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How to Help Your Horse Beat the Heat

How to Help Your Horse Beat the Heat

Aug 7, 2018 | Heat

Tuesdays with Tony

Heat

Welcome to August in Florida, friends, where stepping outside of the air conditioning is not unlike standing directly on the surface of the sun. Needless to say, I’ve been spending 99.9% of my time indoors recently. Do you ever stop and wonder how your horse is handling the heat? If you notice your horse breathing rapidly, flaring his nostrils, or acting lethargic in this ridiculous, scorching weather, give one of our docs a call. There could be an underlying medical condition that explains why he just can’t take the heat this year. Below are the 3 most common reasons our docs see for heat intolerance in horses here in sunny Florida.

 

Heaves

One of the ways horses cool down, like many other animals, is through breathing. They breath hotter air out, and cooler air in, all day long. In addition to brutal, unrelenting rays of sun, heaves is another unwelcome visitor who rears his ugly head in the summertime. Heaves, a.k.a. Equine Asthma, a.k.a. Recurrent Airway Obstruction, is characterized by wheezing and an increased respiratory rate. Environmental allergens, many of which peak during the summer months, contribute greatly to the severity of heaves.

It follows that when you are having trouble breathing in the first place, it’s not easy to regulate your body temperature. Ask anybody you know who has asthma. Imagine how uncomfortable it would be to wheeze away from May until October! These horses also tend to lose a lot of weight in the summer months, because they are using up all of their calories simply trying to breathe.

If you suspect your horse may have heaves, it’s definitely important to have him examined. With the right medications, your horse should be back to breathing freely in no time. If your horse has been diagnosed with heaves in seasons past, it may be time to restart his treatment. Don’t worry, you should be able to wean him off all medications when (and if) the weather starts to cool down.

 

Hair

Is your horse a fuzzy wuzzy caterpillar? Excess hair in the summertime can also lead to overheating, because the heat generated by the horse’s body can’t escape. While a thick haircoat is a bit of a nuisance in the winter, it can be life-threatening in the heat of summer months. If your horse falls into this category, there are 2 things you should do.

First, call your vet to schedule an ACTH test to determine if that long haircoat is a sign of Cushing’s disease, or PPID. Remember, we can now test horses at any time throughout the year, so August is as good a month as any to get this testing done! If your horse has been diagnosed with Cushing’s disease in the past but he still grows a long haircoat despite medication, it may be worth it to re-test him to see if his dosage needs to be adjusted.

Once you have ruled out (or ruled in) Cushing’s disease, it is time for some body clipping! A good pair of clippers is an investment, but it’s well worth it. If you don’t feel comfortable clipping your own horse, or you are worried she will come out looking like she had an unfortunate run-in with the lawnmower, call the clinic for some recommendations of locals who would be more than happy to clip your horse for a couple bucks. I’m not giving you the name of my personal groomer though- that’s proprietary information.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

 

Sweat

Most of us have heard of non-sweaters, or anhidrosis. Read my kitty lips: it is a Pain. In. The. Tail! Sweating is the primary mechanism horses use to cool off. Horses have sweat glands all over their body, even in their frogs! When a horse doesn’t sweat, all of the heat that would be lost via evaporative cooling remains trapped beneath the skin. Horses with anhidrosis are absolutely miserable in the summer. Unfortunately, there are no great treatments for anhidrosis yet. Some horses seem to respond to beer (yup, one beer AM & PM), or a supplement called OneAC. However, there are a couple of things you can do to help cool your horse down even if your attempts to get him to sweat have all failed.

You can keep your horse under fans during the heat of the day. “Big Ass” brand fans work great for barns. You can invest in some misters to spray either in the pasture or in front of your horse’s stall. Note: I cannot guarantee that your horse will stand under the misters or fans. I have seen thousands of dollars invested in cooling mechanisms in Florida, only for the horse to choose to stand out in the middle of the open pasture during the heat of the day. But, at least you would be giving your hot horse the option! At the very least, your horse should be provided with an opportunity to get under some shade at all times of day. This may be in the form of a tree, a barn, or a run-in shed. There is a HUGE temperature difference between the sun and the shade in summer in Florida.

 

Hopefully I have given you a couple of ideas to help your hot horse beat the heat this summer. Please be aware of how your horse is faring in this unrelenting weather, especially if you have old timers or young foals, who tend to not handle temperature extremes as well. As always, I am available at the clinic if you need more advice, or if you just want to glimpse a very handsome cat enjoying the air conditioning.

 

Be cool.

 

-Tony

P.S. Did you know my docs have a podcast? That’s right. It’s called Straight from the Horse Doctor’s Mouth and you can find it wherever  you get your podcasts. You can also listen right here on the website, right from your phone or computer. If you like learning about horses, you don’t want to miss it. Trust me, I’m a cat.

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Tuesdays with Tony is the official blog of Tony the Clinic Cat at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

Hay, Hay, Hay!

Hay, Hay, Hay!

Jul 30, 2018 | Feed, Hay

Tuesdays with Tony

I will never understand how horses find dry grass appealing. And yet, according to my Docs, this is what their diet should be based on. Yuck! Nevertheless, here we are, about to talk about dry grass. I will say I have learned so much about hay over my many years. Allow me to drop some of that knowledge on you in this week’s edition of Tuesdays with Me.

 

Hay as an Art Form

 

To start this week’s edition, you should go thank a hay farmer. Boy, is that a tough job. First you need rain, but not too much, and at the right time. You need sunshine for a few days in a row when you cut the hay so it can dry. Then you need a dry place to store it because hay gets made in the summertime, and horses need more hay in the wintertime. You get the idea: hug a hay farmer. It’s not an easy life!

