Examining and Treating Equine Health Troubles

 In This Chapter

• Knowing when to call the vet
• Preventing colic and other common illnesses
• Recognizing lameness
• Administering first aid to wounds
• Stocking up with first-aid essentials
• Deciding on euthanasia

People who spend significant amounts of time around horses often wonder about the sanity of the guy who coined the phrase, “Healthy as a horse.” Horses are notorious for getting sick. Whether a self-inflicted injury, a bout with colic that requires surgery, or simply the arthritis that comes with old age, horses seem to require more veterinary attention than do cats or dogs. In fact, a vet has to treat the average horse about twice a year — not including preventative care.

Okay, now we’ve scared you. But really, you don’t need to panic. The majority of vet calls are for fairly common problems that the vet resolves with short-term treatment — as long as you address the problem right away.

In this chapter, we show you some of the more common ailments and conditions that can afflict your equine friend during his lifetime. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to recognize early symptoms of these ailments and get help for your horse in a timely manner.

Tracking Symptoms (and Recognizing an Emergency)

Not every equine ailment requires a frantic phone call to the nearest veterinarian. You can deal with some problems at home, or at least monitor them before making that call.

Remember

If your horse ever appears sick, you need to take his temperature before you call the veterinarian. Taking your horse’s temperature isn’t the most fun part of owning a horse, but you still need to know how to do it. The horse’s temperature helps the vet decide whether the situation is an emergency or can wait until later, or the next day.

Tip

Before you can take your horse’s temperature, you need to purchase a veterinary thermometer from a pet supply or tack store, or you can simply buy a human rectal thermometer. (Most thermometers are digital these days.) Veterinary thermometers are better because they have a loop at the end; 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.

Here’s how you actually do the deed:

1. Prepare the thermometer. If your thermometer is the old-fashioned mercury type, shake it down so it reads 96°F (35.5°C) or below. If the thermometer is digital, simply turn it on.

2. Lubricate the thermometer. Apply a good amount of lubricant to the thermometer’s tip so 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 that doesn’t appreciate the procedure, ask someone to hold the horse’s head before you insert the thermometer and position the horse against a wall so he can’t move away from you. Be patient and try to reassure the horse that nothing terrible is about to happen to him.

4. Insert the thermometer. Stand to the side of and not directly behind the horse. 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. If the thermometer stops part way in and won’t move forward, do not force it. Instead, pull it out and reinsert again, 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 (or when the thermometer beeps), you can remove the thermometer and read it. Normal adult equine body temperature ranges from 99–101°F (37–38°C). Foals are 100–102°F (37.5–39°C). If your horse’s temperature is above or below normal, call a veterinarian immediately.

Remember

Here are physical signs to look for when your horse seems under the weather. If your horse has one or more of these symptoms, the condition is an emergency that warrants a call to and a possible visit from the vet:

- Bleeding: If your horse is bleeding heavily from any place on his body, try applying pressure to stop the flow. Even if you can stop the bleeding, call the vet. (See “Taking Care of Horse Wounds” later in this chapter for details on how to control bleeding.)

- Blood in urine: If you see your horse urinating blood, a severe infection or bladder injury is a possibility.

- Choking: A horse is choking if he coughs and salivates with his head down while watery food exits his nose and mouth, backs away from his food, acts anxious, and/or swallows repeatedly. A horse chokes when food is trapped in the esophagus. The food doesn’t block the airway, so the horse can still breathe, but you nevertheless must call the vet right away. The trapped food can cause damage that will result in scarring and subsequent narrowing of the diameter of the esophagus. This narrowing causes the horse to be more prone to choking in the future.

- Colic: If your horse is sweating profusely, lying down and getting up, pawing the ground, standing with his legs outstretched, rolling, and/or biting at his abdomen, he’s suffering from colic. Remove his food and lead him around at a walk until the vet arrives. We cover colic in detail later in this chapter.

Not all colic symptoms are severe. If you see your horse behaving in any way that indicates he may be having even slight stomach pain, you still need to call a veterinarian.

Tip

If you see signs of colic but aren’t sure whether your horse is actually sick, a good way to tell is to offer him a carrot. No healthy horse ever turns down a carrot. If your horse refuses it, he’s suffering from abdominal distress or some other health problem and needs to see a vet right away.

- Diarrhea: Severe, very liquid, foul-smelling diarrhea can be life-threatening.

- Inability to stand: A horse that cannot or will not stand up is a very sick horse. A horse that staggers or has trouble staying on his feet also is in an emergency situation.

- Injury: Wounds that are deep or that expose the bone are emergencies, and so are puncture wounds, which can easily become infected. You also need to contact your vet if a less serious injury that doesn’t require sutures begins to appear infected.

- Labored breathing: Rapid breathing, raspy breath, or heavy coughing can be life-threatening for a horse.

- Painful eye: Call the vet if one or both of your horse’s eyes suddenly becomes teary, the horse holds the lids partially or completely closed, the white part of the eye is red, the eye is sensitive to light, or the surface of the eye is cloudy. We cover eye problems in more detail later in this chapter.

- Refusal to eat: When a horse won’t eat, you’re often seeing a sign of serious illness or possibly mild colic.

- Severe pain: A veterinarian needs to immediately examine any horse that appears to have severe pain in any part of his body.

- Straining: If your horse is straining to defecate or urinate and nothing or very little passes out, an intestinal or urethral blockage is likely.

- Swelling: Whenever any part of the horse’s body is swollen and hot to the touch, call the vet.

Understanding Common Health Problems

Although horses are susceptible to a wide variety of ailments, the same handful of problems routinely crop up. Some of these illnesses have the potential to be serious, while others are simply annoyances to the horse and the human. In each situation, prompt treatment by a veterinarian is important to keep the problem from getting out of hand.

This section outlines the most common equine health problems, along with their symptoms, usual treatments, and general prognoses. Your veterinarian can give you even more information — specific to your individual horse — on any one of these conditions.

Azoturia

Azoturia, or tying up as it’s commonly called, affects a horse’s muscles. A high amount of lactic acid in the body results in a condition that causes muscle breakdown and severe cramping. Veterinarians don’t know why the lactic acid content becomes so high, but they know the result is muscle and kidney damage.

The symptoms of azoturia — anxiety, abnormally heavy perspiration, and unusually fast pulse - usually come on 15 minutes to an hour into exercise. Soon, the horse is experiencing intense stiffness, painful short steps, and a resistance to walk. In severe cases, horses ultimately collapse.

Remember

If you suspect that your horse has azoturia, don’t force him to move. Instead, call a vet immediately. The vet will likely give your horse a sedative and may possibly treat your horse with other medications, depending on your horse’s situation.

Protocol

To prevent your horse from ever having to experience the anguish of azoturia, follow these guidelines:

- Provide regular exercise: Provide your horse with exercise on a daily basis to keep his metabolism functioning properly. (Pastured horses tend to exercise themselves and so are less prone to azoturia.) See Chapter Establishing an Everyday Routine for details about including exercise in your horse’s daily routine.

