Central Gippsland Equine Veterinary Services

30/12/2025

Here is what we see in the lead up to ovulation.

We’re looking at a follicle on an o***y here. It contains the o**m or the “egg”

These images are taken between 8am and 2pm.

We can see the change in shape of the follicle that indicates that ovulation is imminent, as it forms a “guitar pick” type shape. If you time it right you can also star to see fluid leaking from this point into the surrounding tissue.

The last photo is approximately 30 minutes post ovulation. We check this for size, and blood flow to give an indication of whether ovulation has occurred successfully or if the follicle has hemorrhaged (we have seen many of these this year get in the way of pregnancies).

With frozen semen, this is when we breed the mare. We want to breed as close to ovulation as possible, as the s***m survive only 6-12hours in the mare and the o**m is only viable for 12 hours unfertilised

This follicle collapses and forms a corpus luteum or a “CL”. This produces progesterone, and does much of the maintenance of the pregnancy up until about 100-120days when the foetoplacental unit takes over.

25/12/2025

Dr. Ethan had a very special patient for his yearly vet dental!

He checked each tooth… and checked it twice!

Merry Christmas from Central Gippsland Equine Veterinary Services 🎄

22/12/2025

Christmas Hours 🎄

Please note that we are operating emergency only byfor existing clients only from today 22/12 until Monday 5th of January.

As a single vet practice it’s very important that our vet gets a break every so often so he can be working at his best during the year to keep your horses happy and healthy.

We will reopen again for new clients in the new year.

For non-emergent consults or new client emergencies please contact

South Eastern Equine Hospital (Narre Warren)
Woodgrange Specialist Equine Hospital (Bayles)
Gippsland Equine Hospital (Maffra)
Traralgon Veterinary Centre

*this does not affect reproductive bookings for mares already undergoing breeding efforts.

21/12/2025

🎅 The Equine Veterinarian’s Naughty vs. Nice List

Checking it twice… for horses AND humans.

😈 NAUGHTY LIST
• Horse is not caught, not haltered, and hiding in the far corner of the field at appointment time, especially when we send emails the evening before and texts 30 minutes before!
• “Oh by the way…” surprise lameness exam added after appointments are done
• Horse hasn’t seen a farrier, dentist, or dewormer since “last year… maybe?”
• Telling us after the exam: “He’s usually a little spicy with needles”
• Calling it an emergency when the problem has been going on for 3 weeks
• No safe area to work (mud, ice, loose dogs, toddlers, chaos)
• Horse has never been taught to stand… for anything


⸻

😇 NICE LIST
• Horse is caught, haltered, clean, and ready
• History is honest and complete (yes, even the embarrassing parts)
• Safe, dry, well-lit area to work
• Horse is handled by someone who knows them
• Preventive care is up to date (vaccines, dental, farrier, deworming plan)
• Calling early when something seems “off”
• Pays at time of service (Santa AND your vet love this)
• Coffee, kindness, or simply saying “thank you” ☕❤️

⸻

🎄

10/12/2025

A bit of an upgrade at CGEVS this week!

Semi-retiring our trusty DP30 ultrasound which has been an a rockstar up until now, but we’re really taking things to the next level with our new Sonoscape X5V ultrasound which is a very hard to beat top of the range system.

This opens us up to far more advanced diagnostics including colic assessments, orthopaedic and soft tissue injury diagnosis and monitoring, more advanced reproductive work which allows for even more accuracy with ovulation timing and pregnancy diagnosis and management. It will also open the door for more advanced advanced treatment options such as ultrasound guided injections and surgery which Dr Ethan has undergone further post graduate education in this year.

Again we are always reinvesting in the practice so we can offer you a greater breadth and depth of service.

09/12/2025

Please share to help spread this information and help improve the lives of the unsung heroes of the horse world.

As we enter peak breeding season in the Southern Hemisphere, it feels like the perfect time to give a shout-out to the true unsung heroes of the horse industry - our broodmares, with special mention to ET recipient mares.

These mares are the backbone of everything we do in breeding, yet they’re often the ones who receive the least routine care.

This is your annual reminder that broodmares still need:
• Yearly dental care from an equine dental veterinarian (and I promise, it’s not expensive!)
• Regular farriery, just like any riding horse

If nothing else sways you, remember this: mares with healthy mouths and well-balanced feet are more fertile, cope better physically, and produce stronger foals. When a mare can move freely and eat comfortably, her body can focus on what it’s meant to do - grow a healthy foal.

