Enteritis
Symptoms
Dull, colicky pains, off feed. Pains become more intense and insistent, high temperature.
Treatment
Sulphonamides, antibiotics. Allow only light diet.
Ear Mites
Signs
One or both ears tend to droop. Horse very sensitive to ears being touched or putting on bridle, rubbing ears, shaking head, holding head on one side. Dark wax discharge from ear.
Cause
Presence in ears of tiny mites.
Treatment
Contact your veterinarian who will examine wax from ear canal under microscope,
mites in the wax give positive diagnosis. Veterinarian will then prescribe correct ear drops.
Ears can be thoroughly cleaned of all wax and prescribed drops applied.
Equine Infectious Anaemia
Signs
Incubation period varies according to whether disease is acute or chronic.
Acute:
Temperature over 40C, weakness, wobbly, muscle tremor, yellow inflamed mucous membranes, fluid swelling (oedema)
under belly and in legs. Exercise produces pounding heartbeat, anaemia develops later, usually continues eating.
Chronic:
Weight loss, poor performance, exhaustion, severe anaemia.
Horse may recover with attacks occurring less frequently. Horses that apparently recover remain carriers of virus.
Causes
Virus transmitted by biting insects (horse flies, biting midges) use of non sterile needles and blood contaminated surgical instruments.
Treatment
Contact your veterinarian. Disease diagnosed by pathology test. No specific treatment, good nursing,
rest, high protein feed, antibiotics for treatment of secondary infection.
Equine Influenza
Horse Flu
ENTROPION
Entropion is a turning in of the eyelid, causing the eyelashes to rub on the surface of the eyeball (cornea) and irritate it.
Signs
Weeping of affected eye, evidence by continual wet patch below it, partial closure of eyelid of affected eye or rubbing eye to alleviate constant irritation. Closer examination reveals upper and or lower eyelid turned in, causing eyelashes to rub on surface of eyeball, irritating it.
Causes
Some foals are born with the condition, often both eyes affected, lower eyelid more commonly involved.
Chronic conjunctivitis and lacerations of eyelids can cause entropion in adult horses.
EQUINE INFLUENZA
Signs
A high temperature over a
4 day period often indicates developing pneumonia. Loss of appetite, lethargy, generalised
muscular weakness are consistent with viral infections. Foals and older horses or horses
under stress, such as those in work or being transported, are more susceptible to
viruses and secondary bacterial infections.
Cause
Two strains of equine influenza virus can live for up to 2 days in nasal mucus
provided environmental conditions suitable. Virus destroyed by heat, light, soaps and detergents.
Respiratory viruses are spread by horses coughing droplets of infected mucus then
inhaled by healthy horse. By having heavy mucus running from nose, horses may contaminate pasture. Healthy horse inhales virus as it grazes.
Treatment
Rest from work for 3 weeks is important to allow mucous membrane lining
of respiratory tract to heal. Protect horse from environment, rug and stable
it from the cold and wind, provide shade in very hot weather. Make water available at all times and provide high quality, nutritious diet.
Contact your veterinarian who will administer course of antibiotics and treat horse
according to its symptoms. Isolate the horse from others. Disinfect stables, feed bins and water buckets if contaminated.