- Warm up, cool down: You must spend at least 10 minutes warming up your horse by walking and trotting. When your ride is over, walk the horse for at least 10 minutes to help him cool down. Horses that are properly warmed up and cooled down are less susceptible to azoturia.

- Cut feed rations: During times of long inactivity for your horse (bad weather, lameness, and so on), reduce his intake of alfalfa (a particularly high-protein hay) and grain. If the lay-up is short (only a day or two), stop the grain only. Too much in the way of protein and carbohydrates while inactive can result in azoturia when the horse returns to work. Supplement the diet with low-protein timothy hay or orchard grass and a fat source such as vegetable oil or rice bran so your horse still has enough hay and energy in his diet. Chapter Establishing an Everyday Routine has more info on feeding.

- Provide supplements: If your horse has repeated attacks of azoturia, talk to your vet about supplementing the horse’s feed with vitamin E, selenium, and fat sources such as rice bran. These additives can help protect the horse from a recurrent attack.

Cancer

Fortunately, horses don’t often get cancer. When they do, the prognosis can be poor, depending on where the cancer is located.

Horses can get any number of cancers, including the ones that affect the skin and lymphatic systems. Diagnosis calls for a biopsy in the case of lumps or tumors that appear, usually on the eye, skin, or genital area. Some cancers are harder to diagnose because symptoms are vague. Horses that aren’t thriving and don’t respond to traditional treatments may be suffering from cancer, which can include tumors on the internal organs.

Treatment for cancer includes surgery to remove the growth, radiation treatment, chemotherapy, cryosurgery (freezing off the tumor, in the case of skin cancer), immunotherapy (support for the immune system), and laser therapy.

Protocol

The only type of cancer that can sometimes be prevented is skin cancer. Cancerous areas on light-skinned horses may be avoided by keeping these fair-complexioned equines out of the sun. (See “Melanomas” in this chapter for specific information on skin cancer.)

Colic

Colic is actually a symptom, not a disease. The term colic refers to abdominal pain, which can have any number of sources. Because horses are designed to be grazers, they’re meant to ingest plant material at a slow and constant rate. The equine digestive system often is upset when humans confine horses and give them concentrated feeds.

Remember

Colic is a rather common problem among horses. It can be serious or it can be mild, but it’s always a cause for concern and always warrants a call to the vet.

Horses suffering from colic usually are in a great deal of pain. They express their discomfort by doing some or all of the following:

• Biting at the flanks or abdomen
• Kicking at the belly
• Lying down
• Pacing
• Pawing
• Rolling
• Standing with legs stretched out
• Straining
• Sweating profusely
• Swishing the tail violently

These bouts of pain often come in waves, so the horse may seem all right one minute but frantic the next. The pain also can start out mild and get progressively worse, or simply remain mild.

Remember

If you suspect that your horse has colic, call a veterinarian immediately. Take away the horse’s food and walk him while you wait for the vet to arrive.

Colic classifications

Colic has two classifications: medical or surgical. Here’s a look at each and the problems that usually cause them.

- Medical colic: Colics that can be fixed with simple medical treatment — usually without having to transport the horse to a hospital — are considered medical colics. Medical colics are the most common classification of colic and usually are caused by gas or impactions (blockages). Each of these causes has its own symptoms and treatments:

• Gas colic: This type of colic is the result of gas that has built up inside the large intestine. Consumption of spoiled food is one common cause of gas colic, and so is eating too much of a new food. The horse’s digestive system becomes dominated with gas-producing organisms, resulting in excessive gas.

Gas colic usually isn’t life-threatening, but it is extremely painful and requires immediate veterinary attention. Your vet may give your horse a pain reliever and monitor him to determine if further treatment is required.

• Impaction colic: This colic is caused by an impaction in the large intestine. Any number of things can cause an impaction in the intestine, but lack of sufficient water intake often is to blame, resulting in manure that is dry, hard, and difficult to pass. Horses with teeth problems often develop impaction colic caused by their inability to properly chew their food. The ingestion of sand — which can happen when horses eat hay directly off the ground, graze at pasture, or deliberately eat sand in a turn-out arena — and dehydration also can cause impaction colic. Veterinarians typically treat impaction colic with pain relievers and oral administration of oil that works as a laxative. The goal is to get the horse to pass the impacted manure.

- Surgical colic: Surgical colic refers to a colic that requires surgery for repair. This type of colic can be caused by a number of issues, including impactions, enteroliths (stones that form in the intestines), and other conditions that can cause parts of the intestine to die off. In most cases of surgical colic, the horse will die without the surgery.

Colic prevention

Tip

The good news about colic is that in many cases, it is preventable. Follow these guidelines to keep your horse’s digestive system working properly:

- Feed often: Feeding your horse as frequently as possible is a good way to ward off colic. The equine digestive system seems to function best when it’s constantly working to digest fibrous foods. Keep your horse at pasture whenever possible, or if he’s stabled, try giving him three meals a day. Two is the absolute minimum. See Chapter Establishing an Everyday Routine for more info about feeding your horse.

- Feed hay: Veterinarians have discovered that fibrous particles inside the intestine tend to stimulate the horse’s gut and therefore reduce the incidence of colic. Give your horse a diet that includes hay to ensure he gets plenty of fiber. However, avoid feeding the hay off the ground, so the horse doesn’t ingest sand particles that can cause colic.

- Provide high-quality feed: When you feed your horse, give him only the highest quality hay and/or grain. Don’t try to save a buck by purchasing cheaper (and therefore lower-quality) feed. Avoid hay that contains mold, weeds, and other contaminants, such as dirt.

- Provide plenty of water: Another way to prevent colic is to ensure that your horse has access to plenty of fresh drinking water. Be sure to keep waterers and troughs clean. In the wintertime, be certain that the horse’s water supply hasn’t frozen over. A water heater is a good investment for horse owners who live in frigid climates.

Tip

Keeping your water in liquid form isn’t the only service a water heater can provide; it can also keep the water at a comfortable temperature. Horses are less likely to drink water that is extremely cold, so keeping water lukewarm even in winter encourages your horse to drink.

If you live in a hot climate, be sure your horse’s water stays cool in the summer. Horses are reluctant to drink hot water. Add cool water to troughs frequently, and bury water lines so they aren’t exposed to direct sun. Check out Chapter Establishing an Everyday Routine for details on watering your horse.

- Use electrolytes: In any situation where your horse may not be drinking enough water (like on cold winter days) or may be losing a good deal of body fluids and salts (during the hot summer or when exercising heavily), supplement his feed with an electrolyte mixture. Electrolytes increase the salt level in the horse’s body, thus stimulating his thirst. Several commercial electrolyte products for horses are available through tack and feed stores; you can mix them with the horse’s grain or administer them directly into the mouth in paste form.

Warning!

Although some manufacturers’ labeling on electrolyte products suggests adding the product to the horse’s water, we don’t recommend that you do because the taste can discourage the animal from drinking.

