SolveYourProblem.com Article Series: Horse Care
Teach Me Horse Care Tips
Horse
Health: When You Need a Vet
It is beautiful when the snow starts falling,
because there’s nothing more magical about winter. It’s cold
of course, but it also brings about cuddling and family time.
One thing that winter can be bad on though is your animals,
especially horses. Did you know that horses could have
a lot more health problems in the winter than any other season? As
the temperature drops a horse tends to get sick faster, especially
if they have no protection.
Some of the major health problems a horse can have are listed
below with descriptions and ways to try and prevent them.
Colic
is often described as a stomach ache. It doesn’t
always happen in the wintertime, but the horses are more
susceptible
to it then. It’s not so much the stomachache; it is the way
the horse reacts to having colic. They won’t eat and they tend
to lie down and keep getting up, trying to soothe the pain.
If the pain is really bad, some will roll and thrash violently.
They will kick at their bellies and grind their teeth. If your
horse has any of these signs immediately call the vet, because
they need to get serious medical help. Are you wondering why
they may get colic, or how they could have gotten it? Some
major factors are linked to colic in a horse.
Dehydration is one of the reasons a horse may get colic. As
winter sets in and it gets colder, horses don’t care to really
drink cold water, especially if it’s frozen. They can’t get
enough nutrients from the snow, so when they actually do drink,
their body temperature starts to drop. The body then has to
work double to produce heat. When a horse becomes hydrated
the intestines are the first thing affected. This in turn can
cause the extreme pain. If you don’t want your horse to get
dehydrated in the winter, set a pan of lukewarm water in the
barn. You can also fill their water troughs a couple times
a day with warm water.
When it’s cold outside everyone loves warm food or hay. This
is the problem with overfeeding in the wintertime. People think
since its cold out, they should feed the horses more. This
can lead to a number of problems. When the food is eaten too
fast, it can cause problems such as colic or laminitis, or
maybe both. If you need to feed more, feed more hay to make
it of a better quality. Or try to feed them about three times
a day.
Horses
can’t tolerate eating weeds and stalks mixed in hay.
They can’t digest it as well as some animals. Make sure the
hay is not moldy, that can cause Botulism, and will kill a
horse faster than you might even notice.
Another health issue a horse can get is rain
rot. It happens
when the ground is soggy and wet. The bacteria get between
the horses skin and dirt, which protects it. It resembles tiny
bumps or large scabbing along the front of the horse’s legs.
If not treated immediately, it can spread rapidly. You can
try a betadine scrub bath, but for the really bad cases you’ll
have to call the vet. Antibiotics will be prescribed for your
horse.
You have heard of pneumonia and just like humans can get it,
so can horses. It is fluid in the lungs from a viral or bacterial
infection. If caught immediately, antibiotics can take care
of it, but if you let it go too long you may have a dead horse.
Try to keep your horse in a stall in the barn, or some place
that is nice and warm. A horse blanket may do the trick and
can raise a horse’s body temperature, so they can fight off
the infection. Give your horse extra T.L.C. They have feelings
and if you pamper them they can get over it faster. If you
neglect them, leave them outside, don’t take them to the vet,
and treat them like dirt, they will likely not recover. If
you don’t have the desire to take an active interest in your
horse’s health, then maybe you should ask yourself if you should
own a horse. Pneumonia is a live threatening illness if not
treated immediately the result may be death. #
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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