In This Chapter
In this chapter, you discover the
telltale signs of a horse who’s at the peak of health. If you plan on adding
another horse to your family, you also find out how to make sure that horse is
in good health. After you can recognize the signs of health in a horse, you’ll
be quick to tell when your horse isn’t feeling well.
Tip
A great way of keeping track of whether all is well is to groom and go over your horse’s body every day. Check out Chapter Getting Up to Speed on Routine Care for details on grooming tasks such as brushing your horse and cleaning her hooves.
Gauging the Signs of a Healthy Horse
Whether you own a foal or a
senior, a draft horse or a miniature, you can tell whether your horse is
feeling ill by looking at a number of different factors. Each of the following
factors alone or combined with other elements can tell you whether your horse
is fighting an illness. If you suspect that your horse is sick, either based on
the results of checking the following different aspects of her health or for
any other reason, call a veterinarian right away.
Remember
One of the greatest benefits of being able to recognize the signs of a healthy horse (versus an unhealthy one) is that you can share important information with your veterinarian. Should you need to call the vet to report a problem with your horse, being able to pass along specific details on the horse’s condition will help the vet determine whether or not your horse needs to be seen right away. Knowing what’s normal for your horse when she’s feeling her best enables both you and your veterinarian to determine whether your horse needs veterinary care when she’s under the weather.
A normal temperature
If your horse is off her feed or
just doesn’t seem right, check her temperature. You probably know that 98.6
degrees Fahrenheit is considered a normal temperature for a human being. Horses
have a normal temperature too, which is slightly higher than that of their
human companions. A healthy adult horse has a body temperature of 99.5 to 101.4
degrees Fahrenheit. Healthy young horses, specifically foals and yearlings, can
have slightly higher temperatures.
Environmental factors can affect
a horse’s temperature. A horse may have a higher temperature if the weather is
particularly hot (or a lower-than-normal temperature if the weather is cold),
or if the horse has just finished exercising or eating. Time of day can also be
a factor: body temperatures of both horses and humans tend to be higher in the
afternoon than in the earlier or later times of the day. Nerves can also affect
a horse’s body temperature, causing it to rise slightly.
Warning!
If a horse’s temperature is lower than 97 degrees Fahrenheit, something isn’t right with her body, and she may be suffering from shock, chill, or a serious illness. If her temperature is higher than 102, she’s likely battling an infection of some kind, is dangerously overheated, or is colicky. Body temperatures below 97 or above 102 warrant an immediate call to the vet.
Taking your horse’s temperature
isn’t as easy as taking your own. Unlike humans, horses don’t have the ability
to hold a thermometer under their tongue, and you can’t insert it in their ear.
Instead, you have to go the old-fashioned route, the one that your mother
probably used to take your temperature when you were a baby. The job must be
done rectally.
Before you can take your horse’s
temperature, you need to purchase a veterinary thermometer from a pet supply or
tack store. Veterinary thermometers have a loop at the end, and you can tie
some string or yarn onto the device, making it easier to hold onto while taking
the horse’s temperature.
You need lubricant, too. K-Y
Jelly or another human-grade lubricant is sufficient. Stay away from petroleum
jelly because it can irritate the sensitive lining of the rectum. In a pinch,
you can use your own saliva as a lubricant.
Follow this procedure to find out
your horse’s temperature (be sure to halter and tie her first):
1. Prepare the thermometer.
Make sure that the thermometer reads 96 degrees or below by shaking it down first.
2. Lubricate the thermometer.
Apply a good amount (about an inch) of lubricant to the thermometer’s tip so that it slides in easily.
3. Prepare your horse.
Some horses are very calm when you take their temperature; others freak out. If you have the kind of horse who doesn’t appreciate the procedure, untie her and ask someone to hold the lead rope while you insert the thermometer. Position the horse against a wall so that she can’t move away from you. Be patient and try to reassure the horse that nothing terrible is about to happen to her.
4. Insert the thermometer.
Stand to the side of the horse and not directly behind her so that you don’t get kicked if the horse reacts violently to insertion of the thermometer. (Figure 2-1 shows you how to stand before inserting the thermometer.) Hold the thermometer at an angle parallel to the horse’s back, lift the tail, and slowly insert the thermometer about 3 inches into the horse’s rectum. The thermometer should slide in gently.
Tip
If the thermometer stops part way in and won’t move forward, don’t force it. Instead, pull it out and reinsert, angling it slightly up or down until it gently slides in.