- Provide exercise: Regular exercise is another way to help prevent colic, because it stimulates gut motility. Given this fact, your horse needs to receive some kind of exercise daily — especially if your horse is stabled. Even if you have time for only a half-hour walk around the property, the exercise helps keep your horse’s digestive system in working order. Flip to Chapter Establishing an Everyday Routine for more info about regular exercise.

- Warm up and cool down: When you ride your horse, be sure to make time for gradual warm-ups and cool downs before and after exercise. Don’t work your horse hard without at least a 10-minute walk/trot warm-up first, and be sure to finish up your ride with at least 10 minutes of walking.

Be certain that your horse is completely cooled down before you let him have anything to eat or drink. Eating or drinking immediately after strenuous exercise can bring on a bout of colic.

- Care for those teeth: Horses that have problems chewing don’t properly masticate their food before swallowing it, making them more susceptible to impaction colic. Have a vet check your horse’s teeth at least twice a year to determine whether they are healthy. (See Chapter Preventing Equine Health Problems for details on tooth care.)

Equine influenza and rhinopneumonitis

People aren’t the only ones who get the flu. Horses have their own versions of the virus, known as equine influenza and rhinopneumonitis (the latter caused by the equine herpes virus). Like the human version of the flu, these viruses spread across the country every fall and winter. They’re just as contagious as the human version of the virus (not to humans, however!) and result in a respiratory infection that attacks the upper and lower respiratory tracts of the horses it affects.

Although equine influenza and rhinopneumonitis are two different viruses, they both cause the same symptoms, and veterinarians handle the two infections identically. If your horse has a mild case, he may just have a runny nose and seem a bit lethargic for a few days. If his case is moderate to serious, he runs a high fever, has runny eyes and nose, is coughing, and appears stiff. He may also lose his appetite. Your vet will provide supportive care in the form of fever reducers if your horse has an above-normal temperature and may prescribe an antibiotic if a secondary bacterial infection is present.

Protocol

You can reduce your horse’s chances of contracting equine influenza or rhinopneumonitis in two ways:

- Vaccinate: The same as with the human flu vaccine, the equine version is not foolproof. However, it can go a long way toward keeping your horse from contracting the diseases. The number of times per year you need to vaccinate your horse depends on how much exposure he receives to other horses. Follow your veterinarian’s recommendations regarding the frequency of flu/rhino vaccine. Check out Chapter Preventing Equine Health Problems for more about vaccinations.

- Practice equine hygiene: During flu/rhino season, which usually is in the fall and winter, try to minimize your horse’s contact with other horses that may be carrying the virus. Don’t allow him to sniff muzzles or drink from the same trough as other horses, even those who appear healthy, because horses can shed the virus before showing any symptoms of the disease. If you board your horse, make sure that the stable management requires all boarders to be current on their flu/rhino vaccines.

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM)

In recent years, a disease called equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) began affecting a small but still significant number of the U.S. equine population. Although it was rather mysterious when it first appeared, veterinarians now understand EPM fairly well.

A protozoa called Sarcocystis nerona causes EPM and is believed to be present in the feces of affected opussums. The protozoa affects the spinal cord and brain, resulting in a variety of possible symptoms, including uncoordinated movement of some or all of the horse’s limbs, spastic movements of one or more legs, tilted head, muscles that waste away in the face or one of the hind legs, and seizures.

Diagnosing EPM isn’t easy. Sometimes a horse seems only slightly lame, or may just perform poorly. Most often, a horse with EPM suffers from an obvious lack of coordination, looking almost as if he is drunk when he walks. The only way to diagnose EPM is through laboratory tests, even though they’re not 100 percent reliable. Diagnosis usually is confirmed only if the horse responds to treatment, which consists of oral anti-protozoal medications.

Protocol

To prevent EPM, you must keep opossums far away from your horse, which is no easy feat, because opossums are common wildlife in most suburban and rural areas. You can do much to keep opossums from contaminating your horse’s feed, though. Follow these simple horsekeeping rules to prevent opossums from soiling your horse’s food:

• Close it: Keep grain and other supplements in tightly lidded containers.
• Lift it: Feed your horse in a trough or bucket — never on the ground.
• Clean it: Wash feeders with soap and water on a regular basis.
• Toss it: Throw out feed that falls on the ground.

Eye problems

Horses sometimes come down with ailments that affect the eye. The most common ones are corneal ulcers, equine recurrent uveitis, and cataracts.

- Corneal ulcers by far are the most common eye problem and often the result of a foreign body entering the eye and causing damage to the cornea. Bacteria can infect the damaged area and begin to erode the cornea. (Some corneal ulcers seem to form for other reasons that vets aren’t sure of.) Symptoms include squinting, tearing, and an obviously painful eye. Treatment for this problem often requires application of ointment to the eye several times a day until the ulcer heals. To help prevent corneal ulcers, don’t let your horse hang his head out the window of a horse trailer, where a foreign body can blow into his eye. If your horse shows signs of eye discomfort, contact your vet immediately because corneal ulcers worsen quickly without treatment.

- Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is the number one cause of blindness in horses. This painful inflammatory condition has unknown causes, although some researchers believe exposure to the leptospirosis bacteria, believed to be carried by some wildlife and in contaminated streams and ponds, may play a part in the development of ERU. (This bacteria can be difficult to avoid, especially for horses that live in pastures with natural water sources. A vaccine for leptospirosis exists, but there’s some controversy about whether it can actually prevent ERU.) Anecdotal evidence also suggests that Appaloosas are genetically prone to the disease. Symptoms include pain, tearing, and sensitivity to light. Treatment involves the application of steroidal ointment in the eye to reduce inflammation. Experimental treatment with medication implants is underway. ERU eventually results in a loss of sight for the horse, but good management of the condition can keep this from happening later rather than sooner.

- Cataracts can develop in adult horses, but they’re most common in foals. Cataracts are an opaqueness that forms in the lens of the eye and restricts vision. The causes of equine cataracts are not completely understood, although injury, diabetes, and ERU are three suspected culprits in adult horses. A horse’s cataracts can be removed with surgery.

Gastric ulcers

Humans aren’t the only species that get stomach ulcers. Horses also are prone to this malady. Equine gastric ulcers take place when the lining of the stomach is eroded because of an overexposure to stomach acid that occurs when the horse isn’t allowed to eat often enough and when the horse is under stress.

Gastric ulcers can be hard to diagnose because symptoms are subtle. Poor appetite, an unattractive coat, and decreased activity all can be signs of gastric ulcers. Horses with severe cases repeatedly suffer bouts of colic (covered earlier in this chapter). They also have performance problems, such as irritability during work and resisting work.

Diagnosing equine gastric ulcers requires use of an endoscope so the examining vet can see what is going on inside the stomach. Horses suffering from gastric ulcers are prescribed more frequent feedings, more interaction with other horses, and a decrease in grain. Some horses may require medication for their ulcers.

Protocol

To help prevent gastric ulcers, feed your horse frequently, and make sure that he’s getting plenty of good-quality hay.

