Choosing an equine veterinarian is an incredibly important component in taking care of your horse. When it comes to the health of your horse, it is important to do your research and focus on providing the best possible care for them. Certain aspects of choosing an equine veterinarian will be a matter of personal preference, while others are dependent on the services that you want for your horse. This is important whether you need a veterinarian for an older horse or a foal. Here are a few of the best tips for choosing an equine veterinarian to meet all of your specific needs.

Experience and Education

First and foremost, it is important to ensure that you look into the background of the veterinarian. They must be licensed in order to provide the appropriate treatment for your horse. It can be beneficial to look into their particular education and the amount of experience that they have in the field. You will also want to look into specific components of their education and experience, like if they have any specializations or other important considerations. This will help you to make the best possible decision for your equine veterinarian.  

Personality

Take some time to talk to your veterinarian. Everyone is different, so it will be important to ensure that you find a veterinarian that you work well with. You will likely have to work closely with them in order to provide the appropriate treatment to keep your horse healthy over time. It is valuable to ensure that you get along well with them, as well as other members of their office staff. This will help to provide you with the most positive experience possible.

Equine Focus

There are many types of veterinarians, due to the many different pets and animals out there. It is crucial to ensure that you obtain the services of a veterinarian with an equine focus. This will help to ensure that the veterinarian is experienced and capable of providing superior care for horses. You will also want to pay attention to the horsemanship skills of the veterinarian and their staff. This will give you an idea of the quality of services that they will provide to your horse.

Collaborative vs Individual Practice

There are advantages and drawbacks to working with a veterinarian in a collaborative practice or an individual practice. For example, when you work with a veterinarian in an individual practice, you will be confident that you know who will be providing your horse’s medical services. However, these veterinarians may have more limited availability because they are a single person. A collaborative practice will have more availability, but it will be more difficult to screen veterinarians to ensure that you are working with one that you like. This is ultimately your decision, which will depend on your preferences and your specific needs.

Referrals

Ask other horse owners that you know for referrals regarding veterinarians that they have had positive experiences with. This provides you with a start to your search for an equine veterinarian. Asking for referrals can go a long way toward providing you with more information regarding other people’s experiences with various veterinarians.

Interview Veterinarian

Take some time to sit down with the veterinarian and learn more about them. This will help you to learn about their personality, their approach to veterinary care, and many other things. During your visit, you should ask them whatever questions you feel you need to. It is important to ensure that you feel comfortable asking them questions. When you don’t, you may not ask them questions that are important to your horse’s health. Choose a veterinarian that you feel comfortable working with. This can help to eliminate problems over time.

Services and Prices

You will want to ensure that your veterinarian provides the services that you need for your horse. From emergency services to general care, this will go a long way toward protecting the health of your horse and helping you to choose the right veterinarian. While price shouldn’t be your overall deciding factor for choosing a veterinarian, it is still an important component. You should ensure that you are able to pay for the services that you need for your horse. Keep in mind that caring for a horse is an expensive undertaking. Keep veterinary expenses in mind before you get a horse to ensure that you are able to provide it with adequate care.

Your Horse’s Interaction with Veterinarian

Give your horse some time to meet and interact with the veterinarian. Through this, you will be able to examine how they interact. See if your horse seems to like the veterinarian and how your veterinarian treats your horse. This will go a long way toward helping you to choose the best veterinarian to meet all of your specific needs.

Communication

Communication is an important component of working with a veterinarian. Pay attention to how they communicate with you and if they are clear in their communication. You will also want to note how communicative the office is. Ensure that they respond to you quickly and answer questions thoroughly.

When you choose the best veterinarian for your horse, you will be able to ensure that they obtain the best care possible when health mistakes arise. To protect their health, it is similarly important to ensure that your horse remains hydrated. An automatic horse watering system, like our Bar-Bar-A Horse Drinker, can help to ensure that your horse has constant access to clean, fresh water. This helps to keep them hydrated, which can prevent many additional health problems from arising. For example, dehydration is an incredibly common cause of colic, which can be deadly for horses. It is also important to understand the signs of other issues, such as equine laminitis or signs of pain, so that you know when to consult with your veterinarian. To learn more about how a horse watering system can improve the health of your horse, contact our team at the Horse Drinker today!

