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PAY ME NOW OR PAY ME LATER A television commercial ended with this rather succinct comment by a smiling service station owner, "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later." The thrust of the message was that if automobile owners didn't spend the money up front on maintenance and servicing, it would cost them a good deal later in the form of major repair work. It is a lot like that in the equine world.
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COMMON PROBLEMS AND THEIR SIGNS
The ability to recognize abnormalities depends greatly on a person's knowledge of what is normal. The greater someone's knowledge of normal anatomy, physiology, behavior, and environment of a given animal, the more likely that person is to recognize subtle differences that might be the beginning of a disease process. There can be great differences between individual animals, and caregivers need to recognize that fact. For example, there are some horses which almost never lie down, and there are some that lie down frequently. If a horse which never lies down suddenly starts lying down frequently, it could be a sign of trouble. MORE...
More information:
Common Problems and Their Signs: Part Two
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DENTISTRY
It makes little difference if you are new to horse ownership or a seasoned professional, you probably aren't as familiar as you would like to be with the expanding field of equine dentistry. Horse owners have many questions about proper dental care for their equine charges.
"My horse is only three years old. He doesn't need his teeth looked at...does he?"
"How often should my broodmares be examined?"
"What about my daughter's 4-H mount?" MORE...
More information:
AAEP 2002: Geriatric Dentistry
AAEP Convention 2001: Bits and Bitting
More dentistry articles
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DEWORMING/PARASITES
Internal parasites are insidious culprits. They steal, damage, and even kill. The worst part of the whole scenario is that they can't be totally eliminated, only controlled. In the theft department, internal parasites rob in two ways: First, they steal nutrients from the horse's body; second, they take money from the owner's pocket in the form of lost food value. Adding to the problem is the fact that there are many types of parasites, and each seems to have its own unique way of attacking its host--your horse. MORE...
More information:
Tapeworms Implicated in Some Types of Colic
Ivermectin/Praziquantel Safe For Pregnant Mares And Foals
More deworming/parasite articles
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SUPPLEMENTS: MAKE SURE YOU GET WHAT YOU'RE PAYING FOR
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Picking the right product won't do your horse much good if you don't store it properly. More often than not, bulk supplement tubs, pails, or bags are not fully resealed after each use. Some are even left uncapped, exposing them to the harmful effects of oxygen and moisture. Each daily SmartPak is sealed with a foil/polymer lid that protects from such loss of potency. And with SmartPaks you know your supplements have been protected from other potential contaminants found in the barn environment like mold, dust, and vermin. And because some supplements can react with others, SmartPaks are designed with separate compartments for each supplement to protect against potential potency-robbing cross-reactions. Visit our web site at www.SmartPakEquine.com to find out more! |
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GROOMING
Wouldn't it be nice if clipping and bathing your horse were as simple as giving yourself a shave and a shampoo? You'd be done in 15 minutes or less, with no fuss and no frustration. But for many horse owners, clipping and bathing are among the most challenging barn chores, especially when you're dealing with a young, scared, or impatient horse. With some common sense, a hefty dose of patience, and spare time on your hands, you can make clipping and bathing safe, efficient, and positive experiences for you and your four-hooved friend, whether it's his first or 50th time under the blades (or the hose).
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More information:
Grooming for Health
More grooming articles
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HOOF CARE
Why do we ask farriers to take knives and nippers (and sometimes a whole lot more) to our horses' feet every six weeks? For many of us, it has always been just one of those things you knew you had to do if you had horses. And we might have also wondered how to evaluate the trim when it was done.
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More information:
Phew! Stinky Feet!
Hoof Dressings: What Studies Show
Can You Influence Hoof Growth?
Barefoot Benefits
Basics of Breakover
More hoof care articles
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MEDICATIONS
All drugs can be toxic if used incorrectly. There are drugs that can be toxic at regular therapeutic doses if certain predisposing factors exist, and it is necessary to know what side effects can occur if there is an adverse reaction. This includes vaccines. Many people perform their own vaccinations to cut down on expenses; if you are going to take on this responsibility, you must also take on the responsibility of learning about what can happen if something goes wrong. MORE...
More information:
Good and Bad Drugs
What You Don't Know Could Hurt
NSAIDs: Pain Relief or Pain in the Gut?
How Much Bute Is Too Much?
Use and Abuse of Natural Products
Antibiotics: Use and Abuse
Rx: Responsible Drug Use
Administering Medications
More medication articles
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POLL RESULTS: WHO VACCINATES YOUR HORSES?
- I do (I'm a vet). 15 (1.69%)
- I do (I'm not a vet). 416 (46.90%)
- My veterinarian does. 436 (49.15%)
- The barn staff handles it. 9 (1.01%)
- My horse doesn't get vaccinations. 11 (1.24%)
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Total Votes: 887 |
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NUTRITION
An important nutrition fundamental is how the horse digests feed and makes use of the nutrients he eats. Although it is not necessary for you to become bogged down in the intricacies of equine digestive physiology, a basic understanding of how the horse digests feed is necessary to help you select appropriate diets and feeding practices. MORE...
