Equine Flashcards
what are the 3 heavy UK horse breeds
shire
Clydesdale
suffolk
what are the 2 UK large horse breeds
cleaveland bay
irish draught
name some native UK pony breeds
Dartmoor highland Shetland welsh cob connemara
what breeds are normally used for racing
thoroughbred (worldwide)
standardbred (USA / Auzz)
Quarter horse (USA)
what breeds are normally used for competition
thoroughbred
irish sport horse
warmbloods (Holstein / Hanoverian / Dutch / Belgian)
what are the equestrian disciplines
racing Olympics / paralymics polo showing pleasure horses FEI
what are the 8 FEI disciplines
dressage show jumping eventing endurance driving western riding vaulting paraequestrian
what are the 3 Olympic disiplines
dressage
show jumping
eventing
what horses are used for dressage
warmbloods
what horses are used for showjumping
warmbloods
what constitutes a show jumping win
fastest clear round
what horses are used in eventing
high percentage of thoroughbreds
what does eventing involve
1 or 3 days of events including dressage show jumping and cross country
what horses are used for racing
thoroughbreds
what are the 2 types of racing
flat racing - shorter distance and in March-Nov with younger / smaller horses
national hunt races - longer distance / Nov-April / older horses and start with tape and includes jumps
what are the 3 types of mnational hunt racing
steeple chase (fences - grandnational) hurdle (includes hurdles) point to point (across country over natural fences in a cross country style race)
what horses are used for polo
thoroughbred
how many riders on each polo team
4 each team
what is endurance racing
50-100 mile race with vet chekcs
what horses are used for endurance racing
arabs
what Is horse driving
team of horses pulling a carriage past obstacles at speed
what is vaulting
gymnastic exercises on horseback
what horses are used in western riding
quarter horses
what are the 3 types of eeuine management
stabled
at grass
both
historically what did wild horses feed on
intermittent grazing for 18 hours a day
what aspects should you consider with field management
water quality and volume of grazing shelter fencing injury prevention
why are several fields often required for grazing
should rest fields so they do not become depleted and can become muddy in winter with animal traffic
why should droppings be regularly removed from fields
- horses don’t graze near droppings creating patchy fields
- reduction of parasite burden
what is harrowing
intermittent spreading out of droppings in the field (this can spread parasites)
why is shelter important
protects from bad weather in winter and flies in summer
what is ideal horse fencing
post and rail fencing (no wire netting / barbed wire / ditches)
when can electric fencing be particularly effective
to sperate parts of a field for restrictive grazing
what is the cause of most traumatic field injuries
fencing
bite or kicks from other horses
what are the postivies of stable management
- easy management (horse is clean and dry)
- diet control (performance horses energy inake can be increased)
- if there is limited pasture horses are stabled in winter
- injury prevention
what is land poaching
when land becomes excessively muddy / unmanageable - particularly common during winter months
what should be considered in stable design
ventilation
size
bedding
what is a stabled horse fed
forage (hay/haylage)
concentrate (nuts/mix)
why are horses ideally fed from the floor
encouraging mucus drainage from resp. tract and so pollen/dust remain at floor level
where should haynets be positioned
air outflow
what Is mucking out
daily removal of droppings and wet bedding
what is skipping out
removal of droppings throughout the day
what is a deep littered stable
droppings removed but wet bedding left creating a base layer
what are sterotypies
repetitive functionless motor response sequences
what are examples of stereotypies
crib biting (oral)
wind sucking
weaving (locomotor)
box walking
what is the prevalence of stereotypies in the equine population
5-10%
what is the affect of dust / fungal spores
irritates the respiratory systems
what the the affect of high ammonia conc. in stables
direct mucus membrane / skin irritation
inhibition of airway clearance
what is equine asthma
specific pulmonary hypersensitivity to inhaled antigens causing airway inflammation (from feed / bedding)
what is the treatment for equine asthma