5. Wait three minutes.
Keep the thermometer inside the horse’s rectum for three minutes, holding onto the end or the string the entire time.
6. Read the thermometer.
After three minutes, you can remove the thermometer and read it. Be sure to wash your thermometer in soap and lukewarm water and dip it in rubbing alcohol after every reading. Don’t forget to wash your hands, too.
Figure 2-1: When you take
a horse’s temperature, stand to the side and not directly behind her.
Pink gums
It may not have occurred to you
that you can tell the state of your horse’s health by looking at her gums, but
in fact, you can. The gums can be a good indicator of digestive health and
blood flow. Different colors mean different things:
- A healthy horse has gums that are a pinkish color. This color indicates, via the horse’s mucous membranes, that she has good blood flow in her body.
- Horses who are suffering from colic, shock, or illness may have pale gums that are almost white.
- Horses who have an illness or fever may have bright red gums.
- Horses suffering from poor circulation may have bluish gums.
Check your horse’s gums when she’s
feeling fine so that you get a sense of what her normal gum color looks like.
That way, if you suspect that she’s ill, you have something to compare the
color to.
Warning!
Gum color alone isn’t usually the sole indicator of trouble for a horse, but combined with signs of colic or other types of distress, it can indicate a severe condition that requires a phone call to the vet. See Chapter Tackling Common Ailments for more about colic.
If you’ve never looked at your
horse’s gums before, halter your horse and follow this procedure to get it
done. Having a helper is best, but if you can’t find anyone to assist you, you
can do it alone.
1. Secure the horse.
Have your helper hold the lead rope for you. If no helper is available, hold the lead rope in your left hand.
2. Prepare the horse for your
approach.
Stand at the left side of the horse near her muzzle. Talk to your horse and reassure her, and stroke her on the cheek a few times.
3. Lift her lip.
With your palm facing the horse’s face, gently lift the side of your horse’s lip until you can see her gums.
4. Finish up.
When you’re able to get a good look at the color, you can drop her lip.
Tip
If your horse struggles when you try to lift her lip, continue a few more times. If she absolutely won’t allow you to touch her mouth, a vet will have to check it for you.
Gut sounds
The digestive system is one of
the most delicate and crucial systems in a horse’s body (as you find out in
Chapter Introducing
the Anatomy of a Horse). Because horses are unable to vomit, whatever they consume must be
passed, regardless of what it is or how it may affect the digestive system.
Horses who are suffering from
colic, which is another term for abdominal pain, may be experiencing a problem
in their digestive system. In most cases, colic causes the digestive system to
shut down. The result is that gut sounds — the noises the stomach and
intestines make as they’re working normally — aren’t present.
Warning!
If a horse appears to be showing signs of colic, such as pacing and sweating, straining to urinate or defecate, pawing at the ground, rolling repeatedly, standing in a stretched-out position, or kicking and biting at her sides, you may be able to get a sense of how serious her condition may be by listening for gut sounds. A horse with no gut sounds is a horse in trouble — and in need of a vet. However, the presence of gut sounds doesn’t always indicate normal gut motility or health.
You can listen for gut sounds in
one of two ways, either with a stethoscope (the best way) or your naked ear.
Whichever you use, halter your horse and follow this procedure:
1. Secure the horse.
Tie your horse, or have someone hold the lead rope for you.
2. Find gut sounds.
Place your ear or stethoscope on your horse’s barrel, just behind her last rib. Listen for several seconds for gurgling sounds. (See Figure 2-2 to get an idea of where to listen.)
Figure 2-2: Place your ear
or the stethoscope on your horse’s barrel, just behind her last rib.
3. Check the other side.
If you don’t hear sounds on the side that you’re checking, move to the other side of the horse and listen again.
4. Assess the results.
If you hear gurgling sounds, your horse’s digestive system may still be functioning. If you don’t hear gurgling sounds, your horse is in trouble.
Either way, if your horse is
showing symptoms of colic, with or without gut sounds, you need to call the
vet. Your assessment of the presence or absence of gut sounds is important
information to convey to your veterinarian.
Good manure
A sure sign of a healthy equine
digestive system is good manure. Although examining your horse’s poop every day
may seem silly, keeping an eye on it can really help you stay in touch with
your horse’s well-being.
Good manure indicates that a
horse is properly processing her food. It shows that she’s drinking enough
water and that her system is passing feces in a productive manner.
If you break apart horse manure,
you see that it’s made up of digested plant material. Healthy horse manure
comes out in moist, firm, round balls. It shouldn’t be runny or unformed. Nor
should it be hard and dry. (See Figure 2-3 for a picture of healthy manure.)
