Anaesthesia
Our anaesthesia team has over 20 years of combined experience in equine anaesthesia. We deal regularly with critically ill or injured horses and have specialist training in fluid therapy, pain management and critical care.
Horses presenting to the Massey University Equine Clinic are anaesthetised for a variety of reasons including diagnostic tests, medical procedures and surgical operations ranging from routine castration to catastrophic fracture repair. The various services and facilities at Massey University combine to offer a high standard of care for horses anaesthetised by our service. The Clinical Pathology Service provides rapid assessment of blood work and other ancillary diagnostic tests, allowing selection of the most suitable anaesthetic agents for use in a particular patient, while electronic scales allow accurate determination of body weight for drug dose calculations.
We have fully padded, purpose-built induction and recovery stalls that allow a small number of staff to safely and easily induce the horse and transport it to the operating room or radiology suite. We have a variety of anaesthetic machines available, our equipment allows us to anaesthetise horses ranging from newborn Miniature foals through to 900 kg Percherons or Clydesdales. We routinely monitor arterial blood pressure in our surgical patients, are able to mechanically ventilate anaesthetised horses, and have the use of a patient-side arterial blood gas monitor to regularly assess respiratory and acid-base function during the course of the anaesthetic.
Equine anaesthesia can be challenging - everyone in the anaesthesia team enjoys working with horses and the challenge they provide.
The Anaesthesia Team
Vicki WalshLecturer in Veterinary Anaesthesia
Vicki completed her BVSc at Massey University in 1995 and immediately followed this with a three-year residency programme in anaesthesia at Massey University. In 1999 Vicki became a member of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists in Anaesthesia and Critical Care. During the period of 1999-2002 Vicki combined part time work in veterinary practice with the role of clinical anaesthetist at Massey University. During that time she also assisted with field anaesthesia of horses in several research projects. Vicki took up her position as Lecturer in Anaesthesia in January 2002.
