Caring for an older horse

Horse 13 - Caring for an older horse

Horses, just like other domesticated animals and like us humans, are living longer. Not only their lifespan is increasing but also it is not uncommon for senior horses to enjoy productive lives well into their 20s.

Caring for a horse is a daily responsibility and all horses require basic routine care. As they age their needs change and additional care may be required to keep them as healthy as possible.

The most important areas to consider when caring for an older horse are:

  • Adequate shelter – Always make sure you provide adequate shelter and warm stabling in the winter. This is particularly important for arthritic horses.
  • Routine worming and vaccination – older horses often have lowered immunity, which means they will be less able to fight disease. They should be kept fully protected against equine influenza, against tetanus and regular worm counts should be performed to make sure your worming program is effective.
  • Regular and adequate exercise – exercise is essential to a horse’s gut health, it will help maintain muscle tone, flexibility, mobility and it is very important for horses suffering from arthritis.
  • Care for your horse’s feet – have your horse’s feet checked, trimmed and cleaned regularly. This will ensure that the foot remains balanced and healthy.
  • Diet – as horses get older their digestive system becomes less efficient, which is why it is essential to adapt a horse’s diet. In general it should be high in energy, with easily digestible protein, high quality fibre, essential vitamins and minerals, palatable, easy to chew and easy to digest.

An adequate diet must also take in consideration other factors such as your horse’s physical condition, teeth problems and any possible occurring diseases such asliver or kidney disease, or Equine Cushings Syndrome. It may be necessary to feed them a specialist diet.

Being underweight is common in older horses and many horse owners accept this as being normal. However, being underweight is not normal and it is often due to a combination of problems (inadequate diet, dental issues, parasites, metabolic changes, etc.).

Please remember that sudden changes in your horse’s feeding habits can disrupt its digestive system. All changes should be introduced gradually.

  • Health checks – elderly horses should visit the vet and have their teeth checked twice a year. Frequent health checks are the best way to catch and act on any developing problems early.

Proper care and good management will allow your senior horse to live a long, healthy, productive and very happy life!

Would you like to know more about horses? Check our Equine Courses:

Equine courses

Why do dogs scoot their bums across the floor?

Blog post - Why do dogs scoot their bums across the floor

Most dog owners and pet lovers have seen or heard of this particular dog behaviour. It can be quite inconvenient especially if the beloved family dog drags his or hers bottom across the living room carpet.Dogs will scoot their bums along the floor when something is causing discomfort or irritation. This is a way for our pooches to somehow scratch themselves and find relief! There are several reasons why a dog may display this behaviour:

  • One of the most common causes is anal sac impaction. Dogs have two glands located on either side of their anus that produce a smelly, fatty, dark substance. This fluid is supposed to be gradually released when there is a bowel movement but sometimes the fluid builds up. If their anal sacs become inflamed, blocked, infected and sometimes even abscessed it causes discomfort and pain.  Other signs of discomfort due to anal sac problems include chewing or licking around the area, swelling around the anus and difficulty defecating.
  • If for some reason their fur around that area becomes messy, it will also cause discomfort and irritation. This is very common if your dog is suffering from diarrhoea or constipation and long-haired dogs are especially at risk of getting mats and other coat issues.
  • Another possible cause is the presence of parasites such as tapeworms. A dog will get infected by tapeworms when swallowing worm-infested fleas. These parasites will make their way through your pet’s body and end up being eliminated along with the dog’s faeces. The parasites (tiny, rice-like tapeworm segments) can often be seen on the dog’s faeces or around the dog’s anus and they will cause irritation.

If you notice that your dog often displays this behaviour or if you notice any other signs such as diarrhoea, swelling around the anus, frequent chewing or licking around the area and difficulty defecating please consult your vet. Treating the condition will not only make your pet feel much better but it will also stop this inconvenient behaviour.

Would you like to know more about dogs? Check our Canine Courses:

Canine courses

Common health issues in the older horse

Blog post - Common health issues in the older horse

Nowadays domesticated animals are living longer due to improved diet, management and veterinary care. Horses and ponies are just another great example of this as they can now live up to 30 years! The average horse lifespan is about 24 years and a horse is considered to be old or ‘geriatric’ when it has reached 20 years of age.