 

What version of dry grass is best?

 

Well, this gets complicated. Evaluating your horse’s lifestyle choices is step one. I myself am more of a Pasture Puff sort of guy. I prefer to call it intense supervision from a fixed position, but whatever. If I were a horse, I would need a roughage that was low in calories. Un-buttered popcorn, if you will. I found this cool chart of calories per pound of hay in an article written by Dr. Lori Warren from the University of Florida:

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Now, if I was a high performance horse, I might need something different from my hay. Some of that need might be calories. This would make alfalfa a good choice. Being horses, it’s more complicated than straight up calories.

 

 The Needs of the Athlete

 

The athletic horse has things it needs from hay that go beyond calories. Protein is a big deal for these guys. When hard work happens, muscles get tiny tears. It’s a normal part of muscle building. Tendons and ligaments get these same little tears. Even bone gets micro-fractures. It’s all part of building a better athlete. To repair and strengthen all these tissues, the equine athlete needs lots of protein, and a decent amount of minerals like calcium and phosphorus. Since hay should be the biggest part of the diet, it’s important to know where your hay stands on these important ingredients. For example, if you’re feeding alfalfa to your horse you may be able to get fewer calories, protein, and calcium from grain. If you’re feeding the same horse timothy, you may look for a grain with more calories and protein.  There’s a definite balance that needs to happen. That’s why there are equine nutritionists.

 

The Needs of the Fickle Equine Gut

 

Non-horse people look at a horse in a field and think things like “How majestic,” and “He’s beautiful.”  Horse people think, “I hope he’s used to all that grass or he’s gonna colic.” This is why roughage is important. Sure, you want bulk, but you also want what makes your particular equine happy. Here in Florida where I live, we have a type of hay called Coastal. It’s a great middle of the road hay. A little higher in calories, a little lower in protein. Locally grown, so the price is right. Unfortunately, the equine GI tract is less happy with straight Coastal. A horse eating nothing but Coastal is very prone to a very specific type of colic called an ileal impaction. Luckily, most of these are readily fixed with a visit from one of my Docs. Even better, they can be prevented by adding a bit of peanut or alfalfa to the diet along with the Coastal. We also see horses who are allergic to different types of hay, with alfalfa being the most common one. These allergies normally make themselves known by causing diarrhea. However, hay allergies can also cause itchiness. Very rarely we have a horse manifest their hay allergy with extreme behavior changes. This is where the Legend that alfalfa makes a horse crazy comes from.

 

I can hear it now: But Tony, alfalfa really does make my horse crazy. I’m not saying it doesn’t. I’m saying it has more to do with your horse being allergic to the hay than the protein or calorie content of the hay.

 

What’s the best answer then?

 

The best answer is going with the highest quality hay you can get away with based on your horse’s lifestyle and calorie needs. Sounds simple, but I know sometimes it’s not easy! Speaking with an equine nutritionist, or one of my Docs, can help you make the best, right decision for your horse, your life, and your area!

 

Want even more Springhill Equine wisdom? Subscribe to my blog by scrolling down a tiny bit further.

Until next week,

Tony

P.S. Have you checked out the completely fabulous Springhill Equine podcast, Straight from the Horse Doctor’s Mouth yet? You can listen to it right on my website by clicking here, or you can download it wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t have a podcast app? You can download one free right from the PlayStore. Stitcher and Spotify are both popular, but there are lots of others as well. It’s also on iTunes, for all you Apple people. Episode 8 comes out this week, and it’s all about Lameness. Don’t miss out!

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Tuesdays with Tony is the official blog of Tony the Clinic Cat at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

Saddle Fit

Saddle Fit

Jul 23, 2018 | Saddles

Tuesdays with Tony

Saddle Fit

We had a special visitor at the clinic last week. Faye Flynn of Flynn’s Equine Massage Therapy & Saddle Fit was kind enough to give a presentation and live demonstration about saddle fitting to our clients! In case you missed it, here’s what I learned while being passed around from one audience member’s arms to another.

How you know if your saddle doesn’t fit

In short: check it! Yes, sometimes you will know you have a saddle fit issue by how your horse is behaving (bucking, resistance to moving forward, unwilling to lift through his back). But other times you may not even realize your horse is uncomfortable or that your saddle is not allowing him to utilize his full range of motion. Your horse may be stoic, or you may say “that’s the way he has always moved,” or perhaps he is just a very good boy and wouldn’t complain even if your saddle was rubbing raw spots on his withers.  So, for this reason, you need to check it.

Run your fingers down your horse’s back and see if there are any sensitive spots under the saddle area. Set your saddle on your horse without any pad and see how it feels. You should check your saddle at least once every 3 months, because horses grow, lose weight, gain weight, develop different muscles, undergo muscle atrophy following rest or injury, etc. Our horse’s bodies change over time, so we need to adjust our saddle over time to compensate. Lord knows I haven’t always been the stunning slender specimen that types before you today. Yes, there was a time when I looked more like Tony Soprano than Tony Montana. I definitely could not have fit in the same saddle then as I would now. Don’t get any ideas.

How to check your saddle

Faye Flynn has been all over the world to learn from several diverse saddle makers how a saddle should sit on a horse. She taught us last Thursday that it’s not enough just to stick 3 fingers under the pommel and call it good. You need to stick your whole arm under there along the tree from the front and the back until your hands touch. You should also run your hand under the panels on each side to make sure there is even contact along the entire length of the saddle. Make sure there is no rocking (less contact in the front and back, more contact in the middle) which can cause the saddle to move while you’re riding. You also want to avoid bridging (more contact in the front and back but a spot in the middle with less contact).

