Equine Wellness

Keeping Your Horse Healthy

Comprehensive Equine Preventive Health programs include:

• Conducting an eye exam and dental exam
• Checking hair, coat, and skin
• Listening to the heartbeat, lungs and abdomen and recording vital signs (pulse, temperature, respiratory rate)
• Assessment of the horse's overall conditioning
• Evaluation of the horse's diet, level of activity, behavior and any changes since the last veterinary visit
• Analysis of posture and gait
• Administration of appropriate vaccinations and deworming medications

With the multitude of horse health care information available, how do you decide what's right for your horse? Everyone has some advice including: books, magazines, the internet, your farrier, the feed store operator and of course other horse owners. The reality is you need a specific program that meets your horse's individual requirements. A well designed program will save you money and help to prevent over medicating. An equine veterinarian has the education and experience to help you. Ask them to help you sift through the latest information on horse health care. You will find they are among the first to learn about advancements in health care, disease outbreaks, product complaints and other information affecting how you care for your horse.

Your wellness program should include periodic vaccinations, deworming, dentistry, nutritional evaluation to make sure your horse is getting what it needs and that you are not wasting money on unnecessary items. Not too long ago it was thought that foals, even from vaccinated mares, should begin receiving their own vaccinations within the first few months of birth. On-going research has shown that antibodies from the mare's milk, for some diseases (such as influenza), last much longer than originally thought. Therefore, the foal's first vaccinations can be given much later (at eight or nine months of age for influenza if the mare was vaccinated).

While the equine community has benefited greatly with the introduction of more effective dewormers, with the life style of many of our horses it is even more critical to plan for parasite control. Issues such as resistance, whether to use a daily dewormer or a purge dewormer along with the increasing importance of encysted small strongyles should be considered when you select products to protect your horse. In today's world, simply picking a product off the shelf may not provide the protection your horse needs. Combining the utilization of properly selected dewormers, regularly scheduled fecal examinations, and the establishment of environmental control measures will help to assure the health of your horse.

The feeding of more and more processed, pelletized feeds has caused equine dentistry to be transformed to a science. Proper dental care will help maintain your horse's weight and performance. In the wild state, horses spent their day grazing and consumed large quantities of roughage throughout the day, Today many of our horses spend their lives in paddock and stalls and are fed a concentrate two or three times a day causing our horses to do less chewing and grinding of teeth. This coupled with the fact that a horse's teeth are continually growing has made regular dental care to become an important health consideration. This becomes even more important as horses live longer and longer. Your horse's health plan should include regularly scheduled oral examinations along with preventive and corrective dental procedures appropriate for your horse's age and use.

By showing your veterinarian what and how you're feeding your horse, you will have an opportunity to ask questions about nutrition and review your procedures as you tour the feed shed and pasture. You may end up reducing the number of supplements you give your horse, reducing your feed costs. A penny spent can yield a dollar saved, consult with your veterinarian.

Sample Equine Preventive Health Care Program

The following procedures will enhance your horse's overall health:

Yearly physical exam - Complete in January, February or March

• Nutritional evaluation
• Coggin's test (Equine Infectious Anemia)
• Blood tests (Complete blood count and chemistry panel) for older horses

Annual Spring Vaccinations - Complete in March, April or May Minimum recommendation

• Rhinopneumonitis (Modified Live Virus Vaccine)
• Influenza (Intra-nasal only)
• Encephalitis (Eastern & Western and West Nile)
• Intra-nasal Strangles
• Tetanus every third year Optional, depending on exposure
• Potomac Horse Fever
• Rabies

Booster Vaccinations

• Rhinopneumonitis and Influenza Recommended in the fall for most horses (6 months after spring vaccinations), and every 3 or 4 months for high exposure animals
• Potomac Horse Fever Booster in mid-summer if first dose given prior to May 1

Regular deworming

• Complete every 8 weeks utilizing an appropriate rotation of products
• Ivermectin must be given after a killing frost in the fall to remove stomach bots & migrating bot larva
• The Pfizer Colic Assistance Program requires daily use of Strongid C® or Strongid C 2X®, and twice yearly Ivermectin treatment.

Annual dental examination and floating
If necessary, done in either spring or fall

Routine hoof care
Farrier visits every six to nine weeks, more often if needed

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Speaking Equine® Newsletters and other documents provided pursuant to this service are for informational purposes only. The information is provided "as information only" without warranty of any kind. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and use of the information. Speaking Equine and participating equine professionals strongly recommend that you consult a veterinarian before providing any medical treatment to animals.