There are several things you need to remember if you own a horse and want to keep her healthy. Of all the animals we treat horses are the most vulnerable to Tetanus. Although this is a bacterial disease it is not treatable with antibiotics and antiserum once symptoms develop. The toxins produced by the infection that can get into even seemingly minor wounds will cause muscle paralysis, difficulties with swallowing are often the first thing that is noticed. Do not risk an encounter with this disease, the vaccine will protect for two years once the initial course has been given.

Similarly the respiratory viruses are best avoided; it is not just a cough that they cause. Affected animals develop a temperature and a nasal discharge and can take weeks of treatment before they are fit for work again. Horses with flu spread the virus to any others they come into contact with and animals that take part in events at any level will need a valid vaccination certificate to ensure that they are not likely to spread any infection to any others they have contact with.

At the time of the annual vaccination we like to check that there are no problems with your animal's teeth. Horses and Donkeys grind their food with their back teeth and sometimes-sharp edges will develop on the molars that can interfere with the chewing process. Regular rasping is sometimes required to maintain a healthy mouth.

It is never easy to give cast iron advise about worming as horses are managed in so many different ways depending on how much ground you have available. Are there problems with laminitis restricting the amount of grass you can use in the summer? It is not always easy to rest pastures or graze with sheep as they tend to increase the fertility in the ground and this is not always the best grazing to use for horses.

If possible remove any droppings from the pasture at least once each week. Worm any new arrivals to the field at least 48hrs before they are mixed with your horses. Adult animals should be wormed every two months to combat round worms when pasture contamination is high. Strongyl worms are less active during cold winters and tend to migrate deeper into the ground in very dry summers so you may be able to dose less frequently.

Young horses are more prone to infestations and should be treated more frequently especially if there are a number of animals on the field or if they have been off to a stud with their dam. Most modern wormers are effective so long as you give the correct dose and repeat it frequently enough. Worm with Eqvalan in the autumn if you have seen Bot Flies about to break their life cycle.The common Bot fly, Gasterophilus intestinalis lays eggs on the shoulders and front legs of the horse when they are grazing. The eggs are attached to the hairs and gain access to the body when they are licked off. Bots develop to grubs that will stay in the stomach of the animal for up to eight years if no treatment is given.

 It is most important to give a double dose of Strongid P at some time during the year, best in November, to eliminate any Tapeworms that may be present in the gastro intestinal system of your horse. Anoplocephala perfoliata is the tape worm most commonly found in horses, they tend to occur at the ileocaecal junction where the small and large intestine meet. Tapeworms are more common where several horses are kept together and they are associated with colic and ileal impactions. It is not usually possible to detect the presence of tapeworms from faecal samples so it is better to assume they are present and treat accordingly.

The small strongyl worms are called cyathostomes. They will cause weight loss, oedema of the lower parts of the body and diarrhoea if they are present in large numbers. Most commonly they cause disease in young horses late in the winter and early in the spring, although they can affect any age of horse throughout the year. Large strongyles are less numerous, but more visible in the droppings. Third stage larvae are ingested by the horse, these pass through the stomach wall and moult to the fourth stage larvae within the wall of the small intestine. It is these larvae that cause damage and dilation to the blood vessels that supply the gut. This is why it is important to worm your horse every two months, it is not the adult worms but the migrating larval stages of the parasite that does the damage

Young horses and older animals can sometimes harbor inhibited roundworms in their intestines during the winter. Use Panacur Guard to combat this. The drug is given over five days to eliminate the infection and is sometimes used as a precaution during the winter as there will be no signs of the parasites in any faeces samples that are routinely examined.

Our experience is that it is rare for strongyl worms to develop a resistance to the drugs that we use. There is tendency sometimes to under estimate weights or not repeat the dose as often as you should. Try to keep a note of when worm treatments have been given, as it is easy to forget who has been treated and when. Remember to dose older ponies and donkeys, they may not seem to be affected but they can act a source of infection for other stock.

There is one worm Dictyocaulus arnfieldi that has a different lifecycle. Third stage larvae when eaten pass through the wall of the small intestine and moult to move into the lungs. These larvae then mature to the adult worm that is able to shed eggs that pass up the trachea and out through the gastro intestinal tract. Horses with lungworm develop a harsh dry cough that will become more persistent if no treatments are given. Donkeys are the true host of this parasite, but it is rare for them to show any symptoms or give any indication that they are infected. The adult worms are susceptible to the avermectins and it is essential to use one of these drugs from time to time if your horse shares a field with donkeys and to make sure the donkeys are wormed as well.

Horses are herbivores and have a digestive system that is far more complicated than ours. Most of the fermentation in the lower bowel is undertaken by the action of bacteria and micro organisms on the food that has already been altered by enzymes. Herbivores are poorly adapted to changes in their diet so any alterations must be done gradually. It is never a good idea to give extra hard feed as a treat, the fermenting bacteria may not be able to adapt to the new environment in the gut and some of them will be killed off. Excessive gas is now produced and colic will result.

Colic is always a cause for concern. If you realise that there has been a diet change and the symptoms are mild it may pass off in time. Often the best thing that you can do is to walk your horse as this helps to dissipate the excessive gas that has been produced. If the pain is more intense he may want to roll and it is most important that you do not give him the opportunity to do this. Horses with colic have areas of their gut over extended with food and other areas over extended with gas. It is too easy for loops of gut to become twisted to make a difficult situation serious.

