My Horse University and eXtension’s HorseQuest welcome you to this live Webcast.

I think it’s anEmergency!!

…now what???

Judy Marteniuk, DVM, MSEquine Medicine and ExtensionMichigan State University

Meet our presenter:

Judy Marteniuk, DVM, MSMichigan State University

Dr. Eric SchroederMichigan State UniversityQuestion facilitator:

Emergencies are an inherent part of owning and caring for horses

• Prevention is essential • Emergencies will occur

- Be prepared - Be educated and assess the situation,

thus minimizing the adverse effects of a bad situation.

For the sake of your horse, your assistants and yourself, remain calm! …

Prevention• Keep up with your regular preventative vet care

– Your vet will be familiar with your horse• Many veterinarians will only see client animals on an emergency

basis– Prevents problems before they get serious

• Recognize potential health concerns– Teeth– Body condition/weight– Feet/shoeing– Parasite control

Prevention continued• Housing/fencing concerns

– Safe for age and use of individual– Maintain facilities

• Inspect on a routine basis

• Feeding concerns– Feed for activity/growth level– Monitor body condition

• Maintain a BCS of 5-6/9

– Secure feed• Prevents grain overload

– Safe feed – storage, spoilage, feeders

Be prepared• Keep your veterinarian’s and a back up vet’s phone number

– By the phone– On your horse’s stall card– With the barn manager/owner– If traveling, trail riding, locate potential veterinarians

• Have directions to the nearest referral hospital(s)– Certain clinics/veterinarians may be utilized for different problems

• Teeth• Colic surgery• Lameness

• Keep transportation available– If you have a trailer/truck, keep it functional and

accessible• Snowed in• Tires bad• Truck working

– If you do not have a trailer/truck, know where to get one in a timely manner – rent, borrow

• Holiday concerns• Natural disasters – fire, flood, etc

Be prepared

• Know who you can call for assistance– Help load– Ride with to assist if trouble occurs– Help make decisions

Be prepared

• Make a rational decision on what you would do if your horse(s):– Developed colic and needed surgery– Broke a leg and it was repairable– Had foaling trouble and needed a C-section– Developed diarrhea requiring extensive IV fluids– Etc……….

• Addendum to Murphy’s Law – the less prepared you are, the more likely you are to have an emergency!

Be prepared

• Have a first aid kit handy– Allows you to quickly address a problem– Provides sense of security – What is included will vary somewhat from farm to farm

• Stationary kit for barn– More supplies

• Mobile Kit– Less supplies– Take with on trips, trail rides, etc

– Water proof – Rodent proof

Be prepared

First Aid Kit• Sterile: Cotton roll, contact bandage,

cling wrap, gauze pads, gauze wrap• Adhesive wrap• Adhesive tape• Leg wraps• Sharp scissors• Hemostats• Digital rectal thermometer• Surgical scrub• Antiseptic soap

• Cup or container (urine/fecal collection)

• Flashlight or spare batteries• Permanent marker pen• 6” diameter PCV pipe in 1.5-2 feet

(splinting)• Fly Spray• Hoof pick• Shoe pullers• Stethoscope• Latex (or latex free) gloves

Courtesy of AAEP MyHorseMatters

Other considerations for Kit• Twitch• Duct tape• Wire cutters• Rope• Clean, absorbent

material (diapers, sanitary napkins, etc)

• Drugs (weather concerns)– Depends on your level of

knowledge - all drugs have side effects

– Client/patient/veterinary relationship

– Bute (phenylbutasone), Banamine

– Tranquilizers – horse/human safety concerns

Learn to assess your healthy adult horse• What is your horse’s normal temperament in certain situations.• What is his normal appetite and water consumption• What is his normal fecal production and consistency• What is his normal urination procedures and frequency• What do his legs normally feel like• Is my horse standing/laying normally• Be observant!

Normal Vital Parameters• Assess your horse’s vital parameters several times at rest –

establish a baseline – Temperature: 99-101.5oF

• Rectally • Use a fast, digital thermometer• Environment/exercise

– Pulse: 28-44 bpm• Facial artery or digital arteries• Stethoscope

– Respiration: highly variable, 12-24 breaths per minute• Depends on many factors – excitement, temperature, humidity, fitness

Assessment continued

• Further evaluation– Mucous membranes

• Color – pink, pale, purple• Capillary refill – less than 2 seconds

– Intestinal sounds• Present or absent• Character• Listen in 4 quadrants• Listen with your ear or stethoscope

Before you call your vet…• Don’t panic!!

– If you remain calm, others around will too … – 99 times out of 100, an extra 60 seconds will not make

a difference in an emergency. Take that time to gather information and your resolve!

