How to care for the basic health needs of horses
So, rather than gauging a horse’s age by years, Ralston recommends horse owners base an animal’s retirement and/or health care management on the horse’s physical fitness.
To many horse owners, it’s just old horse disease, and it’s an affliction with a number of names–pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), hyperadrenocorticism, ECD (equine Cushing’s disease), and, most commonly, Cushing’s syndrome.
Pain is defined as a feeling of distress, suffering, or agony caused by stimulation of specialized nerve endings. The scientific term for the perception of pain is nociception, with noci the Latin for harm or injury.
When a veterinarian performs a lameness examination, he or she often will use nerve blocks to try and determine the location of the problem. The areas are blocked so that they become numb to pain, revealing which structures are involved in”P>When a veterinarian performs a lameness examination, he or she often will use nerve
Any horse which is sick and suspected of having a contagious disease should be immediately isolated from the healthy stock. If possible, a single person should be assigned to the care of this animal, and that person should be educated to use proper
Like humans, horses prefer to dwell in comfort. When at rest, the horse seeks a soothing environment–protected from the elements and predators, easy on his feet, and soft against his body. The domesticated horse must live in the enclosure that
In April of 1993, Ohio’s 1992 Champion Sprinter Onion Roll suffered a catastrophic bowed tendon. The injury was so painful for the horse that Onion Roll’s owners, Ed and Wendy Cash, were brokenheartedly considering euthanasia. About that time,
Ask six veterinarians what causes developmental orthopedic disorders in foals and you might get six different answers. According to Tina Kemper, DVM, there could very well be six causes, and possibly more. Kemper specializes in equine internal
Can you please explain a little more about what a capped hock is, what causes it, and what I can do for it?
Olympic champions excel due to talent and durability. Only a few earn the coveted medals, but horses of international quality prove they are true equine athletes. Like a classic race, the Olympics are a goal. A horse’s owner and rider might
A person who loves horses and spending a lot of time in the saddle can gain a great deal of satisfaction from competing in endurance races. It is a special feeling when you know you have partnered well with your horse and that the two of you hav
The treatment of choice for horses with malignant or benign tumors has been radical surgery to remove all of the cancerous tumor. However, in many cases, even radical surgery would not prevent recurrence of the tumor.
Laminitis and founder are two words in the lexicon of the horse that are guaranteed to elicit a definite response, whether it is a painful memory for a horse owner, a recurring anxiety for a breeder, a shoeing dilemma for a farrier, a complex prognos
Some astute horsemen have long alleged that certain styles of horseshoes might predispose a racehorse to catastrophic injury, often resulting in euthanasia of the athlete. A recently completed study at the University of California, Davis,
It has happened to many horse owners. The day of the major event or stakes arrives and the prize mare is ready to compete. The night before her coat glistened, her muscles rippled, and her eyes were aglow with competitive spirit.
This
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