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Diagnostic Imaging
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Digestive and Oral Health
Diagnostic imaging allows veterinarians to see inside a horse’s body without the need for surgery. X-rays are probably the best-known type of diagnostic imaging, but many others are available to help diagnose illnesses and other health problems in horses.
Each type of diagnostic imaging has its own
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Digestive Health
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Digestive and Oral Health
A horse’s digestive system begins with the mouth, ends with the anus and incorporates all the organs in between that are involved in consuming and processing food. Its purpose is fourfold: to digest food, absorb nutrients, move food through the digestive tract and eliminate waste products in the form
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Equine Motor Neuron Disease
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Diseases and Viruses
This relatively new disease was first diagnosed in 1990 in the state of New York. It’s still a rare condition and mostly confined to the United States.
Symptoms
Horse owners might first notice that their horse is eating plenty, but still managing to lose a lot of weight. He might have a short gait,
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Viral Infectious Diseases
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Diseases and Viruses
Infectious diseases are those that one horse passes to another, or that mosquitoes or other vectors transmit. Some are more common than others. Treatments and prognoses vary, but your veterinarian can help by recommending appropriate vaccinations. Here are some of the more common viral diseases.
Equine
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Venereal Disease
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Diseases and Viruses
Venereal diseases, also known as sexually-transmitted infections or diseases, are infections that can be passed during sexual contact. In horses, the two most common ones include:
Equine viral arteritis
Contagious equine metritis
Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA)
Equine viral arteritis is a contagious sexually-transmitted
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Uveitis (Moon Blindness)
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Diseases and Viruses
Equine recurrent uveitis (also known as Moon Blindness or periodic ophthalmia) is one of the most common diseases that affect the eyes of adult horses. It is also the most common cause of blindness in horses, which makes prompt diagnosis and treatment of this condition essential.
Causes of Equine Recurrent
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Arthritis in Horses
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Orthopedics
Arthritis is one of the most common conditions causing lameness in older horses; in fact, arthritis is responsible for up to 60 percent of all lameness. Arthritis can affect the knee, joint, fetlock, coffin and hock. Arthritis that affects the pastern is also known as “ringbone.”
Arthritis is the
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Seizures
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Chronic Conditions
A seizure is caused by a period of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Seizures tend to come on suddenly and end by themselves. They also sometimes occur again. There are three main types of seizures:
Partial (or focused) seizures affect one part of the brain, which, in turn, leads to symptoms
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Thyroid Problems
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Chronic Conditions
The thyroid gland is part of the endocrine system and consists of two lobes located on the front of a horse’s neck. This gland produces hormones that regulate the body’s metabolism and affect most of the body’s tissues.
When functioning normally, the thyroid is not visible, but certain diseases
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Physical Exam
Category:
Equine, Living With Your Pet, Providing Care
Your horse might look as healthy as, well, a horse, making you wonder whether he really needs an annual exam. However, if anything is wrong with your horse’s health, it’s always better to detect a problem earlier rather than later. Your equine veterinarian can also advise on preventive measures to
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Ringbone
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Orthopedics
Ringbone is a lameness condition that affects the pastern and coffin joints in horses. This is a degenerative disease that continues to worsen over time. The right treatment and ongoing management, though, can slow the progression of the condition.
Types of Ringbone
Ringbone causes an enlargement around
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Respiratory Conditions
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Chronic Conditions
Horses are highly susceptible to a wide variety of respiratory conditions. These can be bacterial, viral or mechanical in nature, or they may be caused by allergies. Some are temporary; others are chronic. Some are serious while others are less serious. Upper airway problems are usually mechanical while
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Nutrition
Category:
Equine, Living With Your Pet, Providing Care
You can divide horse nutrition into six categories: carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and water. If you get the right feed for your horse, it might take care of the first five. Supplement the feed with plenty of water, and your horse should have all of its needs met. However, to be sure
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Metabolism
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Chronic Conditions
Metabolism in horses — and in other animals — refers to all the body’s complicated processes that break down food, drink and drugs to provide nutrients and energy for living. Anabolic reactions generally happen soon after eating, to build structural parts of the body, such as muscles. Catabolic
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Limb Conditions
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Orthopedics
Several disorders can affect the hindlimbs, forelimbs or hooves of horses. Some of these can lead to lameness or changes in gait.
Hindlimb Conditions in Horses
Stringhalt is a condition that causes the horse to jerk or hop, with the hind legs pulled up high before taking the next step. This results
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Ligament and Tendon Injuries
Category:
Equine, Pet Health, Orthopedics
Ligaments and tendons are important parts of the musculoskeletal system, which also includes the muscles and bones. Together, all these components provide support for the body and enable the horse to move and exercise.
Tendons are very tough bands of connective tissue that connect muscles to bone. Tendons
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