Across the Fence

At the end of a long day, possibly after driving many miles in all sorts of weather and traffic, many an equine veterinarian must pause for a few moments and shake his/her head in amazement. This amazement is probably not in regard to the animals, but to their owners! Perhaps we can make this difficult occupation a bit easier with just a few common sense reminders.

Start Right If you bought a horse with his tail screwed on sideways and his ears glued to his rump, there is not much any vet can do to "make it better." Avoid horses advertised with words such as "dream," "fantasy," "partner," "your Christmas horse," etc. Shun emotional nonsense and concentrate on physical and mental soundness.

If it takes months, find a quality animal commensurate with your ability. Get a vet check to reduce the possibility of getting stung. Money spent now will save a bundle later. Emotion and fast talk can cover up all sorts of problems. Your vet cannot work miracles after the fact.

Care Is the "death penalty" better than "life in the pen?" After the purchase, reality sets in, and the owner realizes that even one horse is a lot of responsibility and hard work. The glitter wears off and the horse is seldom groomed, his hooves aren't picked very often, and he is rarely exercised. Excuses are rampant, but regardless, it is criminal to confine a 1,000-pound animal to a pen, knee-deep in manure, without clean water and quality feed. Carrots, treats, and sweet talk do not take the place of actual physical care.

A large percentage of horse maladies can be prevented with frequent handling and regular exercise (use the round pen if necessary). The more your horse is handled and exercised, the better his manners and general health.

Horses take almost as much care as kids. If you are not committed to doing it right, don't bother!

Facts If your horse needs the vet, try to present vital information and your observations without unnecessary diagnosis. Try to keep as much speculation as possible to yourself. Even the most novice vet has more experience and training than most of us will ever have. Let the vet do his job!

Be sure you know how to take vital signs. Don't wait until an emergency to see if your horse will allow you take his temperature or open his mouth. Record your readings and observations. You should know your horse's normal behavior, eating habits, and way of going, and you should be able to spot when something isn't right. Report this information to your vet and let him find the problem. Follow only the vet's instructions and ignore the barnyard airbag and stable know-it-all. Work with the vet and not against him.

Pay your bill or make arrangements to pay ahead of the service. Don't show your appreciation with a rubber check!

Immersion Horses are like astronomy, in that we will never know all there is to know about them. But, you can sure put a good dent in it! Learn all you can.

Day by day, increase your horse knowledge. Read everything you can. Hit the library. Build your own reference library at home. Subscribe to magazines that provide factual information. Keep accurate records.

"Horse 101" begins when the vet puts on the long exam glove or places the tube up the nostril. Ask questions. Take notes. This is a wonderful opportunity to find out more about what makes a horse "tick."

Gradually allow your vet to wean you off to complete normal aspects of care (i.e., deworming). How much depends on your skill and dedication.

Trailering You might need to trailer your horse to the vet. Be sure you have a trailer and tow vehicle available at all times. An emergency is not the time to be teaching your horse to load.

Teaching a horse to load can test the patience of a saint, but for the welfare of the horse, there is no other choice. Do your training before the emergency. Don't keep the vet waiting while you are trying to work a miracle.

Reward Doing your homework pays dividends. You can reduce expenses, have a useful horse, and build a three-way relationship with your vet, your animal, and yourself. Excluding the unforeseen, you will have a sound animal for many years because of the trust, knowledge, and cooperation you have worked to establish.

Originally published in the May 2007 issue of The Horse: Your Guide To Equine Health Care.

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Mike Fonda, Sr., is retired and enjoys horse training as a hobby. He owns five horses, including two mustangs.

The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), as the world governing body of equestrian sport, ­provides the framework for all FEI events, and central to this framework is horse welfare. At the time of competition, the horse must be fit to compete and free of substances that are prohibited under FEI rules. The FEI therefore requires all those involved in the sport to adhere to the FEI Code of Conduct and to acknowledge and accept that at all times the horse’s welfare must remain paramount. All those participating in FEI events must also be aware of the FEI approach to maintaining a clean sport and abide by FEI Doping and Controlled Medication regulations.

The number of FEI events being held around the world continues to increase. With more than 56,443 horses registered to compete at FEI events in 2011, compared to 53,032 in 2010, the role played by FEI veterinarians at these events is becoming even more important. During such events, specially trained FEI veterinarians monitor the horses’ health closely. FEI veterinary protocols have also been carefully established to ensure competition horses are given the correct care and attention as soon as they arrive on site at an event.