You need to consider the shape of your horse’s withers and shoulder and how it compares to the shape of your saddle. If you have a Quarter Horse with broad shoulders and low withers, you probably need a wider saddle. If you have a Thoroughbred with a narrow shoulder base and tall withers, also called more “A-frame,” you will need a more narrow saddle shape.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Another thing you want to consider is how long the saddle is in relation to your horse’s back. Ideally you don’t want the back of the saddle to extend beyond the horse’s last rib, or the last thoracic vertebra. You should try to avoid any weight from the rider sitting farther back than this point because it will be supported only by muscle, which could cause fatigue and soreness in the lower back.

The stuff inside the saddle

Another cool thing we learned from Faye is what’s on the inside of a saddle! We learned the advantages and disadvantages of various flocking materials including air, foam, and wool. We talked about saddle pad materials, both what to look for and what to avoid.

It turns out that air under your saddle, while it sounds nice, comes with a few issues. This type of saddle panel typically comes with several separate, adjustable plastic air bladders. Everything’s great when they are new and full, but they pop easily. Once the air bladder has popped, you are basically left with an uneven plastic container with hard pieces sitting directly on your horse’s back. Not to mention, a popped air bladder will definitely cause uneven pressure along the rest of the saddle. If you have one of these saddles, be sure to check that all the air bladders are inflated every time you go to put your saddle on your horse!

Foam paneling is nice and comfy, but be aware that it does break down over time. Eventually, the foam will develop this black goo around the edges, and the padding will essentially turn to dust. If you have an older saddle made with foam, you may want to consider having it re-flocked with wool. Wool is a nice saddle flocking material because it lasts forever, it is relatively light and breathable, and it holds its shape.

Being light and breathable is especially important when it comes to saddle pads. Faye suggested avoiding any saddle pads with any type of plastic material, as they are the opposite of breathable. The pro recommends ThinLine or Mattes saddle pads. When it comes to saddle pads, you generally get what you pay for. This is in contrast to my monthly seminars, where you can get all this information and more for free!!

Remember, if you are absolutely married to your current saddle, you can’t afford a new saddle right now, or the used saddle you just bought online doesn’t fit your horse quite right, you can usually make it work with a high-quality shimmable saddle pad. Just be sure to enlist the help of a saddle fitter, veterinarian, or other knowledgeable horse person to make sure your saddle/pad combo is comfortable for your horse.

-Tony

P.S. Did you know my docs have a podcast? That’s right, when my once-a-week amazing blog isn’t enough to satisfy your thirst for horse knowledge, you can go to the podcast page on my website, or listen right from the Podcast host, or search iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app for Straight from the Horse Doctor’s Mouth. You can learn all about colics, vaccines, eyes, and all kinds of other horse stuff. Use caution, as binge-listening may cause horse-nerdiness, know-it-all-ness, and other hyper-knowledgeable disorders.

 

Tuesdays with Tony is the official blog of Tony the Clinic Cat at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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Cooling Horses When The Heat Is On

Cooling Horses When The Heat Is On

Jul 16, 2018 | Hot Weather

Tuesdays with Tony

I spent my Saturday morning lounging on a table watching the Piggie Ice Cream Social happen all around me. While supervising all the events, I noted it was hot. Really hot. I was glad my tasks were limited to sitting on the table, inspecting the pools, and looking disdainfully at the pigs. Unlike horses, I’m not expected to partake in athletic endeavors. I pity the ponies this time of year. Never fear though, I have combed through the research and am here to give you solid advice.

 

I saw it on the internet

 

There’s a post going around Facebook right now about the fate of horses turned out when wet. Short version: Rated as Not True by this cat. Also rated as not true by some excellent research done before the 1996 Olympics.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

What’s so special about the 1996 Olympics?

 

The 1996 Olympics were held in Atlanta. Also known as Hotlanta. Also home to heat and humidity of near-Floridia levels. The 1992 Olympics in Barcelona presented hot weather challenges to the horses competing. Most came out of it OK, but it opened eyes to the need to manage high-level equine athletes in hot weather, or risk losing horse events in the Olympic games. Scientists went to work to look at what could realistically be done to improve heat tolerance by horses.

 

Acclimate

 

Researchers found horses did best when given 14-16 days to acclimate to heat and humidity. Why does this matter to me, you ask? Sudden heat waves do happen in Florida. If we have been bebopping along in March with less than swamp-on-the-sun conditions, your horse may not be prepared for a sudden April heat wave. In July, we’re all more prepared for that lovely humidity.

 

Diet

 

Not my favorite word. However, researchers found that decreasing roughage and protein, and increasing fat helped horses handle heat. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT, do this without talking with one of my Docs. This is only recommended for horses about to partake in some pretty serious work in some pretty hot weather. It also has to be done carefully to make sure there is enough roughage in the diet. Definitely not something to approach all willy nilly.

 

It really is the humidity

 

No, really, it is. Sure, when temps are in 110s in the desert Southwest, it’s hot. However, horses rely very, very strongly on sweat evaporating to cool off. That means when it’s 85 degrees, and 92% humidity in Florida, they can’t cool off. Horses are way better off in that 110 degree heat. And by way better off, I mean they can cool off a smidge faster. I don’t mean they can go out and jump around a 4 star cross country course and be fine. Look for ways to increase evaporation on those hot, humid days. Researchers found misting with water for 30-45 seconds, walking for 30-45 seconds, and repeat, worked best to create some airflow over the big veins of the neck and legs which, in turn, improved cooling.

