Equine News September 2018

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EQUINE NEWS SEPTEMBER 2018 Equine News September 2018 A publication of the Office of Continuing Education, Extension & Community Engagement Oklahoma

. Page 3 Health Insurance for Your Horse Page 4 Muscle Disorders.

1 EQUINE NEWS SEPTEMBER 2018 Equine News September 2018 A publication of the Office of Continuing Education, Extension & Community Engagement Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences IN THIS ISSUE Ch0ke in the Horse. Page 2 Fire Prevention on the Horse Property.. Page 3 Health Insurance for Your Horse Page 4 Muscle Disorders..Page 5 Fly Control Page 6 AUTHORS Kris Hiney, PhD Assistant Professor & Equine Extension Specialist, Animal & Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University Brittani Kirkland Master s Student (Equine Extension) Animal & Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University

2 Choke in the Horse If you have been around horses long enough you will have seen a case of choke. The symptoms of choke include: a. Drooling food and saliva from the mouth b. Food and saliva may drain from one or both nostrils c. Horse may extend its neck d. Horse appears anxious and nervous e. Horse may sweat f. Horse may paw g. Horse may repeatedly yawn or swallow h. Horse may retch or cough intermittently i. If the obstruction is in the cervical or neck region, you may palpate an enlargement typically on the left side of the neck As you may notice, some of these symptoms are similar to colic and choke may be confused with colic. Horses with choke have food obstructing their esophagus and the obstruction may be lodged anywhere from the neck to the stomach. The esophagus is nearly 5 feet long in the adult 1,000 pound horse. Normal adult horses produce up to 10 gallons of saliva a day and the saliva needs to be mixed with feed to allow it to easily pass through the esophagus. Muscular contractions move the normal food bolus to the stomach. If food becomes lodged in the esophagus, those muscular contractions are unable to move the food. In addition, because the horse has a strong well developed ring of muscle or sphincter connecting the stomach to the esophagus, they lack the ability to easily regurgitate. Risk factors for choke include: a. Speedy eaters horses that bolt their food are less likely to properly chew and mix their feed with saliva. Google slow feeders and you will find many options. b. Horses with poor teeth. Horses that have not received appropriate dental care are unable to properly chew their feed and mix it with saliva. c. Large chunks of fruit or vegetable treats can become lodged in the esophagus keep treats to a thumb size portion. d. Grain and pelleted feed are more commonly associated with choke than hay. e. Horses that eat their straw bedding may be at risk for choke. f. Horses that consume course hay are more likely to choke soaking course hay may help the horse. g. Horses that are tired are at more at risk for choke. h. Dehydration is also a risk factor for choke since less saliva will be produced. i. If your horse has been sedated for a medical or dental procedure, your veterinarian will advise you to withhold feed until they are fully awake. Because of the risk of pressure necrosis or death of esophageal tissue, choke should be considered a medical emergency. Ask your veterinarian about flushing your horse s mouth with water while waiting for him or her to arrive. Do not elevate the head and push water as this may result in aspiration of the water. Remove all feed and water from the stall and try to keep your horse calm. Your veterinarian may tranquilize the horse to allow the muscle of the esophagus to relax and calm the distressed animal. Passage of a nasogastric or stomach tube can be utilized to push the obstruction to the stomach. If the obstruction is not movable, your veterinarian may pass an endoscope to visualize the obstruction. Biopsy forceps can be passed down the endoscope and used to break up the obstruction. Following resolution of the choke, you may be instructed to wet the feed to a slurry consistency or soft mash while the esophagus heals. In addition, mitigating factors like dental disease and speedy eaters should be addressed. Once a horse has choked, it may be predisposed to choke again. Follow your veterinarian s instructions regarding dental care, choice of feed, and methods to slow down the fast eater. 2

