It's important to maintain your horse's overall health and well-being but what does this include? Today our Vancouver vets will provide you with an equine routine care checklist.
Health Exams
A yearly health exam can optimize your horse’s overall wellness and performance. These exams can give you a baseline and help identify future health risk factors so they can be addressed early on.
Our Mountain View Veterinary Hospital vets will examine the heart, lungs, intestinal system, temperature, dental health, eyes, weight, and the horse’s overall condition.
Vaccinations
Vaccination programs are created for your horses based on their age, risk of exposure, use, geographic area, and environment. Vaccines can minimize the risk and severity of infectious diseases.
There are adult and foal vaccinations that your horse will need so be sure to talk to your Mountain View Veterinary Hospital vet about the schedule.
Deworming
Internal parasites are a constant threat to your horse’s health. Parasites can cause extensive internal damage, lower resistance to disease and absorption of essential nutrients, as well as cause colic and death.
Deworming programs are designed by taking into account your geographic location, pasture management, number and age of horses, and management practices. Contact our Vancouver vets to establish the best program for your horse.
Dental Exams
An annual or semi-annual dental exam is important to ensure your horse has a healthy mouth, teeth, and gums.
Your veterinarian will check inside the mouth for teeth with sharp points or edges, trimming them down with a file or nippers.
Endoscopy
Our portable system allows our team to perform advanced diagnostics right in your barn. Visualizing the equine respiratory and gastrointestinal system with a video endoscope allows the diagnosis of many conditions affecting the upper airway, sinuses, trachea, lower airway, esophagus, and stomach.
Grooming
Grooming is an important part of daily maintenance for horses. Daily brushing and currying help remove dirt and debris that can allow bacteria a place to multiply.
During grooming, you can also check the overall condition of your horse’s skin and find sores, infections, bumps, or welts when they first arise.
Hoof Care
The hooves should be “picked” daily to remove manure, dirt, and stones, and checked for signs of bruising, odor, discoloration, or discharge. The shoes should also be checked for wear and tightness of the nails. Hoof dressings may be needed, but care should be taken to apply them appropriately. For example, water-repellent dressings can be important to keep hooves dry and healthy during wet weather. However, excessive use of emollient dressings can soften the hooves and lead to problems.
Antifungal solutions should be applied every 1 to 2 weeks during winter and wet weather to prevent thrush. Your veterinarian and farrier can provide information on when and how frequently to treat your horse’s feet.
Shoes
Horses with tender or bruised feet require shoes for protection, as do horses working on hard or rough surfaces. Various kinds of corrective shoes are available for particular hoof or lameness problems.