Basic Equine Health Care Flashcards
How should a healthy horse behave?
Bright, alert and responsive
Interested in surroundings (lift head/ ears react to change)
Doing what it normally does
Engaging how it normally does (other horses/handlers/stimuli)
What does DUDE stand for in regards to healthy horses?
Defecation
Urination
Drinking
Eating
Describe healthy defecation.
Quantity - 4-13 piles/day, approx. 17kg/day for 500kg horse
Appearance - individual formed nuggets, moisture, normal colour, no visible parasites
Location - neat/messy as is usual for horse
Describe healthy urination.
Several times a day
One large/several small wet patches
May wait for soft surface (avoid splashback)
Normal posture - hindlimbs wide + caudal
Describe healthy drinking.
Volume - 40-60ml/kg/day
Timing = increases when eating/with dry food
Describe healthy eating.
Interest
Quantity - 1.5-2% bodyweight of dry matter intake/day
Frequency - continuous trickle, by choice grazing 18hrs/day
What do we look for when examining a horse?
Demeanour + behaviour Respiration Pulse/heart rate MMs and CRT Lymph nodes Auscultation Temperature
What is normal respiration on examination?
Normal 12-20 breaths/min
Should be hard to see (no nasal flare/abdominal effort/heave line)
Nares moist but no discharge
No coughing
What is a normal heart rate for a horse?
Normal = 30-40bpm
Where can we palpate a horse’s pulse?
Transverse facial artery
Facial artery
Digital artery
Apex beat palpation/cardiac auscultation
Describe how we examine lymph nodes.
Small, pea to bean sized nodes
Either side of midline ventral mandible
Directly between points where facial arteries cross under the jaw
To palpate, stroke skin from caudal to cranial and feel for a bump
What do we auscultate during examination?
Lungs + trachea - should be difficult to hear, divide into 9 fields
Heart - clear ‘lub-dub’, left and right, ‘dropped beats’ (2nd degree block) normal at rest, may hear murmurs
Abdomen - gut sounds (present in all quadrants, proportional to activity), caecal emptying (right dorsal quadrant, ‘toilet flush’ sound)
What is normal temperature in a horse?
Normal 37.3-38.2 degrees
Rarely hypothermia in adult
If hyperthermic/pyrexic then likely to be real
What are some signs of colic?
Rolling Looking at flanks Bruxism Posturing to urinate Recumbent Pawing Anorexia/inappetant Reduced faecal output
What are some signs of respiratory disease?
Exercise intolerance Extended head + neck position Increased abdominal effort (heave line) Flared nostrils Coughing Nasal (+ ocular) discharge
What are some signs of liver disease?
Dull/hyperaesthetic Inappetant Weight loss Jaundice Head pressing Compulsive circling Photosensitisation Diarrhoea
What are some signs of dental disease?
Dropping food (quidding)
Weight loss
Slow to eat
Halitosis
What are some signs of lameness?
Recumbency Abnormal posture Resting limb Slow/reluctant to move Lame when moving Changed behaviour during/around exercise
What preventative medicine can we provide for horses?
Vaccination Dentistry Worming Foot care + farriery Fly treatments Body condition score/weight Physiotherapy/chiropractor
What are the routine core vaccinations for horses?
Influenza
Tetanus
How is dentistry carried out in horses?
Routine exam - with gag/speculum
Every 6-12 months for healthy adult (increase if pathology)
Palpate, pick + probe cheek teeth, view with mirror and light
Removal of sharp enamel points / rostral/caudal hooks
How often should farriery be carried out?
Routine trim/shoe every 4-8 weeks
What factors affect whether or not to shoe a horse?
Growth vs wear
Conformation
Hoof quality
What do shoes provide for a horse?
Protection - prevent excess wear
Support - usually at heel
Traction - road nails/studs
Gait alteration - changes point of loading
Describe influenza and its vaccination.
IM dose, 6 monthly for FEI competing horses / annual booster
Highly contagious viral infection
Acute onset respiratory disease (pyrexia, nasal discharge, coughing)
Horses very sick but rarely fatal
Describe tetanus and its vaccination.
IM injection Not contagious Spastic paralysis (muscular contraction, extended head/neck/spine/elevated tail, flared nostrils, wide open eyes, erect ears) Uncommon due to vaccination High mortality
Describe an appropriate grooming routine.
Dried mud removed with dandy brush/rubber curry comb
Body brush used all over
Feet picked out with hoof pick (heel to toe AWAY from frog)
Face sponge for eyes + muzzle
Perineal sponge
Why is grooming hospitalised horses beneficial?
Improves wellbeing - contact time / stimulation
Time to notice things e.g. skin lesions, behaviour changes
Minimum - pick out feet daily
