Hillside Vet Services

10/08/2026

🚨 Still worming your horse every 6–8 weeks? You could be doing more harm than good.

For years, we’ve been told to rotate wormers every season.

Today, we know there’s a more evidence-based way.

If you’re still worming on a fixed schedule simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it”, there’s a good chance you’re wasting money, exposing your horse to unnecessary medication and contributing to the development of resistant worms.

Modern parasite control has changed.

Current recommendations are to use faecal egg counts (FECs) to determine which horses actually need treating and when. Blanket rotational worming is no longer considered best practice. (Australian Veterinary Association – Equine Anthelmintic Guidelines: https://www.ava.com.au/policy/use-of-anthelmintics-in-equine-practice/)

The surprising part…

Many healthy adult horses are naturally low worm shedders.

That means some horses may only require one strategically timed annual worming treatment, while others may need more frequent treatment based on their individual egg counts, age and management.

There is no “one size fits all” worming program.

Last year alone, Hillside Vet Services performed 130 faecal egg counts for our clients.

Every result receives a personalised 12-month worming plan, tailored specifically to that horse—not a generic calendar.

Why should you use a faecal egg count?

✅ Reduces unnecessary worming treatments

✅ Helps slow the development of resistant worms

✅ Can save money over the year

✅ Many horses only require one annual strategic treatment

✅ Reduces the risk of parasite-related disease, including some forms of colic

✅ Gives you confidence that you’re treating your horse appropriately

Just as importantly, we’ll discuss pasture management and environmental parasite control, because managing contamination in your paddocks is just as important—if not more important—than choosing the right wormer.

Why now?

As we head into spring, this is the ideal time to establish your horse’s parasite status and develop a plan for the next 12 months.

Your annual plan also identifies the appropriate timing for strategic treatments against parasites such as bots and tapeworms, ensuring your horse receives the right treatment at the right time.

🧪 Faecal Egg Count + Personalised Annual Worming Plan

$65 when performed with any other Hillside Vet Services appointment.

Smarter parasite control.
Less unnecessary worming.
Better outcomes for your horse—and for the future effectiveness of the wormers we all rely on.

📞 Book your next appointment and ask to add a faecal egg count.

Purpose To provide guidance on the responsible use of anthelmintics in horse populations to support effective parasite control and minimise resistance. Policy Veterinarians must recommend the judicious use of anthelmintics […]

10/08/2026

Is your dog protected for the year ahead?

Annual vaccinations are one of the simplest and most important ways we can help protect your dog from serious infectious diseases.

But a yearly vet visit should be more than “just a needle”.

At Hillside Vet Services, your dog’s annual health check is a chance to assess their overall wellbeing, review their weight, skin, ears, teeth, joints, lifestyle risks, parasite prevention, and any subtle changes that may have developed over the past year.

For many dogs, this yearly visit may include:

🐾 Annual vaccination
🩺 Full veterinary health examination
🪱 Heartworm prevention planning
🦟 Flea and tick protection
🦷 Dental health assessment
⚖️ Weight and nutrition advice
👂 Skin and ear check
🐕 Senior dog health discussions where needed

We can also discuss longer-lasting prevention options, including heartworm prevention and Bravecto Quantum, which provides extended flea and paralysis tick protection with one injection administered by your veterinarian.

To make yearly care easier, we also offer an Annual Dog Health Package, designed to help keep your dog’s essential preventative care organised in one simple yearly plan.

Because prevention is always better than waiting until something goes wrong.

Message us to ask about our Annual Dog Health Package and keeping your dog protected for the year ahead.

Hillside Vet Services
Preventative care for every stage of your dog’s life.

09/08/2026

🌙 Did you know that most mares choose to foal at night?

Unfortunately, newborn foals don’t wait for business hours.

Those first few hours after birth are critical, and having a veterinarian available can make all the difference if something isn’t quite right.

That’s why we’re introducing our FREE Foal Registration Program.

There is no cost to register your mare.

This initiative has been developed to help us plan ahead so that when your mare foals, we already know her history, expected foaling dates and your property details, allowing us to provide prompt after-hours veterinary care when it’s needed most.

Once registered, you’ll receive support throughout the foaling period and have access to our after-hours foaling service.

