Horse Health

Between farm calls, medication and procedures, a horse's medical costs can add up quickly, especially if there are complications with your horse's ailment. If surgery or radiographs are involved,...

Equine thrush is a bacterial infection, F. necrophorum, which develops in moist airless areas of the hoof, especially the frog. The frog is a heart-shaped muscle in the center of the hoof. If...

Horse health is important in any setting. In most cases preventative health care is sufficient to keep a horse healthy. In the case of equine mange the only prevention is keeping your horse away...

Equine physical therapy is considered a "developing field" by practicing physical therapist Jennifer Brooks. According to Brooks's article "What Can Physical Therapy Do For My Horse?" it is more...

Cushing's Disease, or Cushing's Syndrome, is often thought of as a disease that only afflicts older horses, however, it has been known to occur in horses as young as eight years old or younger...

Hair loss in ponies is not always a health issue. Some horses develop bare patches when shedding the winter or summer hair coats, and the hair grows back as the new seasonal coat grows in. There...

Equine colic is a blanket term used to describe any condition in which a horse demonstrates signs of abdominal pain. Sometimes a blockage of undigested food somewhere along the gastrointestinal...

Making sweet tea for your horse is a quick and easy way to increase water consumption or just give your horse a special treat. In some disease states, such as kidney disease, your veterinarian may...

Adequan (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan or PSGAG) is used in veterinary medicine to treat non-infectious degenerative joint disease (DJD) in horses. According to its manufacturer, Adequan is the...

Dryland distemper, colloquially known as pigeon fever, is caused by the bacteria Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. While this equine disease has been documented worldwide, outbreaks in the...

A responsible horse owner knows how important it is to put her horse on a worming schedule in order to keep parasites at bay. While tapeworms are not usually a danger to horses, they still have a...

When it comes to caring for a major equine injury, few things are as simple and as effective as Epsom salts. Primarily magnesium, the crystals could easily be grown at home using just basic...

Wild horses don't spend long hours on hard pavement, jumping over obstacles or chasing cows. Domesticated horses are asked to do all that and more, which is why a hard-working horse needs shoes to...

Flax seed can be an ideal addition to a horse's feeding program. Flax, when properly prepared and measured, offers a host of nutritional benefits, can be easy to feed, and is economical to provide.

Veterinarians differ in their opinions of what causes navicular disease. According to Equine Natural Therapy, possible causes include fracture of the bone, tendonitis, reduced blood supply...

Horses are susceptible to several types of fungal infections, including guttural pouch mycosis, mycotic keratitis (fugal eye infection), dermatophytosis (ringworm) and pythiosis (swamp cancer).

We live in a remarkable age of medical progress that generally allows humans to live longer and more active lives than ever before. Likewise, those advances have translated to extended life...

Colic is a terrifying event for horse owners and a very serious and painful experience for the horse. There are multiple ways to treat your horse and to prevent the condition from getting worse....

Horses suffer from a variety of skin allergies, and their reaction can range from seemingly harmless bumps to severe itching, irritation and hair loss. In addition to traditional medications,...

When their animals become injured or lame, some horse owners are choosing to augment traditional veterinary care with alternative therapies that have previously been limited to human medicine. If...

Equine colic is a serious abdominal condition in horses that causes great discomfort and pain and in some cases can be fatal. There are several types of colic, ranging from moderate gas to a...

According to the "Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook," the prognosis for equine hip dislocation, also known as coxofemoral luxation, is bad. A horse may survive getting the hip put back in place,...

Suspensory ligament injuries are common in horses. Injuries can occur in horses that are required to perform at high levels, such as racehorses, show jumpers, and 3-day event competition horses....

When a horse cuts or scrapes a leg, many times it is imperative to wrap the injury. Covering the cut decreases the chance of exposure to foreign materials that may lead to infection. In addition,...

If your horse has difficulty sweating, it may have a very serious condition called anhidrosis. This disease must be carefully managed in order to keep your horse healthy. Anhidrosis can cause...

Skin problems and hair loss on horses can be attributed to anything from basic itchy skin to serious disease, which can cause horses to scratch obsessively, resulting in scabbing skin and hair...

An equine, or horse, has a skeletal system comprised of bones, ligaments and joints, similar to that of a human. A horse has 205 bones while a human has 206.

Buying and owning a horse is an investment that you should protect. As with any animal or pet, there are ways to keep horses healthy. Horse can live well up into their 30's, so starting and...

Horses have been an integral part of human society for thousands of years. Many horse owners breed their best mares to continue good bloodlines and pass on desirable traits, and wean the foals at...

Horses can live well into their 20s, and often into their 30s. Not all horse owners are prepared to provide the care that elderly equine partners require; this is where the horse retirement home...

A long, flowing mane and tail come naturally for a horse, so if you notice that the hair on your horse's mane and tail is suddenly becoming sparse, it is important to get to the bottom of things....

One of the most frightening experiences for a horse owner is to have your horse colic. Colic in horses can happen for a number of reasons, including moldy hay, low water intake or digesting sand....

A healthy, post-partum mare who experienced no complication with her delivery shouldn't even need an analgesic, according to Dr. Susan Semrad of the University of Wisconsin Madison School of...

A winter picture showing horses standing in the snow, snow covering their backs. Thick coats of hair cover their bodies to protect them from the cold. These horses having been left to use their...

Hoof ailments such as abscesses are pretty common, and often these conditions require soaking your horse's hoof in a bucket or hoof boot filled with some kind of solution. Horses often knock the...

Colic is a fairly common digestive problem that may be caused by changes in the weather, feed changes, internal parasites, lack of water and bad eating habits such as cribbing. A horse with colic...

If your horse is having trouble eating and its jaw looks out of alignment, it may have a broken jaw. It is important to seek veterinary attention in order to treat this right away; this will help...

Equine fungus infections are a serious problem for horses and their owners. These infections are extremely difficult to eradicate and require constant vigilance.

Horse Ringworm is a contagious fungal disease called Fungal Dematitis. Livestock surrounding your horse can definitely catch this disease, so it is crucial you remove horse ringworms before they...

A number of medical treatment options exist for treating horses with arthritis, otherwise known as degenerative joint disease. Medications will work best if started as soon as arthritis symptoms...

Luitpold Pharmaceuticals founded its Animal Health Division in 1984 with the goal of developing and manufacturing a treatment for degenerative joint disease (DJD) in horses and, later, to finding...

Stall walking is an annoying behavior in which a horse paces about its stall, sometimes frantically. It can have many causes, such as stress, loneliness, boredom and excess energy. While the...

Blackberries, of the Rosacea family, aren't harmful to horses, but in fact are rich in anti-oxidants and improve the horse's metabolic system by diminishing the number of free radicals that may...

Horses contract sand colic when sand builds up in their intestinal tract. The colic can be a minor issue causing low-grade pain when the accumulated sand prevents blood flow to the intestine. ...

There are very few treatment options for a horse suffering from equine hip dislocation also known as coxofemoral luxation. According to the "Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook", Thomas A. Gore,...