 

Cold, and I do mean Cold, water

 

When Dr. Lacher was a kid, there was no arguing that cold water on a hot horse would kill that horse. Everyone knew it. Researchers looked at this, too. The verdict: Myth Busted. Cold water (as in 40℉ cold) worked best to get rectal temperatures down quickly and safely. The horses used for this study ran a real live 3 star level cross country course in Northern Georgia in July. It was for-real hot and humid. Cold water was misted onto their entire bodies, with particular attention paid to the big muscles of the hindquarters, and the neck. The horses were then walked for a very short period, and the misting repeated. This was done with cold and tepid water. The cold water horses dropped their rectal temperatures faster, as expected. They also recovered faster according to blood work parameters! You can easily replicate this at home with those pump-up sprayers for lawn stuff. They even make smaller versions you can take to the ring with you during horse shows. Add ice, and you’ve got cold mist for cooling horses down anywhere.

 

Heat is tough. I survive it by lounging on the benches in front of the Clinic. When it gets too rough, I go inside to the air conditioning. Most horses don’t have that option. Pay attention to what they are telling you. Cut workouts short, be ready to cool them off fast, and have good fans that move lots of air. Oh, and you can scrape them and turn them out wet. I promise they’ll appreciate the hose off!

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Now be a good human, scroll down a little farther, and subscribe to my blog. Tiny swipe with the thumb. Your thumb did more work texting your best friend about that awesome half halt you had during your lesson today.

Until next week –

Tony

Tuesdays with Tony is the official blog of Tony the Clinic Cat at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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I Like Pig Butts and I Cannot Lie

I Like Pig Butts and I Cannot Lie

Jul 9, 2018 | Pet Pigs

Tuesdays with Tony

You cats definitely don’t want to miss my next See Tony event- it’s the 3rd Annual Piggie Ice Cream Social! It will be going down right here at the clinic this Saturday, July 14th, 2018 from 10:00 am till noon. Once I realized these kinda loud, stinky, round little patients were here to stay, I decided to embrace and even celebrate them. And how better to celebrate in July than with frozen yogurt, kiddie pools, and watermelons?!? If you have a pig, please bring him or her (on a leash) to join in the fun! Even if you don’t have a pig, you’re going to want to come check this out. Dr. Vurgason’s own pigs will be performing some tricks, Frozen Berry will be supplying fro-yo for the humans, and it is pretty amusing to see a pig neck-deep eating a watermelon. There will even be adoptable piglets available, in case this event changes your mind about piggy ownership!

In case I succeed in convincing you that potbellied pigs make the second best pets (after cats, of course), here are the answers to the top 3 questions Dr. Vurgason gets asked by piggy parents:

 

What should I feed my PBP?

Vietnamese potbellied pigs, which are the breed of almost all pet pigs in this country, were essentially bred for lard. Yes, prior to the great influx of potbellies to the new world in the ‘80s (1980’s that is) these pigs were raised and bred in Vietnam as a fat source for cooking. What this means for today’s pet pig owners is that potbellied pigs can become overweight, and even morbidly obese, very easily. Obese pigs can even develop overhanging facial fat to the point that they can’t see, also called “fat blindness.” Often diet alone is not enough to treat these pigs, and surgery is required to remove the excess skin and fat hanging over their eyes.

We are never going to let our pet pigs get to that point though, right team? Instead, let’s stick to a diet that consists of a feed specifically designed for Mini pigs, with fruits and vegetables used (sparingly) as snacks. There are two commercially available, easily accessible brands of Mini Pig food that we commonly recommend. One is Country Feeds Mini Pig Feed; the other is Mazuri Mini Pig Feed. It is perfectly acceptable to give fruits and vegetables as snacks or treats, but one of these pig feeds should always make up the majority of your pig’s diet.

Pig vet Gainesville FL

 

How much should I feed my PBP?

Very young piglets can be fed pellets free-choice. However, by the time your piglet is 12-16 weeks old, you will need to start limiting his diet. If left to their own devices, pigs would probably eat themselves to death! The amount your pig will need is highly dependent on his weight and body condition score. In general, think small. On average, you should feed approximately one cup twice a day for a 100 lb pig. This means that if you have a 25 lb pig, they only need 1/4 cup twice a day. It is best to feed at least 2 meals a day, although you can split their daily allowance of pellets into more smaller feedings if your schedule allows. Be sure to ask Dr. Vurgason to Body Condition Score your pig at his annual Wellness visit!

In this practice, overweight pigs are much more common that underweight pigs, although Dr. Vurgason has seen a few that were malnourished due to their owner’s attempts to keep them small. Once a pig becomes too fat, it is a major challenge to get them to lose weight. How do you exercise a pig? I don’t know…get back to me if you find out!

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic pet pigs

How do I combat boredom in my pig?

You may have heard this before, but pigs are highly intelligent creatures. I’m not saying they’re as smart as cats, but I’m also not saying I’m willing to put it to the test. Pigs can be house-trained for sure, but the most common reason that the majority of our piggy patients get kicked out to the barn is that they are causing damage inside while exhibiting their natural behaviors.

Pigs love rooting, and if they don’t have grass and dirt to root under, your carpet will do just fine. They also love scratching on just about everything. It makes no difference to a pig whether their scratching post is a tree or your sofa. Pigs also love to eat, and they basically use their nose and mouth to explore the world around them. If there is something you don’t want your pig to eat, you probably shouldn’t leave it any lower than 2 feet off the ground. This goes for shoes, furniture, kids’ toys, your toes, and any other objects your pig might find interesting.

So, your sweet little piglet is now an outdoor pet. What can you do to occupy his busy little mind all day? First, get him a friend. Pigs are very social animals, and they do get lonely when they are cut off from contact with everyone else. The best friend for a pig is another pig, although they can befriend other species such as dogs or goats as well. Just be careful when introducing new animals to your potbellied pig; bite wounds are a common injury we see here at the clinic.

