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Some Myths and Tips
by David W. Ramey, D.V.M. |
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Whenever you call your veterinarian, realize that you know a lot about how your horse acts normally: much more than he or she does. Convey this information. A horse can appear different than normal to you and still seem all right to someone else who is looking at him for the first time.
A rectal thermometer tells you the temperature of the horse's body. For adult horses, the normal temperature is between 99.5 and 101. If you think that your horse is "a bit off" by all means take his temperature.
If a horse is getting enough feed to keep from getting skinny, if his not starving, then he's getting enough to eat to make red blood cells. If your horse lacks energy, give him energy by giving him more feed.
Ultrasound has proven to be an effective way of looking inside horses, and it gives a look at some of the soft tissue. An ultrasound machine sends a sound wave into the tissue and analyzes the reflected sound that comes back.
Horses do not eat anything because they feel that they are mineral deficient. People will tell you that "horses eat dirt because they are deficient in minerals,"l; or because "something is lacking in their diet." Horses don't know or sense that anything is missing in their diet, even if it is!
Electrolytes are salts. Horses generally don't need extra electrolytes. Even in the hottest weather, horses generally get all the electrolytes that they need in their feed. Feed is loaded with salt.
Sometimes horses won't drink water at horse shows; the water there may taste different. If your horse tends not to drink while at horse shows, you may want to "doctor" his water supply. At home you can add things to his water, like sugar, salt or vinegar, or ever peppermint (horses especially like sweet tastes) to flavor it. Then, when at a new stabling facility, add the same substance to the water and disguise any funny taste that the different water may have and give it a funny taste.
How do you know if your horse is limping? The most obvious and looked for clinical sign if lameness is a bobbing head. That is, when the horse travels, his head, instead of being held steady, will bob up and down. The rhymic bobbing when it exists, gives the most of obvious indication of where the lameness is. You can remember it either way: Up on the bad foot OR Down on the good foot. |
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Vet Talk with Dr. David Ramey
is a monthly column for tips on horse care. Dr. Ramey, author of numerous books and articles, is Dominion Saddlery's resident online vet. Dr. David Ramey is a 1983 graduate of Colorado State University. After completing an internship in equine medicine and surgery at Iowa State University in 1984, he moved to Southern California and began general equine practice, specializing in the care and treatment of performance horses from a variety of disciplines. Dr. Ramey is the author of numerous articles in the lay and professional press, as well as several books, including Horsefeathers: Facts vs. Myths about Your Horse's Health and the Concise Guide Series on equine health care. Look for them at Dominion Saddlery. |
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