Horses are most happy in a natural environment where they are free to roam, socialize and graze at will. They require close attention and care. A horse needs a safe pasture, good fencing, access to salt and minerals, adequate shelter from the weather, a continuous supply of fresh clean water and a high quality staple diet. Horses also need companionship, from other livestock and from you. Make sure to monitor your horse on a daily basis for any illness or injury. These are the tenets of being a good horse owner.

Health problems can often seem to come out of nowhere. One day your horse seems perfectly content and healthy, then the next day he is suddenly struck ill. Most horse-related illnesses can be avoided by taking preventative measures against all common diseases and disorders. As a horse owner, you will have to learn to take preventative measures. Here are some of the most common illnesses that can affect your horse.

Equine Respiratory Disease Complex

This condition, also known as ERDC, is incredibly common among horses. This condition is a result of the stress of transportation or strenuous exercising. It can also develop from exposure to new surroundings and other animals. A horse can easily become vulnerable to an ERDC viral infection as well as a secondary bacterial infection like Streptococcus zooepidemicus. The latter is a species that is probably one of the most common organisms isolated from foals with pulmonary abscesses or pneumonia. Pneumonia is another relatively common condition caused by the inflammation of the lungs. Viruses like equine viral arthritis, equine viral rhinopneumonitis or other forms of bacteria can cause it. Viral pneumonia can often weaken the horse, making them more vulnerable to secondary bacterial infections.

Signs and symptoms of this condition include nasal discharge, cough, increased respiratory rates and a fever of at least107 degrees F. Most afflicted horses appear depressed and will refuse to eat. S. Zooepidemicus can also create toxins that damage the horse’s airways, which can result in pneumonia and abscess formations.

In order to make a complete diagnosis, veterinarians will need to take the horse’s full history. The horse will need to conduct a full examination before deciding on a course of treatment. Most of these veterinarians will base the diagnosis on their previous clinical experience, so make sure you find an experienced vet that you can trust.

Laminitis is another common illness that results from a short-term disruption of blood flow to the laminae structures in the foot. This can affect one or all of your horse’s feet. The condition is most common in the front feet. This condition remains a mystery, but we do know that the underlying causes often begin as a disturbance somewhere else in the horse’s body. Some potential causes of this condition may include toxins released in the horses system, digestive upsets, excessive amounts of lush forage, high fever, severe colic, metabolic disorders, and retained placenta in a mare. Other factors that can increase a horse’s susceptibility are overweight and breed (draft horses appear to be more susceptible).

Signs and symptoms of this condition can include an increased digital pulse in the foot or feet, lameness, a reluctance to walk, pain in the toe area, rings or bruises on the hooves, flat feet, dropped soles or dished hooves. The sooner a diagnosis is made, the quicker that the recovery process can begin. Diagnosing Laminitis early is often challenging as it often begins somewhere else in the horse’s body.

Colic is another common problem that is often used to describe a wide range of abdominal discomforts. Colic can include worm infestations or even a twisted intestine. Colic is one of the biggest health threats to all horses. Causes of colic may include ingesting sand or other non-feed materials, over feeding, irregular feeding, poisons, bad feed, worms or a twisted intestine. Most colic is put into one of three categories: Intestinal Accidents, Intestinal Dysfunction and Ulcerations.

There are many signs and symptoms that can point to colic, including personality changes, not interested in feed or water, general unease, excessive rolls, sweat and tired appearance. Your horse’s body temperature may be higher than normal even though the pulse and respiration remains level. Other signs may include a horse stomping on his hind leg, swishing his tail, turning to look at his belly and nipping at his sides. Horses with severe pain may roll their eyes, groan, kick his belly and stretch out on the ground.

Visit your vet immediately if colic is suspected. The vet will take the horse’s vital signs. Write down all the symptoms you have noticed before the vet arrives. This will help the vet make the right diagnosis.

There is definitely something beautiful about snow in winter. The cold weather recalls moments of cuddling and family time. However, winter can be hard on your animals, especially horses. Horses have a lot more health problems in the winter than any other season. When the temperature drops, horses tend to get sick faster, especially if they are not protected properly.

Here are some of the major health problems that a horse can suffer from during the cold winter months.

Colic is a serious stomachache that horses sometimes suffer from. Colic doesn’t always appear in the wintertime, but horses appear more susceptible to it in cold weather. Horse reacts to having colic by not eating. They tend to lie down and keep getting up, trying to soothe the pain. In some severe cases, some horses will roll and thrash violently, kick at their bellies and grind their teeth. Immediately call a vet if you notice any of these things. This means that they need to get serious medical attention. Why do some horses seem more prone to colic during the cold months?

Dehydration is the major reason that a horse may get colic. When winter sets in and it begins to get colder, horses don’t care to drink cold water, especially frozen water. Horses don’t get many nutrients from snow. When they do drink, their body temperature will begin to drop. This means that their body has to work twice as hard to produce enough heat. When a horse becomes hydrated, its intestines become easily affected. This can cause your horse extreme pain. To avoid this, set a pan of lukewarm water in the barn and fill their water troughs twice a day with warm water.

