Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
Edema is the retention of liquid within a certain region of the body. Horses can suffer from edema throughout their life. Facial edema is common in horses and is a secondary medical condition that is the result of another medical condition that the horse is suffering from. Understanding the type of edema present, its direct causes and symptoms can help determine what type of treatment the horse requires.
When you ride your horse, you may notice that it noses out, especially during transitions and when working at a faster pace. You may also notice that the horse tosses its head excessively. Each of these common problems has its own possible causes, and as the rider you need to look at a number of things, from bit fitting to training and conditioning.
Cleaning a goat's sheath is important to maintain its general health and prevent urinary-tract infection or disease contraction. The sheath can easily be cleaned at home using soap and a washcloth, saving you the expense of a veterinarian visit. It's important to keep the goat calm and subdued to prevent injury to the goat or the person cleaning the sheath. Goat sheaths should always be cleaned prior to any insemination procedures, and as a first step in treating stones.
A stallion will naturally drop when he is relaxed and happy. Moderate exercise and grooming results in a cooperative horse. Although he may need to be tranquilized to drop, it is imperative to clean the sheath, remove smegma or the "bean." An unclean sheath can result in the horse not dropping completely. The sheath is the folding of skin that encloses the penis and should be cleaned every three to six months. Cleaning too often will disrupt the horse's balance of healthy bacteria. Smegma is a normal, waxy substance that surrounds the penis consisting of dirt, natural secretions and dead…
While not the most attractive of tasks for most people, it is important to clean your gelding's sheath at least every six months. This will help prevent a build up of smegma, the combination of flaking skin and lubricating oil released from your horse's sebaceous glands. Removing this smegma before it builds up prevents irritation and lessens the possibility of infection.
Responsible gelding owners must face the task of regular, thorough sheath cleaning, no matter how unsavory. While breeding stallions usually receive proper sheath care during breeding season, geldings are often overlooked and, therefore, more susceptible to swelling and infection.
A horse's ears can reveal its temperament, as well as detect danger and respond to an owner's requests. However, those same ears can be susceptible to several types of infections as well.
Horses are most prone to urinary problems when their diets are in some way deficient. If they do not ingest enough acid, for example, the blood (and therefore the urine) becomes too alkaline, which results in kidney stones. Horses can also develop urinary tract infections and other problems if they don't get enough to drink, which is most likely to happen during the winter when they aren't sweating as much. Fortunately, most urinary problems in horses are easily diagnosed and treated, with urinalysis being the most commonly used diagnostic tool.
There are many diseases that cause heavy nasal discharge in horses, and equine rhinitis virus (or simply rhinitis) is one. Equine rhinitis virus is a type of nasal cavity infection that usually accompanies other respiratory infections, such as equine influenza, or can be caused by bacterial or fungal infections.
Sinusitis is an infection of the lining in the frontal and/or maxillary sinus of the horse, caused by bad teeth, tumors, Streptococcus bacteria or fungal infections. It is a relatively uncommon disease, although there is a high incidence of respiratory disease affecting stabled horses. Sinusitis can affect horses of any age; however, tooth infections are generally the cause of sinusitis in older horses.
While not common, kidney conditions can happen in horses. Due to the nature of a kidney infection, you should seek immediate treatment before the problem becomes a crisis due to waste products accumulating and poisoning the animal. Identifying a kidney infection or failure in a timely manner is important to ensure proper treatment of the horse.
Horses with itching ears will often shake their heads, rub their ears on walls or fences and hold a particular ear drooped to one side. They can be extremely "head shy"--meaning they don't want their ears or poll touched--and can become difficult to handle and dangerous to ride. Horses can inadvertently cause self-inflicted damage due to their need to scratch their ears. The causes of itching ears can include bacterial infection, ear mite infestation and "sweet itch" (an allergic reaction to the bite of the Culicoides fly midge). Affected horses will need a thorough veterinary examination to secure a correct…
Equine protozoal myelo-encephalitis (EPM) is a neurological disease in horses caused primarily by the parasite Sarcocystis neurona, which is carried by birds and then picked up by opossums. Horses become infected when they come into contact with feed or water that has been contaminated with infected opossum feces. They can also become infected by grazing in areas where opossums have defecated. EPM can be debilitating for horses. In the majority of cases, those treated for EPM make a full recovery, but treatment can be expensive.