If things are not improving as you walk and your horse keeps wanting to go down and tries to roll we need to come and find out what is going on. Other colics that need prompt attention are when there has been no change in feeding or management or when no droppings are being passed.

It is not always easy to get the feeding right and it can be easy to overdo things and not balance the amount of work he is doing with the energy in the feed. The unused energy is stored in the muscles as glycogen. When the horse first returns to work this unused energy is rapidly broken down to form lactic acid. This is what is responsible for a horse that ties up when you first start to work. Affected horses get very stiff and may refuse to move. Do not force them to exercise. It is best to stop and get transport back to a loose box. Prompt treatment helps to minimise the muscle damage, forced exercise when the lactic acid is present will make things considerably worse and lengthen the recovery period.

To avoid problems try to maintain a regular stable and feeding regime. Do not be tempted to give extra hard feed as a treat. At times when your horse has an enforced rest reduce the hard feed and increase the amount of hay offered. Bring him back into work gradually and increase the feed accordingly, it is the sudden changes that cause the problems.

Skin Problems

There are two common skin problems that horses and donkeys suffer from that can easily be treated. One is caused by a parasite, the sucking louse. The other is caused by a fungal infection ringworm.

Louse Infestations

Lice tend to be most active during the winter and in the early spring. They cause irritation and hair loss in patches especially on the neck and flanks of the animal. If you look carefully you will see the insects at the base of hairs in the mane and at the tail. You might spot the eggs that are stuck onto the hairs. Lice can cause irritation on our skin as well if you have had even just passing contact with affected animals.

The best treatment now is to use a shampoo that contains an insecticide. Ensure the whole horse is washed and leave it on for at least ten minutes before washing off. It is important to shampoo all in contact horses and to repeat the treatment after fourteen days to ensure that the lice that hatch from the eggs that are present will perish before they can prolong the life cycle. 

Ringworm

This fungal infection is more common in younger animals and when a new horse or horses has been introduced to an established group. Again it is the head and neck that are the most common areas affected. There will be hair loss in several small patches at first, the patches will gradually enlarge and may have white crusting close to the skin.

If you encounter this disease have a close look at any horses that have been in contact with the one that is affected. The best treatment is to use a  anti fungal powder that is put in the feed each day for a week. This will make sure the fungus cannot penetrate the deeper layers of the skin and the infection will eventually be shed. It is more difficult to treat mares that may be pregnant and groups of animals.

Ringworm can be spread on head collars and bridles so these should be disinfected as well or the infection will come back again. This skin lesion will readily get established on our skin so be careful and keep children away from animals with any skin lesions until you have got it under control.

Sweet Itch

This is an annoying condition that starts  in April and can last throughout the summer. Sensitive animals tend to rub at the base of their tail and along their mane to cause hair loss and if left untreated skin damage. It is caused by a hypersensitivity reaction to the bites of culicoides midges that are active in the early mornings and evenings. Ponies are often the ones that suffer most from sweet itch. It is thought that some horses have a genetic predisposition to Sweet Itch as it has been found to be more common in some related horses whichever way they are managed.

The midges hunt by site.Sometimes when it starts you can get some control by housing affected animals from mid afternoon to late in the morning or move them to more exposed fields where there is more air movement. This is not always very easy or convenient to do. The problem is the more often they are bitten the more severe the reaction to the bites so the problem gets worse each summer.Affected horses lack concentration and tend not to perform as well as you would expect them to. There is an insecticide that can be applied to the back at weekly intervals that will stop the midges biting. It is better to start the treatment in April each year before the rubbing starts. Occasionally in very severe cases we have to resort to anti inflammatory injections, these will last for a month or more as long as other control methods are used at the same time. There is always a danger of leaving patients that are treated in this way vulnerable to developing laminitis, so injections must be used with caution.

It is possible to have a vaccine made up to desensitize animals that regularly suffer from Sweet Itch. The vaccine chosen depends on the results of a blood test. Infections are given at increasing strengths to stimulate resistance to the midge bites. It can take up to five months for this course of treatment to be fully effective

There are in fact three organisms that can be passed on from infected mares at a stud farm. Taylorella equigenitalis is also known as the Contagious Equine Metritis Organism and is highly infectious. Affected mares will be left with a discharge and are difficult to breed from.  It lodges in the genital organs of mares and stallions and will result in infertility.

Pseudomanas aerogenosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae will also cause venereal and bladder infections. These can be controlled in a similar way to Contagious Equine Metritis although Pseudomonas infections can be very difficult to treat and eradicate completely.

Venereal infections are controlled by identifying carrier animals by taking swabs and culturing them under controlled conditions. Samples are taken from the lining of the uterus and the clitoral fossa when the mare first comes into season. Fresh sets of swabs have to be taken each year if you want to breed from your mare. 

Once infection has been identified the animals concerned must be isolated and treated with antibiotics. No further matings are allowed until subsequent swabs are clear.

Care is taken to maintain high standards of hygiene on stud farms. Disposable gloves are used when each animal is handled and these are changed each time.

This is a notifiable disease that first appeared here in 1977 and crops up from time to time. Notably 1998 and now November 2002. Swabs are taken from all mares when they are in the first stages of their season and cultured to ensure they are clear of the infection before mating is permitted. Samples are also taken from stallions at the start of each breeding season to check that they will not be able to transmit the disease to any mares that they cover. 

Minsterley Show