FEI veterinarians either provide treatments to maintain the horses’ health or act as veterinary officials for the FEI at events. The treating veterinarian supports the normal or emergency treatment of horses competing within FEI rules. The FEI veterinary official seeks to apply and enforce the rules at FEI events in a consistent manner to maintain a level playing field.

All FEI veterinarians must have equine practice experience and a strong command of the English language. They are also ­required to take specific FEI courses and soon will be asked to fulfill an online exam. This ensures they have an in-depth understanding of FEI regulations so they can make consistent decisions and follow the correct processes at FEI ­competitions.

FEI veterinary protocols come into play as soon as horses arrive at the venue. All horses are subject to an initial veterinary exam, in which FEI veterinarians check the horse’s identity against the passport, verify vaccination status, and perform a general health check, including looking for signs of infectious disease. Once FEI veterinarians are satisfied the horse is in good health, they grant entrance to the secure stable area. If there’s any doubt, the horse is transferred to an isolation stable. Here monitoring continues, and the treating veterinarian ­administers the necessary care and follows up as necessary. These precautions are also an integral part of supporting government needs to protect horses against disease spread during international travel.

Veterinarians then check the horses’ fitness to compete at the first horse inspection, often called the “trot-up” or “jog,” run by a committee consisting of at least an FEI Veterinary Delegate and the Ground Jury. All horses undergo a further identity check before the horse inspection. Any horse not considered sound is referred to the holding box for further evaluation and a second FEI veterinarian’s opinion. The Ground Jury, with the examining FEI veterinarians’ advice, makes the final decision regarding whether a horse is fit to ­compete.

In addition, throughout the event the veterinarians strictly adhere to FEI Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations. The FEI might therefore test horses according to one of three processes: obligatorily (e.g., medal winners at major events), randomly, or targeted (when rule violations are suspected). Positive samples are referred to the FEI Legal Department and might result in severe sanctions imposed on the Person Responsible (rider) and potentially on support personnel including veterinarians. There are two classifications of prohibited substances: Banned and Controlled Medications. The sanctions for detection of the former start at a two-year ban, and for the latter can be up to a two-year ban.

The FEI also has systems in place to monitor any cause of equine fatality that unfortunately, but rarely, might occur at FEI events. This is reflected in regulations that, for example, require postmortem examinations on such horses and testing for the presence of prohibited substances.

FEI veterinarians play a vital role in ensuring horses’ health and welfare is maintained at all times. They must show integrity and make sound, consistent judgments to protect equine welfare and fair play.

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Victoria E. Unt, BVetMed, MRCVS, is a Veterinary Advisor for the FEI based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Respiratory problems are frequent health issues for horses, and are often associated with microbial infections. For horse owners preparing for spring competitions or the birth of foals, a review of respiratory diseases is timely. Owners need to recognize early signs of respiratory infections to minimize the spread to other horses and to initiate prompt veterinary treatment. The impact of these infectious respiratory diseases can be minimized by strategic vaccination and smart management practices.

Respiratory diseases in horses are similar to those in humans, which can help owners recognize, control, and prevent these diseases. Just as in humans, some respiratory diseases are much more contagious than others and can spread rapidly. The best approach is to treat any horse with fever and nasal discharge as potentially contagious until a veterinarian can prove otherwise.

Influenza has the greatest impact on horses because it spreads rapidly due to the potential of viruses to be transmitted in respiratory aerosols (like human sneezes) as well as the very short incubation period of one to three days. Natural immunity to the virus is short-lived (several months), meaning a horse can be re-infected quickly.

A horse that develops influenza usually acts unwell, often doesn't eat, and has a high fever, watery nasal discharge, and a cough. A few can develop secondary bacterial pneumonia or inflammation of the heart muscle, both of which can be fatal. The cough might persist for days. A rapid diagnostic test is available to identify the source of the respiratory signs.

Treatment includes keeping the horse comfortable and reducing high fevers. As a general rule, horses should be rested one week for every degree of fever at the peak of the illness. Influenza can spread by direct contact, by people in contact with infected horses, and by respiratory droplets over short distances.