Figure 2-3: Healthy manure
should look like firm, round, moist balls of digested hay.
Horses defecate several times a day, depending on how much and how often they eat. A horse who eats three meals of hay per day eliminates anywhere from five to eight piles of manure. These piles translate to about 31 pounds of poop per day. This number varies from horse to horse, so take note of how much manure your horse produces when she’s healthy to help you determine whether something isn’t right on the day she doesn’t seem to be feeling well. If you see that her manure output is lower than normal, even though she’s eating as much as usual, keep a close eye on her. Her intestines may be slowing down due to a problem.
Warning!
Horses who produce no manure at all throughout the day even though they have eaten are in trouble. Something is preventing the manure from passing through the intestine, and a blockage is sure to occur. This blockage could be the result of anything from lack of water intake to an abundance of sand in the intestine. Only a vet can determine the actual cause behind the lack of manure production.
A healthy appetite
Horses are big eaters by nature —
they’re designed to consume food 18 hours per day. That’s why they never turn
down a meal or a snack — unless they’re under the weather.
Horses eat anywhere from 1.5 to 3
percent of their body weight every day. If you’re around your horse at
mealtime, you no doubt notice her eating habits. Most horses who are kept
stabled eagerly await their meals and dive right into them when they’re served.
Horses kept on pasture graze almost all day and into the night if grass is
available.
Horses who are sick turn their
nose up at foods that they normally enjoy. They may sample a little and then
walk away. Or they may show no interest at all. A horse who won’t eat is a very
sick horse and needs veterinary care right away.
Warning!
On the other hand, just because a horse is eating doesn’t mean that she’s healthy. Many horses with serious illnesses maintain their normal appetite through much of their sickness. They may start turning down food only at the most acute stage of the disease or condition.
If your horse won’t eat, or isn’t
eating as much as is normal for her, she’s not feeling well. If she shows other
signs of illness but is still eating, don’t assume that she’s okay; contact
your vet immediately.
A normal pulse
Just like people, horses have a
normal, resting pulse rate. The pulse rate indicates how many beats per minute
your horse’s heart is pumping. When horses are exercising, their pulse rate
increases normally. When they’re ill, under extreme stress, or in pain, their
pulse rate quickens.
For most adult horses, a normal
resting pulse rate is 28 to 40 beats per minute. This number can vary
substantially based on breed and age, however. Knowing your horse’s normal
pulse rate when she’s feeling well gives you something to compare it with if
she seems to be under the weather.
Taking your horse’s pulse takes a
little bit of practice. Locating the pulse can be hard at first, but if you
keep trying, you’ll get the hang of it. After you halter and tie your horse,
follow these steps to take her pulse:
1. Find the pulse.
Put the tips of your index, ring, and middle fingers behind the horse’s girth on the left side; on the inside of the foreleg; or under the jawbone, below the jowls. You can detect the pulse in all these areas. Figure 2-4 shows you one spot where you can look for the pulse. (See Chapter Introducing the Anatomy of a Horse for a diagram showing the parts of the horse.)
2. Count the beats.
When you find the pulse, start counting the beats for 15 seconds, using a watch or a clock with a second hand.
3. Calculate the rate.
Multiply the number you get by four — that’s your horse’s heart rate per minute.
Take your horse’s pulse when
she’s healthy so that you know her normal pulse rate. Having this information
will be valuable to your veterinarian if your horse becomes ill. It gives the
vet a baseline reading for comparison.
Figure 2-4: Find your horse’s
pulse by placing the tips of your fingers under the jawbone, below the jowls.
Normal respiration
The way a horse breathes can be a
good indicator of her health. Horses at rest with abnormal respiration, or
breathing rate, are likely not feeling well. They may have a fever, they may be
experiencing pain, or they may be having trouble taking in air.
Respiration is the
inhalation and exhalation of air into and out of the lungs. Normal respiration
rate for a horse from weanling to adult age — and who hasn’t been active for at
least 20 minutes — is 8 to 16 complete breaths in one minute.
Determining how many breaths per
minute your horse is taking is easy. All you need to do is watch her breathing
while you count. Halter and tie your horse, wait until she’s quiet, and then
follow these steps (and take a look at Figure 2-5) to check your horse’s
breathing:
1. Count breaths.
Using a watch or clock with a second hand, count the times her flanks (or area between her barrel and thigh) expand outward in 15 seconds. (See Chapter Introducing the Anatomy of a Horse for parts of the horse.)
