With the colder months fast approaching, it’s always good to remember some things that might affect your horses during this weather.

Mud Fever is actually part of a series of conditions that make up Equine Pastern Dermatitis (EPD) and it can be caused by many different factors.

This condition shows up during spring and winter and to better understand it, we need to know that mud fever isn’t a diagnosis exactly, it’s how the pastern reacts to damage.

That is to say, there is an underlying cause that needs to be investigated when we realise that our horse has signs compatible with mud fever.

EPD can have several forms:

• Mild – Lack of hair in the area, dry scales and crusts. Might also have thicker skin, itchiness and pain (This is what we readily recognise as Mud Fever)
• Exudative – Reddening of skin, lack of hair with the presence of pus or other exudates. (Also called grease heel or dew poisoning)

Owners of draft breeds like Clydesdales or Shires know they might be prone to a third form of Equine Pastern Dermatitis which features the proliferation of excessive tissue in the form of nodular lesions because of issues in the lymphatic system that drains fluids from the limb. This form, more frequent in draft breeds, is commonly called grapes or verrucous pododermatitis and it may progress to the entire lower extremity. The prognosis for this condition is poor because horses often develop secondary infections, it has a poor response to therapy and eventually becomes debilitating for the horse.

There are many root causes of Mud Fever, and Equine Pastern Dermatitis like:

• Genetic and environmental disposition
• Infectious agents, physical or chemical irritants, cancer

This is perpetuated by secondary bacterial and parasite infections, pathologic changes to the skin and a less than ideal environment.

Be on the lookout for these important changes during these seasons. Treatment and positive resolution depend on identifying what is causing Mud Fever and fixing it, so don’t hesitate to contact your vet!

Via: “Mud Season” by RogerGoun, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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As much as summer was sweet and warm, it’s time to cool into autumn! With the changing season and the coming rain, a whole novel palette of horse problem crops up.

One of the issues the coming season presents is tapeworms, flat and horrendously long parasites of our horse buddies that can potentially cause a whole host of issues.

There are several species involved and these vary mostly in size and location where they attach. However, the life cycle is the same – horses get infected by ingesting forage mites that carry the tapeworm, then these tapeworms grow into adults and shed segments with eggs in horse faeces that will infect other mites, starting the cycle all over again.

So, what’s the issue with these tapeworms and why are they so bad? Well, they will grow to huge sizes from 8 to 20 cm long (that’s way too much tapeworm) and they attach to the sensitive wall of the intestines. Added to that, there might be so many of them, that they start to cause problems!

Expect that there might be an increase in impaction colic, spasmodic colic, a part of the intestine getting stuck in another segment and losing blood flow, and even things like anemia, lack of growth and abscesses or infections at the attachment site of the worms.

Keep a tight ship on parasite prevention and monitoring with your horses, especially now during autumn and speak with your vet on how to best do this!

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Fresh from the presses! Published just this year in May, a new study sheds light on the how and why of seasonal size differences in foals.

Horses, like many other animals, are seasonal and their metabolic processes will vary during the year. Makes sense, nutrients available in Winter are not the same as the ones available during the Summer, which means that the body will have to adjust accordingly.

Knowing this, it’s not hard to imagine that the mare will have a different nutritional supply to the foetus as the seasons change. Foals born in the last stretch of Winter (February and early March) had a smaller height due to bone development but did not have a significant weight difference from foals born after the 1^st of May. This difference can stretch from birth up until 12 weeks of age.

This happens because there is a rapid foetal growth done in the last stretch of gestation and at that time, the mare has reduced metabolic rates that seem to be independent of nutritional status. Which is to say, the mares in the study were adequately fed but the foal height was still smaller than the height recorded for mares foaling later in the season.

Is this an indication that is best to aim for births later in the season? Researchers are not sure yet but we will keep an eye out for new conclusions!

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Detecting pain responses in our faithful companions as soon as possible is one of the most fundamental ways to ensure that illness is investigated and treated in a timely fashion.

However, detecting pain in animals, especially horses that are being ridden, can sometimes be quite complicated. Research has shown that there is a poor interpretation of pain and lameness in all people involved in horse training. This has the obvious issue that it delays treatment and means that treatable conditions are potentially only detected when treatment is either impossible or much harder.

To simplify identification of pain in horses, research has looked into a promising new direction: facial pain expressions. By looking at how animals react to pain, it may be possible to develop assessment protocols that everyone can use and interpret.

