Spring is here and the grass is green. It is time to get the overweight horses off of the grass, especially those that have foundered in the past.
Worming
April 15th is the time to worm all horses with Ivermectin to kill the spring hatch/molt of worms and bots. On October 15th fecal exams should be done on adult horses to see if an additional worming is needed. Young horses, aged 1-3yrs should be wormed every 3 months.
EMS (Equine Metabolic Syndrome) & ID (insulin Dyregulation)
Horses that are obese, stay fat on nothing (easy keepers), have a cresty neck, a fat sheath or udder probably have EMS.
EMS is genetic in some breeds (pony, Arabian, Morgan, Andalusian, minis, warmbloods, donkeys, quarter horses, and paints.) It can also be caused by overfeeding and letting the horse become obese.
ID Insulin Dyregulation or insulin resistance is where the horse has high insulin levels. It is a result of EMS obesity and fat deposits (crest of neck and butt). High insulin levels often cause laminitis or founder.
Diagnosis is by clinical signs or blood tests.
Treatment is dietary changes. Remove the horse from the pasture grass and keep it in a dry lot. This will allow you to control the horse’s diet. Stop feeding grain, and limit the hay. Feed one flake of quality hay, am & pm, in a slow feed hay net. Be sure to monitor the horse’s body condition as it loses weight. Other treatments include oral supplements such as Insulin Wise. We can also prescribe Metformin to flush the sugar out of the body and help with weight loss and Thyroid hormones (Thyro-l) to increase metabolism. Prescend (Pergolide) is given if the horse also has Cushings.
Biosecurity for Horses
When you acquire a rescue horse or horse from a sale, they often have a respiratory disease (flu, Rhino or Strangles). Be sure to isolate the new horse for 2-4 weeks to prevent your other horses from getting sick. Basic prevention is no nose-to-nose contact between horses, and no shared water/feed troughs. Feed and care for the new horse last. Wash up and change clothes before you have any contact with the other horses. Monitor the new horse by taking its temperature daily. Normal equine temp is 100 degrees. There is a nasal swab test available to test the sick horse to determine if it has strangles, flu or rhino virus.
Castration dates: April 1st -6th, 28th – 30th.
Solar Eclipse
We hope everyone gets the chance to witness the solar eclipse on April 8th. In our area the eclipse begins at 12:25 pm, is at its maximum at 1:44pm (total) and ends at 3:03pm. Be sure to wear eye protection. Solar glasses are cheap and easily found on Amazon. Don’t worry about protecting your horse’s eyes during the eclipse. Horses, unlike humans, have no desire to stare into the sun!
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