The Basic Physical Examination
Christina S. Cable, DVM, Dipl. ACVS
August 26, 2014
All owners should know their horses’ normal vital signs and how to take them correctly. Here’s a review.
All owners should know their horses’ normal vital signs and how to take them correctly. Here’s a review.
To a newborn foal, colostrum can mean the difference between life and death.
Every horse owner or caretaker should know how to take a horse’s temperature, pulse, and respiration.
What is a thermal-neutral temperature?
Anthrax naturally occurs in grazing animals (cattle, sheep, and goats), as these species are the most susceptible to the bacteria, but virtually all mammals—including horses and humans—can contract this disease.
Lyme disease is a problem more commonly thought to occur in our canine and human friends than horses. However, occur it does, and it can have a wide range of signs and symptoms. This disease is a perplexing and confusing one to diagnose and trea
Learn about this disease in young horses that leads to enlarged, painful areas just above the knees or hocks.
One of the most frequent terms you will hear used by veterinarians during breeding season is Caslick’s. This mare needs one, or this mare is due to foal in 16 days and her Caslick’s needs to be opened. If you are not familiar with broodmares, or haven’t spent a lot of time around them, then this term might be unfamiliar.
What is a Caslick’s Procedure?
In a 1937 volume of the
Referral centers are those clinics or hospitals that offer diagnostic and therapeutic options not readily available or possible in a field (barn) type situation. These can include diagnostic modalities such as endoscopy with or without a treadmill, ultrasound, scintigraphy, and radiography, just to name a few. Referral centers can also offer a wide range of surgical care–on an elective or
Orphan–the name itself evokes sadness and sympathy. A baby without a mother, in this case a foal. Whether it occurs through the death of the mare, or just that the mare cannot produce milk or will not take care of her foal, it all leads to one problem: how to care for the foal.
In the past, there have been two standard options:
Horses with dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) characteristically make a “choking” noise as they slow down from the resulting partial airway obstruction, hence the term “choking down” to describe them.
Most people who have been around horses long enough have heard a few make abnormal respiratory noises while exercising. These horses usually draw attention to themselves by the sheer volume of noise they create as they go around the show jumping course or trot and canter around the show ring. Other times, the noise is more subtle and the rider will complain about a horse which just runs out o
Are foals born with the ability to sweat, or cool themselves?
Eleven months is a very long time to wait for a foal. I know from personal experience that the further along the mare is, the more your hopes and dreams for your “perfect foal” grow. It doesn’t matter if the foal is bred to gallop to the wire or jump to the moon, or whether you are dreaming about lots of markings or a perfect blanket, everyone wants one thing–a healthy foal. So, it’s no
Advanced reproductive technologies that can be used in horses are expanding every year. Geography is no longer a limiting factor in choosing a mate for your mare, as fresh cooled semen can be shipped across North America with ease. Frozen semen also means stallions from other continents can be used.
Internal parasites can be a very serious problem for horses. Even though most owners are aware that deworming is a necessary part of an overall good health program for their horses, the veterinarian is sometimes left out of that loop. Because deworming agents are available over-the-counter, many–if not most–horse owners deworm their own horses without their veterinarian’s advice or
Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with
