Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Preventative Health Care
Benjamin R Buchanan, DVM, DACVIM, DACVECC
November 15, 2006

Respiratory, gastrointestinal, and orthopedic diseases are some of the most common complaints requiring veterinary treatment. A little prevention can reduce the complications of these problems and improve the quality of the horse’s health. The following recommendations are based on recent research, AAEP suggestions, and experience in the area.

Vaccines program memory cells to make antibodies and fight a disease. They can fail if not boostered frequently, inactivated by improper handling, the horse does not respond appropriately, the disease exposure overwhelmed the vaccine response, or disease was caused by a different strain or agent not included in the vaccination program.

Due to differences in the immune system as a horse ages, different levels of immune suppression from exercise, and different levels of exposure depending on the use of the horse; vaccination recommendations vary. At a minimum all horses in the state of Texas should be vaccinated every January and July for Rabies, Eastern and Western Encephalitis, West Nile Virus, and Tetanus. Young and Old horses should be vaccinated every 90 days for Influenza if given in the muscle and every 180 days if given intranasally. Performance horses traveling frequently should be vaccinated with modified live Rhino virus every 90 days.

De-wormers utilize different methods to kill parasites. They can be given on a routine basis, daily, or strategically to kill worms and reduce pasture loads. De-wormers can fail to kill the worms if exposure is high (re-infection), the dose is too low, or the worms have developed resistance. The best way to evaluate the success of your current program is to check feces for worm eggs periodically. This is a non-invasive, inexpensive way to determine a horse’s worm burden and document. To be successful an adequate dose must be given. However some wormers may cause disease if given in too large a dose. Use of scales or weight tapes is recommended for dosing.

Routine dental care provides a veterinarian an opportunity to intervene if a horse is developing malocclusions in their mouth. Sharp points and malocclusion may affect performance and how well a horse digests food leading to gastrointestinal disease. Proper dental examination requires sedation, restraint and an oral mouth speculum.

A strong relationship with a good farrier is important in preventing lameness in horses. Routine foot trimming can keep the foot balanced. This keeps abnormal stress from developing, especially if setting and resetting shoes. The anatomy of every horse is different and no single approach works for every horse.

A quality feeding program is necessary to maintain optimal body weight in horses. When horses are underweight they may not grow normally, become pregnant, carry a pregnancy to term or be as resistant to disease. When horses are too fat they are subject to many endocrine conditions that may cause founder (especially from pasture in the spring and fall).

There are many other factors which can cause colic and services which can be offered to help you keep your horse in optimal health. Please contact your veterinarian to develop a preventative medicine program for your situation.