Is your horse as cold as you are in that frigid winter weather? Probably not, but in certain circumstances, blanketing is necessary. Find out when your horse needs a blanket, and what sort of blanket to use.
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Biosecurity is anything that we do to protect a population (in this case, horses) against harmful biological substances. In the horse world, these are preventative measures we take to limit and minimize the spread of disease. What is your biosecurity plan?
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Gastric Ulcers can cause various problems with our horses’ health. What causes them, and how can you tell if your horse has them? Find out more in our December blog post.
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This is Part 3, and the conclusion of our Colic Series. If you missed Part 1, you can read it here for a basic overview of equine GI anatomy, the difference between medical and surgical colic, and some colic causes.
For what to expect financially from a colic episode, how to plan, and some of the more common causes of colic we see here in Colorado, click here for Part 2.
Today, we’ll be talking about what you can do as horse owners to help prevent colic.
In part 2 of the colic series, we covered the “common” causes of colic on the Front Range, particularly here at Mobile Veterinary Services. Unfortunately, there is no ‘magic’ formula to keep colic out of your barn, but there are a few precautions that can certainly reduce your risk.
Consistency
The first and most important rule is to understand that horses thrive on consistency. Keeping their routine as routine as you can is imperative -from feeding amounts and times to their turnout and exercise program. If you do have something that is changing (a new load of hay for example), monitor them closely and try to make that change over several days.
Weather can be a trigger as well -with winter firmly settled in here in Colorado, our weather fluctuations are constant and unrelenting. It’s
common to see 5 below zero one day and 50 degrees 2 days later. These constant changes are terribly difficult on horses and their bellies! Consistency in every other aspect of their lives can help to mitigate the effects of the things, like weather, that we cannot change.
Water
Water is imperative to all life. Domesticated horses who live on hay have had most of the water they would naturally consume (via live grasses) removed from their diet. As a result, our horses need access to liquid water at all times, whether this means keeping the ice off in the winter so they always have access, or keeping plenty of it available in the summer. Restriction from water for even as little as 2-3 hours can drastically increase chances of colic issues.
Dietary habits and changes
Hay diets and domestication have also led to horses eating larger, more infrequent meals. Horses are designed to graze all day, and a horse on pasture or in the wild will be grazing 18-20 hours per day. This constant eating keeps the large colon full and occupied, and the GI tract working optimally.
Although domesticated horses may be “getting enough calories,” they are consuming them over a much shorter period of time, which could potentially increase colic risk as the GI tract experiences being full, then empty, then full – not a normal state of affairs for the horse.
Parasites
Parasite infestation is a known risk factor for colic so deworming is a very important part of not only good husbandry, but also good colic prevention!
Fecal egg counts can determine whether your horse is a low, medium, or high shedder, allowing you to tailor your deworming program accordingly to your horses’ needs (instead of blanket deworming which can contribute to parasites building resistance to dewormers, rendering the dewormers ineffective).
Sand
With good preventive measures, sand can be eliminated as a risk factor. The problem simply needs to be identified. In our practice area, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have “sand” where your horses eat. We have seen horses in the mountains of Colorado living on a hillside end up with sand in their colon. Decomposed Granite (DG) can act just like sand!! Commercial preparations of psyllium hulls fed on a regular basis can squelch the issue.
Dentition
Like deworming on an appropriate schedule, regular and appropriate dental care is imperative to a good colic prevention program. If your horse can chew his food well, it can reduce his colic risk, not to mention increase feed efficiency.
Senior horses can be particularly prone to this issue, but it can affect any horse of any age. Horses under the age of 5, and seniors should have their teeth checked every 6 months. Horses in their prime with good mouths can probably go a year.
There is no way to eliminate the risk of colic in horses… unless you are on a carousel. But with good management and some preventative measures, you can significantly reduce the risk. Again, the best advice we can give is that horses thrive on consistency, and the more consistent we are in all things we do “horse,” the happier our horses are!
Particularly in light of the current VSV outbreak here in Colorado, we thought it a good time to remind everyone of proper disinfection and biosecurity for barns, horse farms, and hospitals. A critical component of disease prevention involves proper cleaning and disinfection practices!
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It’s foaling season! Do you have your foaling kit prepared? Read on to see if you’ve included everything you should.
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QUESTION: Is it time for spring shots?
ANSWER:
Warm days, green grass, tulips beginning to show, and the familiar buzz in the background are all signs that Spring is here.The first thought is, “it’s too early”, but sure enough, the bugs are here.Insects are powerful and efficient transmitters of disease.It is the threat of their annual appearance, which reminds us that is time to consider our horses and their “spring shots.”
The term “spring shots” can be a vague one.In general, we consider it the vaccinations which will cover insect borne diseases, as well as those communicable diseases that are passed from horse to horse as we start getting them out, and hitting the proverbial trail.
One of the more commonly administered vaccines for spring is often referred to as a 5-way shot.This label represents the 5 diseases that the vaccine is meant to prevent; Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE), Tetanus, Influenza (Flu), and Rhinopneumonitis (Rhino).This year you may also hear of a 6-way shot, which adds West Nile Virus (WNV) to the above vaccine.
EEE, WEE and WNV are all diseases that are transmitted by mosquitoes.These diseases most commonly cause a condition known as encephalitis, which is swelling and inflammation in the brain and spinal cord.Infection with these diseases can be life threatening and leave some horses with permanent nerve damage.
Flu and Rhino are diseases that we consider respiratory diseases most commonly.Like the flu and cold in humans, our equine companions can catch these viruses from other infected horses, sick or not.Also like humans, our horses can exhibit similar respiratory symptoms when affected by these viruses.Runny noses, coughing and fever are commonly seen when horses are sick from Flu or Rhino.