Following birth, we’ll perform a comprehensive mare and foal examination, including:

🧡 Complete newborn foal health assessment
🧡 Mare post-foaling examination
🧡 IgG blood test
🧡 Heart and lung examination
🧡 Umbilical assessment
🧡 Joint and limb examination
🧡 Hydration assessment
🧡 Cleft palate examination
🧡 Assessment for meconium (faecal) impaction
🧡 Assistance with nursing, latching and early feeding

Why do we recommend every newborn foal receives:

💉 Tetanus Antitoxin
Foals are born with little protection against tetanus. Even a small wound around the umbilicus or during birth can allow tetanus bacteria to enter the body. Administering tetanus antitoxin provides immediate short-term protection during this vulnerable period.

🩺 IgG Blood Test (Passive Transfer Test)
A foal relies entirely on absorbing antibodies from its mother’s colostrum during the first few hours of life. Unfortunately, not every foal receives enough. An IgG test confirms whether adequate immunity has been transferred. Detecting failure of passive transfer early allows treatment before serious infections develop.

💩 E***a
Most foals benefit from an early e***a to assist with passing their first manure (meconium). Meconium retention is one of the most common causes of colic in newborn foals, and early treatment can prevent significant discomfort and complications.

Our aim isn’t simply to be there if something goes wrong—it’s to give every foal the healthiest possible start to life through early assessment, preventative care and prompt veterinary support.

📋 Registration is FREE, however it must be completed before your mare foals. Registration simply reserves your place in the program and allows us to prepare for your foaling season. Standard consultation, after-hours and treatment fees apply if veterinary attendance is required.

If you’re expecting a foal this breeding season, send us a message or give the clinic a call to register your mare.

Because the best time to prepare for a foal… is before it arrives. 🐴🧡

05/08/2026

❓Would you know if your horse had stomach ulcers?

Last week we held another Equine Gastroscope Day at Hillside Vet Services.

Using a 3-metre veterinary gastroscope, we’re able to examine the lining of your horse’s stomach—the only way to definitively diagnose Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS).

The findings reinforced why gastroscopy remains so important.

Over 80% of the horses scoped on the day were found to have gastric ulcers requiring veterinary treatment.

Some horses had shown obvious signs. Others had only subtle changes that owners had gradually come to accept as “just the way they are.”

Could your horse be trying to tell you something?

🐴 Poor performance

🐴 Girthiness or resentment when being saddled

🐴 Behavioural changes or becoming grumpy under saddle

🐴 Weight loss or difficulty maintaining condition

🐴 Dull hair coat

🐴 Poor appetite or becoming a picky eater

🐴 Mild or recurrent colic

🐴 Reluctance to move forward, engage or work consistently

While these signs don’t always mean gastric ulcers, they are all good reasons to discuss a veterinary assessment.

One of the biggest advantages of our Gastroscope Days is that we can often complete other veterinary procedures while your horse is already sedated and on-site.

On this occasion we also:
✔️ Performed lameness examinations
✔️ Medicated arthritic hocks and other joints where indicated
✔️ Completed routine vaccinations
✔️ Performed general health examinations

It saves owners time, reduces travel and allows us to provide more comprehensive care in a single visit.

📅 Our next Equine Gastroscope Day is provisionally scheduled for Wednesday, 7 October 2026.

If your horse has been showing any of the signs above—or you’ve simply wondered whether ulcers may be affecting their health, comfort or performance—now is the perfect time to register your interest.

Places are limited due to the time required for each gastroscopy.

📞 Contact Hillside Vet Services to join the waiting list for our next Gastroscope Day.

03/08/2026

🚨 Still worming your horse every season? Could you doing more harm than good.

For years, we’ve been told to rotate wormers every season.

Today, we know there’s a more evidence-based way.

If you’re still worming on a fixed schedule simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it”, there’s a good chance you’re wasting money, exposing your horse to unnecessary medication and contributing to the development of resistant worms.

Modern parasite control has changed.

Current recommendations are to use faecal egg counts (FECs) to determine which horses actually need treating and when. Blanket rotational worming is no longer considered best practice. (Australian Veterinary Association – Equine Anthelmintic Guidelines: https://www.ava.com.au/policy/use-of-anthelmintics-in-equine-practice/)

The surprising part…

Many healthy adult horses are naturally low worm shedders.

That means some horses may only require one strategically timed annual worming treatment, while others may need more frequent treatment based on their individual egg counts, age and management.

There is no “one size fits all” worming program.

Last year alone, Hillside Vet Services performed 130 faecal egg counts for our clients.

Every result receives a personalised 12-month worming plan, tailored specifically to that horse—not a generic calendar.

Why should you use a faecal egg count?