In addition to a friend, you can stimulate your pig’s brain with training. Pigs can learn to do all sorts of tricks: everything from waving to dancing to painting a picture. The best part? Pigs will do almost anything for a cheerio or a peanut! Food-motivated animals are the easiest to train. Dr. Vurgason trained her pigs to perform a circus act in just a few months. We highly recommend, at the very least, training your pig to a harness and leash at an early age. It is a lot easier to get pigs in and out of a harness while they are still small! There are also several food puzzles available at your local pet store (in the dog toy section). These puzzles will keep your pig entertained and interested for potentially a few hours as opposed to a few minutes around feeding time. Don’t hesitate to get creative! Pigs love toys, and they are always exploring their environment to find new treasures.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic pet pigs

To have these and all of your other pet pig questions answered, come out to my Piggy Ice Cream Social this weekend! And remember that all of this advice and more is included with our annual Pig Wellness Packages. We’ll chat about this more over some delicious Dole Whip fro-yo this weekend, but right now it’s time for my cat nap.

 

Tuesdays with Tony is the official blog of Tony the Office Cat at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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Encephalitis: Mosquitoes and their Nasty Viruses

Encephalitis: Mosquitoes and their Nasty Viruses

Jun 25, 2018 | EEE Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Mosquitos, Vaccines

Tuesdays with Tony

Eastern Equine Encephalitis

It’s been a rough two weeks around here. My Docs have diagnosed three horses with Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). Two of those were very healthy, well cared for horses which helped them defy the odds, and survive the virus. The third horse, unfortunately, had to be euthanized. Ninety (yes, ninety) percent of horses who get EEE die or are euthanized. Being a cat, I’m not one to mince words, but I’m really not going to here. It’s a horrible way to die. They get super-high fevers, they get massive headaches, and, after as little as 12 hours, they start having seizures. Once they start having seizures it can be impossible for my Docs to even euthanize them.

Horrible, awful, no good mosquitoes

EEE normally goes about life happily going from birds, to mosquitoes, to birds, and round and round. This works well for EEE. Birds (most of them anyway) don’t get sick or die from the virus, and mosquitoes make an excellent delivery vehicle as they fly around being annoying. However, if one of these mosquitoes carrying Encephalitis bites a horse or human, the story changes dramatically.

The key to remember here is that a mosquito is carrying the virus to your horse. All that’s needed is some water (we’ve got lots of that in Florida), some mosquitoes (we probably have more mosquitoes than water in Florida), some birds, and some EEE virus. Your horse doesn’t even have to leave the farm to get sick. No other horse has to come visit to bring the virus. It comes to you just like a pizza delivery.

EEE Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Is EEE everywhere?

Yes, it’s everywhere in Florida. If you want to know just how everywhere it is, click here. Each week the State of Florida posts an update about the prior week’s mosquito-borne virus activity. Personally, it’s what I’m checking out while it appears I’m sleeping on the keyboards around here. Did you know the State has sentinel chicken flocks? These are chickens that get a little bit of blood taken every week. This blood is tested for EEE, WNV, and a bunch of other viruses to see if the chickens have been exposed. Watching these flocks helps people like my Docs know if Encephalitis or West Nile Virus is active in an area. You can see some crazy stuff on these reports! This past week a person in Taylor county tested positive for EEE!!!

Wait… Humans can get it too?

Yep. I said it earlier, but you might have been distracted as you humans are prone to do. The good news is not every horse or human will get sick. The DNA that particular horse or human has is a key factor in how they respond. If they have an immune system that lets the virus get into the brain and spinal cord, that’s really bad. If the immune system then recognizes the foreign invader and goes after it with all-out warfare, that’s really, really bad. The immune system likes to respond with a nuclear annihilation-level response. That response inside the brain and spinal cord causes a lot of swelling. Swelling inside the skull doesn’t go very well.

Vaccines save lives

Great news: there’s an easy, inexpensive way to save your horse from the agony of EEE. Vaccinate. It’s so easy even a dog can understand it. For the average horse, twice-yearly vaccination for EEE will give them good protection. For youngsters, old guys, and anyone else who may have a stressed immune system, every 4 months is a better plan. This vaccine works! My Docs have even made it easy to know if your horse is protected with their Wellness Plans. In fact, Eastern Equine Encephalitis is one of the biggest reasons the Wellness Plans exist. My Docs want to make sure every horse is well-vaccinated against this horrible virus, so they came up with a plan that made it easy for you horse owners to stay on schedule. Sure, it’s a shameless plug for the Wellness Plans, but this is one of the many reasons Wellness is fantastic!

We live in the land of mosquitoes and water, which means EEE has the perfect environment to live the good life. Be a good human. Vaccinate your horse so they don’t get this horrible virus.

Now be an even better human and scroll on down and subscribe to my blog. Weekly Tony wisdom for free: You can’t beat that!

Tuesdays with Tony is the official blog of Tony the Clinic Cat at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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The Joys of Being an Equine Veterinarian

The Joys of Being an Equine Veterinarian

Jun 19, 2018 | Uncategorized

Tuesdays with Tony

First for a little housekeeping: Don’t forget to join me on Thursday at 6:30 for my Skin Funk Seminar, right here at the clinic! One of our most popular topics of the year, this Seminar is always well attended, and there are sure to be a bunch of free giveaways. Sponsored by Kinetic Vet, makers of Equishield products such as IBH and CK, this Seminar is definitely one you don’t want to miss!