Horses as a species are also one of the most susceptible animals to Tetanus.Tetanus happens when the bacteria Clostridium tetani infects a closed wound.The disease can be fatal if not caught VERY early and is easily preventable with yearly booster vaccination.
Along with vaccines, there are a few other “house keeping” things to consider with your horses.Spring is a good time to remember to de-worm your horses.In the spring, we usually use a combination de-wormer.Combination de-wormers are an Ivermectin product, combined with another class of de-wormer called Praziquantel to provide coverage against any possible tapeworms.Having a routine dental examination to assess whether or not your horse is due for a dental float is also a good idea.
Spring is also a great time to clean up your pens (hopefully before mud season is here!) and consider how to best manage your horses to minimize exposure to insects.A good fly control program can improve the quality of your horses’ day to day life, as well as decreasing exposure to bacterial and viral diseases.Also making sure that there is no unnecessary standing water around to minimize the exposure to mosquitoes (for horses AND humans) can really decrease exposure of everyone to West Nile Virus.
By getting all of the preventative care and house-keeping tasks completed this Spring, you can focus on spending time with your horse, in the saddle or otherwise, and enjoy all of the nice weather that a Colorad
Question: What can I do to keep my horse healthy and safe through severe cold temperatures?
Answer: With winter in full swing, and high temps expected below zero, there are a few things you can do to try to ensure that your horse comes through a cold snap without issue.
Blankets can help, allowing them to burn less calories to stay warm. There are a couple important points when using blankets 1) Make sure that the horse is dry before the blanket goes on, 2) Make sure it is a proper fit for that horse and that the straps are adjusted correctly 3) Frequent observation of the horse, to assure that the blanket is still properly positioned. With these points in mind, a blanket can be very useful to help in these situations.
Water becomes very important in cold temperatures, as it is well documented the horses can drink up to 25% less water during these times. If you are using water heaters, make sure that they are functioning correctly, and if not using heaters, be sure to be breaking ice on a very regular basis. To increase your horse’s water intake, you can use electrolyte supplementation. One dose of electrolytes (either powder in their feed, or oral paste) given once a day, can significantly drive thirst, and help prevent issues relating to reduced water intake.
Feed is an important source of heat for our equine friends. The digestion process of horses is a heat releasing reaction. The longer that it takes for a particular feed to be digested, the longer it generates heat and body warmth. Roughage (i.e. Hay) produces heat for a longer period of time than grains or concentrated/ processed feeds.
Shelter from the elements, especially the wind, is very important in keeping horses warm. For pastured horses, wind breaks or trees provide ample “shelter.” Those horses lucky enough to have a closed barn face another potential health hazard. When horses are kept in closed quarters with minimal ventilation for days at a time, there can be a significant built up of ammonia. With this in mind, and ventilation limited, keeping stalls clean and well bedded helps to minimize this buildup.
Taking these few tips might help your horse through cold times, and prevent a visit from your friends here at Mobile Vet! Be safe and careful in the cold!
QUESTION:
Can you please discuss “appropriate” rotational deworming?
Due to the influx of deworming questions, we will tackle them in 2- 3 parts over the next few months.
ANSWER:
Standing in the feed store, there are dozens of packages of dewormers, and the age old question of, “which one do I use now?” goes through every horse owners mind. The answer to this question is not always a simple one. To appropriately deworm your horse through the year, a rotational deworming program is essential.
Here in Colorado, we usually recommend quarterly rotational deworming. Some herds may require more frequent or less frequent deworming, depending on fecal egg counts. (To be discussed here at a later date).
Rotational deworming is exactly what it sounds like, rotating through different chemical classes of drugs throughout a year’s timeframe. Though the name brand might be different, the active ingredient is the important part to rotate. The idea behind rotating the chemical classes is to reduce the chance of a parasite developing resistance to a type of drug (much like antibiotic resistance).
To begin rotational deworming this fall on an adult horse our recommendation is using an avermectin product. There are dozens of avermectin products on each shelf, with various name brands (to name a few – Equell, Equimectrin, Ivercare, Rotectin, Zimectrin, and Horse Health Ivermectin and Quest Gel). Avermectins have a very broad base of activity, but there are a few types of worms that are not killed.
In the winter quarter, we usually recommend, for an adult horse a benzimidazole product. When you’re at the counter, the easy way to remember is that you are looking for an active ingredient that ends with “azole.” A few name brands in this class are Safe-Guard, Panacur, and Anthelcide EQ.
In the spring quarter (usually about the time you see us for spring shots), we rotate back to an avermectin product, but usually include praziquantel. The praziquantel is effective against tapeworms. The name brands in this class are Equimax, Zimectrin Gold, and Quest Plus.
To come full circle and cover a full year, in the summer MVS likes to use a pyrantel salt based dewormer. Some name brands in that class are Strongid Paste, Rotectin P, Pyrantel Pamoate paste and Liqui- Care P.
As another alternative to quarterly deworming, there is the option of daily deworming (feeding a small amount of dewormer every day). Using one of these products, you still need to “rotate” and 2 times a year give a paste dewormer. Our recommendations for these horses on daily dewormers are to use an avermectin once a year, and then a benzimidazole about 6 months later.
With appropriate rotation of deworming products, your horse should maintain a minimal parasite load.
Look for the next post regarding Fecal Egg Counts to round out your deworming knowledge.
In Summary:
MVS Rotational Deworming Recommendations (Quarterly Deworming Schedule):
– Fall: Avermectin (Ivermectin or Moxidectin)
– Winter: Benzimidazoles (Fenbendazole or Oxibendazole)
– Sping: Praziquantel w/ Avermectin
– Summer: Pyrantel Pamoate