Heaves

Heaves is the common term for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The illness is similar to asthma in humans in that the horse has difficulty breathing in, and even more difficulty breathing out. Heaves causes inflammation and spasm within the lungs and usually is brought on by airborne allergies to mold, dust, and pollen, or by poor air quality. Horses suffering from heaves may experience shortness of breath during exercise, chronic coughing, and wheezing. Because heaves is chronic by definition, these symptoms persist over a period of time.

Tip

Horses with heaves often have something called a heave line, which is a line of developed muscle along the belly that forms as a result of the horse’s struggle to push air out of his lungs. Presence of a heave line is a good way of telling whether a horse suffers from heaves.

Veterinarians usually treat the disease by recommending changes in the horse’s environment. In severe cases and to get the condition under control, a vet may also prescribe corticosteroids, a bronchodilator, and possibly antibiotics.

Protocol

Horses are born with a predisposition to heaves, but you still can do plenty to help keep your horse from developing the condition:

- Supply good air. Horses need quality air to breathe, just like humans. Try to give your horse as much ventilation as possible. If you’re stabling him in a box stall, choose one that has ample windows so fresh air can enter. Buy bedding and hay that is low in dust, and change the bedding often to avoid ammonia build up. Avoid using straw bedding because allergy-inducing mold spores flourish in it. (Check out Chapter Housing Your Horse Comfortably for details on bedding and housing.)

- Move the horse: When cleaning your horse’s stall, move your horse out of the immediate area so he doesn’t breathe in an excessive amount of dust and other particles.

- Keep him outside: If your horse has a tendency toward heaves, keep him outdoors in a pasture instead of in a stall.

- Feed low: Provide your horse with a feeder that requires him to keep his head down when eating. Doing so encourages nasal drainage.

Warning!

Although you want to keep your horse’s head down while he eats, don’t feed your horse directly off the ground if he’s in a pasture or paddock because he may ingest sand and develop colic (which we cover earlier in this chapter).

Skin problems

A number of different skin problems plague horses. Allergic reactions bring on some of them, while others are the result of parasitic infections and various other biological reactions. Five of the most common skin ailments are fly allergies, fungal infections, hives, melanomas, and sarcoids. Each of these problems has unique symptoms, causes, and treatments.

Fly allergies

For horses, flies are probably the worst thing in the world to be allergic to, because where you have horses, you have flies. Sure, you can and should do plenty to keep flies under control, but getting rid of them completely is impossible. A fact of equine life is that flies are here to stay.

Flies are annoying enough to horses, but when a horse is allergic to these obnoxious insects, the situation becomes unbearable. If your horse has areas of skin that are scabby and itchy, and the flies are out in force, he probably has a fly allergy. Your vet will recommend that you bathe your horse a couple of times a week to remove the itchy scabs and apply a steroidal ointment on a daily basis. The ointment is safe because it’s applied topically, and it may contain an antibiotic, if the sores are infected. Your vet may also give your horse a cortisone shot to relieve the inflammation or recommend regular allergy shots to reduce your horse’s sensitivity to fly bites.

Protocol

The only way to prevent your horse from developing a fly allergy is to keep him from ever being bitten by a fly — a virtually impossible task. So, all you can do is implement a strict pest control program in an effort to keep the fly population under control (see Chapter Establishing an Everyday Routine for tips) and minimize your horse’s exposure to bites. You also need to use a fly mask, fly sheet, and fly-screen leg wraps to minimize fly contact with your horse (see Chapter Getting into Gear with Horse Equipment for information on these items.)

Fungal infections

Several different kinds of fungal organisms can affect a horse’s skin. Among these culprits are rain scalds and ringworm. Each of these infections has different symptoms and treatments.

- Rain scalds (technically called dermatophilosis) is a genetic anomaly that’s sort of a cross between a fungus and a bacteria. The organism comes to life in damp weather and often shows up on horses when weather conditions are wet, such as during rainy seasons or in tropical regions.

The organism that causes rain scalds can only enter the skin at a break. An insect bite or minor scratch that is invisible to your eye is all the organism needs to gain entry. After the condition takes hold, you see areas of matted hair on your horse’s coat that look like paintbrush strokes. These patches are mostly around the back area where the saddle lies, on the hindquarters, and on the thighs. Crusty scabs accompany the matted coat.

Veterinarians usually recommend that rain scalds be treated with a 10 percent iodine scrub. Exposure to sunlight also helps gets rid of rain scalds.

Protocol

Keeping your horse dry in wet weather helps keep rain scalds away. Give your horse adequate shelter to escape from rainy weather. If you can’t keep him completely dry, provide him with a waterproof blanket to wear during rainstorms.

- Ringworm is one or more round lesions on the horse’s skin, often found near areas of the abdomen where the girth sits or on the back. The center of the lesion is hairless, and can be raw or covered with a scab. Ringworm is highly contagious to humans and other horses. The disease usually occurs in the winter when the conditions are dark and damp and horses are being kept indoors.

Ringworm actually goes away by itself in six to eight weeks, but to keep it from spreading to other areas of the horse — and to other people and animals — wash the lesion with Betadine scrub, which contains iodine and is available from your local tack store. Aside from being sensitive to iodine, ringworm also is sensitive to sunlight and dry conditions. You can also treat the area with an over-the-counter ringworm medicine meant for humans.

Protocol

To prevent ringworm, keep your horse clean and dry. Sweat is a good food source for the organism that causes ringworm, so wash or sponge your horse down after every workout. Turn your horse out in the sun frequently, because the organism also is sensitive to sunlight.

Tip

Another way to prevent ringworm is to avoid using tack and grooming equipment that has been used on other horses. If you have to borrow equipment, at least disinfect brushes, saddle pads, and other washable items with a solution of mild bleach (one part bleach to four parts water). Leave the solution on the item for eight minutes and then be sure to rinse thoroughly, because bleach residue will irritate your horse’s skin.

Hives

Plenty of humans get hives, and they know how unpleasant these little lumps can be. On horses, hives usually cover the entire body or a section of the body, are anywhere from half an inch to a few inches in diameter, and are uniform in shape. When you touch the hive, it gives to the pressure. Hives can be itchy or not itchy, and swelling of the face and eyelids sometimes occurs with them.

In horses, just as in people, hives are the result of an allergic reaction to a substance, either airborne or eaten. Horses prone to hives typically get them from inhaling certain pollens and eating some feeds.

Remember

Because hives are the result of an allergy, you can’t do much to prevent their onset. Pay close attention to your horse and notice any possible outbreaks right away. The sooner you address the problem, the less your horse suffers. In severe cases, your vet may prescribe an antihistamine or give your horse a corticosteroid injection. Your vet will also suggest removing the allergen from your horse’s environment.

Melanomas

Melanomas are rather common tumors in horses. A predisposition to developing these tumors seems to exist in certain individual horses and in certain breeds (Arabians and Percherons in particular). Horses that are gray in coloring also tend to develop melanomas as they age. In fact, 80 percent of gray horses over the age of 15 develop melanomas.

Melanomas take on the form of black growths on or under the skin, usually about an inch in diameter. Sometimes the lesions are hairless and ulcerated. They can be single or clustered in groups and can grow rather large in size. These tumors typically appear on the horse’s genitals (both male and female), under the tail, near the anus, and on the eyelids, throat, and mouth, but they can be found anywhere on the horse’s body.

