EQUINE DENTISTRY & REPRODUCTIVE SERVICES

EQUINE DENTISTRY AND ADVANCED REPRODUCTION IN TOWNSVILLE

Maintaining your horse’s health requires a balanced approach to both everyday wellness and long-term performance goal planning.

At Townsville Veterinary Clinic, we provide highly experienced veterinary care across two core pillars of equine medicine: advanced equine dentistry and comprehensive artificial breeding programmes.

Led by owner Dr Ben Czerwonka-Ledez, our team provides both mobile on-property support and dedicated hospital services to keep your horses performing, thriving, and breeding successfully in North Queensland.

ESSENTIAL EQUINE DENTISTRY

Unlike human teeth, a horse’s teeth erupt continuously throughout most of their life. As they chew tough forage and grains, the natural grinding motion can wear down the enamel unevenly, leading to razor-sharp enamel points on the outer edges of the upper teeth and the inner edges of the lower teeth. If left untreated, these points cause painful ulceration to the cheeks and tongue, directly impacting your horse's comfort and performance.

SUBTLE SIGNS OF DENTAL DISCOMFORT

Horses are incredibly resilient, but they will show clear, subtle behavioural shifts if they are experiencing oral pain:

Quidding

Dropping half-chewed balls of hay or grass onto the ground while eating.

Resisting the Bit

Tossing the head, shaking, or leaning heavily on one side of the bit while being ridden.

Weight Loss

Simple inability to grind food finely enough to absorb essential nutrients properly.

Unpleasant Odour

A strong, foul smell coming from the mouth or nostrils, which frequently indicates a hidden tooth infection or packed food pockets.

SAFE, PROFESSIONAL VETERINARY FLOATING

During our dental exams, we utilise safe, modern veterinary sedation.

Sedation is vital because it completely relaxes the horse, minimises stress, and allows us to use a full-mouth speculum to visually inspect the very back of the mouth safely.

Using advanced power floating equipment, our veterinarians gently smooth away sharp enamel points, correct complex hooks or waves, and safely address loose or infected teeth to restore perfect chewing alignment.

ADVANCED EQUINE REPRODUCTIVE SERVICES

Achieving a successful pregnancy requires precise biological timing and meticulous clinical monitoring. Our Aitkenvale clinic is fully equipped to support breeders through every stage of the reproductive cycle, managing both maiden mares and complex fertility cases with exceptional care.

OUR EQUINE ARTIFICIAL BREEDING SERVICES INCLUDE:

Cycle Tracking & Follicle Monitoring

Utilising advanced reproductive ultrasound to track ovarian activity precisely, ensuring we pinpoint the absolute optimum window for insemination.

Fresh and Chilled Insemination

Managing local or interstate shipments of chilled semen, checking motility under the microscope, and performing precise uterine deposition.

Frozen Semen Management

Handling and thawing delicate frozen semen samples safely, requiring tight clinical timing and high-level veterinary intervention for maximum conception rates.

Post-Breeding Management

Performing early pregnancy scans (from 14 days onwards) to confirm success and actively check for twins, alongside managing post-breeding fluid retention to protect the pregnancy.

FLEXIBLE MOBILE AND ON-SITE CLINIC OPTIONS

We strive to make veterinary care as logistically straightforward as possible for local horse owners:

On-Property Runs: Routine dental floating, initial reproductive examinations, and cycle scans (if your facilities allow) can easily be scheduled during our regular weekly property run days, helping to share travel costs across the community.

In-Clinic Stabling: For intensive reproductive tracking, where mares may require scanning multiple times a day, or for complex dental extractions, you are welcome to book your horse directly into our 16-stable hospital complex for seamless, round-the-clock professional observation.

Whether your horse is due for their annual dental check or you are planning the upcoming breeding season, contact Townsville Veterinary Clinic on 07 4779 0233 to speak with our experienced equine team.