Collier Equine Vet Service

Tel: (936) 372-3619     &      (936) 372-3610        Fax: (936) 931-1537
33054 Joseph Road.   Waller, TX.  77484   -    U.S.A
E-mail:  info@collierequinevet.com
or:  BColliervt@aol.com

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Reprinted with permission from the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

Help your Foal Grow with Proper Nutrition

 A healthy foal will grow rapidly, gaining in height, weight and strength almost before your eyes.  From birth to age two, a young horse can achieve 90 percent or more of its full adult size, sometimes putting on as many as three pounds per day.  Feeding young horses is a balancing act, as the nutritional start a foal gets can have a profound affect on its health and soundness for the rest of its life.

At eight to ten weeks of age, mare’s milk alone may not adequately meet the foal’s nutritional needs, depending on the desired growth rate and owner wants for a foal.  As the foal’s dietary requirements shift from milk to feed and forage, your role in providing the proper nutrition gains in importance.  Following are guidelines from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) to help you meet the young horse’s nutritional needs:

1. Provide high quality roughage (hay and pasture) free choice.
2. Supplement with a high quality, properly balanced grain concentrate at weaning, or earlier if more rapid rates of gain are desired.
3. Start by feeding one percent on a foal’s body weight per day (i.e., one pound of feed for each 100 pounds of body weight), or one pound of feed per month of age.
4. Weigh and adjust the feed ration based on growth and fitness.  A weight tape can help you approximate a foal’s size.
5. Foals have small stomachs so divide the daily ration into two to three feedings.
6. Make sure feeds contain the proper balance of vitamins, minerals, energy and protein.
7. Use a creep feeder or feed the foal separate from the mare so it can eat its own ration.  Try

to avoid group creep feeding situations.

8. Remove uneaten portions between feedings.
9. Do not overfeed.  Overweight foals are more prone to developmental orthopedic disease (DOD).
10. Provide unlimited fresh, clean water.
11. Provide opportunity for abundant exercise.

The reward for providing excellent nutrition and conscientious care will be a healthy foal that grows into a sound and useful horse.  For more information about providing proper nutrition for your foal, talk with your equine veterinarian and ask for the “Foal Growth” education brochure provided by the AAEP in conjunction with Education Partners Bayer Animal Health and Purina Mills.  Additional information about foal nutrition can also be found on the AAEP’s horse health Web site, www.myHorseMatters.com.

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Help Your Mare Have a Safe Delivery

 If your mare has made it through 11 months of pregnancy, you’re almost home free. Labor and delivery, while momentous, are generally uneventful.  In most cases, you will simply need to be a quiet observer – if, that is, you are lucky enough to witness the birth.  Mares seem to prefer to foal at night in privacy, and apparently have some control over their delivery.  Because most mares foal without difficulty, it is usually best to allow the mare to foal undisturbed and unassisted.

            What you can do, however, is prepare your mare for a safe and successful delivery.  Follow these suggestions from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) to help the new mother and baby get off to a great start:

·        Write down your veterinarian’s phone number well in advance of the birth and keep it by all phones.

·        Keep a watch or clock on hand so you can time each stage of labor.  When you’re worried or anxious, your perception of time becomes distorted.  The watch will help you keep accurate track of the mare’s progress during labor.

·        Wrap the mare’s tail with a clean wrap when you observe the first stage of labor.  Be sure that the wrap is not applied too tightly or left on too long, as it can cut off circulation and permanently damage the tail.

·        Wash the mare’s vulva and hindquarters with a mild soap and rinse thoroughly.

·        Clean and disinfect the stall area as thoroughly as possible and provide adequate bedding.

·        Consider using test strips that measure calcium in mammary secretions to help predict when

the mare will foal.  Sudden increases in calcium are associated with imminent foaling.

If a mare is taking longer than 30 minutes to deliver the foal, call your veterinarian immediately.

For more information on labor and delivery and postpartum care for the mare and foal, ask your equine veterinarian for a copy of the “Foaling Mare and Newborn” client education brochure, provided by the AAEP in partnership with Educational Partner Bayer Animal Health.  Additional information can be found on www.myHorseMatters.com, the AAEP’s Web site for all horse health topics.

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Learn to Recognize the Signs of Laminitis

 Every day veterinarians across the country see hundreds of cases of laminitis, a painful disease that affects the feet of horses.  Laminitis results from the disruption of blood flow to the sensitive and insensitive laminae within the foot, which secure the coffin bone to the hoof wall.  While the exact mechanisms by which the feet are damaged remain a mystery, certain precipitating events can produce laminitis.  Although laminitis occurs in the feet, the underlying cause is often a disturbance elsewhere in the horse’s body.

