Taranaki Equine Veterinary Services

31/07/2026

Happy Birthday to all the Thoroughbreds out there! 🎉🥳

Here’s Ladies Man and Puntura, both Group One winners, enjoying their post racing best life at TEVS.

09/07/2026

Good news this week.
https://www.nzeha.org.nz/strangles?fbclid=IwVERDUAS8vEpwZG9mA2ZkaWQWUKNS4Nwun-oY4DfrLS9VD_ZnXcv832V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR61wvd5VRgiMz0Mnusv-c731jGUVQHamD-AbwxJO6EQeRTkdKVHTnuPRelAFA_aem_YuWHgyA9gbmN8EZWhkDVrA

Strangles Strangles: the most prevalent infectious respiratory disease in horses worldwide and endemic to New Zealand. Strangles Update | 9th July 2026Current status:The number of affected properties in the Waikato has increased by 1 since Monday 6th, with a clear link to a previous case, and is not...

03/07/2026

After answering a number of phone calls today. Here is a great article to summarise what you need to know.

🚨STRANGLES: What Horse Owners Need to Know

WHAT IT IS

Strangles is a highly contagious bacterial infection caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi ssp equi). It affects the upper airways and lymph nodes around the head and neck. Note there's a closely related subspecies, S. equi ssp zooepidemicus, which is a different organism and does not cause strangles — so make sure any lab result specifies ssp equi. It spreads easily, but most horses recover fully within 4–6 weeks with good care.

SIGNS TO WATCH FOR

A high temperature is usually the first sign — often before anything else — so take your horse's temperature regularly after travel, events, or contact with new horses. Other signs: lethargy, going off feed, thick yellow nasal discharge, a cough, and swollen lymph nodes under the jaw that may abscess and burst.

Simple rule: fever and a snotty nose after travel or mixing with unfamiliar horses? Treat it as strangles until your vet says otherwise.

IF YOU SUSPECT IT

Isolate first, then call your vet. Keep the affected horse well away from others before doing anything else. Don't assume a horse is clear just because it looks better — they can keep shedding bacteria for weeks. About 1 in 10 recovered horses become silent carriers that look healthy but still infect others, which is why following your vet's testing advice to the end matters.

A WORD ON ANTIBIOTICS

It's important not to reach for antibiotics unless your vet specifically advises them. In most cases they do more harm than good — they can delay abscesses maturing, prolong the illness, and reduce the natural immunity your horse builds. Good nursing care is the mainstay of treatment. Leave the decision to your vet, who will only use antibiotics in specific situations.

PREVENTING SPREAD

New or returning horses: isolate and quarantine for 14–21 days, check temperatures twice daily before mixing as horses are febrile a couple of days before they are infectious.
Don't share gear: buckets, feed bins, grooming kit, tack and halters all carry it.
Clean transport between trips; wash hands between horses.
Watch the water: bacteria survive 4–6 weeks in troughs and over a month in dried discharge. Sunlight, drying and thorough cleaning kill it faster.

VACCINATION

A key defence, especially for travelling horses. Standard NZ course is three doses two weeks apart, then a yearly booster (six-monthly for high-risk horses), often combined with tetanus (e.g. Equivac 2-in-1). Never vaccinate a horse that's currently sick or recently exposed — it can cause serious complications. Take your vet's advice on timing.

MANAGING AN OUTBREAK

Split horses into three groups and keep them apart: infected, exposed, and clean. Use separate gear (ideally separate people) for each, monitor temperatures twice daily, and stop all movement on and off the property until your vet gives the all-clear.

A NOTE ON STIGMA

Strangles carries an unfair reputation that can make people reluctant to report it. Please don't let that stop you — early, open communication protects every horse. Affected owners deserve support, not judgement.

For more information check out the link 👇
https://www.nzeha.org.nz/strangles

12/06/2026

This is a cool message from the AAEP reminding clients of the 'send later' feature on text messages. For all those times where its not an emergency but you don't want to forget!!

Please don't be THAT client who accidentally wakes up their horse doctor with a non-urgent text! On call or not, your veterinarian deserves a full-night rest. 💤

If you have a late-night or weekend thought, update, or question that does not warrant an emergency response, please hold off on sending that text until the next business day OR utilize your smartphone's "Send Later" feature to schedule the text to be received at an appropriate hour/business day.

If you haven't used your phone's "Send Later" feature, a quick Google search can help you find the instructions compatible with your specific smartphone model. If you're an iPhone user, reference our graphic for a quick visual.

We promise your horse doctor will thank you for letting them sleep through the night and enjoy their weekend uninterrupted by non-emergency texts. As a reminder, it's never a bad idea to ask your veterinarian about their after-hours emergency policies. With horses, emergencies are bound to happen; let's just be mindful of our vet's policies and on-call schedule before we send that text or call.

26/05/2026

In a couple of weeks time I am heading off on a two week holiday. What? I can't go away 🤣 I certainly can when I leave you in the hands of the wonderful Margaret, Equine Veterinarian Locum. Trust me when I say I have no qualms about leaving her in charge, but just in case, here is a little information on her.

Margaret Leyland qualified from Bristol Vet School in 2004. After working for a year in equine practice in the UK she moved to NZ to complete a 2 year Equine Internship at Massey. She liked NZ so much that she never left and has been in equine practice ever since, based in Palmy for 10 years and Otaki for another 10. Since 2024 she has been travelling around NZ doing locum work with her dog, Gypsy, a camper van and a mountain bike. She is passionate about all aspects of equine practice, and has a practical approach developed over years of experience.

Its business as usual, just phone, text or email as normal 😊and Margaret or Tracey will look after you.

14/04/2026

This time of year brings a close to the season for many of our clients and we love following your results! Taranaki Equine Vet Services covers a range of performance horses in helping them achieve their goals in both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing, Dressage, Showjumping, Show hunter, Pony Club events and Western competition. Shout out to a practice favourite Driver and Wendy Bayley who recently took out the overall Green Rider competition at the NZRHA reining show 🥇

Now is a great time of year to consider looking at your athlete holistically with the goal of keeping them sound and happy for the rest of the year.

08/04/2026

At Taranaki Equine Veterinary Services we are committed to providing your horses with the highest standard of care, from routine lameness and performance exams to digital radiography and ultrasound diagnostics.
We offer both an on road service and a drive in service with facilities. Due to the current global situation and fuel crisis, our on road service has had to adjust our travel fees accordingly. We are striving to make this as efficient as possible in linking calls so that the cost of travel is shared. As always you have the option of travelling to our facility if you would prefer.

Thanks to all our clients for your understanding during this period, as always we remain committed to providing the best service to you as possible. If you have any questions regarding fees and travel please get in touch.