From Jim: Equines are generally pretty healthy animals. They are born, develop, mature, reproduce, age and die with very few diseases. In a natural state, they must constantly be able to keep up with the herd. Movement for grazing and water is a necessity. When we domesticated them, health issues began to become problematic. Don't get me wrong, equines suffered from diseases before we were a part of the deal, but usually, these illnesses were self limiting or fatal. Colic is the bain of horse ownership. You get to the barn or turn out and your critter is off their feed and water. They're staring at their gut, laying down and rolling-up and down, up and down. They're miserably uncomfortable. Best case is a gas bubble-can be the result of feed, weather, or ?. You take a listen to their gut and find gurgling noises and a high squeal, like rubbing your fingers on a balloon. Whew!, some walking, some bute or injectable banimine, some time, maybe a vet call and pretty soon you and the critter are back in business. OR, you take a listen and there are very few or no gut noises. That's bad! Could be an impaction, feed, dehydration, who knows? Time to call the vet-no waitin around! Could be really, really bad. A torsioned (twisted) gut, a stone, or a tumor. As the colic develops and doesn't resolve with tubed water and oil, the vet will probably discuss surgery with you. Know this, 85% of horses that have coliced will eventually die from colic.(gas colic seems to be an exception) Almost all horses that have colic surgery will colic again. You might gain some years with your animal, but it's pretty unlikely you will have seen the last of the problem. It's a hard choice and one that you as the horse's caretaker must make. Because of the high recurrence rate and our own beliefs about quality of life, we don't have colic surgeries performed. We euthanize horses that are coliced and don't respond to treatment. Laminitis is another big health concern for horse owners. You walk out and find your horse stretched out, feet way out in front, rears tucked in as far as possible. Movement is painful-on eggshells. The hoof shells are hot and a quick check with the hoof testers confirms that the feet are incredibly sore. Time to get busy! Left untreated, laminitis can and usually does result in founder-a permanent and disabling consequence. Laminitis can be caused by a ton of different things, feeding mistakes are the most common. So, what to do. Immediately get some anti-inflammatory meds going-bute or banimine. Cool the feet down. Get the critter on some soft bedding material. Call the vet. Treat this as an emergency. It is! Many horses fully recover from a bout of laminitis and go on to a full life with no recurrence. Some become chronically laminitic and will have to be euthanized. Our old friend Secretariat came to this end. Cushings disease often has laminitis as a symptom. (This disorder will get it's own blog.) Abscesses in the sole of the foot are pretty common. Horse pulls up lame, stands on the tip of the toe, and reacts strongly to a hoof tester. Most good farriers or the vet can open up the abscess, drain it, disinfect it, maybe bandage it for a bit, and it will resolve. It there's foreign matter in the wound, or a really deep infection, then it might take more. Soaking in epsom salts and warm water helps as does a course of antibiotics. The offending foreign stuff has to be removed-this would be vet time, as sedation is usually required. Summer sores are generally insect related-that would be flies. I cannot tell how much I hate flies. Protecting open wounds with fly goop and bandages is what's called for, but horses don't always make the easiest patients. Sometimes you just have to misery along until the weather gets cold enough to kill off the danged flies. Rain Rot, a dermal bacterial infection is another misery. Suprinating lumpy sores, with hair loss-Nice! We like to use Excaliber, a sheath cleaner, and Tea Tree Oil. You want to scrub this in and we don't rinse it off. Most horse's develop an immunity and see no recurrences, but it's nasty when they're dealing with it. We've only had two cases where the vet had to get involved. These horses were in terrible shape when they came here and their skin issues were adding to the problems they already faced. Occasionally, there will be outbreaks of other equine diseases, West Nile, Strangles, Equine Herpes, and the like. A regular regimen of immunizations and precautions to avoid exposure help a lot. Hope your friend never has to deal with any of this. If they do, you'll be their best hope to make good choices to get them well! Calling the vet is never a waste of money. If you have the slightest doubt about what's going on and what to do about it, call the Pro in.
No comments:
Post a Comment