Equine Health and Management Flashcards
Sign of a healthy horse
- normal behavior/demeanor
- normal vital signs: eyes bright, neck elevated, ears forward
- will be dropped if sick, labored breathing, nostrils expanded
- eating
- not standing alone
- normal body posture
- vital signs:
- heart rate: 32-48 bpm
- respiratory rate: 8-16 breaths/min
- temperature: 99.5 - 101.5 F
- donkey vital signs are higher than horse
- Good body condition
- scored 1-9: ideally in the middle
- 5 (moderate) or 6 (moderate to fleshy)
- very thin (1) or obese (9) = unhealthy
- racehorse: 4-4.5
- brood mare: 6
- lose weight when foal is born
- hair coat
- shiny, glossy hair = 1 of the best indicators
- often relates to nutrition & deworming program
- hoof growth
- healthy hoof wall tissue
- 1/4 to 1/2 inch growth per month => trimmed every 6-8 weeks
- smooth and untracked
- cracked can mean nutritional deficiencies
- eyes
- bright eyes, fully open, clear no discharge, not glazed over or dull
- sick: dull eyes and sunken
- manure/urination
- urine should be pale yellow
- firm manure (not loose or watery)
- green & moist
- darker can relate to GI function & hydration status
- wheat straw (not cloudy of dark red)
- indicator or hydration/illness
- not consuming enough water -> disease state
- color of urine gets darker & the darker it gets, the more concerned you should be
- no manure = not eating or impaction
Capillary refill
- circulation assessed by gently pressing thumb against the gums
- count seconds to return to normal color, 1-2 seconds
mucous membrane check
- mucous membrane appear healthy & pink
- pale, white, yellow, deep purple cause for concern
- strangulation, internal bleeding, heavy parasite loads etc.
checking for hydration
- tent skin (not most reliable b/c older horse has wrinkles)
- 1/2 to 1 second is normal
- longer stays tented = dehydration
- indicator of water balance
- color manure and urine
- no manure/urine = unhealthy
- color and odor of both can indicate health status
- renal failure => obnoxious odor to urine
- bacterial infection: Potomac horse fever (diarrhea & smells terrible)
nonspecific pain indicators in Equids
- restlessness, agitation, anxiety
- common in acute pain cases
- confined horses
- not reliable in donkeys
- rigid stance, reluctance to move
- general description for many disorders
- horses face away
- protective behavior
- not for donkeys (misdiagnosed b/c they developed in desert so they don’t move to conserve)
- lowered head carriage
- chronic pain, unrelenting
- fixed stare, dilated nostrils, clenched jaw
- facial pain, nondescript lacks info on pain source
- aggression towards own foal or people
- pain during parturition
- behavior emerges w/ pain
Identifying pain or discomfort
- identifying pain is subjective but can be seen through difference in behavior
- level of pain the horse is experiencing is often misinterpreted
Chronic vs. Acute
- one sign of chronic colic: loose lower lip or clinched cheek muscles
- acute pain: generally look at the area that hurts
- acute colic: look at sides or flanks, eyes has glazed over look
- difficult to identify source of pain b/c different age experienced different levels of pain (pain tolerance)
- some horses/equine are very stoic and difficult to assess pain
- donkeys have much higher pain tolerance especially for GI issues
Managing healthy horses and preventing disease
- recognizing signs of healthy vs. unhealthy equine
- providing proper nutrition
- implementing parasite control program
- mostly roundworms => mitigate high levels
- maintaining an active vaccination program
- proper nutrition
- feed according to:
- exercise level: more exercise = more food = more calories needed
- reproduction status
- age: young need more food
- growth rate
- mature body weight
- temperature (extreme cold): need more energy to produce heat
parasites - general characteristics
- hosts: house parasites harmful relationship
- most are ingested: like grass close to manure
- external vs. internal
- ticks (common in tropical areas), flies, lice (more common in donkeys)
- donkeys very efficient at metabolizing poor quality forages => lice absorbes nutrients => decrease body condition
- mites, mosquitoes
- ticks (common in tropical areas), flies, lice (more common in donkeys)
- prevention & control of parasites
- sanitation & good management
- proper manure disposal
- pasture management: rotating, grazing w/ other animals, helps control
- feed & water
- removal of parasites: deworming programs, grooming/inspections
Managing external parasites
- feed products (daily pellet)
- use of other insects (fly predators): monthly application one species eats the other)
- insecticides in chemical applications
- permethrin (synthetic)
- pyrethrin (natural from chrysanthemum plant)
- citronella, eucalyptus (natural
- geranial (natural from geranium plants)
- application: automatic fly system, spray on, roll on, wipe on, bait type, feed control
- use fly apparel on horse (to keep fly off)
- eats at corners of eyes => summer sores=> relates to harbor reil which develops in stomach of horse
- bite skin => protein in fly’s saliva cause skin to break out in bumps
Horse health program: antibodies
- antibodies too big to pass through placenta
- come from colostrum = passive transfer
- foal must nurse w/in 24 hours
- IgG 600-800 mg/dL (normal)
- less than 400 mg/dL = call vet
- failure of passive transfer & foal can pick up bacterial infection
- vaccinate mare 30 days prior to foaling & antibodies will be present in colostrum
- vaccinate foal w/ Tetanus antitoxin
- administer plasma (active transfer) 1L over 30-60 min if failure of passive transfer
- 1L of plasma = 200 mg/dL
- may need additional plasma
- may use plasma for foals w/ Neonatal Isotheroloysis
Neonatal Isotheroloysis
- mare bloodtype doesn’t match sire’s => foal can’t nurse colostrum
- immunoglobulins w/n colostrum will attack immune system
- take blood test of mare 1 month before foaling
- test positive, foal not allowed to nurse
Where to give vaccines
- triangle in neck
- pectoral muscles
- hind end (crop and thigh)
places:
- IM, IV, SubQ
Core vs. Risk Based vaccines
core
- protect from diseases tat are endemic to a region, those w/ potential public health significance, required by law, virulent/highly infectious, and/or those posing a risk of severe disease
- eastern/western equine Encephalomyelitis (sleeping sickness)
- rabies, tetanus, west nile virus
risk
- may vary regionally, from population to population w/n an area or b/twn individual horses w/n given population
- anthrax, botulism
- equine herpesvirus (rhinopneumonitis): 1 & 4 that’s used & vaccinated against
- equine influenza
Colic
- abdominal pain or discomfort
- symptoms: increase in TPR, sweating, panting and rolling
- multiple causes
- can lead to surgery or death
Prevention
- regular parasite program b/c masses of worms can be impacted
- maintaining a regular feeding program
- avoiding sudden dietary changes
- providing water, salt at all times (keep homeostasis in bloodstream)
laminitis
- inflammation of the laminae, often from consuming too many carbs
- founder displacement of the coffin bone in the hoof
- clinical signs: inflammation of lamina
- tears away from outside of hoof capsule due to diet
- causes: main one is dietary changes, decreased glucose to the lamina, constricted blood flow, dystocia, or retained placenta, stress, infection, high temperature
