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.