The primary goals of this section are three-fold:
- Equip the horse owner with knowledge to prevent avoidable health issues
- Enable quick identification of initial signs of illness for timely application of treatment
- Facilitate effective collaboration with veterinarians by providing intelligent assistance or, at the very least, by not creating additional challenges.
Working With Health Concerns As A Non-Professional
While we encourage horse owners to be actively involved in their animal’s health care, it’s vital to acknowledge that non-professionals should not attempt treatment of any serious medical issues or injuries. An amateur should refrain from interventions based solely on limited or unclear veterinary knowledge and avoid experimentation with unproven medicinal remedies. Such actions not only could be dangerous, but their effectiveness is also likely unreliable due to the individual’s lack of understanding of the drug’s composition and potential impacts.
Instead, it is both humane and economically wise to procure the services of a skilled and qualified professional. A horse owner can support the professional’s efforts in meaningful ways, for instance, by offering all the necessary information about the animal’s condition, ensuring resources like a bridle, soap, towel, and water are readily available, and promptly following the veterinarian’s instructions.
The Role of the Veterinary Surgeon
It’s important to recognize the unique challenges that veterinarians, particularly veterinary surgeons, face. Unlike human doctors, the veterinary surgeon does not have the advantage of verbal feedback from their patient. They are tasked with discovering essential facts to make an accurate diagnosis, relying entirely on their professional knowledge and observational skills. This distinctive aspect of their work underscores the importance of effective communication and collaboration between the horse owner and the veterinarian to ensure optimal health outcomes for the animals.
Recognizing the First Signs of Trouble
A horse’s departure from its regular appearance and behavior serves as a sign of potential health issues.
Conditions Warranting Attention
Certain symptoms in your horse that diverge from its normal behavior should be treated with suspicion unless they are customary for that particular animal. These signs can include:
- Unusual posture or stance
- Hesitation to rise or move
- Signs of lethargy or the tendency to withdraw from companions
- Changes in appetite
- Skin that feels “tight” or a coat that appears harsh or “staring”
- Uncharacteristic breathing patterns
- Distinct discomfort or restlessness
- Inordinate sweating
- Abnormalities in the droppings
These warning signs are general indicators of potential health issues and need to be considered together with specific symptoms or pre-existing conditions to pinpoint the exact problem.
Investigating Unusual Symptoms
Upon noticing any of the above signs, inspect your horse carefully. Some issues might be minor and something you can address on your own. If your horse is lying down, avoid immediately calling the vet—your horse might just be resting. Veterinarians are often very busy and it’s inconsiderate to disturb them unnecessarily, as it could delay their attention to more critical cases.
However, if you do decide that professional attention is necessary, make note of everything that could assist the vet, including all the observed symptoms. This information will help the vet assess the urgency level of the case, predict the likely treatment required, and decide which medications and equipment to bring. It also allows them to advise you over a phone on an emergency treatment until they can arrive at your location.
Preparing for the Veterinarian
Once you’ve arranged for the vet’s visit, ensure you’re ready to provide them with all the established facts about the horse’s condition. This information includes inconspicuous details, which might prove beneficial. However, bear in mind the vet is likely more interested in factual observations rather than speculative theories.
When the vet arrives, be prepared to assist them in any required way, as your help can significantly streamline their examination process.
Managing a Downed Horse
In cases where your horse is down, appropriate measures can ensure the horse’s safety and your own while trying to get it back on its feet.
Encouraging a Horse to Stand
Using persuasive measures to get a horse up often proves to be futile. Instead, equip the horse with its headcollar—this provides you with better command than a halter would. With a sharp call and a jerk on the rope, prompt the horse to get up. Make sure the area where the horse lays has adequate bedding to prevent slippery conditions. Position yourself at a safe distance and allow the horse enough space to rise without risking injury to itself or you.
Handling a Horse for Examination
Preparing a horse for an examination requires a level of control similar to leading it in or out of the stable.
Preparing the Horse
Stand facing the horse with your hands on either side of the head-collar or bridle. If the horse’s hindquarters are to be examined, it’s often advised to hold up a forefoot—this can deter the horse from kicking. Gently run your hand down the back tendons to the fetlock joint, apply some pressure, and speak to the horse. When the horse lifts its foot, allow the toe to rest lightly on your fingers.