In gray horses, melanomas usually are nonthreatening, slow-growing tumors. You need only to remove them if they’re interfering with the horse’s function (tumors on the anus can interfere with defecation, for example). Note: Gray horses are the only mammals known to science that can host a cancer that is not usually life-threatening.

In horses that aren’t gray, melanomas can be much more serious because they can metastasize (spread to other areas of the body) quickly through the bloodstream and affect the major organs. A melanoma in a horse that isn’t gray usually is serious and should be surgically removed by a veterinarian. If you notice any growths on your horse’s skin, contact your vet right away.

Veterinarians have yet to discover a way to prevent melanomas.

Sarcoids

Sarcoids are common, benign skin tumors. You typically see them on the horse’s head, stomach area, or legs. Sarcoids sometimes come in groups and are usually about an inch to a few inches in size. They occasionally appear in wounds that are healing.

Sarcoids are most commonly seen in two forms: flat sarcoids and proliferative sarcoids. Veterinary researchers believe that sarcoids are the result of a virus, although no conclusive evidence exists to prove this theory. Some sarcoids are very aggressive and grow rapidly.

Veterinary science has yet to discover the exact cause of sarcoid tumors, leaving horse owners with no way to prevent the problem. Treatment usually involves removal of the tumor, either through conventional surgery, through laser surgery, or by freezing it off using cryosurgery — although the tumors sometimes return. Some veterinarians treat sarcoids with a topical cream first before resorting to surgery, or they’ll combine topical treatment with surgery to remove the tumor.

If you notice a lump anywhere on your horse, contact your veterinarian right away.

Strangles

Strangles, a condition caused by bacteria known as Streptococcus equi, takes hold around a horse’s neck and upper respiratory tract, forming abscesses within the lymph nodes. The illness results in fever, lack of appetite, runny eyes and nose, and a dry cough. The horse sometimes acts depressed and refuses to eat, and stands with his head down. In more severe cases, the lymph nodes enlarge (about two weeks after the disease hits) as abscesses develop. You can see these abscesses as big lumps under the horse’s throatlatch (the area under the jowl). Often, these lumps break open and drain externally.

Strangles is a contagious disease that spreads from one horse to another through direct contact with secretions from the mouth and respiratory tract that are left behind on food and water troughs or other objects. Flies also spread it.

The only way to know for sure whether your horse has strangles is to have a veterinarian examine him. If your horse is diagnosed with this disease, the abscess that forms will be cut open and drained. Some vets also prescribe antibiotics.

Protocol

Many veterinarians recommend yearly inoculations with a strangles vaccine to guard against the disease, especially if your horse is exposed to a number of other horses.

Remember

To keep your horse from contracting strangles and other infectious diseases, don’t allow him to drink from community watering troughs at horse shows and other places where strange horses gather. Instead, bring your own bucket and fill it with water when you horse needs a drink. Keep him from making nose-to-nose contact with the other horses because any horse he meets is a potential carrier of the disease.

Thrush

Thrush, a bacterial infection of the foot, is one of the most common problems afflicting horses today. Horses that don’t undergo regular feet cleaning are prone to this disease. The bacteria can take hold only if the foot is routinely packed with mud, soiled bedding, and manure for long periods of time.

Horses with thrush have a foul-smelling black discharge on the bottom of the hoof surrounding the frog (the triangular-shaped area on the underside of the hoof — see Chapter Understanding Horses from Head to Hoof for a diagram). When you scrape the bottom of the hoof with a hoof pick, a clay-like material comes off, leaving deep grooves in the hoof.

Left untreated, thrush can result in a more severe foot infection. The bacteria also can damage the horse’s tendons. In serious cases, thrush can cause lameness (which we cover later in this chapter).

If you suspect that your horse has a mild case of thrush (odor and some discharge, but no lameness), you can try treating the condition yourself with an over-the-counter thrush medication. If this treatment isn’t effective or if thrush seems to be severe and causing your horse pain when he stands or walks, call your veterinarian, who can treat the condition with more powerful medication.

Protocol

If you provide your horse with good foot care, thrush is easy to keep at bay. Follow these guidelines for healthy hooves:

- Clean ’em: Using a hoof pick, clean out your horse’s hooves every day (see Chapter Keeping Your Horse Clean and Pretty for instructions).

- Keep ’em dry: The bacteria that causes thrush loves moisture. Keep your horse’s feet dry by providing clean, dry bedding. Don’t let your horse stand around in urine-soaked bedding or accumulated manure. Avoid keeping your horse in a muddy paddock or pasture.

West Nile virus

West Nile virus was discovered in Uganda in 1937 but wasn’t diagnosed in the United States until 1999. Since then, the disease spread from the East to the West Coast through mosquitoes. After biting an infected bird, the mosquito then bites a horse, injecting the virus into the horse’s bloodstream. One-third of the horses that are bitten by an infected mosquito get sick. One-third of these sick horses die from the disease.

The West Nile virus can cause mild-to-severe neurological symptoms in horses, including lack of muscle coordination, stumbling and weak limbs (ataxia), partial paralysis, muscle twitching (especially around the muzzle), hypersensitivity to sight or sound, head drooping, lethargy, and depression. Some horses fall asleep at inappropriate times, such as while eating. These symptoms show up seven to 10 days after an infected mosquito bites the horse. Some horses also run a fever early on in the disease. In cases where horses are seriously affected by the disease, they can be left with permanent neurological damage.

Treatment for West Nile virus includes supportive care to help the horse’s body battle the effects of the organism. This care includes intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration and anti-inflammatory drugs. An antibody for the West Nile virus also has been introduced to help fight off the illness in horses.

Protocol

The best way to protect your horse against West Nile virus is with an annual vaccine (see Chapter Preventing Equine Health Problems for details). You also need to practice mosquito control on your property by eliminating standing water where mosquitoes breed (see Chapter Establishing an Everyday Routine for details on pest control).

Getting a Grip on Leg Woes

Many of the ailments that plague horses are related to their legs, which probably has a great deal to do with the way people keep and ride horses. In the wild, horses walk almost constantly as they graze, keeping their muscles loose and flexible and their circulation up. Wild horses also trod on nicely cushioned, plant-covered soils. Compare these scenarios to the life of stabled horses, standing for hours on end as their muscles tighten and their joints become stiff. Look, too, at the riding horses that regularly walk on tightly packed trails and even asphalt and concrete. These same horses are asked to perform rather unnatural maneuvers like trotting or cantering in tight, collected circles and while jumping, and performing other discipline-specific maneuvers.

Another important part of the problem is that rather delicate bones, tendons, and ligaments make up the equine leg. A horse’s legs are expected not only to support the animal’s weight, but also the rider’s — on less-than-ideal footing and during strenuous activity. Considering all these factors, you can easily see why leg problems are so common.

The following sections take a look at the five most common leg ailments affecting horses, and we tell you how you can help manage and prevent them.

