“Please remember, there is a significant lapse between when these questions are sent in and when the answers appear.  If you feel your horse needs to be seen by a veterinarian, do not wait for a response. Call a reputable equine veterinarian in your area and let him or her examine your horse.  This is advice only and not meant to be a substitute for proper and prompt local veterinary care.

 

Welcome Dr. David M. Scwinghamer, DVM of Retama Equine Hospital who will also be answering “Ask the Vet” questions.

 

 

Dear Dr. Martin or Dr. David,

I have a 9yr old Tennessee walker that is acting funny today. When he walks he stumbles and is acting very tired. Now he is laying down, all the way down, head flat on the ground too. He loves carrots and apples but won't eat them right now. He won't get up unless we make him. I know there is not a lot you can tell me, not being able to see him. But we do not have a vet in this area as of yet. We have just moved from OH to IN. Is there anything you can tell me for now? – Jamie

 

Dear Jamie,

Many things are possible with your horse. A history of lying down, stumbling and reluctance to eat can point to several different scenarios. Colic, neurological problems, liver disease and many other things can manifest themselves with clinical signs similar to ones your horse is experiencing. I would contact your local vet and have the horse looked at as soon as possible. Having a relationship with your veterinarian is very important. As I have discussed in the past there is a large lapse of time before these questions are printed. You don't necessarily have to have a vet come out every time something happens but you do need someone you can call and answer questions for you. Your vet is the one with the expertise and can help you to identify what is an emergency. Being new to the area I would recommend talking to local horse people and finding a good equine vet as soon as possible. – Dr. David

 

 

Dear Dr. Martin or Dr. David,

I need help.  I don’t know if my horse has HYPP or something else.  Ok, I just recently bought this horse and there were these pills that came with him.  The woman that sold him to me said they were for allergies and that he was allergic to Sweet Feed.

 

Every time I try to turn him to the left he rears and that’s all he does.  This is about 3 weeks after we got him – before that he was fine, but now he is rearing and he’s just flipped out.

 

My next door neighbor has a round pen and is a horse trainer and we worked and when we were done he follows, but I get on him and he rears.  I tried 2 more times and he reared again, but the 3rd time he did good and I rode him in the little pen.  When I rode him the next day in the big pen he reared when I tried to turn him to the left.  Will you HELP me please!  I’m only 13-years old and I’m already attached. - Katie

 

Dear Katie,

It sounds like your horse is having behavioral problems and not medical problems. This also shows the importance of a thorough pre-purchase exam. Not only are we looking at the health and soundness of the animal but also trying to get an idea as to the disposition of the horse and whether the horse matches the buyer. As with the above question I think it is important that you have a good relationship with a local vet to help you with your horses. I also think it is important that you find out what the pills are and why your horse needs them. I am also going to suggest that you try to find a trainer to evaluate your horse. No horse is worth getting hurt over. Please be careful with this horse!!  - Dr. David

 

 

Dear Dr. Mike or Dr. David,

I have 4 miniature horses, 1 yearling and 2-2 year olds plus one 4 year old. Question is in my area 1 horse died from anthrax now I am scared and it was to close to my home. Is it safe to get all my miniature horses protected from this anthrax threat. Is there a vaccine that is specially for mini's and what would the side affects be? I would not want my guys dieing from a vaccine shot. – Lori

 

Dear Lori,

 Anthrax is not a problem in our local area so I will tell you what I know about this problem. Anthrax is present in isolated areas of Texas as well as North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Minnesota. It is a concern for you and your horses. There is a vaccine that is labeled for horses (this includes miniatures.) There can be some side effects with this vaccine as well as any vaccine. Talk to your local vet and explain your concerns and get their recommendation on vaccinating your miniatures. Dr. Pete Vaden, from Uvalde, Texas is in an area where Anthrax is a problem. I am sure he could answer your questions. -  Dr. David

 

 

 

Dear Dr. Mike or Dr. David

I have a quarter horse mare that was a twin. I bred her this spring and I was wondering if she has more of a chance of having twins herself because of this. If she is pregnant she would be about 60 days or so along now and I was told that it is too late to take one of the foals if she is carrying them is this also true? I guess my real question is if she is carrying twins and only one can not be taken should I have my vet abort both or just let nature take its course. If nature taking its course is the best option, then what are the odds of me loosing my mare over her being pregnant with twins? That is not a risk that I am willing to take. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks. Sincerely, Jeff

 

Dear Jeff,

There are several ways this problem could have been handled. First the mare might be more likely to have twins because she is a twin. In this scenario I would recommend having a sonogram done at 17, 24, and 30 days post breeding to make sure she does not have twins. This needs to be done by someone who is competent in equine reproductive ultrasonography. If twins were present then that is the best time to address the issue. Twins can be aborted at any stage of gestation but the further along they are the more chance of complications. I have aborted mares at 6 months or less and not encountered complications although complications could happen.It is difficult to tell if a mare does have twins after about 30 days. Sometimes trans-abdominal sonograms are more useful than rectal sonograms later in gestation. I have seen mares carry twins to term and deliver them without problems but this is very rare. I would discuss your concerns with your vet, have a sonogram done and then make a decision on which way to proceed. - Dr. David

 

Dear Dr. Martin or Dr. David,

I have a 14-year-old pony. I thought she was pregnant and I just bought her. A friend a mine said she has cancer in her milk sack. I don’t have a vet close by. My kids love her. Please help. – Angie