Unlike humans or dogs, urinary tract infections in a horse are a rare occurrence. They most often occur in horses that have other health problems. An equine UTI can be either mild or severe, depending on the area of the urinary tract it affects. As a rule the higher up the urinary tract the infection affects, the worst the equine UTI. As with most health conditions, the earlier an equine UTI is treated, the better the prognosis.
An equine bladder infection is the inflammation of the urinary system in a horse. Unlike humans, bladder infections in horses are rare. They most often occur in female horses than male horses because a mare's urethra is so much shorter than a male horse's. An equine bladder infection can range from a mild lower urinary tract infection to serious kidney inflammation. To find out if your horse has a bladder infection, start with recognizing the bladder infection symptoms and then ask your vet for help.
Although extremely uncommon, urinary tract infections can occur in horses from time to time. Generally those most likely to experience a urinary tract infection, or UTI, are either very young or ill.
It might be surprising to find out a horse can get a sinus infection, but this problem can be very uncomfortable---especially since a horse's sinus cavities take up a very large portion of its head. It is important to correctly diagnose and treat the infection in order to help the horse feel better, and prevent a more serious condition from occurring.
The purpose of a male horse's sheath, also known as prepuce, is to protect the penis while retracted. The sheath is made up of folds of skin. The internal layer secretes lubricating oils from the sebaceous glands contained there. These secretions, combined with flaking skin cells and dirt, form a waxy substance called smegma, which accumulates within the folds of skin and can cause irritation, infection and edema if not removed. Also susceptible is the end or head of the penis, which has a recessed opening around the urethral process (channel from which urine and semen are excreted). Smegma collects…
An occasional nosebleed is not cause for concern with horses. Most nosebleeds that don't occur on a regular basis result from dry weather or a scratch on the inside of the nose. These nosebleeds don't last long.
Urinary tract infections in horses are very rare. Fortunately, horses with UTIs exhibit recognizable signs and, once the condition is definitively diagnosed, it is easily treatable.
Horses can get infections of the middle ear, inner ear or the outer ear flap, or pinna. Not only are ear infections painful, they also can greatly impair a horse's coordination and lead to deafness.
Horses, for all their size and strength, are actually fairly delicate creatures. The more we have manipulated them to suit our own purposes, the more we have compromised their natural abilities to withstand the elements and natural pressures. One of the more common ailments of stalled horses is a sinus infection. Knowing what it is and how to treat it can help your horse feel a lot better, sooner.
Horses are reliant on their sense of smell in order to get around in the world, so a sinus infection is a big deal. A horse's sinuses are located along the cheeks and down to the upper teeth, so eating can be painful when the sinuses are swollen. Horses need to properly grind their food in order to stay healthy, but are reluctant to do so when their sinuses hurt.
Horses rarely get urinary tract infections when compared to other animals. Bladder infections are a form of urinary tract infections, which is when bacteria cause painful urination in horses. These infections can be dangerous if left untreated as they can travel up the tract to the kidneys and cause kidney infections. Kidney infections can be life threatening to horses. These infections are rare in horses, and often indicate other health problems.
Kidney failure and renal deficiencies in horses have been traced to a variety of causes. Equine kidney damage can lead to death if left untreated, and in severe cases, a horse may live on dialysis for the remainder of its days. If treatment is begun promptly, horses may be released from a care center as soon as 72 hours after onset. While kidney failure is rare in horses, it does occur with a variety of causes such as dehydration, colic and heatstroke.
Caring for horses can be more challenging than most people anticipate. There are many aspects of care taking that people do not even think of as necessary. In most cases, horses do not have a buildup of wax or other dirt in their ears. With their heads constantly down as they graze, ability to swivel their heads and manipulate their ears well, horses are usually capable of keeping their own ears clear. In some cases, however, a build up of wax may occur that can be seen and will need to be removed to avoid infection.
