Horse-Diseases and Horse-HealthRecognizing if your horse is healthy or unhealthy is all part of good horse management.
Over the years I have managed many different horses. I have encountered as many different horse-diseases and ailments. I can tell you about Ponapee and old age ailments, Hassa and Ringbone (arthritis, Levi and Colic Black Jack and Navicular disease Navajo and laminitis…the list goes on. Hey but they are all still here, happy and healthy. Clementine is actually 37 years old and still thinks she’s a filly. Remember I have been working with 30-40 horses a day for over 30 years, every day, all day. That is a lot of horses that I have known personally and thus a lot of horse-diseases witnessed first hand! I feel fairly confident in diagnosing and even treating many horse-diseases myself. Of course I confer with my vet. But before I call I try to get my information ready.
Most of the time we can get to know our horses as well as we
do a best friend or spouse. We can seem to sense if something is
wrong.
Sick---Lame---or --In PainRemember tip # 1 for feeding? Horses are always hungry. Any changes in eating behavior can be a warning sign
that something is not right.
Remember training tip # 1 Know your horse. Any change in your horses behavior can alert you to a problem. Lets say your horse usually greets you with a nicker and bright eyes. Today he is sulky and facing the corner of his stall. That is a change of behavior. Know your horse's medical history. Past and present health issues, horse-diseases etc. can give insight into the present problem. Be able to give detailed information about the horses work and exercise schedule for the past week or two. This might give an indication as to the type of injury sustained.
Know your horses vital signs: temperature, respiration and heart rate. This will help you to decide whether or not you should call the vet. Your horse's vital signs can change drastically when he's ill, compared to when he is feeling normal. Get to know your horse's NORMAL vital signs so you will know what is not normal for him.Temperature A normal temperature for a healthy horse is 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Take your horse's temp. for a few days at different times to establish what is normal for him. Anything below 96 degrees or above 104 degrees means you have a problem. Measure the temperature rectally with a clinical thermometer. Heart rate or pulse A healthy horse has a heart rate at rest of about 32 to 48 beats per minute. Know your horses resting heart rate. Over 60 bpm tells you there is something definitely wrong. To take the pulse, use a stethoscope and find the heartbeat on the left side behind his left elbow, just beside where the girth lays. Once you can hear a steady beat, look at the second hand of your watch. Count the strong-sounding beats for 30 seconds and multiply by 2 for an accurate one minute result. The pulse can also be felt by using your fingertips on different pulse points, like on the inside of his left knee or inside his left jawbone. Respiration A healthy horse at rest has a respiratory rate of 8 to 16 breaths per minute.Normal is 4 to 24 breaths per minute Stand by your horse's left shoulder and face his rear. Watch the flank move in and out - right where the rib cage ends. Check the second hand of your watch and count the # of times the flank moves in OR out for 15 seconds and X by 4 for your one min. count. Know your horses normal respiration
Know your horses conformation and blemishes.. Such as old splints, bog spavin in limbs, scars, old injuries. Lameness in a horse can be defined as a change in the horse's gait (walk, trot, canter, gallop). Lameness can also cause a change in a horse's attitude or performance. Usually when there is a change in the horse's attitude or performance the problem is caused by pain in the back, shoulders, neck, hips or withersWarning signs of lameness or injuries to the limbs can be
detected through: If any of these warning signs are present a Veterinarian is needed to identify and locate the cause of the lameness.
In caring for the health of a horse, the earlier the problem is detected, the better the success of the treatment, and the less likelihood of it turning into something serious. Articles on Horse-Diseases Navicular and how Black Jack deals with it. Equine influenza I'm Maggie and I hate shots. laminitis The little pony Navajo Colic and Levi’s bowling ball. Potomoc horse fever. West Nile Virus. Ring bone and Hassa. Cough Tetanus Worming Copd chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Mud fever and rain scald Ringworm Strangles Equine viral arthritis Poem for a sick-day. For want of a Nail the Shoe was lost; for want of a Shoe the Horse was lost; and for want of a Horse the Rider was lost; being overtaken and slain by the Enemy, all for want of Care about a Horse-shoe Nail. ~Benjamin Franklin Return Home from Horse-Diseases Go to nutrition from Horse-diseases
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