Every horse owner has to deal with a sick horse from time to time. Going straight to the vet is not always necessary, but the horse should be looked at carefully. The vet will first examine the horse in general and can already obtain a lot of information from it. It is nice to know what to expect when you do need to see a vet and to give him useful information about the condition of the horse.
The first examination performed by a vet provides a lot of information. It can be divided into different studies:
- Disease History
- General impression
- General research
Disease History.
When the vet sees the horse for the first time, he will first look at the description. The breed of the horse often tells a thing or two about its character, but also about special qualities. An Arabian has fewer vertebrae than an average horse. Gender and age are checked. This is important for specific gender and age related diseases such as uterine infection. A vet will also look at the color, markings and other special features. In addition to the first look at the horse, the vet will also take a history. This is simply an interview with the owner. This is a very important part to form a better picture of what is possibly wrong with the horse.
Standard questions are:
- What is the complaint?
- When did the complaint start?
- Is there a clear reason?
- Has the complaint worsened or has it decreased?
- Are there varying complaints?
- Has the horse already been treated for this? If so, with what result?
- Are there any other complaints?
- How does the horse eat and drink?
- What does the manure and urine look like?
- How is the horse housed?
- What nutrition does the horse receive?
- What is the horse used for?
- Are there comparable complaints among stable mates?
It is therefore extremely important for a vet that the owner has already taken a good look at the horse. This provides him with essential information for the diagnosis.
General impression
This can be assessed fairly quickly by a vet. Just like the description, it is a first impression of the horse, regardless of the complaint. Attention is paid to:
- Behaviour
- Posture and gait
- Nutritional status
- Nursing status
- Notable deviations
The character of the horse is looked at. How the horse reacts to the owner and how the horse reacts to the immediate environment. For example, when the horse is excessively slow, this already provides information. In addition, attention is paid to the position of the horse. Is he standing on four legs or is there one leg that is clearly relieved? Is the horse lame or is there incoordination? It will also look at any leg and hoof disorders. In the nutritional status, a veterinarian will look at the horse’s musculature, fat tissue and belly filling. Furthermore, the coat and the condition of the hooves are examined. It may seem like a long list, but an experienced veterinarian will quickly gain these impressions and proceed to the general examination.
General research
The general examination consists of a number of fixed actions, this is carried out as standard during a clinical examination, but also when it is not entirely clear what is wrong with the horse. If the complaint is quite specific, the vet will not perform all actions. The standard operations are:
- Check breathing
- Listening to heart rate
- Measure the temperature
- View mucous membranes
- Checking lymph nodes
- Assess skin, hair and horny structures
The horse’s breathing should be between 8 and 14 beats per minute at rest. The vet will also check whether the horse has chest or abdominal breathing. The horse’s heart rate is between 28 and 40 beats per minute at rest. Usually a vet will listen to this just behind the elbow on the left side of the horse. The heartbeat and any heart murmur can be heard most clearly here.
The horse’s temperature should be approximately between 37.4 and 38.0 ° C. The temperature of a newborn foal is somewhat higher. When measuring temperature, other factors must be taken into account, such as the ambient temperature and humidity, in the case of a mare pregnancy. Work done also affects temperature.
The horse’s mucous membranes should be pink and moist. This is checked in the mouth and eyes for color, moisture, bleeding or damage.
The lymph nodes behind the lower jaw, between the lower jaw branches, can indicate inflammation or strangulation in case of swelling. A vet will feel this.
In addition to shine or dullness, the skin also provides information about moisture content. With the turgor, the skin should be back to normal within a second. If the skin folds, this can indicate dehydration or poor kidney function. The hooves provide information about the horse’s past condition. When a horse has been seriously ill, rings form in the hoof wall.
The above studies are very general studies. When a complaint is very specific, a vet will not perform all examinations, but will immediately proceed to a specific examination. A horse with vague complaints will complete the general examination, after which a vet will determine which follow-up examination is necessary.