environmental management to reduce allergen exposure / turning the horse out / no hay(reduce dust) / dust free bedding (rubber / cardboard) / soaking the hay
what is colic and what can increase the risk of development
abdominal discomfort
sudden changes in management (turning out to stabling) or feeding (more than 2kg of concentrate)
how to decrease colic risk when changing management style
increasing water intake when horse is first stabled (wet feed) to reduce risk of impaction
what can induce gastric ulceration
high intensity exercise feed restriction(should feed little and often)
what can be used to treat gastric ulceration
reduce exercise
turning out into pasture
increasing forage component of diet (and reduce concentrate)
what can obesity in horses lead to
insulin resistance - equine metabolic syndrome / laminitis
what is laminitis
inflammation of the laminae in hoof
what is laminitis caused by
high levels of fructans in grass (so grazing should be restricted for pasture associated laminitis)
what are myopathies
conditions affecting the muscles e.g. azoturia (tying up)
what is azoturia
affects the hindlimbs resulting in stiff gait
what is sporadic azoturia associated with
over-exercising
laying off horses(too much rest with same amount of feed)
what is rain scald
moist crusty lesions over the back caused by wet weather
what is mud fever
painful sores/scabs on lower limbs caused by being turned out in muddy fields (affects non pigmented skin more)
what diseases are vaccinated against in horses
tetanus
influenza
herpes
strangles
briefly describe tetanus
clostridium tetani found in soil enters body via deep wound produces exotoxin results in spastic paralysis Fatality is 90%+ due to respiratory faliure
what is tetanus antitoxin (TAT) and what are considerations for using it
non-vaccine providing some protection against tetanus exotoxin but is expensive and shortlived (3 weeks)
what is tylers disease
liver disease associated with being given serum based products
what are the particular considerations for foals with the tetanus vaccine
unvaccinated mare but good colostrum = vaccinate / TAT
inadequate colostrum uptake = give hyperimmune plasma
what tetanus considerations sould be made pre-surgery / after a deep wound
if they have been vaccinated in the past 6 months (can give TAT)
what are the financial implications of tetanus vaccine
costs £10-20
effective vaccine with low reaction risk and reduces mortality significantly
briefly describe influenza
highly contagious viral disease of the upper GI - high morbidity and low mortality but severe complications
how much does an influezna vaccine cost and why is it changed regularly
antigenic shift of virus
costs around £30
what is the tetanus vaccination protocol for all horses
1st at 6 months old (so doesn’t interact with maternally derived antibodies)
2nd 4 weeks later
Booster 1 year after
Boosters every 2 years
what is the tetanus vaccination protocol for pregnant mares
Booster 4-6 weeks before foaling
describe the influenze vaccination protocol (manufacturer)
1 = day 0
2 = 4 weeks after
3 = 5 months later
annual boosters
what is the FEI recommendation for influenza vaccination protocol
1 = day 0
2 = day 21
3 = day 150
boosters every 6 months for actively competing horses / yearly for non active compatitors
what are the 3 forms of equine herpes virus
respiratory (problem in performance stables)
reproductive
neurologic
what forms of EHV are there vaccinations for
1 and 4
what is the vaccine protocol for EHV
1 = initial vaccine
2 = 2nd dose 4 weeks after
boosters every 4-6 months
what are the risks of reproductive EHV
abortion storms
when and how would you vaccinate against reproductive EHV
in yards with multiple breeding mares
give normal corse
then boosters at 5/7/9 months gestation
What are the symptoms of neurological EHV and what is it caused by
EHV 1 ataxia (wobbly) inability to urinate paralysis of hindlimbs (recumbency) permenant neurological deficits
what is the cost benefit analysis of vaccinating against EHV 1
evidnce of vaccinated horses having more severe symptoms and vaccine cannot be used in an outbreak so only vaccinate if necessary
what is strangles
highly contagious diease of upper resp. tract causing fever / abscesses of lymph nodes individuals can become carriers (mortality is rare)
describe immunity to strangles
need mucosal immunity rater than IgG so submucosal injection is necessary
is the strangles vaccine given routinely
