Horse Flashcards
How should you handle a horse
Horses are large animals and need to believe that you are the “boss mare” to respect you. You cannot
overpower a horse, so you need to outthink them.
Always handle a horse with a halter & lead rope. Generally, horses are haltered & lead from the left side.
They also must respect your space and not be pushy. This is easier said than done when working on a client’s
horse. When the vet (or anyone) is working on the horse, both people need to be on the same side ALWAYS! If the person changes sides the handler MUST change sides. It’s very important that the handler have his/her full
attention on the horse and person working on the horse. If the horse’s demeanor changes, inform
the person. Do not stand directly in front of the horse – always slightly to the side to avoid striking/biting/running through behavior.
What are the types of restraints you can use on a horse
a) Mechanical – stocks
b) Chemical – Acepromazine, Xylazine, Butorphanol, Detomidine, etc.
) Manual – halter & lead rope
- stud shank
- twitches: chain, rope, ear, skin
- cross ties, blindfolds, cradles
- breeding hobbles
- lifting a leg
- bum rope
how shoudl you restrain a horse
- The restraint of a foal is very different than restraining an adult horse. The usual rule is “the less restraint the better”. Foals will fight & lie down if too much restraint is used, so be prepared. Usually an arm around the chest & neck and a hand on the tail (as a tail twitch) will restrain for such procedures as taking blood.
How do breeds affect horse behaviour
Different breeds of horses will also display different types of behavior. The hot-blooded horses such as Arabians & Thoroughbreds may be more excitable. The cold-blooded horse such as the Clydesdale, Shire, Percheron & Belgian tend to be calmer and laid back. The warm-blooded horses such as Warmbloods, Quarter Horses, Paints etc fall somewhere in between. Ponies & Miniatures in general have more “attitude” and may be more stubborn or ill behaved. Behavior is also influenced by the discipline the horse is used for and the type of training it has received.
Why do you do IV injections in horses
allows the drug to bypass the absorption process and enter the blood stream directly, rapidly providing high levels of the drug given
- to locate the jugular vein, use digital pressure with a thumb in the jugular furrow about 2/3rds of the way down the neck which will raise the vein. Then remove your needle from the syringe and insert it into the raised, in the top 1/3, vein, if you get a pulsating bright red flow then you are
in the artery and need to redirect.
- always check to make sure you are still in the vein by drawing back and seeing that you get blood while injecting your medication.
How and why do you do an IM injection in a horse
medication is injected directly into the muscle and is absorbed relatively quickly. Always take
your needle off your syringe before putting it into the horse and ALWAYS draw back on your
syringe to make sure that you are NOT in a vein.
Where do you do Im injections
- Multiply sites can be used for IM injections. If large amounts of medication are to be administered over a long period of time, several sites should be used with a maximum of 20 – 25cc in any given site.
- the large group of muscles on the lateral aspect of the neck is the most common site for IM injections in horses
- the semimembranosus and semitendinosus muscle groups located in the caudal aspect of the rear limb between the point of the buttocks and the hock is another area that can be used but be cautious so as not to be kicked. Always stand close when injecting.
*Do not use the neck muscles for injections on foals as they have very little muscle mass on their necks when they are young. This could also cause them to be very sore and inhibit nursing.
Why are some injections given SQ
- medication injected just beneath the skin and is absorbed at a much slower rate that IV or IM. Local anesthetics are commonly given SQ as diagnostic nerve blocks or for blocking the skin.
What is a normal TPR of a horse
Temperature: 37 – 38 C
Pulse: 28 – 40bpm
Respiration: 8 – 20 (some say 4 – 16)
What should you look at during a distance exam
examination should begin with a distant examination.
Things to assess the attitude – excited, anxious, quiet, depressed
- physical condition of the animal
- body condition scoring (1-9)
- general body shape and size relative to age & breed
- condition of hair coat
- stance and posture
How to look at a horses cardio system
A) auscultation of heart (both left & right side):
- rate per minute – at rest and after exercise
- rhythm of the heart beats (measure of regularity)
- intensity of heart sounds
- quality of heart sounds – muffled, thudding, clicking
B) peripheral circulation
- arterial pulses can be assessed by palpating:
- facial artery as it crosses ventral aspect of mandible
- transverse facial artery caudal to lateral canthus on the side of the face
- median artery as it travels down the medial aspect of the carpus
- common digital artery of fore & hind limbs at the level of the pastern
How should you exam a resp system of a horse
Visual Inspection of Respiration
- rate
- rhythm (normal rhythm is inspiration, expiration, pause)
- type (abdominal or thoracic)
- depth
- respiratory noises – coughing, sneezing, grunting, stridor, wheezing
- examination of nostrils – Note the following:
i) breath from nostrils
- odor
- symmetry and strength of air from nostrils
ii) nasal discharge
- unilateral or bilateral
- volume
- color
- consistency and composition (serous, mucopurulent, bloody)
- presence of bubbles
- evidence of regurgitation
iii) nasal mucous membrane
- colour
- presence of lesions
- nasolacrimal duct
iv) examine movements of nostrils
- movement, dilation, flaring, paralysis
v) auscultation of thorax
- extensive lung field from point of elbow to flank
- listen for crackles, wheezes, etc.