Everyone loves warm food or hay, and your horse is no exception. Overfeeding in the wintertime is a common problem. Many horse owners think that since its cold out, they should feed the horses more. When your horse consumes its food too fast, it can cause problems such as colic or laminitis. Instead of increased feeding, try to feed more hay of a better quality about three times a day.

Horses will usually not eat weeds and stalks mixed in hay, as they simply won’t digest it as well as some animals. Your goal is not to make the hay moldy as this can cause Botulism.

Another problem is rain rot. This occurs when the ground is soggy and wet and bacteria moves onto the horses skin and dirt. Rain rot looks like tiny bumps or large scabbing along the front of the horse’s legs. This condition can spread rapidly if not treated right away. Try a betadine scrub bath and if this doesn’t work, a vet should prescribe antibiotics.

Just like humans can get it, horses can contract pneumonia as well. This condition has to do with fluid in the lungs from a viral or bacterial infection. Antibiotics can wipe it out if caught early enough, but it can lead to premature death if not treated promptly. Keep your horse in a stall in the barn that is clean and warm. A horse blanket can help raise a horse’s body temperature to fight off the infection. Make sure to pamper your horse in order to help it heal faster. Consult your vet if you have any question about caring for your horse in intemperate weather.

Laminitis-what is it and how to treat it-is something that every responsible horse owner should know about. This article will give you a general overview of laminitis and its causes, and what you can do to prevent it in your horse.

Laminitis is essentially a condition characterized by an inflammation of the laminae inside the hoof. These laminae are what attach the coffin bone to the hoof wall. When they become inflamed or swelled, they can become very painful for your horse. Most of the time, the swelling will not be restricted to the interior walls. Inside the hoof, there is no room for swelling. Thus, any swelling will result in one very sore hoof. When laminae inside the hoof swell, pressure is put on the blood vessels inside that hoof. This, in turn, restricts the flow of blood inside the vessels of the hoof or hooves, thus causing in the hoof losing life. The coffin bone rotates and the hoof begins to die. This will cause a great deal of pain for your horse.

The good news is that Laminitis can be easy to detect if you know what you’re looking for. When a horse has sore feet or legs, they will often ‘rest’ the front hoof. Be aware that this is not normal or healthy behavior. If you should see your horse ‘resting’ a front limb, a vet should be consulted immediately. The vet should check the front limb for lameness. If the horse is rocking his weight from his fore limbs to his rear limbs, make sure to describe the horse’s behavior to your vet as soon as possible.

When it comes to laminitis-what is it and how to treat it-make sure you work with a qualified vet who is familiar with this condition. There are many potential causes for laminitis. These may include fever, overfeeding of grains, overeating of grain and too much early exposure to fresh spring grass before the horse’s body can become accustomed to it. Another probable cause is that you may be overfeeding grain to your horse. It’s perfectly acceptable to feed your horse the occasional grain treat, but doing this too often can lead to health problems, including laminitis.

If you suspect your horse suffers from this condition, the first thing you should do contact your vet for an examination. Make certain that the vet you work with has ample experience in treating this difficult condition. You will also want to ask certain questions. Can the vet shoe your horse for laminitis, or does he or she work with a good farrier that they can recommend? Ideally, you want your vet and farrier to have a close working relationship.

When you first visit your vet, he or she should take x-rays of your horse’s hooves to determine the degree of coffin bone rotation in the hoof. This will help determine the appropriate treatment plan. The more that you learn about this difficult condition, the more prepared you will be to treat for your horse.

In order to prevent this condition, it is absolutely essential that you find the right feed/exercise ratio. You should also make sure that the grains you choose are located where a loose horse cannot feast on too much feed.

You will be able to make the best diagnosis and treatment plan for your horse the more you understand about laminitis. In many cases, it will take months of corrective shoeing and vet treatments to help your horse move beyond this condition.

Pesky little flies are a part of life, but no matter how many little gadgets and techniques we invent to get rid of these, they persist. Flies are not only a nuisance but may also carry some vile diseases. Some of these may include tuberculosis, dysentery, typhoid, and conjunctivitis. Fly infestation is a battle that all horse owners will eventually need to face. Flies are in fact a common complaint among all horse owners. No matter where you live, you will have to deal with these pesky insects that can often cause your horse discomfort, pain, colic, gastrointestinal irritation, and even death.

Here is everything you probably never thought you would want to know about flies. First, know that flies are unrelenting little pests that live to continuously reproduce. The life cycle of a fly from egg to adult takes about 20 to 25 days. In this short window of time, flies remain busy by reproducing incredibly fast. It is estimated that a single female fly can lay at least twenty clutches of eggs throughout her short life. Each clutch of eggs contain 40-80 eggs, which means that two flies can just as easily produce nearly 2 million breeding pairs in roughly twelve weeks. Theses numbers are enough to make the skin of any horse owner crawl.