Arthritis

People aren’t the only ones who get arthritis. Horses do, too — and often. Simply put, arthritis is an inflammation of a joint. It’s the most common form of lameness in horses. Horses with arthritis limp — some very mildly, others dramatically. (To find out how to determine whether your horse is lame, see the nearby sidebar “Detecting lameness in your horse.”) Several different forms of arthritis exist.

Degenerative joint disease

The most common type of arthritis is what is collectively known as degenerative joint disease (DJD). This disease starts out mildly with an inflamed joint capsule and can progress into erosion of the cartilage and fusion of the joint.

DJD can affect young and old horses, and the causes vary. Fifty to sixty percent of the time, the hocks are the affected joints. The knees are the next most common sites. Other joints such as the fetlocks and stifles can be affected, too, although DJD in these joints tends to result in less lameness (see Chapter Understanding Horses from Head to Hoof for a diagram showing the parts of the horse). Poor conformation, hard work, trauma, and old age are other main causes of arthritis (see Chapter Preparing to Make Your Purchase for information on conformation).

Several treatments exist for DJD, and whether they’re used depends on the severity of the problem. All are aimed at stopping the cycle of inflammation and restoring the health of the joint fluid and joint surface cartilage.

Protocol

You can’t always prevent arthritis, especially when it strikes a young horse or when poor conformation is the cause. Sometimes, just the wear and tear of carrying people around takes its toll on a horse’s joints. Honestly, nature didn’t intend horses to carry humans around on their backs while doing dressage, jumping, reining, and other equine sports. But shoeing your horse properly, riding him on surfaces that provide good footing, and refraining from working him too hard can help keep arthritis at bay.

Tip

You can also opt to give your horse intravenous hylauronic acid, Adequan, yucca, chondrotin sulfates, and glucosamine as preventatives against DJD. The use of these supplements is aimed at keeping the joint healthy before arthritis sets in.

Ringbone

Ringbone is another type of arthritis that affects the pastern and coffin joints. Extra bone development occurs around the joint or in the joint itself. When the coffin joint is affected, the condition is termed low ringbone; when the pastern joint is affected, it’s called high ringbone.

In the early stages of ringbone, bone development usually is mild and lameness tends to be present but not severe. As the disease progresses, more of the joint becomes affected and the lameness increases. In high ringbone, the joint may actually fuse completely, which can be quite painful — most horses with this problem are extremely lame.

Researchers don’t fully understand why horses develop this condition, but they think that part of the problem is genetic and part has to do with uneven trimming of the hooves. When the hooves are not trimmed completely level, they land on the ground unevenly, causing trauma to the joint.

Treatment usually involves therapeutic shoeing, special trimming and shoeing techniques that ensure a balanced foot. Shortening the toe during trimming also helps to ease stress on the joint. All of the other arthritis treatments also apply to this disease.

Protocol

Because uneven trimming of the hooves can bring on ringbone, make sure that you use a skilled and reputable farrier. See Chapter Preventing Equine Health Problems for more about finding a farrier.

Bowed tendons

Bowed tendons, or tendonitis, are a lower-leg problem. Bowed tendons occur when tendons at the back of the leg become overstretched and strained or torn. The back of the leg becomes very swollen, hot and painful to the touch, and lameness usually results. Overexertion of the tendons either through jumping, galloping, or galloping in deep footing causes bowed tendons.

A veterinarian usually uses an ultrasound of the affected tendons to diagnose and determine the severity of the problem. Severely bowed tendons have tears in the tendons, while mildly bowed tendons have swelling and enlargement.

Treatment is aimed at reducing the swelling by using icing, anti-inflammatory drugs (such as phenylbutazone), and stall rest. All tendon injuries require long periods — six months to a year — of rest and controlled exercise to heal properly. You can treat tendons that have tears in them with a drug called Bapten, which helps the tendon heal to be stronger.

Protocol

You can help prevent bowed tendons by providing proper shoeing and riding sensibly in good footing that isn’t too deep, slippery, or muddy. Despite precautions, however, bowed tendons are sometimes unavoidable.

Hoof abscesses

When an abscess forms in a horse’s hoof, it can cause severe lameness. The abscess is an infection that starts at the bottom of the hoof or the sole and travels up the lamina (also called the white line), and often breaks open at the coronary band, where it drains. A puncture wound to the bottom of the hoof usually causes the abscess. Horses with this problem appear fine one day and suddenly very lame on one leg the next.

Vets base their diagnoses of hoof abscesses on symptoms of severe and sudden lameness on one leg, increased pulse in the leg, and sensitivity to hoof testers. Your veterinarian will make a final diagnosis when the abscess is found.

Treatment involves opening the abscess, which allows it to drain, and soaking the hoof in Epsom salts. Soaking in a warm Epsom salts solution draws out the pus from the abscess and kills the bacteria within it. Your horse also may be prescribed anti-inflammatory/painkilling drugs such as bute or Banamine or possibly antibiotics. Most horses recover fully from this problem in three to five days and return to full, regular work without any problems.

Protocol

Help prevent hoof abscesses by cleaning your horse’s feet daily and by getting regular hoof trimmings from a competent farrier. Keep your horse’s bedding clean and dry to discourage bacterial growth.

Laminitis

Laminitis, which also is known as founder, is a devastating disease that affects an area within the hoof known as the sensitive lamina, the connective layer between the hoof and the coffin bone that holds the coffin bone in place. Laminitis occurs when the lamina becomes inflamed and the coffin bone begins to separate from the hoof. With severe laminitis, the coffin bone may actually come out of the bottom of the hoof.

In the milder forms of laminitis, the horse appears to be walking on eggshells, moving tenderly on his feet. As the disease progresses, the horse feels greater pain and adopts a rocked back stance, with his weight shifted toward his rear, in an attempt to take weight off the front hooves. The horse also resists walking. As more damage occurs and subsequent pain develops, the horse starts lying down often to take the weight off his feet.

Causes of this disease are plentiful and include trimming the feet too short, galloping on hard ground, absorbing toxins from the gut during bouts with colic (which we cover earlier in this chapter), eating too much grain, keeping the  horse on black walnut shavings, and sometimes, receiving steroid medications.

If your horse demonstrates sensitive hooves (particularly at the toe) and an increased pulse in the leg, he may have laminitis. Consult your vet, who needs to X-ray the affected hoof. Rotation, the separation of the bone from the hoof, shows up on X rays.

Treatment of this disease varies depending on the severity of the problem. The basics include complete stall rest on very soft footing (preferably soft sand or very deep shavings), therapeutic shoeing, changes in the diet, administration of anti-inflammatory drugs such as phenylbutazone, Banamine, DMSO, and drugs that increase the blood flow to the foot (acepromazine and nitroglycerine are two).

Warning!

Laminitis can become so severe that the horse can die. If the horse survives, he is prone to relapses. Each relapse means more damage, with chances of recovery lessening with each episode. Many horses that survive also are lame for life. If you find yourself in this situation, discuss your horse’s condition with your veterinarian to determine whether the horse’s quality of life is such that euthanasia may be warranted (see the section on “Coping with Euthanasia” later in this chapter).