The “Trotting-Up” Process
In certain situations, you may be asked to “trot the horse up.” This command refers to trotting the horse away from the examiner, then back towards them, and finally passing by them.
Efficient “Trotting-Up”
For this process, it’s usually more advantageous to use a bridle instead of a headcollar or halter, as a bridle offers superior control. Hold the reins over the horse’s head on the near side, maintaining a loose rein—make sure to maintain a distance of about 30-45cm (12″-18″) from the bit to avoid restricting the horse’s head movements.
Direct your gaze towards where you’re heading, rather than at the horse. If the horse resists trotting, avoid tugging it forward—instead, have an assistant drive the horse forward. Upon reaching the turn, unless instructed otherwise, halt and turn to the right to keep the examiner’s view unobstructed. Generally, turns should be made sharply, using the hind legs as a pivot point.
Understanding A Horse’s Temperature
Maintaining a healthy horse sometimes involves the regular monitoring of its body temperature.
Measuring the Temperature
Typically, a horse’s temperature is 38°C (100.5°F), but it may fluctuate between 37.7 and 38.3°C (100 and 101°F). Checking the temperature involves placing a thermometer in the rectum for a minute. Repeat recordings should happen at the same time daily. Consult a vet if the temperature exceeds 38.8°C (102°F).
Infection and Fever Management
Temperature rises often signal infections and should prompt immediate separation from the herd and veterinary intervention. Infectious diseases spread indirectly and contagious ones directly—they both affect the horse’s temperature. Early stages of fever can be managed with an appropriate dosage of a mild laxative such as Glauber or Epsom salts.
Monitoring a Horse’s Pulse
Checking a horse’s pulse can provide valuable information regarding their health status, and while it might be a bit tricky, it’s not impossible.
Locating the Pulse
The pulse can be detected with your first two fingers at certain points such as where the submaxillary artery crosses the lower jaw, inside of the elbow, or just above the fetlock.
Pulse Rate
Typically, a horse’s pulse rate ranges around 35-40 beats per minute. Variations occur due to certain health conditions—with a faster rate indicating feverish conditions and a slower rate implying debility or weakness.
Observing a Horse’s Appetite
A horse’s appetite is a useful and direct indicator of its health. Noticing changes can provide early cues about potential health problems.
Poor Appetite
Generally, horses are hearty eaters, always ready for a meal. An unexpected loss of appetite can signal a health issue. It’s critical to distinguish between reduced desire to eat and difficulty in eating — horses often continue to eat even with mouth or throat obstructive issues or injuries.
Diminished appetite may result from overwork or bowel impaction, a common issue in stabled horses often signified by hard droppings. Preventive measures include administering laxative mashes, but once impaction occurs, a vet may need to administer stronger laxatives via a stomach tube.
Difficulty Eating and “Quidding”
Having trouble eating, or “quidding” — letting food drop out of the mouth after attempting to chew — often indicates dental problems, injuries, or obstructions in the mouth or throat, or soreness.
Abnormal Appetite
An unusual or abnormal appetite is often noticed when a horse is dealing with worms or indigestion. It might also be due to vices like crib biting—gnawing on woodwork and other such behaviors.
Refusing to Drink
A horse refusing to drink usually points to issues with the quality or cleanliness of the water or its container, signaling that the horse objects to dirt or odor. Maintaining clean drinking resources is, therefore, essential.
Understanding a Horse’s Attitude and Behavior
A horse’s physical posture and attitude can provide valuable cues about its health. Physical movements might indicate specific problems, ensuring timely intervention and treatment.
Foot Positioning
A healthy horse will typically stand firm and square on its forefeet but often relaxes by resting a hind foot. If a horse is resting or “pointing” a forefoot — placing it ahead of the other or resting on toe — it might indicate discomfort and relief from weight. This condition could be due to problems like an abscess or other painful issues. Laminitis, an inflammation of the hoof wall lining, may cause both forefeet to extend forward.
Wide-apart front legs can signal chest-related health problems. Repetitive pawing or scraping with a toe can indicate issues including navicular disease or a general expression of pain, as seen in colic.
Trouble with Hindfeet
Reluctance to back up, or positioning the hindfeet well forward, may suggest underlying health issues in the hindfeet.
