Illness & Injury

Biosecurity horse farm, how to protect horse from virus, pathogens horse farm, designing a horse barn for health, safely transporting horses

Protecting Horses and Humans - The COVID-19 pandemic showed how alarmingly quickly a virus can spread across countries and continents and created an understandable reaction to protect against infection from any and all viruses and pathogens. By extension, it is also essential that there is a level of biosecurity on your farm or acreage to protect horses against agents of disease.

equestrian dental care, dentists for horses, dental checkup for horse, horse veterinarians dental, shelagh niblock, how to care for horse's teeth

Much more than just floating teeth! Do you remember to get an annual dental exam for your horse? A dental check by your veterinarian involves floating, the process of filing a horse’s teeth to correct irregularities in the occlusal (biting) surfaces, as well as inspecting the teeth for any indication of a variety of other potential problems. In addition to examining the teeth for abnormalities that might cause chewing and/or bitting issues, your vet will also be looking for signs of fractured or loose teeth, as well as signs of ulceration on the cheek mucosa, the tongue, or the gums (gingiva).

long-term response of equids with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction to treatment with pergolide, treatment of ppid equine cushings disease

Long-term use of pergolide to treat horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID or Equine Cushing’s disease) produces clinical improvement in most cases, and improved endocrine test results in some, according to recent work.

respiratory illness horses, dust management equestrian centre, horse farm dust, reducing dust for horses, dust and horses

Equine Asthma or “heaves” can cause exercise intolerance, difficulty expelling air, inflammation of lung epithelium and narrowing of bronchus, persistent cough, and nasal secretions from mucous production. All of the above can turn a riding horse into a pasture ornament and or in worst case scenarios, bring about important quality of life decisions. Don’t wait for these signs or a tell-tale heave line to appear before taking steps to reduce dust, mould, and particulates in your horse’s environment. Two of the top sources of these are hay and bedding. These management tips will help you minimize dust and provide a healthier environment for horses and people.

horse abuse, horse welfare, canada horse welfare, national farm animal care council, health and animals act cfia, horse welfare alliance of canada, are horses livestock, horse neglect, rules for rodeo welfare

Horse welfare is complex, partly due to the myriad uses, values, and husbandry arrangements for horses. They’re backyard pets, ridden and driven in competition, raced, raised for meat, and used for therapy, recreation, and rodeo. Horses are regularly transported, kept in rural and urban areas, stalls, pens, fields, and pastures, plus managed according to their use. Many horses live on individual properties and their welfare relies on individual owners, making poor welfare difficult to identify.

horse vitamin e equine nutrition Shelagh Niblock, PAS sources vitamin E equine diet vitamin e supplements for horses, how much vitamin e does my horse need

Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin that is an essential nutrient in equine diets. Vitamin E functions largely as a biological antioxidant in the equine body, protecting tissues from the oxidative effects of free radicals. Free radicals are a natural outcome of cell metabolism but they can become excessive during conditions of hard work or injury.

equine respiratory ailments, horse barn air quality, horse care, horse barn drainage, horse barn ventilation, equine respiratory system, horse bedding

Horses are naturally designed to live outside. With shelter from the wind and elements and access to fresh water and good quality hay, most horses can live quite comfortably surrounded by their companions without a stable. This is not always a convenient option for their human counterparts.

Steve Chiasson, horse acupuncture, horse care, horse acupuncture points, horse back pain, horse pelvic pai, equine acupuncture treatment

We are living in an exciting time for the world of equine medicine. With advances in the last few decades, horse owners have at their disposal a huge variety of both diagnostic and therapeutic options for the health care of their horses.

Hypochaeris radicata, stringhalt equine reflex hypertonia, diseases horses, horse walking strange, equine hindlimbs stringhalt, uc davis center for equine health

Stringhalt, or equine reflex hypertonia, is a neuromuscular condition that causes a gait abnormality characterized by involuntary, exaggerated upward movement of one or both of the hindlimbs. It looks like a jerk or hop, with the affected hindlimb(s) snapped up towards the abdomen. This generally occurs with every stride at the walk but can lessen at the trot and is usually absent at the canter. The degree of hyperflexion varies from mild to severe and is most obvious when the horse is turning sharply, backing, going down a slope, in the first few walking steps after standing still, or during gait transitions. A hopping gait may be exhibited in severe cases.

stress horses, gastric ulcers horses, jec ballou, stacie boswell veterinarian, horse podcasts

Source: Best Horse Practices with Jec Ballou | Here, Jec and Dr. Stacie Boswell discuss horse stress: How does stress manifest in horses? How can we help them?

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