Horse Health Woes – When to Call the Vet
It’s beautiful the snow starts falling, and 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 can have a lot more health problems in the winter than any other season? Why is this, well 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- What is it, you ask? Well it’s a stomach ache, it doesn’t always happen in the winter time, but the horses are more susceptible to it then. It’s not so much the stomach ache; it’s the way the horse reacts to having Colic. They won’t eat, they tend to lye 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, 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. They are listed below�.
Dehydration-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 Luke warm water in the barn. Or fill their water troughs a couple times a day with warm water.
Overfeeding- When it’s cold outside everyone loves warm food or hay. This is the problem with overfeeding in the winter time, 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 to fast it can cause problems such as Colic or Laminitis, maybe both. If you need to feed more, feed more hay make it better quality. Or try to feed them about three times a day.
Bad Hay- 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 nor moldy, that can cause Botulism and that will kill a horse deader than a doornail.
Another health issue a horse can get is rain rot, what is it you ask? Well it happens when the ground is soggy and wet. The bacteria get between the horses skin and dirt which protects it. It’s resembles tiny bumps to large scabbing along the front of the horses legs. If not treated immediately it can spread rapidly. You can try and a betadine scrub bath, but for the really bad cases you’ll have to call the Vet. Antibiotics will be prescribed for your horse.
Pneumonia- We’ve all heard of pneumonia, even humans can get it so can horses. It’s 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 to long you may have a dead horse. Try to keep your horse in a stall in the barn, someplace that is nice and warm. A horse blanket may do the trick which can raise a horse’s body temperature, so they can fight off the infection. Give your horse extra TLC, 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. 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. There goes a thousand dollars out of your pocket.