3 Fire Prevention on the Horse Property Prevention is the best protection from a structural fire on a horse property. Each of us has probably seen a social media post describing the effects of a barn fire. Losing your equipment and barn is one thing but losing your horse or horses to fire creates a sinking feeling in your stomach. Unfortunately horses that may get out of the barn, often still suffer severe effects from the smoke and gases and may ultimately die from the effects of the fire. Careless smoking has been estimated to be the root cause of many preventable horse barn fires. Enforce a no smoking policy at your farm. Make sure your electrical systems are grounded and protected from chewing horses. House wiring in conduit. Inspect and clean electrical panels, wiring and fixtures frequently. Fans and lighting fixtures should be designed for agricultural use. When not in use, disconnect radios, clippers, extension cords and similar portable electrical appliances. While fans provide a much appreciated breeze to keep your horse cool and control flying insects, the residential version is built with a vented motor that isn t designed to withstand the increased dust present in barns. The electrical cord is lightweight and without much insulation, making it easy to damage. Residential box fans are not designed to withstand the dust in even clean barns. Agricultural use fans have a fully enclosed motor and a thermostatic overload switch. Check to see that the motor is rated for outdoor use. The length of their useful life offsets the extra cost of agricultural fans. Some farms have hot water heaters as well as washers and driers. Each of these should be inspected regularly to prevent electrical malfunctions. Remember that dryers are NOT self cleaning and the buildup of lint can pose a fire hazard. Pipe heating tape and insect control devices that use electricity should also be routinely checked. Control of dust, chaff and cobwebs is recommended in all stables. These products are easily combustible. Remove horses from the stable, wear a mask and use leaf blowers, brooms and cobweb dusters. Sweep up piles of chaff and uneaten hay and put them in your manure pile. Speaking of manure piles, I was on a farm vaccinating some horses when a fire broke out in a manure pile. It was determined that someone flicked a cigarette butt in the pile and the bedding easily caught fire. Speak with your fire service about fire extinguishers. Extinguishers are not universal and using the wrong extinguisher can spread a fire rather than suppress it. Using a heater in the tack room makes it a nice place to escape after working outside in the cold but space heaters should only be used according to product guidelines and should never be left unattended. Unplug space heaters when you are not in the barn. Consider the same precautions if you use a dehumidifier in your tack room. Often owners can receive a discount on their insurance if hay and bedding are stored in a separate building. For those of us with small farms that may not be practical. Consider storing hay, bedding and equipment in a separate section of your barn. Be sure that recently used tractors with hot engines, exhaust systems etc. are not parked right next to combustible hay or bedding. Storing petroleum fuels away from the barn may also offer you some protection. Speak with your local fire department. A visit from the fire department may offer additional ideas. Consider the use of lightning rods on your barns. Use a recommended installation company. Check this resource for suggestions: Just as we utilize prevention programs to protect the health and well being of our horses, consider what you can do on your farm to prevent structural fires. For more information see this Fact Sheet from Penn State Extension: safety in horse stables 3

4 Health Insurance for Your Horse With horses, it s often not a question of whether they will get sick or injured but when and how bad it will be and how much will it cost to fix it. Having to make a decision about your horses health based on financial factors can be devastating. Most horse owners are familiar with human health and life insurance. Are you aware that you can purchase mortality (life) insurance for your horse? In addition, equine health insurance is available for most horses. Purchasing health insurance for your horse can help you avoid having to put down your horse because the funds aren t available to help with treatment costs for a serious illness. If you lease or borrow a horse, it might be a good time to review your options. It may be wise to consider obtaining health and life insurance on horses that are not owned by you but held under a lease arrangement. Equine mortality insurance is another name for life insurance for your horse. Typically you are named as the beneficiary. If the horse is leased, the owner may be named as the beneficiary. Policies cover death from any cause, subject to certain exclusions, which are stated in the equine mortality insurance policy. Some policies will also pay if your horse is stolen. Depending on the policy, the payment is based on the actual value of the horse at the time of the accident or illness causing its death. Be sure to report any illnesses or injuries because if your horse is sick or injured before the policy expires, most companies will extend the coverage and pay the claim if the horse dies within that extension. Remember, even a mild colic can turn tragic so you want to maintain coverage. Equine health insurance frequently is available in two forms: major medical or surgical. Health insurance policies typically reimburse the veterinarian s fees for surgery, major illness and disease. These policies usually pay reasonable and customary charges necessitated by accident, injury or illness for your insured horse. Just as with human health insurance, there is a range of deductibles, which you choose at the time you purchase the policy. Surgical insurance only covers emergency or necessary surgery in a veterinary clinic. You can use an organization or insurance agent that shops the market for policies that fit your needs or you may purchase your policy directly from a specific carrier. An insurance carrier is the company that holds your insurance policy. For example, you probably have a different insurance carrier for your human health insurance and your car insurance. I encourage you to check with your horse owning friends and family when choosing an insurance carrier for your horse. Your veterinarian may also have some recommendations for insurance carriers. Many companies allow you to complete an application online and request a price quote. Please note: 1. Maintain good records on your horses pedigree (if registered), purchase prices, training records, and show records. Horses purchased as youngsters will have their value increase with training and awards. 2. Completing the application correctly will allow the insurance agent to provide the coverage you need. Some companies require an exam by a veterinarian to bind the coverage. 3. Many applications require the name and contact information for your regular veterinarian. 4. It is a very good idea to keep your horse's bill of sale, proof of payment (such as the cancelled check or documentation of a wire transfer), and performance and/or breeding records on file. In the event you file a mortality claim, these documents may be requested by the insurance company during the claims process. 5. If your horse becomes ill or is injured, you should obtain veterinary treatment as soon as possible, and notify the agent or claims department immediately thereafter. In non emergency situations where treatment is pending, such as a scheduled tumor removal, the owner should apprise the insurance agent of the situation and when the surgery will take place. Consider these insurance options for your horse. They may allow you to more easily afford the cost of treatments or surgeries for your companion. 4

