Equine geriatric Flashcards
When is a horse considered geriatric
> 20 years
When is a horse super geriatric
> 30 years
Why are horse living longer
Improved standard of care
Preventative medicine
Pleasure, not work
Pars pituitary intermedia dysfunction (PPID) in equines is
AKA “Cushing’s Disease”
Endocrine disorder
Benign tumor on pituitary gland
Excess production Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
Symptoms of equine PPID
Delayed shedding
Laminitis
Excessive sweating
Excessive urination
Muscle wasting
Immunocompromised
Secondary infections
Dental disease
Pneumonia
Parasitism
What to do with a horse with PPID
No prevention
Lifelong pergolide
Decreases production of ACTH
Metabolic syndrome in horses c/s
A cluster condition affecting somewhat younger adult horses, and including obesity, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, chronic laminitis
Dental disease in geriatric horses is
Teeth continually erupt throughout most of life
Stops at approximately 20 years of age
Molars “cup out” then fall out
Uneven wear
Fractures
Abscessed tooth root
Sinusitis
Test for PPID
Teeth extractions
How to stop horses from getting dental disease
Regular dentals/floats
6 months
Easily digestible feed
Soaked alfalfa cubes
Senior grade pellets
Degenerative joint disease/osteoarthritis in geriatric horses
Very common
Past history of injury or high level performance
Not just a part of getting old!
MUST address their pain
Intra-articular steroids
Daily NSAIDs
Colic in geriatric horses
Susceptible to certain types of colic
Impaction colic
Unable to masticate feed well
Strangulating lipomas
Fast intervention
Immunocompromised
Arthritic
Old is not a disease, but with old comes diseases
Appropriate screening before committing to major procedures