Equine laminitis is a condition that impacts the laminae of the hoof. While many people think that laminitis is the same as lameness, this isn’t the case. Equine laminitis specifically targets the laminae, which can result in lameness, but is not equivalent to lameness. It is important to act quickly if you notice signs of equine laminitis in order to reduce long-term effects that may impact your horse. At Bar Bar A, we strive to provide you with the information necessary to keep your horse healthy. Our automatic horse watering systems can go a long way toward reducing dehydration and preventing substantial problems that result from dehydration. Here are a few important things to understand about equine laminitis.

What is Equine Laminitis?

Equine laminitis is a condition that horses may develop. This condition ultimately impacts the ability for blood to flow to the laminae of the hoof. This ultimately causes inflammation, swelling, and severe pain. When laminitis isn’t treated quickly, the cells will become damaged due to the lack of nutrients and oxygen that are delivered with regular blood flow. Equine laminitis can be a crippling and sometimes fatal condition for horses. Taking the appropriate steps to prevent or care for laminitis can go a long way toward protecting the health of your horses. Because this condition can have long-term consequences, it is important to ensure that you do everything that you can to appropriately treat and prevent equine laminitis.

Common Causes of Laminitis

Laminitis is linked with many of the common diseases that cause inflammation, because these can trigger inflammation in the laminae. There are many common diseases that can cause laminitis to arise. For example, diarrhea, certain types of colic, retained placenta, and severe pneumonia can all lead to the development of laminitis. Additionally, the lifestyle of a horse may also attribute to laminitis. Stress, severe infections, obesity, poor diet, and many additional problems can result in laminitis. If your horse is experiencing any of these diseases, it will be important to regularly check for signs of laminitis. This will help you to act quickly when it arises. Minimizing their stress and optimizing their diet can similarly help to prevent laminitis from occurring, which will help to protect the health of your horse.

Signs of Laminitis

It is critical to familiarize yourself with the signs of equine laminitis. This will help you to identify when it is present in order to prevent substantial issues from resulting due to the condition. Ensuring that you understand issues that can cause laminitis can help to ensure that you watch for it when it is a possibility. Keep in mind that there are two types of equine laminitis, acute and chronic. With acute laminitis, symptoms are often fast and severe, appearing unexpectedly. Chronic laminitis, however, occurs when the laminitis happens multiple times throughout the horse’s life. A horse that is experiencing laminitis will initially show an inability or reluctance to move, walk, or even stand. They may lean back to avoid placing weight on their front legs.

A horse with laminitis may even lie down and be extremely reluctant to get back up. They may be visibly lame and will likely exhibit signs of pain. A horse with laminitis may also have an increased heart rate and will often exhibit many of the same symptoms that are present in a horse with colic. Preventing colic is incredibly important in reducing the risk of a horse developing laminitis. Familiarize yourself with these signs in order to help ensure that you provide the appropriate treatment as quickly as possible.

Treatment for a Horse with Laminitis

When your horse is showing signs of equine laminitis, it is extremely important to call a veterinarian immediately. This can help to prevent permanent damage and ensure that treatment is as effective as possible. You will also want to keep in mind that a horse that has had laminitis before is much more susceptible and vulnerable to repeated occurrences of laminitis. You will need to be especially cautious with these horses to find the signs of laminitis in the early stages. While you are waiting for your veterinarian, you will want to minimize your horse’s stress. Leave a companion nearby because isolation can actually exacerbate their stress levels. You will also want to remove factors, such as food, that may be influencing or triggering their laminitis. Always follow the instructions of your veterinarian when you think that your horse is experiencing laminitis.

Prevention of Laminitis

Due to the many common causes of laminitis, there are several steps that you can take to help prevent it from occurring. It is important to ensure that you monitor the diet of your horse incredibly carefully. This can help to keep them healthy and reduce the likelihood of colic and other related issues. It is also important to ensure that you implement a good, regular exercise program for your horse. This will help to prevent obesity and aid in keeping the horse healthy. Proper hoof care is critical to minimize the possibility of laminitis. Ensure that you have a farrier care for your horse’s feet on a regular basis. This will help to keep their hooves in good condition. Following these various steps can help to reduce the likelihood of laminitis occurring.

You should also ensure that you regularly check for signs of laminitis. Be familiar with the signs and ensure that you are regularly checking for their presence. You will also need to take the steps to prevent dehydration in order to minimize the risk of colic. This is often much easier when you implement an automatic watering system to ensure that clean, fresh water is always available for their needs. Here at the Horse Drinker, we offer multiple automatic watering systems to protect the health of your horses. These systems ensure that water is always available at an appealing temperature for your horse. To learn more about our automatic watering systems and how to have one installed on your property, contact our experienced team today!   

