Transcript Careers For Horse Lovers

Basic Horse Health &
Disease Prevention
Kristen M. Wilson
Regional Extension Horse Specialist
“Maryland Cooperative Extension provides equal access programs”
Horse Health Management
• Horses must be observed at regular
intervals
• Know personality and normal stimuli
responses from each individual animal
• Establish normal values for your horse
• Record keeping is key
(Horse Industry Handbook & Cherry
Hill)
Daily Observation
Recognizing Problems
Learn to Recognize
Abnormal Behavior
Vital Signs
Vital Signs
Measurements of a horse’s body
function and are good indicators of
the horse’s overall health
(Cherry Hill)
Vital Signs
• Common vital signs:
– Temperature
– Pulse
– Respiration
– Gut Sounds
– Mucosal Color/Capillary Refill Time
– Skin Pliability
(Horse Industry Handbook)
Vital Signs: Temperature
– Normal: 100°F or 38°C
– Varies: 99.5 – 101.5°F
– Exercise, excitement,
hot weather, illness and
pain will raise the
temperature
– Shock and very cold
weather will decrease
temperature
– Mercury vs. Digital
(Horse Industry Handbook & Cherry
Hill)
Temperature
(Hill, 1997. Horse Health Care)
Vital Signs: Pulse
– Horse should be calm, rested and relaxed for
most accurate results
– To determine pulse – gently press fingers
against an artery
– Count the beats for 30 seconds and multiply by 2
Normal Resting Pulse Rates
(In Beats Per Minute)
2 weeks old
4 weeks old
Yearling
2 Years
Adult
up to 100
70
45 – 60
40 – 50
30 – 40
(Cherry Hill)
Heart Rate
(Hayes, 1997. Hands-On Horse Care)
Digital Pulse
A good
indicator of
foot
problems
(Hill, 1997. Horse Health Care)
Vital Signs: Respiration
• Normal respiration is 8 16 breaths per minute
• To determine watch the
nostrils or flanks
• Nostrils flare and
contract with each breath
• The respiration rate
should NOT exceed the
heart rate
(Horse Industry Handbook)
Respiration
(Hill, 1997. Horse Health Care)
Pulse/Respiration Ratio
• Normal Ratio – 4:2 or 2:1
• A more significant measure of stress
than each of the actual figures alone
• Respiration exceeding pulse is an
indicator of serious stress
• Call vet immediately!!!
(Cherry Hill)
Vital Signs: Gut Sounds
• Gut sounds can help you
diagnose a sick horse
• Caused by the normal
contracting and relaxing
movements of the digestive
tract during the digestion
process
• Place an ear on the flank area
or use a stethoscope
• Abnormal- Absence of gut
sounds!
(Cherry Hill)
Gut Sounds
(Rose and Hodgson, 2000. Manual of Equine Practice)
Vital Signs: Mucosal Color
• Indicator of blood circulation
• Several mucous membranes
can be checked: the inner lips
and gums, inside the vulva and
nostrils –should be moist and
pink
• Determine capillary refill time
by pressing your thumb on the
horse’s gum and then releasing
it
• It should take ~2 seconds for
the blood and normal color to
return to the area
(Horse Industry Handbook; Cherry
Hill)
Capillary Refill Time
(Hayes, 1997. Hands-On Horse Care)
Mucous Membranes-Sick Horse
Vital Signs: Skin Pliability
• Test for dehydration
• Pinch a fold of skin on
your horse’s neck and
release it - it should
quickly flatten back in
place
• If the horse is
dehydrated - the skin
will flatten slowly or
tend to stay in a fold
(Cherry Hill)
Skin Pliability Test
(Hill, 1997. Horse Health Care)
Other Factors to Consider
– Bodily fluids (feces, urine, saliva & sweat)
– Body condition and weight
– Movement
– Hair coat
– Hoof condition
– Feeding habits
– Behaviors
(Horse Industry Handbook)
Body Fluids
Hair Coat
Normally shiny and generally healthy looking
Body Condition & Weight
BCS - 1
BCS - 5
BCS - 9
Henneke Body Scoring System
Hoof Condition
Hoof Care
Pick Out Hoofs Daily
Feeding Habits & Behavior
• Know what your horse’s normal
behaviors are
• Decreased interest in feed could
indicate dental problems and/or
health problems
• Anything out of the ordinary could be
an indication of a health problem
Disease Prevention
• Equine diseases reduce
performance, cause economic and
personal losses, lowers morale of
workers and often affects farms
reputations
• Goals
– Prevent or minimize exposure to
infectious agents
– Optimize resistance
How Do Diseases Spread?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Air
Living animals of the same species
Living animals of other species
Dead or sick animals
Feed
Water
Movement of contaminated personnel,
equipment and vehicles
8. Movement of effluent between properties
Equine Disease Control Program
1. Optimize health and nutrition plans
for animals
2. Use rodent, parasite and vector
control programs throughout the
year
3. Do not allow horse access to
streams and waterways
4. Contract with a veterinarian and
clearly post their contact
information
Equine Disease Control Program
5. Communication is key
6. Limit human access to barns if they
are not clientele or workers
7. Clean and disinfect barns, stalls
and equipment regularly
8. Discard all manure and bedding
from stalls that house sick horses
Equine Disease Control Program
• Become familiar with common
diseases that affect horses
• Identify symptoms with the onset of
a disease
• Vaccination Plan
• Deworming Plan
Common Equine Diseases
• Equine Encephalomyelitis (sleeping
sickness)
• Equine Infectious Anemia
• Equine Viral Arteritis
• Equine Rhinopneumonitis
• Influenza
• Potomac Horse Fever
• Rabies
• West Nile Virus
• Strangles
• Tetanus (lock jaw)
Identifying Symptoms
Identifying Symptoms
Identifying Symptoms
Vaccination Program
• Vaccines –
Inactivated, modified, or killed forms of
bacteria and viruses that are
administered to horses so that they
acquire immunity to diseases
• Usually given twice yearly
• Booster shots required for
unvaccinated animals
Sample Vaccination Schedule
• Fall
– Tetanus, Influenza, Rhinopneumonitis, Rabies
• Spring
– EEE, WEE, Potomac Horse Fever, West Nile
Virus, Influenza, Rhino, Coggins Test
• No vaccine is 100% effective and good
management strategies are needed
Parasite Control & Management
• Management plans should consider
internal and external parasites
• Consult your veterinarian when
establishing a program
• Types –
– Rotational
– Daily
Sample Deworming Schedule
Month
Class of Dewormer
January
Ivermectin
March
Oxfendazole
May
Moxidectin
July
September
Pyrantel Pamoate (double dose)
or Ivermectin/Praziquantel
Fenendazole
November
Ivermectin
Summary
• Visual inspection of your horse
on a daily basis can help
prevent illness and/or injury
• Important to know normal vital
signs
• Good management practices
can improve your horse’s
overall health and prevent
diseases from spreading
Kristen M. Wilson
[email protected]
301-596-9478