DENTISTRY

Lancefield Equine Clinic is passionate about equine dentistry. All our patients are sedated and have every tooth examined using a powerlight, dental scope or mirror and probes. We use a quiet “powerfloat” to rasp your horse’s teeth and have additional hand tools if required. We are fully set up for dental radiographs and extractions at the clinic and perform these under sedation and nerve blocks to eliminate pain. To read more about equine dentistry please click the link below.

LAMENESS

Lameness can sometimes be subtle and difficult to see to the untrained eye. Our equine veterinarians have many years of experience assessing lameness.  This can be done at your property or at the clinic.  A work up begins with an assessment of the horse’s gait in both a straight line and on the lunge. To help localise your horse’s lameness we use hoof testing, flexion tests and then often nerve blocks.  X-rays and/or ultrasound imaging may then be used in the area which the lameness is localised.

DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING

Our clinic has the latest technology portable digital
x-ray equipment. This allows us to take high quality images in under 4 seconds from the click of the button on the x-ray machine.  Our portable ultrasound machine has a range of probes, for tendon & ligament assessment, examination of the abdomen, thorax (heart and lungs), back and pelvis or to monitor reproduction cycles & pregnancy. If required the images can be sent to a referral or specialist center.

HOSPITALISATION

We hospitalise horses for many reasons – surgeries, intensive care, intravenous fluids, multiple daily injections, bandaging or casting wounds, placement of eye treatment tubes and monitoring just to name a few.

WOUNDS

Unfortunately horses are injury prone as a result we see many wounds.  Treatments include suturing or bandaging or a combination of the two. Others may require diagnostic imaging to assess the extent of the injury. Depending on the injury treatment can be lengthy. 

SURGERY

We can perform all routine surgeries including geldings, umbilical hernias, lump removals, sarcoid removals, injury stitch ups, periosteal strips, caslicks etc.

MICROCHIPPING

Identification of your horse is crucial for proving ownership and preventing theft. It is also necessary for the registration of your horse with many breed societies.  Our veterinarians are registered with the Australian Stud Book as approved ASB vets for microchipping, DNA and identifying thoroughbreds.

VACCINATION

There are a number of highly infectious and in some cases, life threatening diseases that can be mitigated through vaccination. All horses should be vaccinated every year against tetanus. An initial course followed by regular boosters is essential for all vaccinations.  We strongly recommend vaccination for Strangles.  We can also vaccinate horses that might be travelling or competing interstate against Hendra virus.

WORMING

All horses will have worms at some stage in their life. Severe infestations can be life threatening but even low rates of infestation can cause digestive malabsorption, weight loss and increased risk of colic. Our clinic performs in house faecal egg counts and can help you establish a worm control program which when implemented can significantly reduce the risks associated with worm infestation. 

PRE-PURCHASE EXAMINATIONS

Lancefield Equine Clinic follow the Equine Veterinarians Australia (EVA) protocol when performing pre-purchase examinations. The purpose of this examination is to evaluate the health status of the horse, identify any existing and potential problems, then interpret these with respect to the animal’s intended use. The intended purchaser requests the examination and the results are solely for their use. A thorough veterinary examination is conducted and depending on the results of the initial exam and the horse’s intended use additional testing, such as x-rays, ultrasound, endoscopy or blood screening may be performed. The potential purchaser is then provided with a written report.

SPECIALTY FARRIER

Our clinic has a specialty farrier that works with us on a range of cases. The feet are often x-rayed then the farrier and veterinarians will recommend a specific type of shoe, or how the shoeing of the horse might be modified to attenuate a problem or lameness.  Our specialty farrier attends the clinic once a week, appointments can be made through the clinic.

PREVENTATIVE AND GERIATRIC MEDICINE

Our experienced veterinarians can advise on preventative medicine to help you keep your horse healthy all year around. Our veterinarians can assess your horse’s health via clinical examination, blood testing, dental examinations and faecal egg counts. Advice on when to worm and what with, feeding and nutrition and care of the geriatric horse, our veterinarians are happy to help.  Geriatric horses can suffer from a range of diseases and conditions that younger horses do not.