultrasound detects rib fractures with high sensitivity (often 98% in confirmed cases), outperforming radiography in many scenarios due to its ability to visualize cortical disruptions, callus formation, or associated complications like pleural effusion or pneumothorax—often stall-side.
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