There are certain facial features that might indicate underlying pain such as ears pinned back, eyelids that are partially or completely closed, tension in the muscles above the eye, straining mouth and pronounced chin, strained nostrils and prominent chewing muscles.

Investigation into area has led to the creation of several pain assessment scales with the ultimate goal of making pain assessment as accessible and as accurate as possible, with exciting new developments on the horizon!

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Ulcers! The medical term for an organ or body surface that had a chunk torn off of it due to a damaging influence.

In this case, gastric ulcers are when the surface of the horse’s stomach has been eroded and there have been damages to this organ. This, understandably, is quite a problem.

The equine stomach is essentially composed of two parts, a part that secrets several compounds including stomach acid called the glandular mucosa and a part that doesn’t produce any compounds called the squamous mucosa. In between the two there is also a border structure called the margo plicatus that is also not glandular.

Gastric ulcers happen as a part of a disease called Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome or EGUS for short. Despite being a very common occurrence, the reason for why the ulcers happen is still under study but we know it to be a complex interaction of situations in the horse.

Both foals and adult horses can have gastric ulcers, though they tend to present differently and affect different areas of the stomach. In foals, there is a tendency to primarily affect the glandular portion while adults suffer more damages in the non-glandular portion.

What to expect from adults affected with EGUS? Unfortunately, nothing too specific. You may see your horse not eating as much, poor body condition, loss of weight, mild or recurrent colic, loose faeces and poor performance.

There are several risk factors that were identified, like stress, transportation, high-energy feed and intense exercise. Sports horses are particularly at risk of ulcers, they have a chance of having them that is nearing 100% because of how they are exercised.

Do you feel your horse might be having issues with ulcers? Contact your vet and they will be more than happy to help you out to diagnose and then manage this condition.

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Do you own an older horse? Then this post is definitely for you. Neurodegenerative diseases that can afflict elderly humans, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, are fairly well known and this has proved to be true for our faithful horses as well.

Cushing’s Disease is also called dysfunction of the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland. It’s a much harder to remember name, but it’s very handy at describing what this pathology is actually about.

The pituitary gland is a small gland in the nervous system that sits in a small bone protrusion on the floor of the skull. It’s a very important gland as it works in tandem with the hypothalamus and produces an immense number of hormones that will affect organs and functions all over the body.

So, what does it do? A better question would be what doesn’t it do! It helps regulate growth, the metabolism of carbs, lipids and proteins, kidney function, the immune system, milk production, stress responses and even the reproductive system.

The pituitary gland has 4 different sections, each with cells involved in the production of different hormones. One of them, the pars intermedia (plainly put, the middle portion of it) is the portion involved in this disease.

Unfortunately, we are not sure why Cushing’s Disease happens in horses. Due to the destruction of the neurons responsible for producing dopamine, a neurotransmitter, the pituitary gland becomes unregulated and produces an excess of hormones in the pars intermedia. Why is there destruction of the dopaminergic inhibition system in the first place? We are not sure yet but we suspect oxidative stress may contribute to neuronal death.

How does all of this affect your horse? With the pituitary pumping out way more hormones than it needs, many organs downstream will be deregulated. You can find clinical signs like problems with shedding, hirsutism, atrophy of the muscles, laminitis, increased production of urine and water intake, sweating excessively, abnormal fat distribution, immunosuppression, changes in behaviour and infertility, among others.

Double unfortunately, the diagnosis is quite complex and it’s very easy to get inconclusive results. This is in part because it’s a progressive disease. Testing too early on will commonly end in false negatives, and because the pituitary has a fluctuating activity and is more active in the autumn, so testing during this period might net false positives.

Despite all of this, treatments do exist! Beyond addressing the issue in the pituitary, your buddy needs solid hoof and dental care, good nutritional management, tight parasite control and generally keeping a keen eye on any changes that might occur.

Think your horse might be suffering from Cushing’s Disease? Give your vet a call and they’ll help you figure out the best treatment plan for everyone.