I was at a family reunion this weekend talking to my cat cousin, whose owner is a human Anesthesiologist. He asked me about my job and the people I work for, and he was astounded to learn how many hats veterinarians wear. I guess it is kind of surprising when you think about it, especially compared to the highly specialized world of human medicine. In a given day, either of our docs might be a dentist, a surgeon, an ophthalmologist, an internist, a radiologist, an orthopedist, an anesthesiologist, a neonatologist, a podiatrist, a dermatologist, and a GP! So, in case you were wondering, here’s how it works in the world of veterinary medicine.

What is a DVM?

A DVM, which stands for Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, is a degree which confers the right to treat ANY species of animal in any capacity with only one exception: Homo sapiens. With a DVM, you can work on lions and giraffes in a zoo, you can work for the USDA inspecting meat, you can work in Public Health studying diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans, you can be a large animal vet, or a small animal vet, or anything in between. The possibilities are endless, and the choice is yours. Our DVMs here at Springhill Equine have chosen to focus primarily on horses (although we extended our services to pet pigs starting 3 years ago.) If they so desired, either of our docs could decide tomorrow that they want to go work at an all-feline practice (an obvious choice in my mind), or move into the veterinary pharmaceutical industry. However, both our vets chose to focus on horses because they had a lifetime of personal experience with horses, so I doubt either will change their mind anytime soon. Side note: just to be different, graduates of the University of Pennsylvania are granted a VMD (Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris) as opposed to a DVM. The degree still means the same thing, it’s just that the “Penn-We’s” prefer the Latin name.

What is a DACVIM, DACVS, DACT, DACVO, etc?

While many veterinarians in general practice are proficient at services that would be considered the purview of a specialist in the human world, specialists do exist in veterinary medicine as well. In fact, there are currently 22 recognized veterinary specialties. As a vet, if you feel like going to more school after 4 years of college, 4 years of vet school, and a 1-year internship, more power to you! Most veterinary residency programs consist of 3 very intensive years of work, study, and research. But once they graduate, these guys are pros! They know just about everything there is to know about their field of expertise. My docs regularly consult with specialists including surgeons, internists, ophthalmologists, theriogenologists, and radiologists. Another great thing about my vets is that they are more than willing to refer your horse to a specialist if the problem is one they are not comfortable treating. Oh, and all those letters? They stand for “Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary…”. So DACVS is Surgeons, DACVIM is Internal Medicine, etc. Many of these crazy smart vets have gotten a PhD somewhere along the way too, so they often have 10-12 extra letters after their name!

So, why horses?

My docs often get asked, if you can treat any species, why do you work exclusively on horses? Well first of all, there is enough to know and continue to learn about horses alone to last a lifetime. Even if they practiced until they were 100 (hopefully they will retire before then) they would probably not diagnose every horse disease, see every type of surgery, or treat with every equine medication out there. The world of equine medicine is evolving so rapidly, there is always something new to learn! Did you know that each of my docs goes to one or more Continuing Education events every year? As if 8 years of higher education wasn’t enough! They both find CE enjoyable as well as educational, and they go out of their way to stay current.

In addition to the unlimited learning opportunities in equine medicine, our docs both have a lifelong love of horses and a passion for riding. Anyone who grew up with horses will understand that once you catch the horse bug, you have it for life. I think it’s pretty awesome that my docs figured out how to turn their hobby into a rewarding career. Now I just have to figure out how to earn money by napping…

 

-Tony

The joys of being an equine veterinarian

Tuesdays with Tony is the official blog of Tony the Office Cat at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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Large Animal Emergency Rescue

Large Animal Emergency Rescue

Jun 11, 2018 | Large Animal Emergency Rescue

Tuesdays with Tony

My Docs love to have adventures on weekends. Normally it’s injuries that make for the most interesting stories, but this past weekend it was a sinkhole and a large animal emergency rescue. We have had a ton of rain so far this year in Florida. Combine that with some other factors, and sinkholes become a problem. This past Saturday a sinkhole opened up in a pasture where a blind patient of Springhill Equine lives, and she ended up in it. And that’s where my story begins.

The Situation

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Springhill Equine got the call very shortly after the owner found this poor girl in the sinkhole. Luckily, this was about a horse-sized hole, and it wasn’t terribly deep, as you can see.  After some questioning, it seemed she had, at most, been in there since morning (it was now late afternoon), and she was interested in food and water. She didn’t seem to have any injuries, and was mentally pretty OK about everything. This means the safest place for her to be was in the hole until help could arrive. Dr. Lacher told the owner to keep offering water and grain, keep her as calm as possible, and she was headed that way (as soon as she finished treating the colic she was at, because horses get together and plan emergencies). Dr. Lacher hung up the phone and called the University of Florida VETS team. This is like calling MacGyver out to your emergency. They get called when animals are stuck and need help getting unstuck. Like in a sinkhole, trailer accidents, swimming pool, or recently, a pug in a 30 foot hole. You get the idea.

I’ll just do this thing…

There’s a temptation when you see this horse is this hole to think “We can just dig that out.” Don’t. It seems like an easy solution, but it can make things a lot worse. First, in this situation the hole had just formed. The owner knows it wasn’t there as little as 18 hours before finding the horse. Bringing in a backhoe, or other heavy equipment, could have caused unsettled ground to unsettle more. Second, horses and large machinery don’t mix well. My not so humble advice: call my Docs, get their thoughts, then get them there before you do anything!

Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER)

TLAER is what the UF VETS team does. It’s the use of straps and pulleys, and A-frames, and all kinds of stuff to get live animals out of the crazy places they get themselves without further harming them. They say curiosity killed the cat, but I rather think that statement could include horses and cows. Back to TLAER. Training starts with classroom work on how animals respond to scary situations (Pro Tip: we usually go with either fight or flight, and sometimes both at the same time), concepts in leverage, and how to attach animals to said leverage devices safely. Animals, kind of like people, come in all different shapes and sizes. To get them out of tight quarters, straps and webbing are often used. There are safe places these straps can go without causing harm, and there are places they can go and cause tremendous pain and injury.