2. Calculate the number.
Multiply the number of breaths by four. The resulting amount is the number of breaths per minute.
Take your horse’s respiration
rate when she’s healthy so that you have a baseline reading to compare with
when your horse is under the weather.
Figure 2-5: Count the number
of times your horse’s flanks move to determine the respiration rate.
A relaxed attitude
When a horse is feeling well, she
tends to have a relaxed attitude when she’s at rest. Her muscles are void of
tension, she has a calm expression, and she seems to be enjoying life. (See
Figure 2-6 for a picture of a horse with a relaxed attitude.) Horses who are
sick, on the other hand, tend to be tense or depressed. They may have taut
muscles, or they may stand with their heads hanging down.
Remember
Familiarity with your horse and horses in general can help you determine whether a horse’s demeanor is relaxed or distraught. Relaxed horses tend to doze, eat, and interact with other horses with a quiet manner. Sick horses, however, become either aggressive or submissive with other horses, sleep too much or not enough, and eat in an anxious manner or not at all. If you notice these behaviors in your horse and see some of the other symptoms covered in this chapter as well, call your veterinarian.
Figure 2-6: Horses with a
relaxed attitude have a calm, peaceful expression.
Bright eyes
The expression says, “The eyes
are the window to the soul,” and this is most certainly true of horses. You can
tell a lot about a horse’s health by looking at her eyes. A horse with healthy
eyes is most likely a horse with a healthy body. Look for the following signs:
- Healthy equine eyes are bright and alert. They’re clear and lacking in discharge. The horse holds them wide open when you approach her, and you see no swelling or redness.
- Horses who are in moderate pain or who are seriously ill have a dull look in their eyes. They may keep one or both eyes half-closed or completely shut. Their eyes may be runny, swollen, and/or a reddish color where white sclera (the part of the eye that surrounds the iris) should be.
- When a horse is in acute pain, her eyes are wide open, and white sclera will show. Horses in this much pain often behave in an anxious manner as well.
Check your horse’s eyes daily.
Stand to the side of your horse, and concentrate on her eye. Make sure that
it’s open, bright, clear, and not runny. Peek into the corners and edges
without touching the eye, and look for warts or growths. Do the same thing on
the other side with the other eye.
Warning!
If your horse’s eyes appear irritated, swollen, runny, or cloudy, call your vet. Mild irritation may be the result of dust or wind, but any dramatic change in your horse’s eyes should be evaluated by a vet. Horses with a cloudy or milky looking eye(s) may have an eye disease or injury and should be evaluated by a veterinarian immediately.
A shiny coat
A shiny coat is a sign of good
health in a horse. In the summertime, after a horse sheds her coat, the hair
should be glossy and slick. Horses who are seriously ill or infested with
internal parasites develop a dull, unattractive coat. Horses who are
malnourished also have a coat that’s lacking in shine.
Tip
In the wintertime, many horses grow thick, wooly coats to help them ward off the cold. These bushy coats are often too dense to have any real sheen to them. The best time of year to judge a horse’s coat is in late spring or summer when the winter coat has shed out and been replaced with a shorter coat.
If your horse doesn’t shed her
winter coat, or is slower to do it than other horses who live near her, she may
be overburdened with intestinal parasites, or she may be developing Cushing’s
syndrome (see Chapter Tackling
Common Ailments for more information on Cushing’s syndrome). Call your
veterinarian for a checkup.
The right weight
Horses who are either underweight
or overweight are inherently unhealthy. Figures 2-7, 2-8, and 2-9 give you an
idea of what underweight, just-right, and overweight horses look like.
- An underweight horse has a sunken rump, a cavity under the tail, easily visible ribs, and a prominent backbone. Horses who are underweight often suffer from a lack of energy. They have trouble staying warm in cold weather, and they’re more susceptible to illness than a horse at normal weight.
- A horse at a good weight has a rounded rump, ribs that are covered but easily felt, and no crest to the neck.
- An overweight horse has a well-rounded rump, a gutter along the back, ribs and a pelvis that are hard to feel, and a slight crest to the neck. Overweight horses are at great risk for leg problems, particularly laminitis (see Chapter Tackling Common Ailments for more about this condition). They also become winded sooner than fit horses do, and they may develop other health problems as a result of their weight.
Figure 2-7: An underweight
horse. (Dr. Janice Sojka, Purdue University)
Figure 2-8: A horse at a good
weight. (Dr. Janice Sojka, Purdue University)
Figure 2-9: An overweight horse.
