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Recommendations for Horses

Preventative Care

Vaccinations

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Recommendations are made based on current American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) vaccination guidelines. 

+++ indicates that vaccination is strongly recommended at that time point

++ indicates that vaccination is recommended at that time point 

+ indicates that vaccination is acceptable at that time point and may provide protection

- indicates that vaccination is not recommended at that time point 

+/- indicates that vaccination may be suggested based on the individual animal or environment

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Always consult with your veterinarian prior to implementing a vaccination protocol, no vaccine is fully protective or without potential risk.

Parasite Prevention

It is recommended that all horses have a fecal examination performed yearly to determine if they require additional deworming. It is recommended that all horses be dewormed in the spring and fall, however some horses have a high parasite load and may require additional deworming.

Dental Care

Horses should have a dental exam performed at least once a year, some horses may require even more frequent dental care. Horses have specialized teeth that continually grow outwards, or erupt. Due to the type of teeth horses have, the mechanics of how they chew, and the anatomy of their teeth horses are predisposed to forming sharp points and wearing their teeth in a way that can impede with effective chewing of food. When horses teeth aren't properly cared for they may develop painful oral ulcers, start to drop feed, loose weight, and they are more likely to colic. Floats, or specialized grinding of the teeth that corrects for abnormalities, are commonly performed in horses. Many horses require dental floats yearly.

Nutrition

Horses eat between 1.5-2% of their body weight in feed a day (including hay and grass), 80-100% of the horses diet should be forage (hay and grass). It's important to tailor horses carbohydrate (grain) intake according to their performance level and body condition score. Overfeeding carbohydrates puts horses at risk for developing metabolic disease and laminitis. Ration balancers are a great way to give your horse all the nutrients they need without excessive carbs. Grass is much higher in carbs than hay, some horses receive an excess of carbs from grazing grass alone and require a grazing muzzle. An enthusiastic horse can consume ~2lbs of grass an hour. It is recommended that you work with a nutritionist and your veterinarian to formulate an appropriate diet for your horse.

Foaling

After the mares water breaks she should make quick progress and the foal should be delivered between 30 minutes to an hour after her water broke. If she has not made any progress within 20 minutes after her water broke you should call your veterinarian for help immediately. If you se a reddish pink membrane coming from the mares vulva she may be experiencing a red bag delivery, you should call your vet immediately and you may have to cut the membrane and assist in delivery. The premature placental separation or "Red bag" oxygen delivery to the foal is cut off, this is an emergency and the foal must be delivered quickly.

 

Once the foal is delivered it should stand within an hour, start nursing within two hours, and the placenta from the mare and the meconium from the foal should be passed in three hours. During the neonatal stage the foal should nurse 4-7 times an hour. It is important that the foal receives an adequate amount of quality colostrum (first milk, rich in antibodies) within the first 6 hours of life. A veterinarian should assess the foal, if there have been no complications previously, at 12- 24 hours after it was born. At this time the veterinarian will do a full assessment and determine the antibody level in the foals circulation to determine if they need supplemented with plasma.  

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