Part two of training involves practicing on model horses. Not model as in super model, model as in life-size plastic model. It takes a lot of practice to formulate a plan for how best to get the horse, or cow, or pug, out of wherever they’re stuck in the safest, most efficient manner. It also takes practice putting straps on, setting all the gear up and working as a team. This means there’s the initial training, and then there’s lots and lots of practicing so when it’s a real emergency the team is ready!

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Up and Out

The UF VETS team decided that for this mare, the best answer was to slide her out. This meant digging the hole out a little further so that a large heavy plastic mat could be placed next to her. Luckily, this wise girl took it like a champ. Dr. Lacher was standing by with sedation in case she got nervous about all the goings on. Next, the mat was put in the hole so that it was next to her, with another on the ground just outside the hole. Webbing was then placed around her just behind her front legs, and just in front on her hind legs. Again, this mare was amazing through the entire process! She let them place the webbing with reassurance from her owner that it was all OK. Once the webbing was placed, Dr. Lacher sedated her.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

The hope was that she would let us get this done with just sedation, but Dr. Lacher was ready with the knocked-out-all-the-way drugs if they were needed. While they were letting the sedation have a few minutes to kick in, the webbing was attached to a super cool block and tackle system which gave the humans enough leverage to pull the horse out without having to rely on heavy equipment. Sedation having kicked in, they gave hoisting the mare a try, but she wasn’t having it. Can’t say I blame her!!! So the knock-out drugs were given. Once she was asleep, she was hoisted up and out of the hole in about 5 minutes, and gently placed on the plastic mat on solid ground. An ATV was hooked up to this mat, and she was moved a safe distance away from the hole to wake up.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Teamwork!

It’s hard for a cat to say teamwork makes the difference, but there you have it. This is an excellent example of a case where teamwork made all the difference. It took an amazing owner, a veterinarian, and an entire team of dedicated large animal emergency rescue folks to get this mare safely out of the hole. I teared up a little thinking about how they all worked together to make the world a better place for horses!

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Tuesdays with Tony is the official blog of Tony the Office Cat at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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What is a Retained Placenta?

What is a Retained Placenta?

Jun 4, 2018 | Foaling

Tuesdays with Tony

   As I curled up in my usual spot on the seat of Dr. Vurgason’s truck Monday morning, I noticed a distinct, slightly unpleasant, yet oddly familiar odor. It was the scent of placenta. You see, Dr. Vurgason had been out the night before working on removing a retained placenta from a mare that had just given birth to an adorable foal. Curious, and slightly grossed out by the realization of what I was smelling, I started asking Dr. Vurgason all sorts of questions about mares and placentas.  Read on to learn why this is something you need to look out for during the immediate post-partum period.

When is a placenta “retained” and why does it matter?

    In normal mares, the placenta should pass on its own within 3 hours of the birth of the foal. This recommendation is based on the fact that at birth, the placenta begins to disintegrate almost immediately. That’s Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinicbecause the placenta begins to separate from the uterine lining right after birth, and blood flow through the placenta stops. When blood flow stops, a process called autolysis begins. The placenta becomes friable, turns a brownish-green color, and begins to smell quite unpleasant. In short, as soon as the foal is born, the placenta starts to die. Unfortunately, when you leave a dead, decaying, fluid-filled pile of placenta sitting in the uterus for several hours, you end up with a nasty infection.
   The mare’s post-partum uterus is basically a giant open wound. During this time, there is great opportunity for an infection within the uterus to enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. This is called septicemia, or sepsis. And, since horses will be horses, guess what septicemia leads to? You guessed it: laminitis. For this reason, mares with retained placentas will often be treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, and will need to wear ice boots until the threat of laminitis has passed.

Why does this happen?

   During a normal delivery, the weight of the foal will begin to pull on the placenta as the foal is born. The umbilical cord attaches to the foal on one end and to the placenta on the other. When the mare stands and the cord breaks, it also gives a good tug on the placenta at the same time. A normal delivery also includes uterine contractions after the foal is born in order to expel the rest of the placenta. This passing of the after-birth is actually considered Stage 3 of labor.
    A retained placenta usually happens for one of 2 reasons: either the mare’s uterus doesn’t contract enough, or it contracts too much. If the uterus doesn’t contract enough, or the uterine contractions aren’t strong enough to expel the heavy, blood-filled placenta, it will just sit there indefinitely. The other possibility is that the uterus contracted too much, and in the wrong places. A mare’s uterus is essentially Y-shaped. One arm of the Y would have been the pregnant horn of the uterus. The pregnant horn of the placenta is thin, stretched out, and covers a large surface area. The other arm of the Y would have been the non-pregnant horn of the uterus. The non-pregnant horn of the placenta is thick, narrow, and covers a relatively small surface area. Fun fact: the most common piece of placenta to be retained is the tip of the non-pregnant horn. Too much uterine contraction can actually cause the uterus to grab hold of the thick, narrow non-pregnant horn of the placenta, and refuse to let it go! You see, the attachment between the placenta and the uterus is kind of like Velcro. There are thousands of microscopic, finger-like projections called microvilli that hold the two layers together. Prolonged uterine contractions can in fact cause these microvilli to get stuck within the uterine lining, like a Chinese finger trap.

How do you get a retained placenta out? 

   I’m so glad you asked, because the technique I’m going to tell you about is super awesome! First of all, the one thing you DON’T want to do is pull on the placenta. In addition, nothing heavier than the weight of the placenta itself should ever be tied to the end of the hanging-out bits. Putting too much traction on the placenta can cause tearing, which leaves fragments of the placenta stuck inside. Even worse, pulling on the placenta can cause uterine prolapse or uterine artery tears, which are definitely life-threatening.
   The first thing to try is a single dose of oxytocin. Oxytocin induces strong, rhythmic uterine contractions for a short duration, aimed at pushing the placenta out from within. This takes care of those placentas that are retained because of the first scenario described above: the uterus didn’t contract enough. I’d say about 50% of the time, this works. The mare says, “oh yeah, I forgot about that part!” And out it plops. However, often when the mare has failed to pass her placenta after we gave her 3 hours to do so, there is a reason for it.
   So the next step is to call our docs, of course. But you already knew that. One of the methods they might employ to get that stubborn placenta out of there is called the Dutch Technique. In this procedure, the vet makes a small incision in the umbilical vein, just above where it broke away from the foal. Then, a tube is inserted into the vein headed toward the stuck placenta. The other end of this tube is attached to a water hose or pump, and water is steadily pumped into the blood vessel. What this does is distend the vessels throughout the placenta, causing it to separate from the lining of the uterus. After infusing several liters of water, we patiently wait 5 minutes. This part is hard…cats are not particularly patient. After 5 minutes, gentle traction is applied to the placenta. Then, if all goes well, out it plops! It is seriously the coolest thing to watch, trust me.
    Well, I hope you learned something from this wise old cat today! Now remember folks, don’t try this at home. Just call one of my docs the moment you suspect there may be a problem.
Until next week,
Tony

Tuesdays with Tony is the official blog of Tony the Office Cat at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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Pregnant Mare Care

Pregnant Mare Care

May 29, 2018 | Breeding

Tuesdays with Tony

Pregnant Mare Care 

Congratulations! You’ve got a bouncy baby horse coming in about 11 months! In my experience watching the humans around here, it’s a very long 11 months. There are important things to do during that time to make sure the baby arrives happy and healthy. In my experience, humans are really good at getting the heartbeat ultrasound check at 30 days, but not so good at the rest of it. Read on for Tony’s words of equine wisdom regarding pregnant mare care.

Ultrasounds

These are just so freakin cool! You get to see that baby go from a black dot on the screen at 2 weeks to having a heart beat at 30 days. At the 60 day ultrasound there are legs and something resembling a head! They grow so fast. My Docs are checking way more than just the baby when they’re ultrasounding, though. They are also checking the entire uterus and ovaries to make sure they’re doing what they should.

The most important thing they are checking is where the cervix and placenta meets. This is where the outside world meets the uterus, and it’s where problems often start. My Docs will check to be sure the placenta is tight up against the cervix, along with measurements to be sure it’s not too thick. A thick placenta can be an indication of infection. If infection is spotted early, it can be easily treated with antibiotics. On young mares who don’t have a lot of exposure to other horses, ultrasounds should be done at 5, 7, and 9 months to check for infection. On older mares (over 12 years), problem mares, or mares who see lots of other horses all the time, the Docs recommend ultrasounds at 3, 5, 7, and 9 months.

Vaccinations

Rhinopneumonitis vaccines are super, super, super important for pregnant mares. Most humans call this a Pneumobort shot. Rhinopneumonitis is a Herpes virus. Herpes viruses are nasty little buggers. Once a horse has the virus, they’ve got it for life, and most horses are infected in their first year of life. The virus spends most of its time hibernating, but stress (I hear pregnancy is definitely stressful) can make it wake up. Frequent vaccinations keep the immune system on high alert for this virus. This means that if it does wake up, the immune system is right there to tackle it.

Rhinopneumonitis vaccines follow the same rules as ultrasounds. If your mare doesn’t meet new horses often, she can get a vaccine at 5, 7, and 9 months. If she is a social butterfly, she should get vaccinated an additional time at 3 months. This vaccine can be what my Docs call hot (horses often get a mild to moderate vaccine reaction from it). The Docs recommend some Bute beforehand to help reduce the reaction if you’re worried.

At around 10 months of pregnancy, your mare will need all her “regular” vaccines. For most mares this is Eastern and Western Encephalitis, Tetanus, Influenza, West Nile Virus, and Rabies. This makes sure the baby has great protection against these viruses when it gets here.

Deworming

Don’t. Ha! That was easy. Seriously though, see my numerous blogs on deworming. Watch an entire presentation by my Docs about deworming here: Deworming Seminar  Fecal egg counts and targeted deworming is the way to go. Don’t go deworming all willy nilly like you humans are prone to doing.

Nutrition

Don’t go crazy. Again, easy! Have your mare on a good feed. If she gets skinny easily, then a mare and foal feed may be necessary. If she’s an easy keeper, then good quality hay and a ration balancer may be all she needs. This is not the time to get her fat. It won’t make foaling easier on you or her.

Exercise

Yes. Of course they tell me that too, but I don’t like exercise, so I don’t. Pregnant mares can go out and do what they did before they were pregnant with a few guidelines in place.

  1. Don’t do more than you did before she was pregnant. If you went for 5 mile trail rides, great. Don’t sign up for the 50 mile endurance ride.
  2. Watch how hot she gets in the early stages of her pregnancy. Being really hot can be really, really bad for embryos younger than 90 days.
  3. Listen to your mare. At some point, later in her gestation, she’s going to tell you she doesn’t want to work anymore. Respect that.

Before you know it, 11 months will have flown by and you will be anxiously awaiting your foal. Spend the time wisely by thinking up perfect baby names, and keeping your mare up to date on all her prenatal care! Bring her into the Clinic for her happy mom check ups and I’ll even throw in a free CAT scan by yours truly.

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Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Tuesdays with Tony is the official blog of Tony the Office Cat at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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