Central Gippsland Equine Veterinary Services

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.

23/11/2025

22/11/2025

Our ability to run horse-side cytology while we are at your priority means we can make fast diagnoses and commence immediate targeted treatment.

Pictured a cytology collection from a mare’s uterus during a pre-breeding assessment. This shows signs of marked endometritis which we can now treat prior to breeding to dramatically improve the likelihood of achieving a pregnancy.

19/11/2025

Hurrah! Another positive pregnancy on first attempt this morning…

21 day pregnancy to one of our favourite QH stallions at the moment ‘Gunnar Get Dirty’ standing at Magu Park stud. This is sure to be a cracker foal!

19/11/2025

Two positive mare scans yesterday to two mares from different owners both on their first attempt with CGEVS both bred 16 days prior.

One over achieved and gave us twins one about 13-14 days old and one 16 days, we did manage to ablate “pinch” one, and at this stage she is holding on to the smaller one 🤞

18/11/2025

It’s not often that our patients can be picked up… but when you can, you can’t resist.

18/11/2025

Hand Files vs. Power Tools for Equine Dentistry — What Research Says

This is one of those topics that divides horse people, but the science behind it is actually pretty straightforward. Both methods can be safe and effective — it all comes down to training and technique, not the tool itself.

Below is a summary of what veterinary research, dental associations, and equine hospitals say, with sources you can cite.

✅ Power Dentistry (Motorized Tools)

What the research says:

1. Power tools allow more precision and less fatigue.

According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), motorized dental equipment gives veterinarians greater control, improved visibility, and a smoother finish — especially when correcting major issues.
Source: AAEP Dental Care Guidelines, 2019
https://aaep.org/sites/default/files/Guidelines/DentalGuidelines.pdf

2. The risk of soft-tissue injury is lower with proper training.

Equine Veterinary Education (EVE) published studies showing that power tools do not burn or damage teeth or soft tissue when used correctly, and the risk of cutting the tongue/cheeks is actually higher with sharp hand rasps.
Source: Easley et al., EVE, 2005; 2008.

3. Heat damage is not an issue when used properly.

Studies show that tooth temperature remains in the safe range as long as the operator uses short passes and proper water cooling.
Source: Dixon & Dacre, Equine Dental Pathology, 2005 (Wiley-Blackwell).

4. More accurate correction of sharp points, hooks, and wave mouth.

Colorado State University’s Equine Dentistry Program states that motorized tools allow more even balancing and better molar arcades.
Source: CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital – Equine Dentistry.

✅ Hand Floating (Manual Files/Rasps)

What the research says:

1. Lower learning curve for minor work.

Hand tools can be effective for routine smoothing of sharp points and mild dental maintenance.
Source: Ramey, Equine Dentistry: A Practical Guide, 2004.

2. Higher risk of soft-tissue cuts in the wrong hands.

The AAEP warns that unguarded rasps can easily cut cheeks, gums, or the tongue if the horse moves suddenly.
Source: AAEP Dental Care Guidelines, 2019.

3. Limited ability to correct significant dental problems.

Manual tools cannot correct severe hooks, tall ramps, wave mouth, shear mouth, or caudal hooks with the same precision.
Source: Dixon & Dacre, Equine Dental Pathology, 2005.

4. Fatigue reduces accuracy.

Research shows that hand rasping leads to operator fatigue, which increases the chance of uneven reduction and accidental abrasion of soft tissue.
Source: Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ), 1999; 2003.

So which is better?

According to the AAEP and veterinary dental specialists:

“The safety and effectiveness of equine dental procedures depend more on the training, skill, and experience of the practitioner than on the type of instrument used.”
— AAEP Dental Guidelines (2019)

Both methods work — but power tools give better accuracy, are safer for soft tissue, and reduce operator fatigue when used by a trained veterinarian.

16/11/2025

Perhaps our case of the week… a signficant uterus infection found on ultrasound incidentally.

This is the fluid we obtained from a uterine lavage. This is the process whereby we can “flush out” a mares uterus. Here we can see fluid from a particularly bad case of inflammation and chronic infection in a mares uterus that we found incidentally on a pre-breeding exam.

If you have a mare that you’re considering breeding with, it is very important that they have a uterus scan prior to breeding, even with natural cover.

Likewise, mares who are experiencing performance issues, discomfort, repeat low grade colic, failure to thrive and ulcer like signs etc. should always have a scan included in their work up.

Now that we have detected this issue, we can take measures to treat this mare, give her a chance at fertility and at the very least make her a lot more comfortable!

15/11/2025

🦷 Can you see the tooth that needed to come out? How about if you couldn’t see, and could only feel?

A much happier horse after having this sneaky rotten tooth extracted at a routine visit.

The last 7 teeth we have extracted at CGEVS have been found on routine visits, rather than being there for a known issue. This should highlight the importance of thorough dental exams as a routine part of your horse’s life, ideally every 9-12 months at minimum.

14/11/2025

All horses need regular vet care, whether they’re 80kg or 800kg! How sweet is this little mini with dwarfism.