Surgical Services - Referral Available for advanced cases

We provide wound repair for all types of wounds. Wound repair strategies may include primary closure (suturing), bandaging techniques, monitoring and assisting in healing through second intention, or advanced techniques such as skin grafts. 

Castrations are considered a routine field surgery. We perform castrations under injectable anesthetic or standing sedation depending on client preference and patient behaviour. We strongly recommend that all horses are vaccinated against tetanus prior to their castration appointment. We remove wolf teeth during castration appointments. Please ensure that you are available to monitor your horse closely after surgery. We require a dry, sheltered area with good footing for anesthetic recovery. 

Elm Creek Equine offers cryptorchid castrations. These are performed under injectable anesthetic. While the majority of retained testicles can be removed by this approach, occasionally referral for laparoscopic removal is required. 

A Caslick's Procedure, or vulvoplasty, is a surgery recommended for broodmares with poor vulvar conformation, or for racing mares to prevent the influx of air or contaminants into the vaginal vault. 

Eye injuries in horses are common. Many can be treated with ophthalmic medications or eye-saving surgeries. Occasionally horses lose vision in their injured eye and enucleation (eye removal) is recommended. Enucleation can improve your horses quality of life by removing a chronically painful and non-visual eye. 

Elm Creek Equine performs enucleations in our hospital. We do not implant prosthetic eyes. Referral is available if you prefer an eye prosthesis. 

Standing dental extractions are available on a case by case basis. Referral is available for extractions that would be best performed under general anesthetic. Elm Creek Equine hosts Northern Equine on an annual basis for many of our advanced dental cases.