Equine herpesvirus (EHV) type 4 infections can be clinically identical to influenza, but might be accompanied by conjunctivitis (inflammation of the membrane covering the eye) or mild limb swelling. The fever is typically slightly lower and the cough is less persistent. Equine herpesvirus type 1 also produces mild respiratory signs, but also causes abortion or neurologic disease. It can be spread by contact with nasal secretions, or in the case of abortion, by contact with the fetus, placenta, or placental fluids.

Horses or facilities that have contact with outside horses are ideal candidates for a respiratory virus vaccination program for both influenza and herpesviruses. After a horse recovers from clinical signs, herpesvirus becomes latent and can cause disease later when the horse is stressed, similar to herpes cold sores in people.

Strangles can also cause serious illness and spread rapidly from horse to horse. This bacterial infection, caused by Streptococcus equi, is similar to strep throat in humans. Affected horses develop swollen lymph nodes (like tonsils) that can abscess and rupture. Fever, poor appetite, and thick whitish/yellow nasal discharges can be seen. The nasal discharge is a source of infection to other horses. The lymph nodes might enlarge rapidly in a few horses, greatly narrowing the horse's upper airway and necessitating an emergency tracheostomy. Most horses recover with little treatment, but some develop potentially fatal complications of purpura hemorrhagica (also called bastard strangles, which is abscessation of lymph nodes in other parts of the body).

The organism is readily isolated from the nasal discharge, or pus from an abscessed lymph node. Strangles vaccines reduce the severity of illness, but might produce some side effects. These risks should be considered before vaccination.

Rhodococcus equi, which causes pneumonia, affects foals and can spread rapidly through a farm. This bacterium is inhaled from dust or ingested and causes abscesses in the lungs, accompanied by fever. No vaccines are currently available, but administration of antibody-rich plasma to very young foals on farms with chronic problems has been known to help.

Other microbes can cause respiratory illness, but with much less impact. Equine viral arteritis (EVA) initially might resemble an EHV infection. EVA also can cause abortion, and exposed stallions might become carriers, shedding the virus in their semen.

Rhinoviruses can cause mild "cold-like" signs in horses, but horses recover quickly.

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Julia H. Wilson, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, is an Associate Professor of Veterinary Population Medicine and Division Head of Large Animal Medicine at the University of Minnesota.

We live in the age of instant and abundant information. Today's horse owners and enthusiasts are extremely well-informed and have high expectations for the medical care of their animals. As a result, it is not uncommon when a horse develops a medical problem for the horse owner to desire a second opinion from an expert to supplement the information provided by his or her own veterinarian. In this day and age when finding contact information on anyone is an easy cyber task, more and more horse owners are directly contacting expert veterinarians and seeking advice on the diagnosis or care of their horses. Although done with good intentions, the exchange of advice from a veterinarian who has never seen the patient directly to the client is in violation of the laws governing the practice of veterinary medicine.

The practice of veterinary medicine includes the rendering of advice or recommendations by any means, including telephonic and other electronic communications, with regard to diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of animal disease. When veterinarians offer expertise and advice on a particular case that is not under their primary care, they are known as consultants.

A veterinary consultant should be someone with extensive experience--either through practice, research, or both--in a specific area of veterinary medicine. In veterinary medicine the act of consulting is regulated by the state's veterinary practice act (a set of laws regulating veterinary practice). Although each state has it own veterinary practice act, the practice acts are very similar and modeled after a set of guidelines prepared by the American Veterinary Medical Association (you can read the model practice act at www.avma.org). The practice act defines consultation as when a licensed veterinarian receives advice by any method of communication from another veterinarian, licensed in any state, whose expertise would benefit a patient. The responsibility for the welfare of the patient remains with the licensed veterinarian receiving consultation. Consulting veterinarians may or may not charge fees for services. Whether or not they charge for their advice, they are required to communicate their findings and opinions directly to the attending veterinarian.

While this regulation may seem like a nuisance, it is in place to protect the patient. All too often, if a key piece of information is omitted in presenting the case to the consulting veterinarian, the consultant might not give the optimal advice. Occasionally it can even be wrong advice. Veterinarians are trained to communicate case information in a very specific and thorough manner. Your attending veterinarian will have performed a physical examination on your animal and will be familiar with the history and diagnostic findings that the consultant will need to reach sound conclusions and give good advice. And after all, it is expert and appropriate advice that you are seeking.

So if you are interested in seeking an expert opinion regarding your horse's condition, you first need to engage your veterinarian in the process. Asking your veterinarian to discuss a case with a consultant does not imply any lack of faith on your part in the abilities of your veterinarian. In fact, most veterinarians welcome the opportunity to discuss cases with colleagues and view it as an efficient way to become updated on what's new in veterinary medicine and research. Consultants also benefit from discussing cases with attending veterinarians. It helps to keep them abreast of what is occurring in the field and allows them to gather data from a large number of cases in their areas of expertise. In turn, this data can be shared with other practicing veterinarians, with the expert acting as a central point for dissemination of current information.

So, although many clients are reluctant to ask their veterinarians about seeking an expert second opinion, this need not be the case. If your horse has a disease or condition that is proving difficult to diagnose, manage, or treat, asking your veterinarian if it would be advantageous to seek the input of a veterinarian with a specific expertise in the area of concern is a reasonable and positive course of action.

Originally published December 2007.

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Dianne McFarlane, DVM, PhD, is an associate professor in physiological sciences at Oklahoma State University. Her research interests include aging and endocrine disease in the horse.

I believe that, in their hearts, every true horseman would like to see the perceived need for equine slaughter eliminated, even those who support it as the only practical way to deal with "unwanted" horses in America. Now, a unique opportunity to do just this has presented itself thanks to an unparalleled expansion of the country's equine rescue and sanctuary resources to save horses displaced due to the economy.

At the same time, it appears the recession has chased many of the marginal commercial and backyard breeders--major sources of the excess horse problem--out of business, and countless owners that could barely afford their horses have had to give them up. Already the number of horses being slaughtered in Canada and Mexico is shrinking. One report from the Equine Welfare Alliance puts the total for both countries at the end of August 2010 right at 75,000--the lowest in many years.

Horses displaced by the economy over the past few years have forced equine rescue operators such as myself to not only expand our sanctuary capacities but also to find new ways to save many more horses than we have in the past.

Sponsored foster homes and new programs such as in-place rescues to help owners keep and support their horses with feed banks and other financial assistance have vastly expanded our capacity to improve horse welfare. For instance, the Oregon hay bank program alone (which provides owners with enough hay to keep their horses healthy during times of crisis), created and operated by horse rescuers, has kept almost 800 horses in their homes since 2009, and similar efforts are under way in other states.

According to Shirley Puga, founder of the National Equine Resource Network (NERN), a program that hopes to find financial assistance for 501(c)(3) nonprofit equine welfare organizations, there currently are 500-600 equine rescues, both nonprofit and private, in the United States and countless individuals who take in rescued horses. A NERN survey found that the average sanctuary capacity is more than double that indicated by a recent University of California, Davis, study of a much smaller number of sanctuaries. The survey, which was sent to 498 nonprofit and private rescues and garnered 266 responses, also revealed that almost 20% of these sanctuaries operate local feeding assistance programs in their communities.

The bottom line: America's equine rescue resource is much greater than previously reported and is capable of doing vastly more if supported by both the commercial equine industry and private horse owners. The equine rescue community could be the answer to the "unwanted horse problem" if given the chance and provided the resources. With the new programs described above and selected expansion of actual sanctuary capacity I believe we can reduce the number of displaced horses in this country annually to one that is manageable without the need for equine slaughter.

The new Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (the only globally recognized organization providing standards for identifying legitimate animal sanctuaries) equine sanctuary verification and accreditation program gives us the means to identify and support legitimate equine rescues around the country. With the help of NERN, a delivery system to distribute funding can be put in place quickly.

Paying for this becomes the question, of course. Since all breed registries and owner organizations are committed to the welfare of their horses, let them simply add $25 to every registration fee dedicated specifically to rehoming and long-term care of horses in need. The five largest registries alone add almost 300,000 horses annually; that's $7,500,000 a year.

Distribute this money to 250 qualified equine sanctuaries annually and we'll show you how fast the number of excess horses each year can be reduced.

I hope I have planted a seed here that can germinate and grow among horsemen everywhere. The equine rescue community is more than ready to join with breeders and owners to give thousands of horses each year the chance at life they earn through their labor and so richly deserve.

Originally published in the January 2011 issue of The Horse: Your Guide To Equine Health Care.

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Allen Warren has been rescuing horses since 1994 at his Horse Harbor Foundation near Poulsbo, Wash., one of six equine rescue sanctuaries to be accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries to date.