Protocol

Provide proper shoeing; feed balanced diets that are not too rich in carbohydrates; and ride and stable your horse on good footing.

Navicular disease

Navicula disease involves a small bone called the navicular bone, which acts as a fulcrum between something called the deep flexor tendon and the coffin bone. Researchers still are debating exactly what causes the disease, but the traditional belief is that it occurs when the bone undergoes degeneration and — as a result of decreased circulation to the bone itself — forms cysts and large channels inside its center. Horses with this problem typically are lame in both front legs, and their pain tends to be isolated at the heel area.

A vet usually diagnoses this disease through the use of nerve blocks and X rays of the navicular area. This disease has no cure, but the condition can be managed. Treatment usually involves therapeutic shoeing (usually in the form of a bar shoe, which is a type of horseshoe with a special bar at the bottom to support the foot), drugs to help increase the blood flow to the navicular bone, and anti-inflammatory and painkilling drugs. In the most severe of cases, where the horse stops improving with medication and shoeing, nerves to the heels are cut so that the horse no longer feels the pain from the disease.

Protocol

Prevention of this disease is difficult because researchers don’t fully know how it develops. Veterinarians suspect a genetic link, so not breeding horses with this problem may be a way of preventing of the disease. Be sure to provide proper shoeing, a balanced diet, and regular exercise to help avoid this disease.

Detecting lameness in your horse Determining whether your horse is going lame, and on which leg can be a tricky business. Although some lamenesses are painfully obvious to even the most casual observer, you need a trained eye to detect the more subtle limps. If you suspect your horse is limping, or if someone else tells you your horse appears to be lame — a common occurrence in the horse world because lamenesses are most obvious while the horse is being ridden — take these steps to help figure out whether your horse indeed has a problem. (If he does, a call to your veterinarian is in order.) - Examine the legs: Do a visual inspection of your horse’s legs, shoulders, and hips, searching for swelling. - Check the feet: Lift each of your horse’s feet up one at a time and examine the frog and the sole of the foot for bruises or foreign objects (see Chapter Understanding Horses from Head to Hoof for a diagram showing parts of the hoof). If the frog is filled with dirt, get a hoof pick and clean it out so you can clearly see around the frog. Check the outside of the hoof for cracks. - Feel around: Run your hand down each of your horse’s legs, feeling for heat, swelling, cuts, or unusual bumps. - Step back: Tie your horse up or ask someone to hold him. As your horse is standing, check to see whether he’s putting his weight evenly on all four feet. If one leg is raised or cocked, it may be causing him pain. - View from the front: Most lamenesses are visible when the horse is moving. If you’ve been unable to locate any swelling or injury, try watching your horse gait. Ask someone to walk and trot your horse on a loose lead rope. As the horse comes toward you, notice whether his head bobs up as he lands on one of his forelegs. The leg his head bops up on is the lame leg. You can also judge which leg is hurting by watching the horse’s stride. The lame leg will move faster with a shorter stride. - View from the back: Have someone walk and trot the horse on a loose line as you view him from behind. If the horse’s hop rises higher on one side as he moves, his hind leg is lame on that side. The horse’s stride on that leg is also faster and shorter.

Taking Care of Horse Wounds

If you spend much time around horses, you soon discover that first-aid knowledge is a godsend. Horses are big animals, and they sometimes get hurt. Knowing just what to do when an accident occurs not only helps your horse, but also makes you a hero around the barn. You may just save your horse’s life — or another’s — as you wait for the vet to arrive.

Warning!

If your horse is injured, let him quiet down before attempting to release him from any situation in which he may be trapped. Injured horses often thrash about, sometimes causing injury to themselves and others. Horses that are hurt often have trouble recognizing their owners and tend not to respond to humans the way they normally do.

Remember

Here are some important things to keep in mind when your horse is injured:

- Stay calm and call for help. Hysterics only frighten the horse further and aggravate the situation.

- Make human safety first and foremost. If a human gets hurt trying to help an injured horse, the human becomes the priority.

- Avoid contaminating a wound with bacteria. Before you handle any wound on your horse, wash your hands first and wear latex gloves.

The first thing you need to do when your horse gets hurts is determine what kind of wound your horse has suffered, and then act accordingly. The list that follows tells you about the four most common horse wounds and what to do about them.

- Abrasions: Abrasions are the most superficial of wounds. They tend to result when a horse scrapes himself against something rough surface. Abrasions can also happen when saddles or blankets fit poorly and rub the skin away. As long as a fall doesn’t cause the abrasion, they’re not usually critical, but they are among the most painful of wounds.

When treating an abrasion, stop the bleeding, cleanse the area with Betadine scrub, and apply an antibiotic ointment. Do not bandage the area. If the cause of the abrasion is a fall, call your veterinarian.

- Animal bites: Horses frequently bite each other, and on occasion, these bites can be severe. Sometimes, horses also suffer bites from other animals like dogs, cats, and wildlife.

If your horse receives a deep bite from either another horse or another animal, call your veterinarian right away. Bites tend to become easily infected, and an injection of an antibiotic can ward off this possibility.

If your horse is bitten by another horse but the wound is superficial and isn’t bleeding, you can leave it to heal on its own. Horse bites, however, are susceptible to tetanus, so get your horse a tetanus shot if he hasn’t been vaccinated within six months prior to the bite.

- Lacerations: A laceration is a cut anywhere on the horse’s body that can be large or small or superficial or serious, depending on the size and amount of bleeding.

If the wound seems minor, flush it out with water from a garden hose to get rid of any foreign objects that may be inside. If dirt and other materials continue to adhere to the skin, use water and Betadine scrub on a sponge to gently clean it. Apply antibiotic ointment to the wound and let it heal on its own.

If the laceration is large and deep, do not apply any ointments or sprays and call your veterinarian immediately. Control the bleeding.

Note: When lacerations heal (both the major and minor kind), they can develop something called proud flesh. Proud flesh is the normal first layer of healing tissue that occurs in a wound. In horses, this first layer of tissue tends to overproduce. When this condition occurs with your horse, you need to have the vet come out and remove the proud flesh. The vet then treats the area with a special ointment so the proud flesh won’t grow back.

- Puncture wounds: Puncture wounds are potentially the most serious of wounds, because they tend to penetrate far into the horse’s flesh, deeply implanting bacteria into the horse’s body.

Nails and other sharp objects that plunge straight into the skin usually cause puncture wounds. Puncture wounds in hooves result from stepping on protruding objects such as nails. If the wound is in the back third of the hoof, bacteria may get into an area called the navicular bursa, where an infection can travel up the entire leg and the horse can lose his life.

Don’t attempt to stop the bleeding, unless it’s profuse, but call a veterinarian right away — especially if the wound is in the hoof. The vet probably will opt to give the horse a series of antibiotic injections.

Remember

Heavy bleeding usually comes with serious equine wounds. Take these precautions if your horse is bleeding freely:

- Know the bleeding. Understanding the type of bleeding helps you gauge the seriousness of it. If blood is spurting from your horse, chances are that an artery is involved, and you need to take immediate action to stop the flow. In the blood is dark and oozing, it’s coming from a vein and isn’t immediately life-threatening.