- auscultate trachea, a rebreathing exam may be required
how to exam a horsers nervous system
- assess clinical signs & neurologic deficit
- determining site of lesion depends on
- mentation
- reflexes
- gait
- assessment of cranial nerves
8 - sites of neurolocalization can be
- cerebrum
- cerebellum
- brainstem
- spinal cord
- neuromuscular system
- each area affected has its own characteristic clinical signs & neurologic deficits
- once neurological exam is performed, lesion isolated further diagnostics may be utilized for diagnosis such as CSF tap, myelogram, radiographs, advanced imaging, etc.
- neurologic horses can be extremely dangerous to work with. Every caution should be employed to ensure the safety of the staff and the patient
How do quantify lamness
- lame horses are graded on a scale of 0 – 5 (AAEP scale)
0 – sound
1 – barely detectable, inconsistent
2 – difficult to see at a walk or trot in straight line but consistently apparent under
certain circumstances eg: on a circle
3 – consistently observable at a trot under all circumstances
4 – prevalent at walk
5 – non-weight bearing
how do you look at a horses muskuloskeletal system
is the animal recumbent and unable to stand?
- is the animal able to walk & stand normally?
- muscles, neck, back forelimbs & hind limbs should be palpated for swelling, atrophy and pain
- manipulate any joints of the lower limbs noting any swelling crepitus, pain or heat
- evaluate the hooves for cracks, bruises or sole abscesses or poor trimming/shoeing
- lame horses are graded on a scale of 0 – 5 (AAEP scale)
How to look at the integument system of a horse
Hair coat - note the luster, color
- is there alopecia (loss of hair) general or local?
- if there is hair loss – is the animal itchy?
Skin - is there sweating – local or general?
- any visible lesions? Evidence of rubbing
How to look at the unrianry system of a horse
Bladder – palpable per rectum
Urethra – can palpate pelvic urethra per rectum in stallions
- examine urethra of mare per vagina
External Genitalia
Male – penis – palpate from prepuce to scrotum
- feel for pain, swelling, adhesions
- scrotum symmetry
- absence of one or both testicles
- consistency of testicles or scrotum
- swelling of testicles or scrotum
- state of scrotal skin
- hypoplasia of one or both testicles – presence of scrotal hernia
Examination of semen, libido, and ability to breed.
Female – vulva - color of mucous membranes
- discharges, swellings, lesions
How to look at the GI system
STROINTESTINAL SYSTEM
- Intestinal or stomach sounds will indicate nature of intraluminal contents, frequency and degree of
intestinal movements, especially movements of the large intestine in horses.
- NOTE: Intensity – strong or weak or absent
Duration – prolonged or short
Frequency – whether continuous or infrequent how many every 2-3 min?
- In normal animals the sounds are never continuous – always have quiet periods but usually have
movement within a minute.
What factors affect intestinal sounds in horses
- time after feeding
- recent excitement
- composition of ration
What are the sections of a horses GI system
- In addition to having a large sacculated cecum, horses have a vast compartmentalized large intestine
consisting of 5 portions: - right ventral, left ventral, left dorsal and right dorsal sections of the large colon and a smaller well
delineated small colon where fecal balls are formed. The large intestine acts as a fermentation vat for
digesting plant fiber to extract nutrients.
how do you describe a horses gut sounds
- normal ++
- absent –
- hypermotile +++
- hypomotile +
- Listen to all four quadrants and describe the motility in each quadrant
What should you listen for in a horses GI tract
You should listen for faint, fluid splashing sounds of the small intestine in the region of left paralumbar
fossa. Ventral to this, the louder, courser sounds (borborygmi) of left dorsal and ventral colon.
Where to listen for what parts of the Gi tract in horses
LD:
- Small colon
- SI
RD:
- cecum
LV:
- left ventral colon
RV:
- right ventral colon
How do you check the lymphatic system of horses
Only the sub-mandibular nodes are palpable in the normal horse. In the horse, the submandibular lymph
nodes consist of a mass of small nodules between the rami of the mandibles. The other lymph nodes of the head
are not normally palpable but can become sensitive or detectably enlarged during certain illnesses.
