Avon Ridge Equine Veterinary Services

🌟 Meet Howie.

Howie is an opinionated, cantankerous 20yo Irish Draft horse who has very strong views on most things in life… and he isn’t afraid to share them. 😅

Six weeks ago, we identified that Howie’s insulin levels were dangerously high. Combined with some recent weight gain, he was heading down a path that could very easily have resulted in a laminitic episode.

Fast forward to today and Howie has lost an incredible 43 kg, while his insulin concentrations have more than halved.

The best part? This wasn’t achieved through drastic lifestyle changes, medication, or locking him in a sand yard. Small but important dietary changes were made, and Howie has continued to enjoy turnout, normal exercise and life as usual.

Cases like Howie highlight the importance of proactive management. His owner recognised the risks early and took action before laminitis occurred, rather than trying to manage the devastating consequences after the fact.

Prevention is always easier than rehabilitation.

I’m incredibly fortunate to work with owners like Howie’s, who understand that good metabolic health doesn’t happen by accident. It requires monitoring, planning and making informed decisions before a crisis develops.

As for Howie, he’s still every bit the opinionated old man he’s always been. But now that his insulin levels are heading in the right direction, he’s a much healthier opinionated old man. 🤣❤️

👀 Read more about our Laminitis Care Program if you’re interested in a tailored approach to managing your EMS horse

👉 https://avonridgeequine.com.au/laminitis-assessments/

🩺 Contact us on 0427 072 095 or book an appointment online: https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/

Great to see routine oil drenches becoming a thing of the past amongst veterinarians focussed on doing what’s right for their patients. We know better, so we do better.

Good evening folks. Hope you are all well. Quick PSA to let everyone know that I will no longer be offering drenching
(sand/worm) as part of WAVED's service. This is due in part to the reduction of demand, making the carrying of oil and buckets etc uneconomical but mainly due to the fact that science/research is showing that a "one off" drench is unlikely to be of much benefit (and has some inherent "risks") There are still some veterinarians that will recommend drenching as part of their sand burden treatments in certain circumstances, but for me - who is only on the property once a year in most cases - the diagnosis and treatment of sand burdens is well outside my "lane". I would hate to think how many drenches I have done in the past 29 years - it would be well in the 10,000s, but science moves on and so do we.
The team at Equine Services at The Animal Hospital, Murdoch University led by Dr Isabelle Entwistle recently published some very good work on this topic which has helped veterinarians make better decisions and prognoses for sand burdens. I'll add the link to one of the studies in the comments (if I work out how ! )

🌟 Less Than 25% of Gastroscopies This Year Have Required Ulcer Treatment

Despite still performing large numbers of gastroscopies, less than 25% of horses we have scoped in 2026 required treatment with ulcer meds - a significant improvement compared with previous years.

This is an incredibly encouraging shift and represents a dramatic improvement in the way our patients are being managed. It suggests that our clients - arguably some of the most educated, proactive and management-focused horse owners around, are taking on board the latest evidence-based advice and making meaningful long-term management changes that are improving the gastric health of their horses.

What makes this even more impressive is that many of these horses are in intensive work, travelling regularly and actively competing.

🪄 There’s no magic formula. It’s about giving our owners a customised management (and diet) plan to suit the horse’s workload while addressing their individual risk factors.

✅ Good gastric health is absolutely achievable in performance horses when tailored veterinary advice is given to owners and management is optimised.

Gone are the days of automatically reaching for long and likely unnecessary courses of ulcer meds. Our clients also recognise that treating “because it could be ulcers” is a flawed approach that often ends up costing more in the long run. Gastroscopy is the only way to know for certain.

With our mobile, at home gastroscopy service, the process is more convenient and arguably less stressful for the horse, while also allowing us the time to investigate the real underlying cause of clinical signs when ulcers are not identified.

🙌 Well done to our clients who are putting in the work behind the scenes. Your horses are benefiting from it.

🤓 As always, I’ll continue to share the latest research and recommendations with you on our exclusive client email portal.

🚙 Learn more about our mobile gastroscopy service: https://avonridgeequine.com.au/mobile-gastroscopy-service/

🩺 Contact us on 0427 072 095 or book an appointment online: https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/