- Keep the horse still. Calm your horse by talking softly to him and making him stand in one place. Keep other people (especially children) and dogs quiet. Hysterical people make for hysterical horses. The more the horse moves around because he’s upset, the more the wound will bleed.

- Apply pressure. Regardless of whether the bleeding comes from an artery or a vein, always bandage the wound securely. The pressure of the bandage reduces the blood flow. If the bleeding is coming from an area that is too large to bandage, hold a piece of gauze or other clean, absorbent material firmly against the wound. If the blood is coming from an artery and you don’t have a bandage or a cloth, use your bare hands to create the pressure. (Wear a latex glove, if you can, to avoid infecting the wound.)

- Make a tourniquet. When an artery is spurting blood and regular pressure won’t stop the flow, make a tourniquet. Tourniquets are most practical for leg wounds. Wrap a clean towel or piece of cloth around the leg above the wound (between the heart and the point of bleeding). Tighten the tourniquet with your hands and tie it firmly until the blood flow stops. Call a vet immediately, explain the situation, and get advice as to whether the tourniquet will cause any harm. Your phone call also helps the veterinarian determine the seriousness of the situation and how fast he or she needs to get there. While waiting for the vet to arrive, loosen the tourniquet every 15 minutes for a few minutes at a time to allow blood to temporarily flow back into the leg.

Putting Together a First-Rate First-Aid Kit

Every good horseperson has a first-aid kit on hand to deal with any possible emergencies that come up. What’s great about having an equine first-aid kit is that many of the items in the kit also come in handy for humans.

Remember

Store your first-aid kit in an easily accessible place near your horse’s tack. Make sure that you can get to it quickly in case of an emergency. The last thing you need when you’re frantic is a first-aid kit you can’t find.

Tip

You can go out and buy yourself a preassembled equine first-aid kit at a tack and feed store. Or you can put one together on your own. Most items for your kit are available at your local drugstore. If you opt to create your own kit, you need:

- Antibiotic ointment: Triple antibiotic ointments or Betadine provide the best protection against infection for minor wounds.

- Antiseptic cleanser: Betadine scrub is your best choice and a staple for every equine first-aid kit.

- Container: Use one of those medium-sized plastic bins that sell for a few dollars at the discount store to hold all your first-aid supplies. You can easily take this type of container with you whenever you travel to a horse show or other event.

- Bandages: Elastic bandages made specifically for use on horses are best. You have to purchase these at a tack store or through a mail-order catalog.

- Disposable diapers: You can use disposable diapers, which are very absorbent and thick, to apply pressure to lacerations.

- Gauze pads: Sterile gauze pads are useful when dealing with wounds, abscesses, and other breaks in the skin. You can get a few different sizes for use with varying types of wounds.

- Serrated knife: Because horses sometimes get tangled in ropes and other equipment, a jagged knife is a good item to have in your kit. You can use it to cut away an entrapping strap or rope.

- Lubricant: A product such as K-Y Jelly is useful for lubricating your thermometer. Don’t use petroleum jelly, which can irritate the sensitive lining of the rectum.

- Rubbing alcohol: You can use rubbing alcohol to disinfect your thermometer between uses.

- Scissors: A pair of scissors is useful for cutting bandages and clothes in an emergency.

- Tweezers: In the event your horse gets a splinter or other object lodged in his skin, a pair of tweezers can come in handy.

- Veterinary or human rectal thermometer: A thermometer is good to have around. If your horse seems ill, taking his temperature before calling the vet helps give the doctor a better idea of what’s wrong.

Coping with Euthanasia

Sometimes, a horse’s illness is incurable. The horse may simply be too old to fight off whatever it is that’s plaguing him. Or, the horse may be gravely ill and veterinary science may be unable to provide any hope for the animal. In many situations, care and treatment for a horse can be so costly that the owner simply can’t afford to pursue it. In a number of these cases, a poor prognosis makes trying at all unfeasible.

Euthanasia is the humane process of taking an animal’s life. Veterinarians use a barbiturate, which they inject in large quantities into a horse’s bloodstream. The drug stops brain function almost instantly, and the horse loses consciousness. The horse then stops breathing, and his heartbeat ceases.

Euthanasia is a fact of horse ownership that no horse owner likes to think about. At some point in your horse experience, you may have to cope with this unfortunate reality. The following sections give you some helpful information.

Making a difficult decision

The decision to put your horse down is incredibly hard. You probably will feel all kinds of emotions, the strongest of which is doubt. Humans are not often put in the position of playing God, and when they suddenly find themselves forced to make a life and death decision over an animal they love, the experience can be confusing and extremely upsetting.

Remember

Should you find yourself struggling with this terrible dilemma, remember that the act of euthanasia can be a gift to a horse that is suffering. Without you to make that decision and allow him a painless, dignified end, your horse will undoubtedly suffer. Think about your horse’s quality of life and put yourself in his place. Would you prefer to stay alive in his condition, or would a peaceful death be a welcome relief? Thinking of the subject in these terms and seeking your veterinarian’s advice can help you decide what’s best for your horse.

Handling the grief

Losing a beloved horse can be an incredibly painful experience. As your horse’s caretaker, you feel profound loss, sadness, and even guilt. Your thinking process at this time won’t be very rational, and even though you may think you did something terrible by having your horse euthanized, in time, you’ll probably realize that you made the right choice.

Sometimes, horse lovers can have difficulty finding a sympathetic ear when they’re grieving. People who don’t care much for animals will tell you to just “get over it,” or ask you what the big deal is. During your time of grieving, try to surround yourself with other animal lovers who understand what you’re going through.

Tip

During the past several years, a number of veterinary schools have set up grief counseling hotlines for horse people and other pet owners who have lost a beloved animal. A listing of these hotlines is in the Appendix of this book. Make use of these services. They can help you work through the grieving process and recover from your loss.

Knowing what happens to your horse’s remains

You may be wondering what happens to your horse’s remains after euthanasia. The sad reality is the disposal of equine remains is not as easy as it is with smaller animal companions, such as dogs or cats.

If you’re fortunate enough to own a large amount of property and your zoning laws allow it, consider burying your horse on your land. If you don’t have land, another option is burial in a commercially run pet cemetery, if you can afford it. It can cost upward of $1,000 to bury your horse in a pet cemetery, depending on where you live.

Because most horse owners have neither the land nor the money to bury their horses, they’re faced with the unpleasant reality of sending their horse’s body to a rendering plant — the least expensive and most convenient method of disposal. This method usually costs well under $200 for removal and disposal of the body.

Another option is cremation. If you are fortunate enough to have a crematorium near you that will accommodate a horse, you may choose this route as an alternative to rendering or burial. Some or all of your horse’s ashes may be  returned to you for burial on your property or placement in an urn. Urns for pet owners are available on the Internet and can be a nice final resting place for your horse.

by Audrey Pavia with Janice Posnikoff,DVM