no - controversial vaccine
biosecurity management is used instead
what should you do as a vet during a vaccination
clinical examination listen to heart overweight? aging? obvious poor feet / teeth discuss management of the horse
what is a cyathostome
small redworm that can live in large intestine for years
what happens during larval cyathostomosis
mass hypoboised larvae emergence leading to massive inflammation / several diarrhoea and death
describe the cyathostome life cycle
1 eggs hatch on pasture 2 larvae eaten by horse 3 invades intestinal wall 4 adult worms release in large intestine (can stay for years) 5 eggs passed in faeces
what is a strongyle
large redworm with adults living in large intestine that can cause verminous arteritis (inflammation of intestine)
why does strongyle larvae migration cause pathology
moves from GI tract to cranial mesenteric arter which can block artery = ischaemia of large intestine = death
describe the life cycle of strongylus vulgaris
1 eggs on pasture molt in L1-L2 stage 2 ingested at larvae 3 stage (L3) 3 L4 migrate through intestinal arteries 4 L5 migrate to gut 5 adults live in large intestine
briefly describe strongyloides westeri
affects foals through milk / skin
induces diarrhoa 6 months later
describe the life cycle of strongyloides westeri
free living cycle (can live whole life in field)
1 L3 ingested
2 L4 migrates via pulmonary system then swallowed
3 adult females live in small intestine
4 unfertilised eggs laid and they renter field via faeces
what is the clinical significance of a parascaris equorum infection and when is the risk greatest
small intestinal obstruction / surgical colic
greatest risk after an effective anthemitic wormer with high worm burden / at 6months -2years of age
describe the parascaris lifecycle
1 eggs are present in faeces L1
2 L2 are ingested
3 migrate from intestine to liver at L3
4 migrate to lungs / coughed up / swallowed
5 molt to L4 and adult in intestine and eggs passes
what is the usual host of a lung worm (dictyocaluls arnfieldi)
a donkey
describe oxyuris equi (pin worms) clinical symptoms and cause
severe anal pruritus (itching) / hairloss
adults live in colon and females deposit eggs at anus
what are the clinical signs of tapeworm
spasmodic colic
intussuseption (intestinal twisting)
thickening of the SI wall
describe the lifecyle of a tapeworm
1 eggs on pasture
2 eggs ingested by mite / develop
3 horse eats mite
4 becomes adult in caecum / SI
what are gasterophilus
bots (fly) does not cause any problems
what is the lifecyle of gastrophilus
1 adult fly lays eggs on horse 2 horse grooms itself and eats eggs 3 L1-2 in tounge and gums 4 L3 in stomach 5 passed into droppings - soil - hatches
why do you want a resevour population of parasites
resistance issues associated with blanket anthelmitic usage
what are some examples of types of parasite control
targeted worming
poo picking weekly
not overgrazing
rotating fields with other livestock
what are some challenges associated with anthelmintic resistance
- owners want to give it
- historically blanket worming techniques were used routinely treating throughout year regarless of need
- anthelmintics do not have to be given by a vet
what techniques are used in targeted dosing of anthelmintics
faecal egg counts (determining presence / severity of worm burden) normally done every 12 weeks - want less than 200 eggs/g
what are the advantages of targeted dosing
- treats individuals that actually need it
- worm egg count is only £10
- can identify high egg burdens
- reduces resistance
what are the disadvantages of targeted dosing (particularly faecal egg counts)
- costs the same as dewormer
- only counts eggs
- rarely detects tapeworms (no eggs)
what is the most common method of faecal egg counting
McMaster
what tests are used for detection of tapeworms
£20 blood and saliva test which looks for antibodies but these levels can remain high for 6 months after treatment
what tests are used for detection of cyathostomes
£20 blood test (+blood sample fee) indicating likelihood of burden being present
why is dentistry particularly important to upkeep in horses
horses teeth grow continuously / worn fown during eating so sharp points can easily develop if they are not wearing down properly
how does the angle of the molar archade affect teeth grinding down
maxillary (upper) teeth get sharp on buccal side (cheek) mandibular teeth (lower) get sharp on the lingual side (tongue)