ADDITIONALEQUINE
HEALTH
ISSUES
Cushing’s Disease (Syndrome)
• Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) (Over activity)
• Overdevelopment of that portion of the pituitary gland
• Causes over-secretion of cortisol by the adrenal glands
• Causes high blood sugar and suppression of the immune system
• 15 – 30% of horses over the age of 20 are affected
• Common in people and older dogs as well
Long shaggy haircoat that doesn’t shed off in the Spring
Excessive sweating and poor heat tolerance
Muscle wasting, especially over the back
Cushing’s
– Clinical
Signs
Pot bellied appearance
Cresty neck and fat deposits around the tailhead
Increased water intake and urination
They tend to be docile and lethargic
Prone to secondary infections
Highly susceptible to developing Laminitis
Cushing’s
Appearance
Cushing’s – Treatment
• Pergolide – stimulates Dopamine release which shuts down the Pituitary
(only licensed for use in UK)
• Give antioxidants, such as Vitamins E and C
• Feed a low sugar, low starch diet
• No alfalfa hay or grain
• Feed grass hays only
• Body clip in the summer
• Inflammation of the eye that recurs
periodically
Uveitis
(Periodic
Ophthalmia,
Moon
Blindness)
• May start from injury or trauma to the eye,
but becomes an autoimmune response
• Painful spasms of the ciliary muscles of the
iris
• Results in a constricted pupil
• Intolerance to light
• Eye tearing, squinting
80% of Uveitis cases occur
in Appaloosa horses
Uveitis
Warmbloods also have a
high incidence
Can occur in one or both
eyes
Most common cause of
blindness in horses
Uveitis
Chronic, non-infectious airway
disease
Heaves
(Recurrent
Airway
Obstruction
– RAO)
Allergic reaction from inhaling
mold particles and other allergens,
primarily found in hay or straw
Small airways in the lungs become
obstructed due to inflammation,
smooth muscle spasms and mucus
Heaves Symptoms
• Initial symptoms
• Horses have an occasional cough
•Symptoms as disease progresses
•Nasal discharge
•Wheezing and flaring of nostrils
•Intolerance to exercise
•Increased respiration rate
It becomes increasingly hard
for the horse to exhale
Heaves
Abdominal muscles increase in
size and form a “heave line”
from the extra effort
Emphysema = the lungs stay
over-inflated because the
horse can’t exhale all the air
Horses Showing A Heave Line
• Keep horses outside on a grass pasture
• Feed a dust free, complete pelleted feed, and no
Heaves
Treatment
hay if possible
• Soak hay prior to feeding if you must feed it
• If horse must be stalled, keep environment clean
and increase ventilation as much as possible
Laryngeal Hemiplegia – (Roaring)
• Larynx dysfunction, almost always on the left side
• 16+ hand, male horses are the most commonly affected
• the arytenoid cartilage on one or both sides of the throat doesn’t stay open properly and
obstructs the airway when the horse breathes
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvzf1dlhhGU
Healthy vs
Affected
Larynx
Laryngeal Hemiplegia – (continued)
• Without the nerve signals, the muscles become inactive and
atrophy is the ultimate result
• Exercise intolerance
• A “whistling” or “roaring” noise is heard when the horse is
exercised
• Decreased ability to sweat
• Most cases occur in hot and humid Gulf
Coast states
Anhidrosis
• One in five horses are affected in the Gulf
coast area
• Horses often have a dry hair coat with
dandruff, and loss of hair on their face
In a normal horse, about 65% of body cooling comes from
evaporation of sweat, with another 25% attributed to respiration
When a horse gets too hot, the brain is affected
Exercise affected horses only when cool
Managing
Anhidrosis
Hose down before, during and after exercise
Fans and misters
May help to keep horses body clipped
• Causes
• Moving a horse from a cool climate to a hot and
humid one
• NW Kansas to College Station, TX did it for one
What
Causes
Anhidrosis?