More information:
Recent Developments in Equine Nutrition
Putting Weight on Hard Keepers
How Does Your Horse Score?
More nutrition articles
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OLDER HORSE CARE
A Horse/Human Age Relationship Chart was released in January 2003 that seeks to better explain the relationship between the stages of life for humans and horses. This new information reveals that, beginning at birth, horses age 6.5 years for each human year until puberty. Once a horse reaches age four, that rate slows to 2.5 years for each human year. MORE...
More information:
Feeding the Older Horse
On the Road Again
AAEP 2002: Thyroid Function in Horses with Peripheral Cushing's Syndrome
The Aging Equine
Conditioning the Older Horse
More older horse care articles
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SKIN PROBLEMS
We used to call it the "creeping crud"--a colorful, youthful label applicable to any gross-out skin disease the horse happened to have (and not to be confused with the cold-and-flu-like symptoms in humans that earned the same appellation). Besides the crud, there were also those weird little bumps that could show up now and then on the horse--not quite as disgusting, but unpleasant nevertheless. MORE...
More information:
Hair Loss
Hives
Melanomas: Gray Horses vs. Solid-Colored Horses
More skin problem articles
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SUBSCRIBE ONLINE AND SAVE!
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renew your subscription) and save up to 70% off the newsstand price! This all-breed, all-discipline publication is dedicated to providing breaking health news and practical information, compiled in an easy-to-use format, and monitored by a panel of experts from the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
As a bonus, you get the next edition of our annual special issue of The Horse Source equine industry directory, a $25 value, FREE with your paid subscription to The Horse!*
* Orders received after publication receive the next edition.
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VACCINATIONS
You've just got to love the way the first vaccine research was conducted. In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner noticed that dairy workers who caught cowpox (a mild disease) did not get smallpox (a deadly, virulent disease). So Jenner took material from a cowpox sore and scratched it into the arm of a healthy, 8-year-old boy. After said boy came down with cowpox, Jenner then scratched material from a smallpox sore into the child's arm. To presumably everyone's great relief (especially the boy's), the youngster remained healthy and did not develop smallpox. MORE...
More information:
Vaccine Licensing
The Equine Immune System
More vaccination articles
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VITAL SIGNS/PHYSICAL EXAM
Temperature, pulse, and respiration (TPR) are the absolute basics every horse owner or caretaker should know if they want to take the best care of their animals. These three vital signs are just the bare bones of a physical examination, but they can greatly help you--and your veterinarian--when you think your horse might be sick. Just knowing these three values for your horse can give your veterinarian great insight as to just how sick or injured your horse could be. MORE...
More information:
The Basic Physical Examination
Look Into His Eyes
Emergency Care
More articles on vital signs/physical examination
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HORSE HEALTH CARE SERIES
The Horse Health Care Series, published by Eclipse Press, contains all 21 comprehensive volumes from the popular "Understanding" library. Understanding Basic Horse Care, Understanding the Eye, and Understanding Equine Lameness are just a few of the many titles in this series. This set makes a great gift that establishes a complete and invaluable equine reference library for the serious horse owner. Order the entire series from ExclusivelyEquine.com and receive FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING.
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WINTER CARE
Winter weather can be responsible for stress that compromises a horse's health. The good news is that we, as caretakers, can alleviate that stress or even prevent it from occurring. Trail horses which are "put up" for the winter or racehorses in certain parts of the country which are expected to perform as well in the cold of winter as they do in the heat of summer, or horses which show, then are put outside, merit special concern and attention. MORE...
More information:
Internal Combustion
Clipping the Coat
Strategic Layoffs
Water Temperature and Drinking Behavior
Safe Travel in Winter
Winter Shelter
Frostbite
More winter care articles
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POLL RESULTS: DO YOU BLANKET YOUR HORSE?
- All the time: 176 (16.71%)
- Yes--his wardrobe is bigger than mine: 106 (10.07%)
- Only on cold days: 359 (34.09%)
- No: 412 (39.13%)
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Total Votes: 1,053 |
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WOUND MANAGEMENT
Wound care is one of those many horse issues where there are as many opinions as there are horse owners. There are hundreds of agents (both commercial and homemade) available to paint, spray, smear, gob on, and cover wounds. You can use yellow ones, black ones, red ones, purple ones, and some people have tried very strange ones (used motor oil, for example). However, many available wound concoctions have actually been shown to delay wound healing or damage the tissue.
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More information:
Wounds in Horses
Catastrophic Wounds and Treatments
Antimicrobials and Wound Healing
Puncture Wounds
Wrapping It Up
More wound management articles
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