5 Muscle Disorders Recently I have been asked by several horse owners about PSSM, or polysaccharide storage myopathies, in their horses. Much confusion exists as there are actual several disorders that fall under muscle abnormalities that afflict performance horses. Some have genetic links, some can be caused by trauma, and some have a nutritional basis. Symptoms can range from readily identifiable such as tying up, or muscle loss, while others can be much more subtle reduced performance, stamina or desire to work. Because rider, training methods, environment, tack fit and other orthopedic abnormalities can also affect the horse s performance, it may be frustrating for owners to determine what to target in attempts to improve horse performance. Nutrition can certainly impact a horses performance and certain nutrients have greater influence on muscle mass and function than others. Adequate protein is clearly needed for horses to have optimal muscle mass, but most horses meet their crude protein requirements with their normal feeds. However, what may be lacking is the proper amount of amino acids necessary for an equine athlete. Many feeds are now designed with more consideration of supplying the key amino acids (especially lysine, methionine, threonine, and the branch chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine). Horses which do not have access to fresh growing grass may also not be receiving enough Vitamin E from just harvested forage. If unsure, it may be wise to obtain a base line of serum alpha tocopherol to monitor a horse s response to vitamin E supplementation. In addition, sources of vitamin E have different bioavailability (essentially a measure of usefulness to the horse s metabolism) that will influence the effectiveness of supplementation. Selenium deficiencies should also be considered, especially if you reside in a geographic area with low selenium soil, and thus Se deficient forages. Horses should receive 1 3 mg of Se per day to meet their requirement. Just like us, horses can also experience muscle strains that have no basis in genetics or diet. Overuse of the muscle, or other lameness can alter a horse s normal gait pattern, can set them up for straining supporting muscles. I can personally attest to how much joint pain can alter muscle function in other parts of your body! You may actually even be able to locate painful muscles through careful palpation of your horse to locate areas of increased muscle tone or find those hard knots that form in muscle. A skilled massage therapist or chiropractor may be able to locate these areas for you, and guide you in therapeutic regimens for your horse. Of course, any underlying lameness must be resolved otherwise muscle compensation will quickly get you right back to where you started. The other category of muscle disorders are related directly to exercise, or exertional myopathies. These can be both sporadic and chronic with a multitude of causes, including PSSM, recurrent exertional rhabdomylosis (RER) and overexertion and electrolyte imbalances. Signs can include muscle pain or impaired performance during or after exercise, or in acute cases, extreme muscle stiffness, especially in the hindquarters and back, shortened hind limb stride, and pain and anxiety that can be visualized in increased sweating, respiration and heart rate. Next month we will specifically address exertional rhabdomylosis, its various causes and how to best manage these horses for a successful career. 5