Senior horses will often show grey hairs around the eyes, ears, forehead, muzzle, and throughout their coats, as well as a certain loss of muscle tone and body condition. The older horse may also show deep depressions above the eyes, a characteristic drooping lower lip and a lowback, an excessive curvature of the spine also known as lordosis.

Older horses are more likely to suffer from:

  • Lameness – one of the most common problems seen in aging horses is arthritis or degenerative joint disease. The cartilage that protects the bones of their joints gradually breaks down as the horse ages and it can affect any joint, causing stiffness and lameness. Unfortunately it cannot be cured, but it can be managed so your horse can live a comfortable life. Other potential cause of lameness is related to the lack of proper care or inadequate hoof horn growth.
  • Difficulties eating, messy eating habits and weight loss – an older horse often presents a reduced digestive ability and teeth problems. These include abnormal wear patterns, loose or missing teeth andtooth decay. Horse’s teeth grow continuously throughout their life. However, as horses get older, the rate of wear is often faster than the rate of growth.All these problems may cause pain while chewing and consequently, a reduced food intake.
  • Equine Cushing’s disease – this chronic illness is caused by a tumour in the pituitary gland (located in the brain), which produces and regulates hormones. Clinical signs include depression, weight loss, sweating, increased drinking and urination, growing a thick coat that does not shed in the summer and it can cause laminitis.
  • Liver and kidney problemsthese organ can degenerate as time goes by and their ability to function properly can decrease. Weight loss and loss of appetite are possible signs of liver and kidney issues.
  • Tumours – the most common tumours in horses are sarcoids and melanomas (skin tumours). Sarcoids are non-malignat tumours that can vary greatly in size, nature and appearance. They tend to grow quickly and are very susceptible to trauma, often ulcerating and becoming infected. Melanomas, unlike sarcoids, tend to grow slowly and are usually less aggressive. It is expected that eighty percent of gray-coloured horses will develop melanoma.
  • Cataracts an opacity or clouding of the eye which can appear progressively and may cause loss of sight. This occurs in the lens, a transparent structure of the eye located between the cornea and the retina.

If your horse is showing signs of illness or deteriorating health do not hesitate and contact your veterinary surgeon. With proper care and management senior horses can enjoy much longer, happier and productive lives.

Would you like to know more about horses? Check our Equine Courses:

Equine courses

Cancer-sniffing dogs detect prostate cancer with 98% accuracy!

cancer-sniffing-dogs

Most of us is aware or has heard at some point that our canine friends have an amazing sense of smell. Dogs have about 200 million olfactory cells in their noses that allow them to detect several different odours.

We have been using that ability to our advantage for many years. Dogs have been used to help authorities locate drugs, firearms, explosives and missing people.

Recent studies show that their amazing noses can go even further. Researchers have shown that a dog’s snout may be more accurate when detecting certain forms of cancer than current laboratory procedures!

The largest study ever performed using cancer-detection dogs was recently conducted in Italy. Researchers used two trained dogs to test their ability to detect prostate cancer in urine samples. These two dogs identified signs of prostate cancer from a pool of 677 people with a combined 98 percent accuracy! This success rate is much, much higher than the standard Prostate-Specific Antigen test, which has a false positive rate as high as 80 percent. All these false positives lead to many unnecessary treatments.

Several other smaller studies showed that dogs are capable of detecting melanoma, lung, colon and ovarian cancer. Although it has not yet been determined what it is the dogs are detecting it seems that our canine friends can smell the chemicals given off by cancerous cells.

Some scientists are now focused on identifying and understanding the biological mechanisms dogs use to detect cancer. The idea is to use this knowledge to create a machine or a chemical test that could copy the canine ability to detect this terrible disease and effectively diagnose cancer in a large number of patient samples!

These findings are not only amazing developments in science and medicine but they are also one more reason for us to love dogs!

Would you like to know more about dogs? Check our Canine Courses:

Canine courses