What can you do to help control the fly population in your stables? Controlling flies in your stable can be a long process as pest control is much more involved than setting up some traps. Your first step should be to take preventive measures to reduce the number of flies in your area. Next, you will want to take a look at all of the environmental measures available to you in order to control the population in your stalls. The next step is to take measures to protect your horse. You will want to use a biological method in order to control the fly population. You will better off by attacking your fly population at all fronts.

Your first step should be towards preventing flies from gathering in your stalls. You can prevent your surroundings by seeking to make flies as uninviting as possible. You should strive to keep your stable and horse living quarters dry and clean. Flies are drawn to manure; so make sure to keep the area clean. What people see as disgusting, flies will see it as paradise. Follow these simple steps all year round and you will keep the fly population down.

Your number one defense against controlling flies is order and cleanliness. Remove manure on a daily basis, either by adding it to a compost pile or letting it dry in the sun. Make sure to rake up leaves and grass on a regular basis. Clean up any spilled grain or hay immediately and make sure to store all food in tightly sealed containers. Keep feed buckets clean in order to prevent any flies from becoming attracted to them. Bedding should be cleaned on a regular basis in order to avoid a build up of moisture.

One of the smartest things you can do in order to keep your stalls free of flies to keep your horses grain and hay in a feeder instead of on the ground. Food can become moist when it’s left on the ground, and thus a great nesting place for flies. When flies lay their eggs in moist feed, a horse can ingest the eggs and get sick.

Standing water should be removed from the vicinity. Pools of standing water are basically cool pools for flies. You can install dry wells beneath outside faucets to prevent any water from pooling near your horse.

Remember that garbage is a haven for all flies. You will want to Be sure to keep garbage sealed tightly and far away from your horse’s stable and living quarters.

Ventilation is also important, as good air circulation is crucial for maintaining a dry and clean living area for your horse.

Parasites problems have plagued horse owners for years. Parasites can cause a host of potential health problems, including horse colic, breathing problems and many performance issues.

The most common types of parasites include ascarids, strongyles, and pinworms. These are commonly known as the silent killers of the horse industry. Fortunately, many of these parasites are often preventable.

The first step to taking care of this problem is identifying what kind of parasites your horse has. Sometimes parasites are easy to spot, as when a horse that rubs his tail on a fence (a strong case of pinworm). A horse that appears thin with a scraggly coat most likely is suffering from strongyles or tapeworm. Little yellow eggs attached to his front legs points strongly towards an infestation of both.

Fortunately, all of these parasites are eminently treatable, if you can catch them early enough. There are over150 internal parasites out there, and if your horse has been plagued for many years, there is a great chance that significant damage has been done.

Developing a viable and effective parasite control program for your horse is as important as providing him with fresh water and regular feed. Many horse owners continually overlook the importance of de-worming their horses. By the time they realize the extent of the infestation, it is too late to do anything about it. However, some horses can be plagued by internal parasites and yet have the shiniest coat you have ever seen. Some symptoms of infestation include lack of stamina, weight loss, loss of appetite and a dull coat. A seemingly healthy horse can potentially have a system full of parasites that are destroying his intestines, organs and blood vessels.

What is your best defense against a parasite problem?

If you suspect a problem, take a sample of your horse’s fecal matter to your local vet for lab analysis. Parasites and eggs may not be visible to the naked eye, but your vet will be able to make a firm diagnosis. Sometimes you may be able to see roundworms. Once the problem has been determined, your vet can then recommend the most effective de-wormer and put your horse on a schedule to rid your horse of these infiltrators. It is very important to follow up approximately two weeks later with your vet in order to have the fecal matter checked again for parasites and eggs.

The bad news is that once your horse has parasites, it can be difficult to stave them off forever. As long as you have a horse, you will always live with the threat of parasites. The good news is that, with good horse management practices, they can easily be kept under control. Keep in mind that parasites may build a resistance to certain chemicals. This means that you will need to rotate the various chemicals you use to eliminate those parasites in order to defend yourself against this limitation. Make sure you switch between different chemicals in order to make certain that you don’t run up against this wall. Check labels carefully when choosing the right chemicals.

There are three basic ways to go about de-worm your horse.

The first method is known as stomach de-worming, also known as tube worming. A vet will insert a tube through your horse’s nose and down into his stomach. The tube will administer the chemicals to his stomach. Clearly, most horses do not prefer this method. The second most common de-worming method is by using a paste wormer that can be purchased from any feed store. This process involves inserting the end of the paste tube into the corner of your horse’s mouth. The paste is then deposited onto the back of his tongue for him to swallow. You will definitely want to have a pail of feed handy to allow your horse a mouthful of feed in order to wash the paste down. The third option that can help treat parasite problems is to add the de-worming liquid to your horse’s feed. There are now many commercially flavored de-wormers now available, which most horses will eat without hesitation. Although some horses will not touch their feed if you add something to it, take care to add it gradually.