Fall 2007 Newsletter

Welcome to the fall newsletter from Sunrise Equine Veterinary Services. Our barn has been insulated, the furnace is in and we are excited about staying warm during the cold months while we work on your horses. For horses brought to our office for dental work from now through mid December, we will not be charging an office call. Take advantage of this opportunity to improve your horses oral health. We can schedule in house work on any business day.

The hot dry summer has passed and now is a great time to get out riding before the parks close or the snow comes. We have seen many lacerations and eye injuries during the summer probably because horses are itchy. In the fall we see many horses that are thin or have trouble getting around and we need to evaluate their quality of life before winter. We have had excellent results giving Adequan to older, arthritic horses helping them get around.

We are having another Open House this November, the schedule is included in this newsletter. Last year we had door prices for almost everyone so come, learn, meet other horse owners and have fun. We are also holding a Silent Auction to raise money for the MN Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation. We would appreciate any horse related donations.

We are continuing to enhance our knowledge by attending continuing education classes. Dr. Kirsten Voigt is participating in a class at Colorado State University on lameness and joint injections. I will be at a nutrition seminar presented by Purina mid-month and at the end of the month, I will be at New Bolton Center for a practice management meeting.

Thank you for your continued business and referrals. As always, you can request which Doctor sees your horses. For emergencies, please call the office to get the pager number of the veterinarian on call as we rotate duty. I hope to see you out at the park.

A challenging weight problem we see is the skinny horse. There is a fourfold approach we commonly take to solving this problem. The first thing to assess is the horse’s current diet. How much is it eating and does this seem appropriate to the current level of activity, stage of life, weather conditions and natural metabolism. In some cases a horse may simply need more calories than is realized. This is most often the case with those in heavy training or competition, young growing horses, mares that are in the third trimester of pregnancy or lactating, old horses whose intestinal tracts are less efficient, or hard keepers with fast metabolism especially during the cold winter months and inclement weather. Also, horses low in the pecking order may not be able to eat enough before being chased away.

The next thing to check is the de-worming program. Even horses that are eating enough feed can lose weight if they have to share the calories with hundreds of intestinal parasites. This is especially crucial in the young, the old, and those with Cushing’s disease whose immune systems are not as capable of keeping parasite levels from becoming overwhelming. The Panacur Powerpak is terrific at reducing even the encysted larva.

The third area of concern is the condition of the teeth. Particularly in aged horses, but by no means exclusively, dental abnormalities can be a major factor in weight loss or failure to gain. Chewing food properly is the first step in the digestive process. Without proper chewing the nutrients do not become available to the intestines for absorption and therefore pass out the other end unused. If there is a significant number of missing teeth the diet must be modified by using a pelleted complete feed, which is essentially pre-chewed during manufacturing process. This feed can also be soaked to facilitate swallowing.

If the answer to putting weight on the skinny horse is not found after addressing the above issues, we start looking for underlying disease or illness. We often do blood work to look for infection or organ failure. Other reasons for being thin include stomach ulcers or cancer, which usually require more invasive procedures to definitively diagnose. Some conditions are treatable while others are not but knowing the cause of the weight loss allows us to make informed decisions about the horses management and future.

If you’re struggling with an under weight horse call for an appointment so we can help you improve the situation before the cold of winter sets in. Remember to feel your horse’s ribs as a heavy winter haircoat can make a thin horse look fat.

Dr. Emily Steele

Ready or not, fall is here and winter is right behind it. Winter is a great test of our horses teeth. Instead of eating summer's soft green grass, our horses have to eat relatively tough hay and grain all winter long. Researchers have found that if food is not ground up well by the horse's teeth, it is very difficult for the rest of the digestive tract to absorb the calories and other nutrients contained in your horse's feed. This means poorer health for your horse and wasted hay and grain money for you. Fall is a great time to have your horse's teeth examined and make sure your horse's teeth are up to the task of chewing tough hay and grain.

There are several signs horses show when they are in need of dental care. These include:

Often, horses with mild dental problems will not show any of the signs and can only be diagnosed by dental exams. However, correcting dental problems when they are mild is easier, cheaper, and can increase the life and usefulness of your horse's teeth. Therefore, we recommend a dental exam for all horses 1-2 times per year to maintain a healthy, balanced mouth.

At the beginning of October, I attended a three day continuing education course on lameness diagnostics and treatment which was held at Colorado State University. We focused on looking for lameness as the horse moved, then using nerve and joint blocks to pinpoint the problem area, and lastly, taking x-rays and ultrasound images of the problem area. We then discussed the treatment options.

Subtle lameness can be made more apparent by using flexion tests, different footing or lunging in a circle. Nerve blocks are a systematic desensitization of the lame leg that gives specific information on where the pain is coming from. This information is extremely valuable because often a lameness that appears to be in the shoulder is actually coming from the lower limb. If there is a specific joint in question a joint block can be done to know without a doubt if this is where the pain is.

Once the area is identified, imaging is the next step. X-rays are used for looking at bone and ultrasound is used for tendons and ligaments. This is an important step in knowing what is wrong, how to fix it and what the prognosis is.

Treatment options may include anti-inflammatory drugs either topical or oral, rest or light work, cold or hot therapy, injecting a joint to reduce inflammation and increase lubrication, and using joint supporting agents such as Adequan®, Legend® or Cosequin®.

Treating lameness early shortens recovery time and decreases the risk of negative consequences. These include re-injury and arthritis. A full work-up is very beneficial in keeping a sound riding partner not only now but also in the later years of their life.

 

Open House &

Client Education Day