LECTURE - housing and husbandry Flashcards

1
Q

give 4 common equine housing types

A
  • traditional stabling
  • american barn
  • crew yard
  • grass kept
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2
Q

why might infections spread faster/easier in american barn stabling than traditional stabling?

A

all horses are contained in the same airspace (despite being individually housed)

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3
Q

give a disadvantage of having horses “grass kept”

A

may have to be box kept if injured/sick - owner may not have access to stable AND welfare implications for horse (not fair to restrict outside access so much for a horse that is used to being outdoors 24/7)

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4
Q

7 types of equine bedding

A

straw (wheat/barley/oat)
wood shavings
shredded wood fibre
flax and hemp (from chopped stems)
paper
cardboard
rubber matting

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5
Q

straw bedding: pros (2)

A

+
- relatively cheap
- readily avail (time of year may ^ cost as harvest approaches and stocks low)

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6
Q

straw bedding: cons (4)

A
  • can vary greatly in quality
  • may contain high levels of dust and mould spores = noy suitable for horses/carers who are susceptible to resp disorders
  • muckheap can be large and difficult to tidy
  • some may consume straw (not suitable for these horses)
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7
Q

wood shaving bedding: pros (3)

A

+
- can be used for horses/carers with or sus. to resp diseases/that eat bedding
- support for hooves (the shavings compact inside hooves)
- easy to stack and store (usually packed in polythene wrapped bales)

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8
Q

wood shaving bedding:

A

-
quality of shavings varies greatly, low quality = high dust content and potentially sharp splinters

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9
Q

shredded wood fibre: PROS (7)

A

ALL PROS
- env friendly: manufactured from selected recycled white wood
- low dust levels and absorbent: keeps surface of bed dry
- less likely to move around: red risk of injury when horse getting up/lying down
- consistently high quality
- widely avail
- supports hooves: compacts under them
- easy to manage with very little waste = small muck heap

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10
Q

flax and hemp: PROS (2)

A

+
- low dust content
- packaged in heavy duty plastic bags = easily stored

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11
Q

flax and hemp: CONS (2)

A
  • expensive
  • horses may eat (rare): look out for as flax and hemp indigestible (?)
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12
Q

paper: PROS (4)

A
  • low dust levels
  • non palatable
  • bales wrapped in polythene = easy to store
  • cheap
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13
Q

paper: CONS (3)

A
  • long strips hard to muck out (stick together and difficult to sep from droppings)
  • (cheap BUT) large no of bales needed to create thick bed
  • ink may stain lighter coat colours
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14
Q

cardboard: PROS

A

+
- low dust
- clumps together when wet = easy removal
- (for vets) easy to view/spot blood

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15
Q

cardboard: CONS (2)

A
  • move around stable = bare patches when horse moves around = injury risk (grip)
  • clumps and difficult to sep from droppings = wasteful
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16
Q

rubber matting: PROS (5)

A
  • amount of bedding used sig red.
  • saves time mucking out
  • red size of muckheap (=less waste)
    these 3^ = easy to manage
  • support for hooves and limbs
  • red risk of injury (grip)
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17
Q

rubber matting: CONS (2)

A
  • hygiene standards must be high (thoroughly clean under to prev ammonia and dirty bedding build up)
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18
Q

6 features of well designed stable

A
  • suitable size (can lie down and turn around)
  • ventilation and drainage adequate
  • free from draughts/water damage
  • free access to water (bucket/automatic)
  • bedding
  • haynet at horse head height (not lower - risk of hoof catching)
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19
Q

3 factors that bedding may depend on

A

1 owner pref (finance, allergies - dust etc.)
2 indiv horse needs
3 availability (e.g. straw and harvest)

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20
Q

4 reasons to keep a horse at grass

A

exercise/fitness
horse-to-horse contact
access to natural forage
break from routine