Inability to Rise
Horses unable to get up could be affected by serious conditions like tetanus (lockjaw), back muscle sprains, spinal injuries, etc.
Uneasiness and Frequent Lying Down
A horse that constantly lies down and gets up might be experiencing pain, for instance, from colic. Severe discomfort may also cause rapid, labored breathing.
Stamping and Rubbing Legs
Constant stamping or rubbing one leg against another is often due to mites invasion causing irritation. Known as “itchy heels,” this condition commonly affects heavy draft horses with considerable leg feathering.
Excessive Scratching and Rubbing
Excessive scratching, biting, or rubbing against hard objects might suggest a parasite infestation. Possible culprits are lice, especially in winter or early spring. “Sweet itch,” an allergic reaction to specific midge bites, may cause mane and tail rubbing in Summer. Always inspect your horse for insects if abnormal scratching or rubbing is observed.
Monitoring Horse Breathing
Observing a horse’s breathing provides key insights into its health and well-being. Any irregularities in pattern, rhythm, or sound can suggest potential health problems.
Normal Respiration
A healthy, resting horse breathes quietly, evenly, and rhythmically, with around 10-15 breaths per minute. The flanks’ rise and fall or nostrils’ exhaled air can help you gauge the breathing rate.
Breathing Sounds: Potential Troubles
Any audible sound or noise during breathing can indicate health problems related to the nose, throat, or lungs.
Quickened Breathing: An Early Warning
Quickened breath or increased breathing rate often signals chest ailments. If fast breathing coincides with apparent discomfort or uneasiness, it might indicate significant pain such as severe colic.
Painful Breathing: A Sign of Pleurisy
Persistently labored or painful breathing can be symptomatic of pleurisy, a condition wherein the lung’s protective layers get inflamed, causing sharp pain during each breath.
Double Expirations: Allergy Indicator
A peculiar pattern of double expirations – two separate breathing out efforts – could suggest Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This lung disease can occur due to an allergic reaction to molds often found in hay or bedding. Observing this breathing pattern should prompt immediate veterinary advice to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment.
Observing Horse Excreta
Examining a horse’s excreta can offer significant information about its health. Characteristics such as color, consistency, and content of droppings and urine may indicate nutrition intake or potential health concerns.
Droppings Characteristics
Healthy droppings are typically small balls that break upon hitting the ground. The color ranges from golden brown in stable-fed horses to a greenish hue in grass-fed ones. If droppings are too hard or too soft, it might signal a digestive disturbance that necessitates veterinary consultation.
Microscopic examinations of droppings can also reveal the presence of worms or their eggs—common parasites affecting equine health.
Urine Color
Urine tends to be thick and yellow for a healthy horse. However, a notably bright color suggests the horse might be running a fever and requires immediate attention. The change in urine color can be an essential early warning sign of health issues.
Checking Horse Membranes
Observing the visible membranes—the linings of a horse’s eyes, nose, and mouth—can provide useful indications about its health. These membranes should ideally look pink and moist.
Yellowish Tinge: Liver Complaints
A yellowish tint to the membranes could suggest liver issues. The liver plays a significant role in maintaining health by aiding digestion and removing toxins. Therefore, any abnormalities in membrane color that suggest liver problems should not be ignored.
Paleness: Anemia
If the membranes appear pale, it might indicate anemia—a condition where the horse doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry sufficient oxygen to its tissues. Anemia can result from various causes, including nutritional deficiencies, parasites, and certain diseases. If not addressed promptly, it can significantly impact a horse’s health.
Dryness and Reddening: Fever
When a horse has a fever, the membranes may become dry and redder than usual. Fever usually indicates that the body is fighting off an infection or illness.
Purple Tinge: Shock
A severe disruption in the body’s normal functioning—such as shock—can cause a horse’s membranes to take on a purple tinge. Shock can result from various factors, ranging from severe injury to allergic reactions or major infections, and requires immediate veterinary attention.
Conclusion
In summary, regularly monitoring your horse’s health is crucial for detecting early signs of illness. Be attentive to changes in breathing, excreta, visible membranes, and the skin and coat, as they can provide valuable insight into your horse’s well-being. If you notice any of the mentioned symptoms or have concerns about your horse’s health, consulting a veterinarian is essential.