 

Dear Angie,

With horse ownership also comes responsibilities. Since you are the current owner you are now responsible for the health, care and welfare of the horse. Please find a veterinarian and get a relationship started with this person. Cancer of the mammary gland in horses is rare. I would be more inclined to think it might be mastitis, which is a bacterial infection in the udder. This condition requires examination and treatment by a veterinarian. Why does your friend think she has cancer? This again brings up the importance of a pre-purchase exam. These exams do not have to be extensive or overly expensive. At our hospital we have a pre-purchase exam and also what is called a client directed exam. This allows the client to express their concerns and to limit the extent of the exam. This also gives the client a chance to start a relationship with their vet. You need to find a vet. Also remember that horses do require regular maintenance such as vaccines, de-worming and teeth floating. - Dr. David

 

 

 

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Dear Dr. Mike,

Does the West Nile Vaccination have any side effects? Thank you, Pam

 

Dear Pam,

Any vaccine can have side effects. The vaccine companies do extensive testing to make sure all vaccines are safe but some horses still have reactions. If you read the whole package insert it will say something in there about possible reactions or side effects. Most side effects are mild and may include swelling around the injection site, depression for a few days and possibly loss of appetite. There were some rumors started when the vaccine came out but they ended up being just rumors. Our hospital has used hundreds and probably well into the thousands of doses of the Fort Dodge vaccine and we have been very happy with that particular vaccine. – Dr. Mike

 

Dear Dr. Mike,

My horse is going bald! This mare I've just recently taken in (a 17 yr old paint) has a skin issue we can't figure out. I say "we" because my vets don't seem to have the answers either. We've done two skin tests, one for mange and one for fungal, both came back negative. She started losing hair when I first got her, she already had a funny place on both sides of her neck where the skin is wrinkled (like she's dehydrated), her skin was slightly flaky and it looked fungal, I treated it for that but when I wasn't making progress the vet did a skin test. When her mane started falling out too with her hair loss and she started getting sun burnt they said it was a combination of things, Fly Strike allergy, sunburn, and dermatitis. They put her on predisone and Tucoprim 6 days ago and I haven't started to see an improvement AT ALL, in fact she's still losing hair when I apply sunscreen to the area to protect it from the sun. She's not stalled; she's on a VERY shady pasture. She doesn't eat anything she's not supposed to, the pasture is very clean. She gets fresh water, has access to a mineral block and salt block. Do you have any ideas? I'm at my whit's end with this. I've shampooed her with antimicrobial shampoos, I've used MTG by Shapley's, I've used Corona cream where she's scratched herself raw...I don't know what to do. Please advise. Kim

 

Dear Kim,

The one thing that you didn't mention was a biopsy. Has there been a skin biopsy done on any of the lesions. This will usually give you a better diagnosis than just skin scrapings. Several things as you mentioned can cause hair loss. It might also be indicated to do some allergy testing. I would probably try the biopsy first and see what information is gathered from that.  – Dr. Mike

 

Dear Dr. Mike,

We rescued a yearling filly TW. The owner/breeder had decided he no longer wanted to deal with her problem. Situation: Up until 3 months ago she was thriving. Then suddenly she went of her food and started losing weight. He called out his local vet and it was determined she had a slight infection. She was treated for such with antibiotics. She then slightly improved. Then she went off her food again and continued to loose weight. The gentlemen proceeded to worm her with Ivemec, Quest and then 5 days with Panacur. Now he did not do all of this at once but with in an 8 week period.

 

She progressively got worst, he then spoke to his vet via a phone conversation and he thought it possibly was ulcers. Well at this point the man decides he no longer wishes to spend any more money or time. So he decided he was going to have her put down. A friend of mine contacted me and asked if I wanted the horse that he would give it to me.

 

My husband and I went to go and see her that evening and she is a leather bag with bones sticking out. She was lying down and refused to get up. I looked down at those big black eyes and I couldn't say "no.". I picked her up the next morning and took her to my vet’s hospital and had her admitted.  They ran a battery of tests and the only thing they found was a very slight elevated white blood cell count. But all other functions and panels look good. They also pulled a stool sample and discovered a moderate case of strongyles. He is treating her for that and he has also started her on medication for ulcers. We have not seen any type of a fantastic turn around but she does enjoy grazing at the vets pastor and only picks at her sweet feed/grain. He also did pull a Coggins test and that is negative. Our vet feels that she can come home because we too have really good pastor. She has been there for a week now and will come home tomorrow.

 

Now for the question(s): What would cause this type of weight loss and lose of appetite in this baby? Is this just a wait and see situation? Or will she be able to rebound back? Because she weighs in at aprox. 400lbs and should weigh in at least 750lb will she ever get her muscle tone back? Does this make her prone to colic? Is there something else we should

look for? Thanks so much, Barbara Kirby

 

Dear Barbara,

This is a tough question to answer with the information you have given me. I don't know what all has been done diagnostically. Has an abdominocentesis been done? Has a sonogram been done on the chest and lungs? Has an endoscopic exam on the airways been done? Was the stomach examined for ulcers? Some horses that have been through something like this never recover completely. If the horse is stable or improving that it might just warrant more time. I would discuss the horse with your vet and see if they feel they have covered all the bases. Some times you can pinpoint something and sometimes horses just take a significant amount of time to recover. If your vet feels that it is warranted then more in depth diagnostics might need to be done.  – Dr. Mike