b'EQUINE WELLNESS EXAMS 101A proper physical exam will allow your veterinarian to assess all of your horses systems.BIANCA MCCARTYThe Physical Exam inspect the legs and feet, determine bodySenior horse considerations The tests Your veterinarian undertook manycondition score, and more. your veterinarian will recommend during years of study to learn to perform aThe information your veterinarian gath- a wellness visit depend on the horses age. thorough physical exam and uses thisers can help him or her moveforwardBloodwork, while beneficial for all ages, tool daily to evaluate all of your horsesin assessing your horses condition. Isis especially helpful for checking a se-body systems. He or she will assess yourhe slow to shed out this year? Considerniors systems. Baseline bloodwork allows horses vital signs, auscultate (listen withtesting for endocrine disorders. Is hevets to evaluate major organ function and a stethoscope) the lung fields, listen todropping feed? Maybe a dental exam is inmake sure all systems are a go. your horses gut sounds, take your horsesorder. Has he been footsore? It might beDuring the exam your veterinarian digital pulses, check his gum color andtime to takeradiographs (X rays) to assesswill also look for early signs of endocrine capillary refill time, look at the eyes,his coffin bone configuration.disorders such as pituitary pars inter-media dysfunction (PPID) and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), to which seniors are prone. The first is a condition of the horses pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain. An affected horses pituitary gland produces hormones that stimulate the adrenal gland to produce excessive levels of cortisol (the stress hor-mone), leading to an array of problems: decreased shedding, increased drinking and urine output, decreased wound heal-ing, laminitis, and more. Annually your veterinarian will take a blood sample to measure your horses adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, the overproduced hor-mone in PPID horses) values in response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) administration. Thankfully, a drug, per-golide, is available that has been proven Available In 6 oz. and 20 oz. Jars to lower affected horses cortisol. Horses with EMS are usually easy keep-St. Louis, MO 63177USA314-421-0300Fax 314-421-3332 ers that seemingly get fat on air. While not www.biozidegel.com Distributors Wanted exclusively an old-age disease, EMS can 12March 2020The Horse|TheHorse.comWellnessExams.indd 12 2/5/20 12:02 PM'