LECTURE - housing and husbandry Flashcards
give 4 common equine housing types
- traditional stabling
- american barn
- crew yard
- grass kept
why might infections spread faster/easier in american barn stabling than traditional stabling?
all horses are contained in the same airspace (despite being individually housed)
give a disadvantage of having horses “grass kept”
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)
7 types of equine bedding
straw (wheat/barley/oat)
wood shavings
shredded wood fibre
flax and hemp (from chopped stems)
paper
cardboard
rubber matting
straw bedding: pros (2)
+
- relatively cheap
- readily avail (time of year may ^ cost as harvest approaches and stocks low)
straw bedding: cons (4)
- 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)
wood shaving bedding: pros (3)
+
- 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)
wood shaving bedding:
-
quality of shavings varies greatly, low quality = high dust content and potentially sharp splinters
shredded wood fibre: PROS (7)
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
flax and hemp: PROS (2)
+
- low dust content
- packaged in heavy duty plastic bags = easily stored
flax and hemp: CONS (2)
- expensive
- horses may eat (rare): look out for as flax and hemp indigestible (?)
paper: PROS (4)
- low dust levels
- non palatable
- bales wrapped in polythene = easy to store
- cheap
paper: CONS (3)
- 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
cardboard: PROS
+
- low dust
- clumps together when wet = easy removal
- (for vets) easy to view/spot blood
cardboard: CONS (2)
- move around stable = bare patches when horse moves around = injury risk (grip)
- clumps and difficult to sep from droppings = wasteful
rubber matting: PROS (5)
- 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)
rubber matting: CONS (2)
- hygiene standards must be high (thoroughly clean under to prev ammonia and dirty bedding build up)
6 features of well designed stable
- 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)
3 factors that bedding may depend on
1 owner pref (finance, allergies - dust etc.)
2 indiv horse needs
3 availability (e.g. straw and harvest)
4 reasons to keep a horse at grass
exercise/fitness
horse-to-horse contact
access to natural forage
break from routine
5 key features of good grassland management
- 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
poor grassland management (3)
- 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)
how to maintain good grassland (pasture management)
- removal of faeces (AT LEAST weekly)
- harrowing regularly
- fertilising pasture = good gras growth
- resting paddocks = grass growth not damaged = not poached
good grassland: daily checks
- access to water
- fence damage
- rubbish/poisonous plants
- rabbit holes/badger setts (area around setts fenced off as badgers protected by law)
6 environmental impact of horses
- overgrazing
- overstocking
- high parasite burden (due to high faecal load)
- carcass disposal
- disposal of waste bedding (DON’T BURN)
- poaching (destruction of turf)
4 methods of carcass disposal
- cremation
- abattoir
- hunt kennels
- burial
6 fundamentals of equine nutrition
- 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
define ruminant
animal that chews food >once, regurgitates and digests multiple times in different stomachs
herbivores (?check if all are)
(e.g. cows)
equine feedstuffs - 2 types
- forage (most important)
- hard feed/cereal/concentrates
“forage” includes…
grass
hay
chaff (dried and chopped)
root succulents/by-products
hard feed…
why?
dependent on?
what it consists of (2)
- if additional energy needed (than forage can provide)
- life stage and exercise dep
- cereal based mixes/pellets, formulated to incl ess. vits and mins
8 plants poisonous to horses
- ragwort
- sycamore
- oak (acorns)
- foxglove
- deadly nightshade
- ivy
- yew tree
- laburnum
describe foxglove
purple tubular flowers
describe deadly nightshade
flowers dull brown-purple, black berries
describe yew tree
leaves dark green needle, red berries
describe laburnum
bright yellow drooping flowers
foxglove:
toxin
prognosis and treatment
- 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
foxglove: clinical signs of poisoning
(3 categories)
CV: HR changes, breathing difficulties
Dig: diarrhoea
Neuro: dilated pupils, tremors, fits
deadly nightshade:
toxin (where?)
prognosis
atropine alkaloids (all parts, esp. leaves)
death is rare
distasteful
deadly nightshade: clinical signs of poisoning (5)
- dilated pupils
- blindness
- heartbeat changes
- muscle tremors
- disorientation
ivy:
toxinS
prognosis
- tri ter pen oid saponins
- poly acetyl ene toxins
ivy:
clinical signs of poisoning
prognosis
- diarrhoea
- colic
- skin irritation around mouth
- loss of appetite
- dehydration
death is rare
distasteful
yew: toxin
taxine (cardiotoxin = heart attack)
yew: clinical signs of poisoning
- sudden collapse (may be only sign)
- groaning breathing
- (neuro) muscular trembling, uncoord. movement
yew:
prognosis
prevention
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
laburnum:
toxin (where?)
cyt isine
all parts esp. seeds
laburnum: clinical signs of poisoning (2 categories)
dig:
colic
diarrhoea
neuro:
drowsiness
excessive salivation
fits
collapse
coma
laburnum:
treatment
prevention
- activated charcoal, liq paraffin, fluids to flush out
- bitter = don’t usually eat unless short on forage (e.g. winter)
ragwort:
colour
damage to?
prognosis
prevention/point to note
- 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
sycamore:
toxin
causes…
onset
prognosis
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
sycamore: 8 clinical signs
- muscle stiffness
- muscle tremors
- sweating
- HR high
- depressed, head hung low
- brown/dark red urine
- weakness - reluctant to walk/difficulty standing
- breathing difficulties
sycamore: prevention
- 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
oak (acorns):
toxin
point to note
frequency - rare or common? why?
tannic acid - quant to cause illness varies from horse to horse
rare - bitter = distasteful
(larger crop = more freq)
what increases risk of acorn poisoning
- some naturally more susceptible
- reduced grazing quality (overgrazed paddocks/long hot summers) = lack of forage
- strong winds/storms = ^ acorn fall
acorn poisoning: reducing the risk (3)
1) avoid using field until acorns raked/removed
2) good quality forage away from oak trees
3) electric fencing around tree
acorn poisoning: clinical signs
- acorn husks in faeces
- depression
- dehydration
- lethargy
- red. appetite
- increased lying down
- colic
- bloody diarrhoea
- constipation
- mouth ulcers
acorn poisoning: treatment
(point to note)
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