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21
Q

5 key features of good grassland management

A
  • fresh clean water
  • good quality grass
  • droppings removed weekly (at least)
  • appt stocking density (1-1.5 acres/horse)
  • (natural or artificial) shelter
  • appt fencing
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22
Q

poor grassland management (3)

A
  • sheep/barbed wire fencing - injury/stuck
  • grass not healthy = prolonged time in wet and muddy env = mud fever (type of pastern dermatitis) = pain = reluctant to put feet up (problem for vets)
  • no grass access = eat other dangerous things e.g. dangerous plants, wood from fence posts, acorns (large quant = fatal)
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23
Q

how to maintain good grassland (pasture management)

A
  • removal of faeces (AT LEAST weekly)
  • harrowing regularly
  • fertilising pasture = good gras growth
  • resting paddocks = grass growth not damaged = not poached
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24
Q

good grassland: daily checks

A
  • access to water
  • fence damage
  • rubbish/poisonous plants
  • rabbit holes/badger setts (area around setts fenced off as badgers protected by law)
25
Q

6 environmental impact of horses

A
  • overgrazing
  • overstocking
  • high parasite burden (due to high faecal load)
  • carcass disposal
  • disposal of waste bedding (DON’T BURN)
  • poaching (destruction of turf)
26
Q

4 methods of carcass disposal

A
  1. cremation
  2. abattoir
  3. hunt kennels
  4. burial
27
Q

6 fundamentals of equine nutrition

A
  • high fibre diet
  • little but often (not left without forage for >3hrs = gastric acids damage stomach)
  • hind gut fermenters (most dig. occurs via continual microbial fermentation in caecum and colon)
  • non ruminant herbivores
  • good qual. (high fibre) forage should form majority of diet
28
Q

define ruminant

A

animal that chews food >once, regurgitates and digests multiple times in different stomachs
herbivores (?check if all are)
(e.g. cows)

29
Q

equine feedstuffs - 2 types

A
  • forage (most important)
  • hard feed/cereal/concentrates
30
Q

“forage” includes…

A

grass
hay
chaff (dried and chopped)
root succulents/by-products

31
Q

hard feed…
why?
dependent on?
what it consists of (2)

A
  • if additional energy needed (than forage can provide)
  • life stage and exercise dep
  • cereal based mixes/pellets, formulated to incl ess. vits and mins
32
Q

8 plants poisonous to horses

A
  • ragwort
  • sycamore
  • oak (acorns)
  • foxglove
  • deadly nightshade
  • ivy
  • yew tree
  • laburnum
33
Q

describe foxglove

A

purple tubular flowers

34
Q

describe deadly nightshade

A

flowers dull brown-purple, black berries

35
Q

describe yew tree

A

leaves dark green needle, red berries

36
Q

describe laburnum

A

bright yellow drooping flowers

37
Q

foxglove:
toxin
prognosis and treatment

A
  • cardiac glycoside toxins
  • death can occur after few hrs, treatment options limited as toxins immediately damage CV system, if caught early enough - activated charcoal and mineral oil to flush out toxins
38
Q

foxglove: clinical signs of poisoning
(3 categories)

A

CV: HR changes, breathing difficulties

Dig: diarrhoea

Neuro: dilated pupils, tremors, fits

39
Q

deadly nightshade:
toxin (where?)
prognosis

A

atropine alkaloids (all parts, esp. leaves)

death is rare
distasteful

40
Q

deadly nightshade: clinical signs of poisoning (5)

A
  • dilated pupils
  • blindness
  • heartbeat changes
  • muscle tremors
  • disorientation
41
Q

ivy:
toxinS
prognosis

A
  • tri ter pen oid saponins
  • poly acetyl ene toxins
42
Q

ivy:
clinical signs of poisoning
prognosis

A
  • diarrhoea
  • colic
  • skin irritation around mouth
  • loss of appetite
  • dehydration

death is rare
distasteful

43
Q

yew: toxin

A

taxine (cardiotoxin = heart attack)

44
Q

yew: clinical signs of poisoning

A
  • sudden collapse (may be only sign)
  • groaning breathing
  • (neuro) muscular trembling, uncoord. movement
45
Q

yew:
prognosis
prevention

A

death can occur instantly

  • bitter = don’t usuall eat unless forage in short supply (e.g. winter)
  • toxicity remains in clippings and dead plants = remove
46
Q

laburnum:
toxin (where?)

A

cyt isine
all parts esp. seeds

47
Q

laburnum: clinical signs of poisoning (2 categories)

A

dig:
colic
diarrhoea

neuro:
drowsiness
excessive salivation
fits
collapse
coma

48
Q

laburnum:
treatment
prevention

A
  • activated charcoal, liq paraffin, fluids to flush out
  • bitter = don’t usually eat unless short on forage (e.g. winter)
49
Q

ragwort:
colour
damage to?
prognosis
prevention/point to note

A
  • yellow
  • liver - irreparable damage, can build over years
  • often fatal - late onset of clinical signs, symptoms showing = too late
    SO prevention>treatment
  • same harmful eff.s if baled/dried in hay
50
Q

sycamore:
toxin
causes…
onset
prognosis

A

hypoglycin-A (HGA) - conv. into toxin in horse body

ATYPICAL MYOPATHY (AM)
destroys muscle fibres, damages kidneys
(some horses remain unaff. - do not develop AM)

rapid (deteriorate quickly 6-12hrs)

poor prog. mortality rate (75%) check

51
Q

sycamore: 8 clinical signs

A
  • muscle stiffness
  • muscle tremors
  • sweating
  • HR high
  • depressed, head hung low
  • brown/dark red urine
  • weakness - reluctant to walk/difficulty standing
  • breathing difficulties
52
Q

sycamore: prevention

A
  • clear seeds from pasture (note - may blow into paddocks without trees)
  • mowing and spraying AND LEFTOVER MATERIAL REMOVED FROM PASTURE AFTERWARDS
    mowing red risk as less toxic material avail, but will grow again if not removed from root/leftotver material still contains HGA
    when sprayed HGA still present 6-8months after
  • harrowing ^risk of AM - disperses sycamore material throughout pasture
  • HGA = water sol SO may pass to water sources e.g. rivers = do not use these pastures for horses during high risk seasons (provide alt water source)
  • do not use pastures contam. with sycamore material to produce hay/haylage as seeds/seedlings still contain HGA 6-8 months after (when in bales)
  • limit grazing time when sycamore trees present near horse pasture (dec. exposure to toxins) - <6hrs
  • hay feeders - feeding hay from floor/close to trees = ^risk of ingesting sycamore material
53
Q
A
54
Q

oak (acorns):
toxin
point to note
frequency - rare or common? why?

A

tannic acid - quant to cause illness varies from horse to horse

rare - bitter = distasteful

(larger crop = more freq)

55
Q

what increases risk of acorn poisoning

A
  • some naturally more susceptible
  • reduced grazing quality (overgrazed paddocks/long hot summers) = lack of forage
  • strong winds/storms = ^ acorn fall
56
Q

acorn poisoning: reducing the risk (3)

A

1) avoid using field until acorns raked/removed

2) good quality forage away from oak trees

3) electric fencing around tree

57
Q

acorn poisoning: clinical signs

A
  • acorn husks in faeces
  • depression
  • dehydration
  • lethargy
  • red. appetite
  • increased lying down
  • colic
  • bloody diarrhoea
  • constipation
  • mouth ulcers
58
Q

acorn poisoning: treatment
(point to note)

A

no specific treatment, dep on no. of acorns, stage of illness

  • IV fluids to flush fluids (prev further damage to organs)
  • activated charcoal/mineral oil/paraffin = stop intestine damage
  • pain killers (colic symptoms)
  • eat hay and drink water = dilute toxins
59
Q
A