In addition to properly feeding and exercising your horse, other aspects of general care are needed to keep your horse healthy throughout his or her life. These include routine veterinary care for vaccinations, parasite control, and dental care; grooming and hoof care; and protection from the elements.
Veterinarian checking horse's vital signs
Aspects of general care needed to keep your horse healthy throughout his or her life include routine veterinary care for vaccinations, parasite control, dental care, grooming, hoof care, and protection from elements.
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Adult horses should have a complete veterinary examination at least once a year. Geriatric horses (older than 20 years old) should see their veterinarian twice a year or more frequently because illness is more common in older animals and it can be identified sooner. Your veterinarian may recommend a wellness program for your horse, including routine blood tests.
Signs of Illness
You should monitor your horse regularly for signs of illness, such as during daily feeding and grooming times. General signs of illness include a lack of appetite, diarrhea, coughing and sneezing, or a discharge from the eyes or nose. Illness can also show up as a loss of hair or itchy areas on the skin.
Problems with the musculoskeletal system are often seen as lameness (such as not putting weight on a particular leg), reluctance to move, or head bobbing. If your horse shows any of these signs for more than a day or two, a visit with your veterinarian is a good idea.
Giving Medication
Generally, administering medication to a horse is not difficult if you use common sense and follow good handling principles for keeping both you and your horse safe. Maintain physical contact with the horse by keeping your shoulder pressed against the horse’s shoulder or flank (depending on where and what you are treating) and make sure to use a sturdy halter and lead rope (hooked to the left halter ring). Never let a loop of any rope that is attached to your horse get wrapped around any part of your body.
If you need to apply medication to the horse’s feet or lower front legs, lift the hoof to be treated and cradle it between your knees. If you need to treat the rear legs, in addition to lifting the hoof, you will also need to bend the hock. If your horse “dances” around, have another person lift the other leg on the same side as the leg that you need to treat.
Oral medication is usually in the form of “horse pills” (called boluses), pastes, or drenches. When administering oral medication, identify the toothless gap directly behind your horse’s incisors and in front of the molars. Insert your thumb into this gap while holding the horse’s head down with your hand.
Firmly pull the horse’s tongue out through the gap and, and gently hold it outside the mouth.
You can now administer a bolus by placing it behind the “top” of the tongue with a balling gun. Always lubricate the bolus with something like petroleum jelly or vegetable oil to keep it from getting caught in your horse’s throat.
Drenching guns and paste syringes can be placed far back in the mouth for administration of the fluid or paste. Hold your horse’s head level or tilting slightly upward until he or she swallows the medicine.
Correct administration of a bolus or “horse pill”
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Regardless of type of medication or how it is to be given, it is important to read and follow all label instructions regarding use and storage.