6 Fly Control Many horse owners see an increase presence of flies during the summer/early fall months. The variety of fly species we see in Oklahoma varies greatly; some flies do not seem to cause too much trouble, while others can our horses to run violently around the pasture. As horse owners, we often find ourselves asking, How do we get rid of these things?! That question does not have a simple answer. Due to the variety of flies, it is difficult to have a single quick fix that solves all of our buzzing woes. Instead, it s suggested that you include multiple types of control in your barn management this is called integrated pest management. Integrated pest management utilizes cultural, physical, mechanical, biological, and chemical control. What does that mean for you? It means that you can attack your fly populations in multiple ways so more than just fly spray! Research has shown that if we use more than just one management method, we will have less resistance in our fly populations. So as horse owners, it is important for us to use multiple methods in order to create better results, now and in the future. Here are a few tips on ways that you can change your management to reduce fly presence: Keep it clean! Any areas that are moist and contain organic matter are perfect places for flies to lay their eggs. Dirty stalls, hay areas, feed bins, and manure piles are perfect places for flies to mature. So, take them away! Mosquito control! Dump any standing water that is not being used. Be sure to clean water buckets and troughs regularly as these are great reservoirs for mosquito larvae. Fly masks and blankets are a great way to protect your horse from numerous species of flies. However, it is important to recognize what type of fly you are dealing with. If you have a stable fly problem, you need to use netted leg wraps, not masks or blankets. Likewise, if you are dealing with horn flies, you need to ensure your face masks have ear nets. Make sure you are providing the physical barrier needed for that particular fly. (Note: You do not have to know your fly species per se you can figure out a lot just based on where the flies hang out on your horse!) Pasture location matters. Try to keep your horses out of wooded areas to avoid horse and deer flies and away from cattle to avoid horn flies. Open pastures with a breeze are best to avoid no see ums. Areas with water (ponds, creeks, etc.) are better if avoided also, as some fly species use water in their life cycles. There are natural predators for fly species that can be used. Parasitic wasps can be used to reduce house and stable fly populations. These wasps attack the pupae stage of the life cycle, effectively killing them so they won t become grown up flies! This is a fantastic option for placement in your barns. Wasps sound scary, but this type won t harm you or your horses. Traps are a great option for horse and deer flies, but they must be near your horses. Traps in pastures are not effective. Instead, place traps in small paddocks or confined areas with the horses. Avoid peak fly hours. Many fly species prefer early evening hours to feed. Try stalling your horses during this time to take them away from the areas where these flies may be hanging out. Also, try to stall your horses on windless nights to avoid no see ums. Adding a fan may also help. Finally, fly sprays! Make sure you are using a pyrethroid based fly spray (you can find this in the active ingredients section). This will help with most fly species, but it will need to be reapplied. Premise treatments are also helpful if you would like to treat your barns. Use premise treatments on your rafters and walls. However, spraying systems that continuously spray barn areas are not recommended. These are overall helpful tips, but there are ways to target a specific species of flies if you are struggling with a certain kind, so contact OSU Extension if you would like some personal help. I hope these tips will help you and your horses throughout the summer making life a little less buzzy and a whole lot more pleasant! 6

7 The OSU Veterinary Medical Hospital has been serving horse owners since We offer routine appointments Monday Friday and 24 hour emergency service including holidays. The equine medicine and surgery service is staffed by board certified specialists, post graduate veterinary residents, and senior veterinary students. The service is supported by board certified specialists in other areas of the hospital including anesthesiology, ophthalmology, radiology, cardiology and pathology. Licensed animal health technicians specifically trained in equine internal medicine and surgery assist our veterinarians and provide patient care during the day and after hours. All members of our team utilize state of the art diagnostic and therapeutic modalities with the common goal of delivering the highest possible standard of compassionate veterinary care to ill or injured horses, while training the equine practitioners and veterinary specialists of the future. Members of our faculty have special interests in internal medicine equine surgery sports medicine rehabilitation neurology ophthalmology cardiology anesthesiology and pain management We can perform endoscopy exams on horses at work on the treadmill. We can perform CT of the head and limbs and nuclear scintigraphy. Our imaging techniques also include digital fluoroscopy and ultrasound of limbs and chest and abdomen. We utilize complementary medicine such as acupuncture along with other therapeutic modalities to manage pain and help athletes perform to their potential. Veterinarians Committed to Excellence in Horse Health Care CVHS Equine Specialists Internal Medicine: Lyndi Gilliam, DVM, PhD, DACVIM; Todd Holbrook, DVM, DACVIM, DACVSMR Surgery: Michael Schoonover, DVM, MS, DACVS, DACVSMR; Daniel J. Burba, DVM, DACVS; Megan Williams, DVM, DACVS Reproduction: Reed Holyoak, DVM, PhD, DACT; Candace Lyman, DVM, DACT Anesthesiology: Kip Lemke, DVM, MS, DACVA Ophthalmology: Margi Gilmour, DVM, DACVO; Emily Sharpe, DVM, DACVO Cardiology: Ryan Baumwart, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology) Radiology: Mackenzie Hallman, DVM; Carrie Kuzma, DVM

Equine News February 2018

EQUINE NEWS FEBRUARY 2018 Equine News February 2018 A publication of the Office of Continuing Education, Extension & Community Engagement Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences