(352) 472-1620 vets@springhillequine.com

Don’t Choke!

Mar 11, 2012 | Ailments, Feed

It seems to me that mammals other than horses – cats, humans, annoying dogs, mostly seem to have a really rough time when they are choking.  But should you call Springhill to tell them your horse is choking, they will tell you to stay calm, and wait 30 minutes.  How and why is this?? Choke in a horse is a completely different syndrome that the typical “choking” episode you think of in a person.  The key difference is that choke in a horse results when there is a physical obstruction in the esophagus, not the trachea.

If you come upon a person who is choking, they will be doubled over, gasping for air. They are suffering from an obstruction of the trachea – the main tube connecting the larynx to the lungs. Horses are prone to obstructing at certain points along their esophagus, such as right behind the larynx (the junction of the mouth cavity, the trachea, and the esophagus).  A horse that is choking will appear variably distressed, with feed material coming out of his nose.  It usually occurs just after being fed grain, particularly if the horse is known to bolt (devour) his feed, or if feeding time is a bit later than usual. Dried beet pulp and pelleted grain have been implicated as well – water absorbs into these types feedstuffs and a bolus of food can expand mid-transport. Sometimes a mass is visible or palpable along the underside of the neck.

Call Springhill as soon as you notice your horse choking. Remove any feed, hay, and shavings if you think they will eat them, but leave the horse water. Often chokes resolve within 30 minutes of occurrence – the horse appears to get comfortable, the nasal flow stops, and he wants to go back to eating.  So Springhill will tell you to wait and watch your choking horse for this amount of time, and then Dr. Lacher or Dr. King will be on their way!

When they get there, they will get ready a long tube, a bucket of water, and a particular sedative, butorphanol, that has a specific side effect of making the horse drop his head. With the head below the blockage, the feed can passively drain back out of his nose. The horse also has a more pleasant and less memorable experience during the next part. The vet will pass the tube through the nose to the larynx, where they will encourage the sleepy horse to swallow the tube (against their own good instinct). Once in the esophagus, they will pass the tube forward to the blockage, and then begin to pump.  Slowly and steadily, they will have water pumped through the tube against the blockage, and they will move the tube forward and backward to break up the mass.  The water may bring material back out through the nose, or the water may pass through the blockage to the stomach, and slowly carry it along with it (like a large leaf in a shallow stream).

Most chokes resolve this way. Complicated, recurring, and difficult chokes require referral to an equine hospital, where a 3 meter camera is used to examine the entire length of the esophagus.  The gastroscope, as the camera is called, is passed to the entrance to the stomach (the cardiac sphincter), and the stomach and part of the small intestine is examined as thoroughly as possible (while we’re in there). This is the same exam used to diagnose gastric ulcers in horses, so don’t be surprised if you end up bringing some ulcer medication home from your visit. The esophagus is examined for abnormalities such as a stricture (narrowed section), diverticulum (pouch that develops off the main tube), or tumor. If a large object is obstructing the esophagus, such as a whole apple (just say no to feeding whole apples!), an instrument is passed through the gastroscope to attempt to retrieve the object.

After a choke, the horse will be uncomfortable and it’s best to give a small, warm soupy mash after a few hours. The vets will give re-feeding instructions when they are at your farm. A horse that bolts his feed can have some large, smooth river stones added to his bucket to make him slow down while he eats. If you are concerned, add some water to your feed and make it into a soup. Just don’t let your feed sit wet for too long – it could become rancid.

One of the most important things to be aware of with choke is the aspiration pneumonia that can result.  As the horse attempts to breathe through its nose as the feed is passing out, some of the feed (and all the bacteria living on it) end up in the lungs. It’s called aspiration pneumonia, and it can cause a nasty chain of events if left untreated. Thick pus fills the lungs, and eventually the infection passes into the space between the lungs and the ribcage (the pleural cavity – resultantly called pleuropneumonia), or abscesses may form and can rupture into this space. These infections can end up with the horse being hospitalized for IV antibiotics, and drainage of the pleural cavity with a chest tube. Pneumonia that has advanced to this stage can be extremely difficult and expensive to treat, and many horses eventually succumb to the infection.

It is therefore very important to have us out at some point to check your horse’s lungs, at the very least pay close attention to your horse’s breathing for 3-5 days after the choke episode.  This is especially important if the horse is a chronic choker. Look for increased rate and effort – normal respiration rate is 12 to 20 breaths per minute (watch the flank or put a hand a few inches from the nostril). You should be calling if you see significant nostril flaring, a large abdominal movement, or obvious rib excursions with breathing. Fever should also be reported (>102F). Horses with pleura-pneumonia will begin to act colicky – usually anxiously turning to look at their girth. Proper management of choke can be a smooth, simple experience or can be a fatal event.

On the lighter side, I am full-swing back into my Tony antics – cat-scanning trailers, running off the new neighborhood stray, and defending the clinic from other dangerous foes! I barely limp any more as I charge across the grassy yard toward the woods again. Keep me posted with ideas you want to see discussed on our blog! May your litter box be clean, and your food bowl full!

 

Equine Dentistry. A cat’s eye view.

Feb 4, 2012 | Ailments, Feed

So this week Danielle, one of our technicians, brought her horses into the clinic for their annual dentals. She sat down and told me afterwards all about how Dr. Lacher let her practice using the power tools on her own horses’ teeth and my was it fascinating! Danielle reports that even though she was nervous about practicing, she felt safe that she was in an equine clinic with access to state of the art equipment and facilities and most importantly, our veterinarian’s expertise!

 Danielle brought her horses into the clinic early that morning and kept them in a paddock until Dr. Lacher and she had a free moment from their appointments. Once they were ready, they led her first horse “Bumper” into the shade of the barn and then inside the stocks. It was slightly warm that day, so they decided to turn on the fans not only for themselves but for the horse’s comfort. Dr. Lacher calculated the correct dose of sedation for Bumper, which Danielle explained to me, here at Springhill we use just enough sedation to make horses manageable enough to work on their mouths but not too much to make them sleepy for a long time. While sedated, the horse can also lean on the stocks all they like without moving away from us while we are trying to work inside their mouth, which is different in the field because we can’t carry that luxury with us.

While they were waiting for Bumper to get sleepy, they rinsed her mouth with an antiseptic agent which got rid of loose feed material in her mouth and minimized any bacteria. They also gave Bumper her vaccines and drew blood for a Coggins test while she was unaware.

“That’s one of the nice things about sedating a horse for dentals too,” Erica told Danielle, “we can take opportunities to vaccinate, draw blood, and clean a horse’s sheath and not only are they unaware at the time, they won’t remember anything once they are awake.”

After Bumper was sleepy enough, they placed the dental speculum in her mouth and opened it just wide enough to see in the back of her mouth. Then her head was rested on the head loop hanging from the ceiling, after which Danielle adjusted its height so it was comfortable for her to see in Bumper’s mouth. Even with Bumper’s mouth open it was still mighty dark inside her mouth, so Danielle donned a headlamp and looked around while Erica explained what steps she would take to correct Bumper’s mouth.

Bumper’s mouth didn’t need a lot of correcting because Danielle gets her teeth done every year, which she explained makes Bumper more comfortable and will ultimately prolong her life. After Erica inspected Bumper’s mouth with a mirror and pick she determined there weren’t any cavities or cracks in any of Bumper’s teeth. Then, she had Danielle grab the battery operated Makita and told her to take off the sharp points on the outside of Bumper’s top rows of teeth.

“To hold the tool parallel to her teeth, you need to lift up on the back of the Makita” Erica informed Danielle.

“Wow this is gonna work my shoulders for sure!” Danielle exclaimed.

Danielle told me that it was extremely difficult to keep the skinny tool on the side of her horse’s teeth because Bumper was moving her mouth the whole time and her cheeks kept pushing her tool away.

“That’s why we use a skinny tool for that area of her mouth, it’s hard enough already to get in there. Can you imagine not being able to see where that tool was going?” Erica said.

After this step Danielle was instructed to use the diamond burr power tool to work on the rest of Bumper’s mouth. She explained that it was difficult to keep the tool on her teeth, again because Bumper was moving her mouth so much.

“This takes some real skill!” she remarked “I don’t know how you and Dr. King make this look so easy!!”

“You have to learn to stabilize” Erica said, “Otherwise you’ll get pushed off her tooth every time.”

At this point Danielle’s arms were tired, “I feel like I’m not doing a very good job at getting all the way to the back of her mouth cause it’s so hard to see!”

Dr. Lacher then took over and polished up Bumper’s mouth. After making some corrections, Erica changed out power tools again to a smaller one with another diamond burr.

“We use that tool,” Danielle said “to place a bit seat in a horse’s mouth so pulling on the bit doesn’t pinch their gums. We also use that tool to make corrections to a horse’s incisors or front teeth.”

After releasing the speculum from Bumper’s mouth they checked to make sure her incisors were straight and then checked lateral excursion.  Dr. Lacher uses lateral excursion to make sure the molars are working just right.  Since all looked good, they rinsed her mouth once more to drain the tooth dust out and then waited a few minutes to lead her out of the stocks and back to the shade of her paddock while they grabbed her other horse to repeat the same process.

After all was done I had a new respect for our veterinarians doing dentals. Being able to see in a horse’s mouth makes all the difference for knowing the job was done right and using the power tools is faster and more accurate for sure. I feel confident my horse’s teeth are being done properly because my vets have all the tools they need to thoroughly examine their teeth and prevent small problems from becoming big ones.

Wow, now I’m wondering if I need to go to Newberry Animal Hospital for a kitty dental!

May your food bowl always be full and your litter box clean!

 

So what’s with that EWT vaccine?

Jan 28, 2012 | Ailments, Leg issues

SO I know everyone is dying to know, so I have to announce to the world that MY CAST IS FINALLY OFF!! I am feeling free and happy, and can go outside again!! I’m still limping a little bit, but since I really haven’t stopped my usual routine of jumping on my front counter, I don’t see that slowing me down now.  Thanks to everyone again for all of your sweet rubs, pets and encouraging words that got me through this miserable period of my life!! Next time bring more tuna, words don’t fill my stomach.

 OK – so we’re supposed to be talking about this so-called EWT vaccine that you have to give your horse twice a year.  Let’s start with the basics – the E represents Eastern Equine Encephalitis (also known as EEE).  The W represents Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE), and the T represents Tetanus, which was discussed in our last blog.  There is another in the EE group, Venezuelan Encephalitis (VEE), which has not been reported in the U.S. since 1971, and is not routinely vaccinated against in this country. So what is with EEE and WEE, and why do I have to give my horse a vaccine for this twice a year??

Both EEE and WEE are viral diseases causing severe neurological disease, and are carried from horse to horse by mosquito’s.  As with West Nile virus, birds are crucial to maintaining the cycle of virus activity from year to year. While EEE occurs more frequently in the eastern U.S., and WEE is generally associated with the western part of the country, each has occurred in Florida. Administration of the vaccine two to three times a year here in Florida is directly a function of our never-ending mosquito season.  In the northern parts of the country, EWT vaccination is generally performed once yearly in the spring, as hard freezes cause a break in the disease season. The vaccine appears to be effective at preventing disease for 4 to 6 months, so it is crucial to keep up with this schedule. The vaccine product is killed virus, meaning it has no ability to cause disease, and reactions are rare.  Mortality associated with EEE is 75% to 95%, so it is a disease certainly worth preventing.

Horses affected by EEE initially show signs of fever and depression, and symptoms transition into neurological disease about 5 days after infection.  The horse often dies 2-3 days after neurological signs set in.  The first sign is often a change in behavior, which can be in either direction.  Normally calm horses can become irritable and easily excited, attacking owners or themselves.  Others may seem “sleepy,” or even ‘forget’ how to lead, in any case, the horse usually refuses feed and water.  As the dementia progresses, the horse may compulsively walk in circles, press its head against things, grind his teeth, and develop blindness.  Unsteadiness or clumsiness will begin to manifest, as can areas of paralysis (face, tongue, etc.).  The horse will eventually go down, which more often than not signifies the end of the battle – a down horse with this disease has a grave outlook. WEE manifests similarly, although generally more slowly and less severely (mortality ranges from about 20 to 50%).  It is important to remember that a horse with signs of encephalitis (brain inflammation) is not himself – so be extremely careful around these horses, and stay out of the stall until the vet arrives!

Horses are considered “dead end hosts” of the EE’s – meaning a horse with this disease is of no risk to infect other horses, mosquito’s or birds.  Diagnosis involves a CSF tap, so a diagnosis may be presumed if vaccination was >4 months prior, and it occurs in an area where this disease is prevalent (like Florida).  Treatment of this disease is supportive, and often ineffective (especially with EEE).  It is aimed at symptomatically reducing the inflammation in the central nervous system – there is no cure.  Euthanasia is recommended with horses that are down and unable to stand. Horses that do manage to recover often have lasting signs of brain damage.  The staff at Springhill Equine firmly believe that every horse deserves at least twice a year EWT vaccination to prevent the devastating effects of these diseases! Check on your horse’s vaccination status, and schedule with us today if you are overdue!  May your litter box be clean, and your food bowl full!

 

Rabies!!!

Jan 8, 2012 | Ailments

 

I would like to talk about a very serious subject in this week’s blog:  Rabies.  Dr. Lacher and Dr. King recently heard about a case of Rabies in a pony in North Carolina and asked me to share some information about Rabies and its management in horses.  I was all ears since I too have to be vaccinated for this deadly disease.

Rabies is a virus of mammals which affects the nervous system.  The virus is transmitted from an infected animal to other animals through bite wounds, typically from a fox, skunk, raccoon or bat.  Once the virus enters the animal it seeks out a nerve to bind to and follow to the brain.  The virus is on a search and destroy mission until it reaches the brain, only then does it branch out to other tissues like salivary glands.

We were all taught not to approach the dog foaming at the mouth, it might have Rabies.  If a raccoon or fox is seen during the day and is acting aggressive most of us would worry about Rabies.  What if your horse was mildy colicky, had a slight lameness or was having difficulty urinating?  These are all symptoms of Rabies in horses.  And there is the biggest problem with equine Rabies cases.  Many of us do not recognize it is Rabies until it is too late.  The pony in North Carolina had a wound it was itching and wouldn’t leave alone.  In this case, as in many other equine cases, lots of people were exposed to this horse before anyone realized it might have Rabies.  This means all these people had to go through post exposure vaccination!  That would not make for happy neighbors.

Rabies is definitely a case of the best defense is good offense:  vaccination.  The rabies vaccine is very effective.  It cannot be said with 100% certainty but no one Dr. Lacher or Dr. King could find knows of a single case of rabies in a vaccinated animal.  This makes it among the most effective vaccines we have, which is good since we also have no known treatment.  It is recommended that horses be vaccinated yearly for rabies.  Due to some unique features of the equine immune system it does not respond to the rabies vaccine for very long.  Studies have shown that most horses can fight off an exposure for 14-16 months following vaccination making yearly vaccination very important.  Humans, dogs and cats do a much better job responding to the vaccine and can remain immune for many years.  It is still recommended that dogs and cats be vaccinated at least every 3 years for public health reasons.

You come out to feed in the morning and find a raccoon acting strangely near your horses.   What should you do?  First, do not try to come near any wild creature acting oddly.  Call Animal Control.  Move your horses to a safe area as far away from the raccoon as possible.  Call Springhill Equine.   If your horses are up to date on their rabies vaccines we will administer a second vaccine as soon as possible.  If your horse has not been vaccinated a quarantine will be necessary for 6 months!  If you suspect your horse may have rabies, call us immediately and limit contact as much as possible.    The moral of this story is to vaccinate for rabies.  It’s cheap, easy and effective!

On a personal note, my broken foot continues to heal well.  Dr. Long at Newberry Animal Hospital says I might get my splint off this week.  I sure hope I do since I am so tired of being locked up in the Clinic.  I have a new appreciation for horses on stall rest.  It’s NO fun!!!!

Cold Weather Colics

Dec 10, 2011 | Ailments, Feed

 

Brrr!!  The weather outside is frightful (well for Florida anyway) and your horse is far from delightful…because he’s colicking.  This time of year Dr. Lacher and Dr. King stay very busy treating colicking horses.  While I was making them scratch my right ear (I can’t with my broken foot) they explained why this time of year leads to colics.

Part of the problem in Florida is our wide variety of temperatures.  A few days ago it was tank tops and shorts and today its heavy jackets.  Our horses have a hard time adapting to these rapid changes of temperature!  I find staying inside the office with the heat on is the easiest way to deal with cold, rainy days.

The biggest culprit when it comes to winter time colics is WATER!  Our horses seem to decide that since it’s a little chilly they don’t need to drink.  We then throw out extra coastal hay to keep them from eating the pasture down to nothing.  And the combination of not drinking and extra hay equals an impaction and a visit from Dr. Lacher or Dr. King.  Dr. Lacher says way back when she was a kid (I think she’s going to limit my cat treats this week for that age comment) bran mashes were commonly feed once weekly.  The thought behind this was that the bran moved any sand out of the GI tract.  There are at least two problems with the bran mash scenario:  bran doesn’t move sand and you just gave your horse a totally different feed type without transitioning the diet.  So if bran is out what is in?  Just the water.  That’s right just water.  You can add water to your horse’s meal no matter what you feed.  Pelleted and Senior diets readily dissolve in water and soak up a ton of extra water which your horse then consumes because it comes with grain.  It’s a lot like getting your children to drink milk by adding Frosted Flakes.  Another way to get more water in to your horse’s diet is with soaked beet pulp.  This is a great option for our easy keeper patients.  Beet pulp shreds with no added molasses are low calorie and will soak up 2-3 times their dry weight in water.

The most common type of impaction from coastal hay is called an ileal impaction.  This happens at the very end of the small intestine.  The last 12-18 inches of the small intestine are very muscular and narrow.  When a bolus of gooey chewed coastal hay with a low water content reaches this area, known as the ileum, the muscle contracts causing pain and stopping the rest of the intestinal contents from passing through.   Adding water will help reduce ileal impaction but the best way to make a big impact is to feed a half to one flake of alfalfa hay per day per horse.  Alfalfa is high in potassium so it stimulates thirst and it has a natural laxative effect on the GI tract.  A small amount of alfalfa really makes coastal a manageable roughage source without adding much in cost.

Let’s talk wardrobe.  Your horse doesn’t need an entire SmartPak catalog of blankets and sheets but consider having a waterproof, breathable sheet especially for the geriatrics.  If the weather is cold and wet a sheet prevents your horse from getting soaked and if you come home to find your horse shivering you can throw it on to warm him up.  If you don’t have a sheet or blanket available throw an extra flake or two of hay.  This gets the hind gut fermentation going which in turn produces heat.

What about warm water?  An interesting study was done a few years ago which revealed that horses don’t care about the temperature of their water.  They will drink more cold than warm water.  Just make sure your horse has access through any ice that may form.  We find that our Florida horses have no idea how to break that cold hard stuff on top of their water troughs and expect us to do it for them.

I hope you have picked up a few hints to help avoid unexpected visits from the Docs this Holiday season!

May your litter box be clean and your food bowl full! Tony

 

57th Annual AAEP Convention in San AnTONYo!!

Dec 4, 2011 | Ailments, Breeding

Tony here – recovering slowly but surely.  The foot is feeling better, but the folks at the office think it’s a great idea to have me on a diet so I lose some weight – I couldn’t disagree more.  There has been a lot of talk about all the conferences the Doctors and staff have been going to.  Last week I shared what I’ve heard discussed about the Laminitis Symposium.  This week, I decided to focus on all of the exciting things Dr. King brought home from the AAEP Convention in San Antonio, Texas!

One of the hot topics of discussion in the office, in preparation for foaling/breeding season coming up quickly, is the new guidelines published by AAEP for Control of Venereal Diseases.  A new (to the United States) strain of CEM, or Contagious Equine Metritis, was found in a 4 year old stallion in Arizona this year.  CEM is caused by a bacteria called Taylorella equigenitalis that can be spread by normal-appearing stallions, and can cause infection and inflammation in the uterus.  Springhill Equine will be working to adhere to their recommendations during the coming breeding season.

Other exciting reproductive developments include the first equine embryo biopsy.  By sampling DNA from the embryo, the researchers were able to correctly determine the sex, as well as test the embryo for diseases such as HERDA and HYPP.  Springhill is excited to see these signs guiding our pathway to the future of equine medicine!  Another case described a mare, who had previously given birth to three healthy foals, experience early embryonic death, and was found to have developed a genetic abnormality.  Researchers at the Gluck Center in Lexington, KY quote that 35-40% of samples are positive for a DNA abnormality.  Tests run from $200 for a basic karyotype to $450 for an advanced DNA analysis – please contact us if you think your horse may have this type of problem!  In addition, Dr. King plans to start using what are called buffered chelator solutions, such as Tricide, to help break up biofilm and potentiate antibiotics in the uterus of ‘problem mares.’

Another important reproductive point that was made was regarding EVA vaccination.  EVA, or Equine Viral Arteritis, is a venereal disease that can cause abortion.  Vaccines are very tightly regulated by the U.S. Government, so that stallions that are vaccinated can be kept track of.  This way, if a horse ends up testing positive, they know if it is because they are truly infected or if they have just been vaccinated for the disease.  If your horse is vaccinated for EVA (you know who you are), it is recommended that semen be withheld for 14 days post-vaccination.  A study with 10 stallions vaccinated for EVA resulted in transient low levels of the virus in one stallion’s semen on day 2 and 4 post-vaccination.  The study also showed that none of the 10 horses transmitted the virus to horses in the next stalls, there were no adverse effects of the vaccine, and all successfully showed an acceptable immune response to the vaccine.

Other important points – colic recurrence is higher than previously thought (37% medical, 50% surgical), medical management of bladder rupture is possible in foals, and a BRIX Alcohol Refractometer is a quick and cost-effective way to decide if foal colostrum supplementation is necessary. The doctors would be happy to discuss this option with you if you are interested! Another important point I heard them say is DO NOT give foals cow milk replacers if there is any nursing issue, should they need plasma in the future the transfusion reaction can kill them! There was also the official launch of the new, FDA-approved pergolide.  Please contact the office if you want to switch to this new product and/or need to get a prescription.  Or even better, stop by the office and give me some pets on your way!!  Thanks for reading, may your litter box be clean and your food bowl full!