As a horse owner, it is important to recognize the signs of laminitis and seek veterinary help immediately.  Signs of acute laminitis include the following:

·        Lameness, especially when a horse is turning in circles; shifting lameness when standing

·        Heat in the feet

·        Increased digital pulse in the feet

·        Pain in the toe region when pressure is applied with hoof testers

·        Reluctant or hesitant gait, as if “walking on eggshells”

·        A “sawhorse stance,” with the front feet stretched out in front to alleviate pressure on the toes and the hind feet “camped out” or positioned farther back than normal to bear more weight

Signs of chronic laminitis may include the following:

• Rings in hoof wall that become wider as they are followed from toe to heel
• Bruised soles or “stone bruises”
• Widened white line, commonly called “seedy toe,” with occurrence of blood pockets

and/or abscesses

• Dropped soles or flat feet
• Thick, “cresty” neck
• Dished hooves, which are the result of unequal rates of hoof growth

 If you suspect laminitis, consider it a medical emergency and notify your veterinarian immediately.  The sooner treatment begins, the better the chance for recovery.  For information about laminitis, ask your equine veterinarian for the “Laminitis:  Prevention and Treatment” brochure provided by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) in association with Bayer Animal Health, an AAEP Educational Partner.  Additional information can also be found on the AAEP’s horse health Web site, www.myHorseMatters.com.

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Learn to Recognize your Horse’s Dental Problems

 Horses with dental problems may show obvious signs, such as pain or irritation, or they may show no noticeable signs at all.  This is because some horses simply adapt to their discomfort.  For this reason, periodic dental examinations are essential to your horse’s health. 

            It is important to catch dental problems early.  If a horse starts behaving abnormally, dental problems should be considered as a potential cause.  Waiting too long may increase the difficulty of remedying certain conditions or may even make remedy impossible.  Look for the following indicators of dental problems from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) to know when to seek veterinary attention for your horse:

1. Loss of feed from mouth while eating, difficulty with chewing, or excessive salivation.
2. Loss of body condition.
3. Large or undigested feed particles (long stems or whole grain) in manure.
4. Head tilting or tossing, bit chewing, tongue lolling, fighting the bit, or resisting bridling.
5. Poor performance, such as lugging on the bridle, failing to turn or stop, even bucking.
6. Foul odor from mouth or nostrils, or traces of blood from the mouth.
7. Nasal discharge or swelling of the face, jaw or mouth tissues.

 Oral exams should be an essential part of an annual physical examination by a veterinarian.  Every dental exam provides the opportunity to perform routine preventative dental maintenance. Mature horses should get a thorough dental exam at least once a year, and horses 2 –5 years old should be examined twice yearly.

For more information about proper dental care, ask your equine veterinarian for “Dental Care: The Importance of Maintaining the Health of Your Horse’s Mouth,” a brochure provided by the AAEP in conjunction with Educational Partner Bayer Animal Health.  Additional information is available on the AAEP’s horse health Web site, www.myHorseMatters.com.

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Protect your Horse from EIA

 Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a potentially fatal disease that threatens the world’s horse, donkey and mule populations.  The virus that causes EIA reproduces in the white blood cells that circulate throughout the body.  The immune system, via antibodies, may attack and destroy red blood cells, leading to anemia.  Infected horses may die from the direct effects of the virus or from secondary infections.  Despite testing and measures to eradicate the equine infectious anemia virus, EIAV, more than 500 new cases are identified each year in the U.S. 

There is no cure for EIA.  Although most horses show no symptoms, they remain contagious for life, endangering the health of other horses.  For this reason, the United States Department of Agriculture and state animal health regulatory agencies require euthanasia or strict lifelong quarantine for horses testing positive for EIA.

            Your horse’s only protection against EIA is prevention.  Good management practices can reduce the potential of infection.  The following guidelines from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) will help:

• Use disposable needles and syringes, one per horse, when administering vaccines and medications.
• Sterilize dental tools and other instruments before using them on another horse.
• Test all horses for EIA at least annually.
• Test horses at the time of purchase examination.
• Stable owners, horse show and event managers should require and verify current negative Coggins certificates for all horses entering the premises.
• New horses should be quarantined for 45 days and observed for any signs of illness, including elevated temperatures, before introducing them to the herd.  They should be retested if exposure to EIA is suspected at a 45-day interval.
• All stable areas should be kept clean, dry and waste-free.  Good pasture management techniques should also be practiced.  Remove manure and provide adequate drainage to discourage breeding sites for pests.
• Horses at greater risk, such as those in frequent contact with outside horses or who live or travel in geographic regions known for EIA outbreaks, should be tested more frequently, every 4 – 6 months.

 For more information about EIA, ask your equine veterinarian for “Equine Infectious Anemia: The Only Protection if Prevention,” a brochure provided by the AAEP in conjunction with Educational Partner Bayer Animal Health.  Additional information can be found on the AAEP’s horse health Web site, www.myHorseMatters.com.

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