There are many reasons that horses live longer these days than they did 100 years ago. For one thing, the workload placed on them has decreased substantially, as they are no longer a primary source of power and energy. In addition, the technology and available knowledge to provide care for them has improved. Now, horses commonly live upward of 25 years. In fact, horses are generally considered entering their “golden years” around the ages of 18 to 20. Every horse is different and some may be healthy their entire lives, while others may require more intensive care to keep healthy during their later years. However, there are some general considerations that should be taken into account when you are caring for old horses.

Problems with Caring for Old Horses

There are several problems that arise commonly with geriatric horses. One of the major issues with their health is the decreased ability of their bodies to absorb nutrients. This can render their regular diets insufficient, as well as cause their muscle tissue to break down over time. Old horses often have dental problems that result from a lifetime of using their teeth. In addition, these horses tend to be more easily impacted by stress. They are vulnerable to negative health conditions caused by changes in their environment, including the temperature or weather. Old horses also tend to be more vulnerable to many diseases than younger horses and their immune systems may not function quite as effectively. Due to these problems with caring for old horses, it is important to follow the appropriate steps to provide adequate care for them.

Vigorous Deworming

When a horse develops worms, their bodies are essentially fighting with the worms for the nutrients from their food. This further decreases the overall nutrient absorption of their body, which can be devastating for older horses. It is incredibly important to implement a vigorous deworming routine to prevent these issues from arising in old horses.

Good Nutrition

Because older horses have decreased nutrient absorption, it is crucial that they eat a nutrient-packed diet. Fresh green grass tends to be a great alternative to purely eating dry hay. This can also help to prevent blockages and help them stay hydrated. With older horses, it is beneficial to pay attention to what they are eating so that you can be confident that they are getting all of the nutrients that they need. You may also want to consider adding some supplements to their diet to provide adequate levels of nutrition. Consult with your veterinarian and consider adding a concentrated food source to their regular diet.

Check Hydration

Older horses tend to be extremely susceptible to impactions and colic, which can be deadly. It is extremely important to ensure that older horses remain hydrated to minimize the likelihood of these issues happening. You should check for signs of dehydration on a daily basis. Ensure that your horse is getting enough water and that they always have fresh, clean water available. Our Bar Bar A automatic watering system is a great way to ensure that an older horse always has clean water available to help them stay hydrated.

Provide Shelter

Older horses are particularly vulnerable to changes in the temperatures outside. Due to this, it is crucial to ensure that they have sufficient shelter available to them. This is important both in the hotter temperatures of the summer and the cold temperatures of the winter.

Hoof Care

Regular hoof care can help to keep your older horse comfortable over time. Old horses often experience joint pain and other issues, so taking care of their hooves will go a long way toward minimizing their discomfort. The appropriate hoof care can help to ensure that they are still able to get the regular exercise that they need to stay healthy.

Regular Exercise

Older horses tend to be less inclined to exercise as much as their younger counterparts. However, ensuring that they get regular exercise can go a long way toward keeping them healthy. Take care not to push them too hard, but still exercise them on a regular basis, unless otherwise directed by your veterinarian.

Frequent Checkups

There are many issues that old horses can develop over time. It is extremely beneficial to ensure that you bring them for checkups with your veterinarian on a regular basis. This can go a long way toward eliminating problems and catching potential issues in the early stages. Always follow your veterinarian’s recommendations when it comes to the health of your horse.

Signs of Aging

Understanding the signs of aging with your horse can help you to take the appropriate steps to care for them as they age. There are many common signs of aging in horses. Many horses will start to develop gray hairs on their face. Occasionally these gray hairs will spread through the coat, as well. Older horses tend to experience a decrease in skin elasticity. This can make it more difficult to detect dehydration, so ensure that you are checking for other signs of dehydration besides the skin test. Older horses often experience a decrease in the strength and definition of their muscles. Joint stiffness and an increased tendency to nap are additional signs of aging. Horses that are aging tend to more regularly experience gum and dental disease and they may exhibit weight loss or have difficulty maintaining their weight.

The appropriate steps for caring for old horses can go a long way toward keeping them healthy and combatting common problems that older horses experience. Keeping your older horses hydrated is incredibly important in reducing the risk of colic and many additional issues. You should check your older horses regularly for signs of dehydration and take the steps to rectify the situation. Pay attention to their diet and ensure that you bring them to visit the dentist on a regular basis. To learn more about the importance of hydration for older horses or how our automatic watering system can help to minimize the possibility of dehydration, contact us at the Horse Drinker today!