The very best investment you can make in your breeding program is caring properly for your broodmares — including your recipient mares.

We’re extremely busy with work at the moment, this isn’t a promotional post! We are passionate about the care of mares at CGEVS.

Most people genuinely want to do the right thing, or if you’re buying from a breeder, you have the power to influence the industry. Choose a breeder that takes care of their mares well and keep the ones who do the right thing well supported with your hard earned finances.

06/12/2025

We test for metabolic syndrome daily, and have managed a large number of horses now with Ertugliflozin treatment. If you have heard Dr. Ethan talk about this drug, you may have heard him call it “the sugar tablet” for simplicity, but you’ve probably also heard him say that this medication is one of the best drugs to ever be created for horses.

In the war against EMS and metabolic laminitis, we now have a weapon in our back pocket that truly turns the tide, and means with the combination of diet, podiatry by Dr Ethan or the network of farriers we consult to, and the use of Ertugliflozin, we now often can stop these processes in their tracks, as we certainly save a lot of lives.

As with all medications there are some risks, but as the data increases we can see the the risk of adverse events is minute, rare and largely non-clinically apparent (we see changes on blood but not in the horse)

This drug has been particularly good as a preventative in times like these where the grass is at peak growth and blood sugars are at their most variable.

This is not a long term drug either! We find that just one month is usually enough in most horses as acute treatment or preventative. The lasting potential to increase insulin sensitivity is still under debate, but we find that some horses show maintained response to sugar even after cessation of treatment.

🔗: https://equimanagement.com/research-medical/research/updates-on-sglt2-inhibitors-for-horses/

Pharmacological intervention might be necessary for some horses with equine metabolic syndrome. SGLT2 inhibitors work by blocking the kidneys’ proximal convoluted tubules to increase blood glucose secretion into urine, which helps reduce circulating insulin concentrations.

In a horse owner survey of SGLT2 inhibitors, 342 respondents used ertugliflozin. Many of the horses received treatment for 3 to 12 months, with 85% improved, 9% unchanged, and 5% deteriorated. All respondents noted that laminitis pain improved within 30 days.

04/12/2025

Late night on-farm mare breeding with some very interested spectators

01/12/2025

We are constantly reinvesting at CGEVS so that we can offer your horses the best care and widest range of services that we can.

We’ve added even more equipment to our already extensive dentistry arsenal to advance our current extraction capabilities to make the process safer, faster and more accrurate for your horse’s optimal welfare.

We don’t skimp on quality. All of our dental equipment is purchased through EVDS South Grafton which means it is the highest quality available. When you’re working with arguably the most dangerous end of the horse, and with sensitive structures you just can’t afford to cut corners with cheap equipment. This is not a solicited post, but rather to share with you the quality of instrument that we work with, so you can see that we are absolutely committed to providing quality care with premium equipment.

29/11/2025

This is the kind of thing Equine Dental Vets and Specialist Veterinary Dentists come across pretty much daily, amongst other far more severe pathology.

An 8yo mare with ongoing contact issues, and a history of regular dental care from a popular non-veterinary provider of dental floating.

Never was the abnormality mentioned - that is obvious with visualisation - and is consistent with the report of contact issues from the very knowledgeable and trusting owner.

Can you see what has been causing this horse such discomfort in the bridle for likely their entire ridden career? Comment below! ⬇️

It is 2025 - “Eyes in your hands” is not good enough. We have eyes in our heads and we need to be using them.

As horse owners were the custodians of our horses welfare and we need to advocate for correct care. In this case that can only be achieved through sedated power dentistry.

23/11/2025

This week we saw a horse with acute onset colic-like signs, including pain, elevated HR and elevated temperature with a hugely distended left side.

After a diagnostic work up we were able to determine the cause to most likely be a nephrosplenic entrapment. This is where the large colon gets trapped in the space between the left kidney and the spleen as visualised below.

This can be diagnosed readily with re**al palpation and ultrasonography. We also ran a comprehensive blood test and SAA assay, which while not specific, did support this diagnosis and rule out more serious conditions like colitis.

In horses where this space is shallow, they can respond well to medical management and exercise to resolve which in this case did occur. When the horse exhibits extreme and prolonged pain, these can quickly become surgical colics. Timing is critical in all cases of colic, and while you don’t always get a true causative diagnosis of colic, when you do it becomes far more predictable and the most targeted treatments can be provided.