Recent News for Digestive Tract Problems
Article
Administering Foal Enemas
June 01, 2001
With a newborn foal, you observe a checklist of progressive behaviors: Regular breaths, ears up, standing, and nursing. Once the foal has survived these adjustments to life after birth, you're tempted to sigh with relief (and go back to bed!).... Read More
Article
Gas Colic
June 01, 2001
Question and answer about gas colic in horses, including causes, symptoms/clinical signs, and recommended treatments in both adult horses and foals. Gas colic is an extremely common reason for horses to exhibit signs of abdominal pain.... Read More
Article
Gastric Ulcers: A Pain in the Gut
June 01, 2001
Over the last 10-12 years, veterinarians and researchers have documented an alarmingly high prevalence of gastric ulcers in horses. Worse, the prevalence seems to be even higher in horses in training, particularly racehorses. Of course, the rise... Read More
Article
Wildlife Disease: Contagious Critters
May 01, 2001
Diseases from other animals pose a constant threat to our horses. Disease-causing agents, or pathogens, lurk in local wildlife, fly overhead in birds, and lay in the next field inside cows peacefully chewing their cuds. These disease agents--whether ... Read More
Article
Parasite in Horses: A Primer
May 01, 2001
Even at low concentrations, internal parasites have a less than ideal impact on your horse's health and well-being. Parasites steal nutrients from their host and can leave him undernourished and anemic. They can produce open sores and intense itching... Read More
Article
Choke (Esophageal Obstruction)
April 01, 2001
The word choke for me conjures up images of someone hovering over a table, unable to talk or breathe because a piece of food has lodged in their trachea or windpipe--fortunately, the Heimlich maneuver usually rectifies the situation. Choke is... Read More
Article
Florida's Colic Research
February 01, 2001
Nothing is more agonizing than watching a horse struggle helplessly with colic. Research-ers at the Island Whirl Equine Colic Research Laboratory at the University of Florida's Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital are working tirelessly to... Read More
Article
Importance of Tapeworms in Colic
January 01, 2001
It is well recognized that there is a relationship between parasitic infections of horses and the clinical signs of colic. Parasites can cause colic through mechanical damage, allergic irritation, interference with nerve transmission,... Read More
Article
AAEP Convention Topics Preview: Fighting Infection
January 01, 2001
The latest information on scores of topics is presented at the AAEP convention; we can't report on them all, but we do try to bring you a representative sampling. This year, many of the topics can be grouped into five categories: fighting... Read More
Article
Final NAHMS Equine '98 Study Information Released
January 01, 2001
Lameness ranks as the most expensive health issue for horse owners nationwide (as compared to colic and EPM), according to the United States Department of Agriculture's National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Equine '98 Study. NAHMS... Read More
Article
Salmonella: Beware The Bacteria
November 01, 2000
Although it's ever-present, under normal conditions Salmonella will have little influence on your horse's heath. But, if he's stressed and his immune system is operating at less than full capacity, the bacteria can sneak in and strike.... Read More
Article
Holding Off on Treatment to "Save Money"
November 01, 2000
Often, holding off on treatment to save money in the form of vet bills results in longer, more expensive treatment, with the horse's performance or reproductive career being placed in jeopardy. ... Read More
Article
Colicky Olympian Recovers
November 01, 2000
The United States received a scare when Foltaire, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding and Olympic Dressage Team member, had a bout with colic at the Sydney International Equestrian Center. The horse, who is piloted by Guenter Seidel of Del Mar... Read More
Article
U.S. Olympic Dressage Horse Makes Speedy Recovery
September 01, 2000
Concerns over the health of U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) dressage horse Foltaire eased considerably Sept. 9 after he made a rapid recovery from a bout of colic. Foltaire, a 13-year-old, Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Dick and Jane Brow... Read More
Article
Feeding Sick Horses
August 01, 2000
Feeding a healthy horse is one thing; most of us have a pretty good understanding of what works and what doesn't. But feeding a horse who's sick, injured, or recovering from surgery is another.... Read More
Article
How Much Bute Is Too Much?
July 01, 2000
My veterinarian recently prescribed "Bute" when my gelding came up sore after an endurance ride. He advised a specific dosage, but I wonder if I could be helping my horse more by increasing the amount of Bute or giving it to him more often.... Read More
Article
New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association Announces Second Annual Scoping
June 01, 2000
The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Racing Association (NYTHA) is teaming up with Merial, a leading animal healthcare company, to bring free endoscopic ulcer screening to horses at Belmont Park. After a very successful program at Churchill Down... Read More
Article
Will My Horse Survive Colic Surgery?
May 01, 2000
For the record: I've endured the agony of seeing a beloved horse go through not one, but two surgeries -- the first a colic surgery, the second to treat postoperative complications -- and it was hell. If you've been there, you know what I'm... Read More
Article
Feeding Older Horses: Cuisine For The Golden Years
May 01, 2000
Horses which have been correctly fed all their lives are far more likely to live to a ripe old age than those which have been starved or those which have struggled with obesity and its frequent partner, laminitis.... Read More
Article
Common Problems and Their Signs
April 01, 2000
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... Read More
Article
Rotavirus in Foals
March 01, 2000
"But we've never had rotavirus in our foals." Read on and consider yourself lucky if your foals have never had rotavirus and you have breezed through the past foaling seasons sans diarrhea. With the increasing transportation of horses comes the... Read More
Article
Dealing With Sand Colic
February 01, 2000
The lulling sound of waves slowly rolling in and out. A nice, sandy beach. Great scenarios vacation-wise, but a crisis in the making when applied to your horse's gut sounds and abdominal radiographic post cards. Diagnosis: Sand colic. ... Read More
Article
Foal Heat Diarrhea
February 01, 2000
Can you please tell me what foal heat diarrhea is, and what causes it? Some people say it's because of the mare's hormones being transferred in her milk during foal heat, but other people have said that is an old wives' tale.... Read More
Article
Your Horse's Gastrointestinal Health: A Contented Colon
January 01, 2000
If you have a veterinary textbook somewhere on your shelves, chances are you've seen one of those photos of a sick horse's innards-miles and miles of wet, purplish loops of intestine, spilling out in all directions. The poor equine posing for... Read More
Article
100 Years of Horse Health Care
January 01, 2000
Standing on the fresh field of a brand new century, we look eagerly-if sometimes cautiously-toward the horizon and the unknown future awaiting us. We hope that, in the months and years to come, we will solve problems long puzzled over and finish... Read More
