Post on 31-Mar-2015
How to keep your horses healthy
Presented by Dr. Nikki Milici
How to assess general horse healthVaccination and deworming schedulesGeneral nutrition informationDental careEmergencies including
ColicWoundsEye injuries
Body weight/condition scoring
Heart rate – 40 BPMRespiratory rate -
<20 BPMTemp ~ 98-100.5Conditioning
assessmentWater ConsumptionEating requirements
Basic requirements5-way including
EEE/WEE, Flu, Rhino and Tetanus
WNVRequirements for
show horsesStrangles (AKA
distemper)Flu/RhinoPotomac Horse Fever
A new way of thinking – fecal egg countsHorse parasites are now
resistant to several dewormers including the catch all ivermectin
Power paks/ Quest Plus
Nutrition for an older horse is different then for the growing horseFocus on calcium/phosphorous for performance
horsesSupplements
Horses don’t need supplements if fed a high quality hayExceptions are when they are out of teethPerformance/working horses
Psyllium
How often should your horses teeth be check?Check incisor
occlusionCheck enamel pointsCheck for hooksCheck the tongue
and cheeks
Most common signs of colic Not eatingRollingPawing Subtle signs include backing up or stretching,
even grabbing a bit of food and walking away, flehmen response
BanamineStethoscopeThermometerPull all food from the horse
What the vets do….
If any wound is anywhere near a joint or bursa this is an emergencyBursas include bicipital
bursa, flexor tendon sheath, carpal canal
All bleeding stops eventually – look for areas near big arteries or vessels Jugular vein, carotid
artery, etc
Wounds on the face including eyelids have such vast blood supply that they heal very quickly
Eyeballs do not have the same blood supply – in fact very little blood supply and tend to not heal without assistance
Wounds to eyelids aren’t so much
March 31st Pfizer presentation on fecal egg counts and setting up a program for your horse
Lindsey Gleason and Cassie Dagenhart are performing a research study for their biology class on horses. Their presentation is going to assess how in shape horses are according to their owners and their discipline. Any one who is willing to help these girls out contact me after the presentation.