✅ Reduces unnecessary worming treatments

✅ Helps slow the development of resistant worms

✅ Can save money over the year

✅ Many horses only require one annual strategic treatment

✅ Reduces the risk of parasite-related disease, including some forms of colic

✅ Gives you confidence that you’re treating your horse appropriately

Just as importantly, we’ll discuss pasture management and environmental parasite control, because managing contamination in your paddocks is just as important—if not more important—than choosing the right wormer.

Why now?

As we head into spring, this is the ideal time to establish your horse’s parasite status and develop a plan for the next 12 months.

Your annual plan also identifies the appropriate timing for strategic treatments against parasites such as bots and tapeworms, ensuring your horse receives the right treatment at the right time.

🧪 Faecal Egg Count + Personalised Annual Worming Plan

$65 when performed with any other Hillside Vet Services appointment.

Smarter parasite control.
Less unnecessary worming.
Better outcomes for your horse—and for the future effectiveness of the wormers we all rely on.

📞 Book your next appointment and ask to add a faecal egg count.

Purpose To provide guidance on the responsible use of anthelmintics in horse populations to support effective parasite control and minimise resistance. Policy Veterinarians must recommend the judicious use of anthelmintics […]

03/08/2026

Added Run Day — Western Hinterland / Sunshine Coast
Wednesday 19th August

We have opened up an additional Hillside Vet Services run day for the Western Hinterland / Sunshine Coast region on Wednesday 19th August.

This run is ideal for clients needing routine equine veterinary care, including:

🐴 Annual health package visits
🦷 Dental checks and routine dentistry
💉 Vaccinations
🪱 Worming and parasite planning
🩺 General health checks
📋 Follow-up consults or ongoing care reviews
🐎 Lameness, skin, weight, or management concerns

Run days allow us to group appointments in the same area where possible, helping reduce travel costs and making it easier to keep your horse’s preventative health care on track.

Places will be limited, so please message us or call the clinic if you would like to secure an appointment for Wednesday 19th August.

Hillside Vet Services
Mobile equine veterinary care, at your property.

02/08/2026

🐴 Equine Breeding Season is Coming — Are You Ready?

As we move toward the upcoming breeding season, now is the time to start planning your mare, stallion, or foal care.

At Hillside Vet Services, we offer mobile equine reproductive veterinary services designed to help breeders make informed, timely decisions throughout the season — from pre-breeding checks through to pregnancy diagnosis, foaling support, and foal health.

Whether you are breeding one mare or managing multiple horses, a clear plan early in the season can make a big difference.

Our equine breeding services include:

✅ Pre-breeding examinations
Assessing your mare’s reproductive health before the season begins.

✅ Ultrasound follicle tracking
Monitoring ovarian activity to help identify the best timing for breeding or insemination.

✅ Fresh and chilled artificial insemination services
Veterinary monitoring, timing, and insemination support for fresh and chilled semen programs.

✅ Pregnancy diagnosis
Early pregnancy scans and follow-up checks to monitor pregnancy progression.

✅ Uterine health assessment and mare flushes
Including investigation and management of fluid, infection, or mares that are difficult to get in foal.

✅ Foaling support and dystocia care
Veterinary support for foaling concerns, abnormal labour, and emergencies where assistance is required.

✅ Foaling preparation and advice
Helping owners prepare for late pregnancy, foaling, and early foal care.

✅ Foal checks and IgG testing
Assessing newborn foals and checking passive transfer to ensure they have received adequate immunity from colostrum.

✅ Vaccination and parasite planning
Tailored health planning for mares, foals, and breeding horses.

Breeding season can move quickly, and timing matters. Getting your mares checked early allows us to identify potential issues before they cost you time, semen, or missed cycles.

📍Mobile service available across our equine service area.

If you are planning to breed this season, now is the time to get your mare booked in and your plan organised.

📩 Message Hillside Vet Services to discuss your breeding season plan.

12/07/2026

This is your next opportunity to look beyond the symptoms.

Our next HVS Gastroscope Day is 29 July, with bookings now being finalised. Located at Glasshouse Country Horse and Pony Club in Beerwah.

Gastroscopy gives us the opportunity to examine your horse’s stomach directly, explain what we find and create a veterinary-led plan based on evidence—not guesswork.

As our gastroscope days are held quarterly, owners considering an examination are encouraged to secure their appointment early. If your horses are on our elevation, summit or performance packages make sure you get them booked in.

Examine. Diagnose. Treat.

Contact Hillside Vet Services for availability, preparation information and package enquiries. Booking deposit is required.