Annual examinations for your horse | Princeton Veterinary Hospital

We talked about the importance of getting your pet?s annual examination every year. We can?t forget about horses! They are often like members of the family, too, and they need some of the same care that our dogs and cats do. An annual examination is more important than just making sure your horse gets his shots for the year. Here are 6 things you can expect of your veterinarian at your horse?s annual appointment.

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1. Review your horse?s history. Has anything changed for your horse? Will he be traveling more (or less)? Are there any new animals on the farm? Has he moved to a different boarding stable? How are his eating, drinking, and bathroom habits? If you have noticed that anything has changed, or that your horse is not acting quite right, bring it to the attention of your veterinarian. He can do a closer examination to pinpoint your concerns.
2. Physical examination. A physical examination usually includes a measurement of your horse?s temperature, heart rate (pulse), and respiration (breathing) rate. Your veterinarian should also estimate your horse?s weight, and do a body condition score evaluation. The body condition score is a measure of how ?fit or fat? your horse is. Your veterinarian should also do a brief examination of your horse?s teeth. He may be able to see signs of dental disease, and may recommend a more thorough examination (with sedation) and perhaps a dental float. If you notice a problem like a lameness, your veterinarian may do a more specialized examination to determine the cause of the lameness. (He may also recommend that you schedule another time for a more thorough exam of a complicated problem.)
3. Vaccinations. Just like your dog and cat pets, horses should get a few ?core? vaccinations every year. The most important are vaccinations for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE), and Tetanus (all in one vaccine). We also strongly recommend vaccinating against West Nile Virus. All four of these diseases are often fatal if your horse contracts them, but can be prevented with this simple vaccine. Tetanus is caused by bacteria that live everywhere in the environment. EEE, WEE, and West Nile are transmitted by mosquitos. If your horse will be traveling or coming into contact with many new horses this year, your veterinarian may also recommend a vaccine against equine influenza and equine rhinopneumonitis (rhino). Equine flu and rhino are not usually fatal, but can cause prolonged illness in your horse.
4. Review deworming medications. Remember, all horses have worms (internal parasites) and need to be treated on a regular basis. You may be getting these medications from your veterinarian, or from another source. Your veterinarian should ask about which medications you give, and when you give them. He may have recommendations to change your deworming protocol based on your horse?s health and his environment.
5. Questions. What other questions do you have for your veterinarian? This is your time, so be sure to ask any questions that you might have.
6. Recommendations. Based on the results of your horse?s physical examination, his age, activity level, and body condition score, and any concerns you may have, your veterinarian may make recommendations for further tests, or may simply have recommendations on adjusting your horse?s deworming medications or diet. As horses age, they more commonly need to have their teeth floated. Many horses need to have this procedure done once a year as they get older. If your horse has a history of changes in eating, drinking, or bathroom habits, your veterinarian may recommend some blood tests to help us rule out common diseases. If your horse has a lameness, x-rays may be helpful in determining the cause of the problem and helping you treat it quickly.

Every horse (and owner!) has different needs, and these needs change as your horse gets older. Every annual examination may be a little different as your veterinarian tailors his exam to what your horse needs that year. Above all, don?t be afraid to ask questions or to point out a problem that you would like addressed.

When is the last time your horse had a physical examination? Log into your ePetHealth account to find out! Don?t have an ePetHealth account yet? Signing up is easy ? simply call us or come in to get your email address added to our database. Then log in on our website, and you?re ready to go!

ePetHealth?is a free service we offer to our clients. Through this service, you can access your pet?s medical records online, view educational articles and videos, sign up for email reminders, and more! Check out?this article?to learn more about what ePetHealth can do for you. It?s easy to sign up ? all you need to do is?call?or?email?us to add your email address to your records.

Source: http://princetonvet.net/2013/04/annual-examinations-for-your-horse/

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