of my horses
• Over stimulation of the sweat glands
• Genetics
• My horse’s dam was also anhidrotic as she got
older
• Stress
Treating Anhidrosis
•
Common Treatments
•
Move to a cooler climate – best solution
•
•
When I moved from College Station to Lubbock my horse improved tremendously
Dark beer once a day
•
This definitely helped my personal horse, I poured a bottle of dark beer over her grain every morning in the summer months
•
Platinum Refresh Supplement and other supplements may help
•
One AC – usually saved for final treatment
External Cancer Types in Horses
• Sarcoids
• Melanomas
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Sarcoids
• The most common type of skin tumor in horses
• The bovine papilloma virus (BPV) may be a cause
• May also be genetic and run in families of horses
• Sarcoids do not metastasize (spread to other parts of the body)
• Do Not Disturb!! They will increase in size!!
• Contact your veterinarian if they are a problem
Occult or flat tumors (hair loss, scales and crusting
Verrucous or Wart-like Sarcoid tumors
Mixed verrucous and fibroblastic sarcoid tumors
Fibroblastic or proud flesh-like sarcoids
• Can occur on all dark skinned horses, but
VERY common on older gray horses (over 15
years of age usually)
Cancer Melanoma
• Originate in the skin pigment cells (melanin)
• More likely to become malignant if found on
younger horses
Melanoma Cancer
Cancer – Squamous Cell Carcinoma
• Usually found around the anus, genitals or eyes.
• Un-pigmented skin is more susceptible
• May tattoo eyes on horses that are outside in the sun
• Protect from ultra-violet sun rays (fly masks, pm turnout only)
• This type of cancer can spread and eventually kill the horse
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Squamous Cell
Carcinoma
Tattooed
Eyelids To
Prevent Eye
Cancer
•
Vasculitis due to inappropriate immune system response
•
Purpura
hemorrhagica
Blood vessels become “leaky”
•
Usually associated with previous bouts of strangles, or a respiratory tract infection, or
a recent strangles vaccination.
•
Not infective to other horses
•
Head, legs and underbelly of horse are most often affected.
•
Dr. R had a broodmare who’s udder literally fell off of her body due to tissue death
from swelling.
•
Horses with high serum levels of antibodies to Streptococcus equi are most susceptible
to Purpura hemorrhagica
•
Horses that have been vaccinated and exposed to strangles
Purpura hemorrhagica swelling
Snake Bite
Snakes most likely to bite a horse:
• Rattlesnake
• Water Moccasin (Cottonmouth)
• Copperhead
Usually not fatal because
horses are so big
Snake
Bites
Snake bites on the nose are
the most common
Rapid swelling can cut off
airways
Insert 6” pieces of garden
hose in the nostrils
Snake Bite – what you will see
Causes breakdown of tissues and blood
vessels
Reduces blood clotting ability
Snake Bite
Damage
Damages the heart – sometimes the
horse suddenly dies six months to a year
later from heart failure.
Some snakes venom also contain
neurotoxins (Mojave rattlesnake)
Snake Bite
• Call Your Veterinarian Immediately!!
• Keep horse calm and do not move
• A snake bite vaccine is now available but efficacy is
questionable.
Snake Bite Side Effects
Possible After Effects
Heart Failure, often many months after snake bite is healed
Kidney Damage
Hemolytic Anemia
Causes body’s immune system to attack its own red blood cells
Photosensitization
• White areas on horse with pink skin
become overly sensitive to
ultraviolet light (sunlight)
Photosensitization Causes
• The horse often has impaired liver function and is not filtering certain chemicals out
of the blood so they accumulate and cause photosensitization. Vet should check
liver function.
• If horse is not removed from sunlight, death of skin tissue can result
• Usually from ingesting a plant such as St. John’s Wort, buckwheat, smartweed and
perennial rye grass, alfalfa and clovers that are very green
• Sulfa drugs, tetracycline and other drugs may cause
• Put animal under shelter and only turn out at night
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