(Bob Langrish)
One way to judge your horse’s
weight is to eyeball her. Using Figures 2-7, 2-8, and 2-9 as a guide, you can
determine whether your horse is underweight or overweight. To get the
approximate weight of your horse — which is helpful when determining whether
your horse has lost or gained weight — halter and tie your horse securely on
level ground, and then follow these steps (see Figure 2-10 for help):
1. Measure the girth.
Use a measuring tape to measure your horse’s girth, about 4 inches behind the front legs. Start at the withers and wrap the tape all the way around until it meets the end of the tape. It should be tight enough that it puts a slight depression on the flesh. (See Chapter Introducing the Anatomy of a Horse for an illustration showing the parts of the horse.)
2. Measure the length.
Next, measure the length of your horse, starting at the point of the shoulder, near the chest, to the point of the buttock.
3. Do it again.
Repeat these measurements several times to ensure accuracy.
4. Do some math.
Take the girth measurement and multiply it by itself (square it, in other words). Then multiply this number by the length measurement. Divide this number by 330. The answer is your horse’s weight.
The formula is:
(Girth2 × Length) ÷ 330 = Weight
So if your horse measures 68 inches around the girth, and 74 inches in length, she weighs approximately 1,036 pounds:
(682 × 74) ÷ 330 = 1,036
Many horses fall in this weight range, but your horse’s height and breed may cause this number to vary by several hundred pounds in either direction. Have your veterinarian evaluate your horse’s weight and advise you on whether your horse needs to lose or gain weight — or is just right.
Figure 2-10: Measure your
horse’s girth and length to determine her weight.
Remember
Keeping a horse at the right weight can be a challenge. Each horse’s metabolism is different, and too much food for one horse isn’t enough for another. Getting to know your horse and what type of feed and amounts have the most positive effect on her body is your task as a horse owner. Chapter Your Hungry Horse: Feeding Fundamentals can help you determine the best diet for your equine companion. Your veterinarian should be able to help you come up with a feeding plan that’s right for your horse.
Adding Another Healthy Horse to the Family
Horses are like potato chips, and
if you don’t already have more than one, you’ll probably get another one soon
enough. But before you add another horse to the family, make sure that the
animal you’re considering is healthy. This step helps ensure the health of your
existing horse, and prevents you from taking on an animal with conditions that
need to be treated.
Recognizing general signs of health before you buy
Remember
When looking at a horse that you’re thinking of buying or adopting, ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the horse have an alert attitude?
- Does the horse have an appetite?
- Can he walk, trot, and canter without limping or stumbling?
- Are his eyes clear and bright?
- Is his coat shiny?
- Does he have healthy-looking manure?
- Is his nose free from thick, white, yellow, or green discharge?
If you can say yes to all these
questions, the horse has passed the first, most cursory health test. If you say
no to even one of these questions, call your vet right away (see the next
section for details).
Getting a vet check
The best way to determine whether
a horse you’re planning to add to the family is healthy is to hire a
veterinarian to do a thorough pre-purchase exam. During a pre-purchase exam, or
vet check, an equine veterinarian takes a close look at the horse to determine
whether the animal is healthy.
The veterinarian examines the
horse in the following manner:
- The vet looks in the horse’s eyes, listens to his heart and lungs, and checks his gut sounds to make sure that the digestive system is in good working order.
- The vet looks for signs of lameness. He or she watches the horse trot on hard ground, and performs a flexion test, which involves bending each of the horse’s legs and holding the hoof tight against the elbow or stifle and then watching the horse’s trot immediately afterward. This test helps determine whether the horse has issues with one or more legs. The horse may limp on any of the legs that may have problems.
The vet will also evaluate the hooves with the hoof testers. This evaluation involves taking a tool called a hoof tester and squeezing the top and bottom of the horse’s foot. If the horse pulls away or twitches, it indicates pain, which in turn may indicate a problem.
Tip
If the veterinarian finds issues with any of the horse’s legs during the lameness exam, you may want to take X-rays to help determine exactly what may be causing the problem.
- You may want the veterinarian to do blood work. Blood work can consist of a basic blood panel, where the vet checks the horse’s red and white blood count and other areas of the blood that indicate overall health.
After the exam is completed, the vet discusses the results with you. The veterinarian can help you determine whether the horse is the right choice for you, depending on what you plan to do with the horse after you buy it. Whether you buy the horse is ultimately up to you.
by Audrey Pavia with Kate Gentry-Running,DVM,CVA
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