Image via: “morganHead” by tintedglass, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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A recent study focused on collecting noseband data from 750 horses competing in Ireland, England and Belgium. What they found could have serious behavioural and physiological implications for horses and important consequences for the riders.
The noseband is the part of the horse’s bridle that goes around the nose and jaw. It is recommended to keep some space between the animal’s skin and the noseband. The general recommendation is to keep the noseband loose enough to allow space for 1,5 and 2 adult human fingers to fit under a fastened noseband.
However, according to a recent study only 7% of the horses had their noseband fitted to include the extra space for two fingers and more than half of all the nosebands tested were excessively tight (0.5 fingers or tighter). This can have negative consequences for the horses and for the riders.
Among the possible harmful consequences for the animals are discomfort, pain, stress, preventing normal oral behaviour and tissue damage. It also impacts how the riders are communicating with their horse, influencing the horse’s present and future behaviour and performance.
Riders use the bridle and all its bits (the bit, the straps, and the noseband) attached to the reins to connect and communicate with the horse. Tight nosebands prevent the animal from opening its mouth to evade the pressure of the bit and this increases their sensibility to the bit. As a result many riders often rely on the tightening of the noseband to get a better response from their horse in terms of behaviour and performance on competitions, rather than taking the time to address the underlying issue causing their lack of response and putting the necessary time into training their horse to respond to the required action from a rein cue.
Previous studies have shown that excessively tight nosebands can cause a physiological stress response and compromise welfare. Ill-fitting tack is often the source of health issues and behaviour problems in horses. Ultimately, the use of excessively tight nosebands may be counterproductive in competitions and lead to long term behaviour problems.
Noseband tightness is barely regulated in equestrian events which contributes to the lack of data on this matter and on the possible consequences of resorting to very tight nosebands as an attempt to improve the horse’s performance.

Image: “Gray dressage horse” by barnimages.com, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Owners of work horses know the name ´ringbone` well. High ringbone is the common name given to a progressive condition called osteoarthritis of the proximal interphalangeal joint – woah that is a big name! Good news is, it’s just a real long way of saying it’s a disease of the pastern joint.

Bad news is, it can cause severe lameness and might eliminate a horse from competing or from strenuous work life if not well managed. This condition can happen for several reasons, for instance overuse, a singular trauma episode or even just due to normal use.

The disease process of the osteoarthritis involves the loss of cartilage and the formation of new bone around the joint, a process that is very painful. In severe cases, it can even make a visible enlargement that encircles the joint which earned it the name “Ringbone”.

Unfortunately, this disease can be progressive and what starts out as a subtle lameness can become much more pronounced with time as there is greater and greater destruction of the normal joint. The loss of cartilage means that bones will be grinding against each other in each and every movement of that limb and if it sounds painful to you, you got it right, it really is. Added to that, there is creation of bone in tissues and spaces where bone should not be plus inflammation.

All of this will contribute to progressive loss of function and lameness due to severe pain. It’s sounding pretty gloomy but there are many therapeutic options available and the condition can be managed. Of course, much of the prognosis is tied up with whatever cause osteoarthritis to start in the first place but talk to your vet about all your options and they’ll help you make the right choice for your riding buddy.

Image: “Oregon’s Wild Horse Corral Facility” by BLMOregon was built upon is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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Anaemia is one of the most important haematological signs in mammals and horses are no exception.

It’s not a disease but a signal that something might be really wrong with your animal. Anaemia manifests as a consequence of many diseases and problems that cause one or several of these:

• Loss of blood
• Destruction of red blood cells
• Lesser red blood cell production

We can classify anaemia as regenerative or as non-regenerative. The difference between these two situations is that regenerative anaemia happens because of blood loss or destruction of red blood cells and there will be a response from the bone marrow to correct this while a non-regenerative anaemia is a product of an insufficient production from the marrow to respond to loss of red blood cells.

This is usually spotted when it becomes a big enough problem to impair tolerance to exercise, depression or reduced ingestion of food. Other signs that may indicate anaemia are high respiratory rate and heartbeat, yellow tinted sclera or mucous membranes, weight loss, increased urination or pale mucous membranes, among others depending on primary cause.

Of course, many of the problems that can cause anaemia may take a long time to develop and horses may be able to create mechanisms to compensate for the lowered capacity to transport oxygen.

This leads to a sort of subclinical yet chronic anaemia that only flares up during exercise and leads to reduced performance and a very high heartbeat.

As we’ve mentioned, anaemia is secondary to a whole host of other issues and they include everything from trauma that causes haemorrhage, iron deficiency, kidney disease, bacterial toxins like Clostridium, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia to parasites, cancer or various viral diseases.

The underlying cause of anaemia can be a very severe condition, as stated above, so if you think your horse might be suffering from it do not hesitate to contact your vet!

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