• Get as much information as possible– Behavior, Vitals (TPR, MM), Progression/Timeline– ONLY if not dangerous– Ask yourself, what is normal for THIS horse

Before you call your vet…• Stabilize the situation

– Control bleeding– Confine to quiet/safe area

• If in doubt, call– Your veterinarian is your best consultant

What are some signs of pain?• Restlessness, pawing, pacing• Thrashing or rolling• Change in attitude – tenseness, lack of interaction• Sweating• Elevation of heart rate, respiratory rate, and/or

temperature• Avoiding movement of affected area

When is it an emergency?• Choke

– Unresolved within an hour

• Changes in Behavior– Sudden or extreme,

unable to get up, seizures, severe depression/excitability

• Colic?– Severe distress, +/-

unresponsive to one dose of pain meds

• Bleeding?– From arteries, jugular,

nose; unable to stop

When is it an emergency?• Eye

– Severe tearing, tightly closed eye

• Tying Up• HYPP episode with

horse down• Heat exhaustion

• Respiratory– Labored breathing,

reaction to injection• Lameness

– Apparent fracture, laminitis, joint laceration

When is it urgent?• Colic

– Continuing mild discomfort, in appetence, decreased manure production, pain returns after meds

• Bleeding– Small amounts, lacerations

of full skin thickness, punctures, laceration over a joint, severe contamination

• Behavior changes• Respiratory• Lameness

– Sudden onset• Eye

– When is it an emergency? Tearing, swollen or closed eye

• Grain Overload• Diarrhea

Until the vet arrives…• Colic

– Walking your horse is necessary only if they are trying to roll

– If lying quietly, just watch until the veterinarian arrives– Do not give meds unless discussed with your vet– Remove hay and grain

• Do not feed after pain medication as it may mask unresolved problem/pain and make the problem worse. You will not realize it until the medication stops working

Until the vet arrives…• Lacerations

– Avoid picking at wound or applying meds• Will decrease the chance of wound healing

when sutured• The quicker a wound is sutured the best

chance for healing – THE GOLDEN RULE

Until the vet arrives…– Do not remove large, penetrating objects

(including nails in hooves)• Radiograph first to see extent of penetration• Keep from pushing object deeper

– Apply pressure or bandage to stop bleeding if needed

– Offer hay or grain if horse is anxious

Until the vet arrives…• Choke (feed material and saliva from mouth and

nostrils)– Remove hay and grain– Never give feed to a tranquilized animal as it can result in

choke– Allow the animal to move at will– Will dehydrate if not treated in a timely manner

• Saliva • Environmental temperature

Until the vet arrives…• Heat Exhaustion

– Cold hose, pour rubbing alcohol on back, pack jugular region with ice

– Do not cool below 102F as the horse will continue to cool after you stop the therapy

– No need to cool if less than 104F

Until the vet arrives…• Tying-up, Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM),

Azoturia, Monday Morning Disease, Rhabodomyositis– Treatment depends on the severity

• Mild – walking• Moderate - place in quiet stall• Severe – DO NOT MOVE until the veterinarian has

seen the horse

Until the vet arrives…• Lameness

– Keep horse quiet– Cold hose affected leg/hooves– If leg is broken, should you bandage??

• Must use a bandage that stabilizes the joint above and below

Until the vet arrives…• Diarrhea

– If severe is life threatening– Dehydration– Electrolyte loss– Encourage to drink– Administer electrolytes (salts)

Until the vet arrives…• HYPP

– Place in quiet, safe environment– Give glucose: Karo syrup

• Behavior changes– Place in quiet, safe, dark environment and do not disturb– Be careful as this is no longer your horse – can become very

aggressive• Eyes

– Keep horse quiet and prevent rubbing

FOALING AND FOALS

Foaling• Previous rules…out the window!

• Foaling “rules”– 10 minutes for visible progression from water

break– 30 minutes to foal from water break - MAX– 1 hour to stand– 2 hours to nurse– 3 hours for mare to expel placenta

Is it an emergency?

• Foaling– “Red bag” births– Malposition of fetus– Any deviation from the 1-2-3 rule = contact

your vet - IMMEDIATELY

Until the vet arrives…

• Foaling– Red Bags: cut open bag with scissors (careful to not

cut baby) and assist delivery (pull when mare pushes)– Malpositions: get mare up and walking to reduce

abdominal push• Gather assistants!

Foals• Foal vitals

– Temperature: 99.5-102.5oF– Heart rate: 80-120bpm– Respiratory rate: 24-40bpm

• Foals should nurse about 7-10 times per hour and sleep in between

• Foals should be alert and easily excited when touched almost immediately after birth

Is it an emergency?• Foals: all sick foals (<2 weeks) are urgent!

– Are they nursing? Urinating?– Do they stand? Lie down in lateral recumbency– Are they alert?

• Foals have little energy (glucose) supply• Foals dehydrate very quickly if not nursing or

diarrhea present.

Be Prepared

• Foals– Catch and restrain mare, keep baby close and in sight,

give mom hay– Have foaling info available

• Foaling history• When problem started• Treatments given

The Vet Visit• Have as much information as possible

– Progression, vaccine history, environment, previous incidents, foaling history

– If possible, have this written

• If there is a possibility of going to a referral hospital:– Record treatments performed, medications given, and test results– Prepare transportation

• Ask about costs

Prevention is the Key• Maintain a safe environment

– Safe fencing, good ventilation, safe stalls• Keep horses “close to nature”

– Turnout and hay as much as possible, private foaling• Keep up with preventative care

– Vaccines, dentistry, deworming, hoof care• Routinely evaluate your program• Good daily observation is key!

– You can’t find what you don’t look for!

Any questions?

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