Your Horse Vital Signs
Recognising the signs of a normal horse is the first step towards keeping your horse healthy and knowing when to call a vet.
Horses Vital Signs
The answer to that question lies in your horse's vital signs, indicators of his health and well-being. Horses, like others animals can be affected by a variety of disorders and diseases.
The benchmark a veterinarian uses to access the condition of your horse is called the clinical examination, an assessment that focuses on all facets of body function.
A set of values is established which can then be compared to the reference ranges of a normal horse.
For the horse owner, the vital signs of health are relatively easily obtained and are a good indication of whether to call the vet, as well as being an invaluable source of information for the veterinarian prior to their visit.
Know Your Horse
The first step in disease diagnosis is to recognise that there is a problem. This involves knowing how your horse behaves in a normal situation and observing any significant changes in behaviour.
Your veterinarian will often ask you a variety of questions before even examining the horse, as the answers to these questions
may indicate the likely problem area.
Is the horse bright, alert and responsive to stimuli?. A dull, disinterested horse is one of the first signs of fever and general malaise.
Is the horse eating?. Fever, infection, teeth problems and abdominal diseases all effect the amount a horse eats and the vigour with which
they eat their food.
What is the horse's manure like?. An absence of manure in a colic situation can indicate gastroenteritis or parasitic infestation. Food
intake and manure output should be correlated. Is the horse drinking?. A horse that is drinking excessive amounts of water may well be dehyrated.
Excess water intake, when coupled with excess urine output, may also indicate kidney disease.
Is the horse urinating?. The amount of urine produced and the colour of the urine should be noted. Dark, bloody urine may indicate
infection in either the bladder or the kidney, and might also be observed if the horse has "tied-up". Horse urine may be quite cloudy normally, so
observe your horse's urine and establish the normal colour.
How old is the horse?. Age is very important, as different conditions prevail in foals and older horses. Foals are more likely to suffer from
infectious conditions as their immune system is less developed, whereas older horses are more likely to suffer from organ failure (eg heart, kidney)
and neoplastic (cancerious) disease.
Is the horse recumbent, rolling or reluctant to move?. All of these behaviour patterns may indicate pain such as in abdominal crisis (colic),
laminitis or generalised systemic disease. What is the horse's worming and vaccination history?.
When were the horse's teeth last checked?.
Bad teeth and parasite infestation are two of the most common causes of colic and abdominal disorders.
Is there coughing or nasal discharge?.
Either of these may indicate respiratory disease.
Vital Signs
Temperature
To take the temperature, stand close beside the horse's hindquarters and gently lift the tail. Some horses object to this so be patient and give the horse time to relax. You are less likely to be kicked if you stand as close to the horse as possible.
The thermometer (remember to shake it down first) is then placed about 4-5 cm inside the rectum and gently held there in contact with the rectal wall for approximately one minute. It is then removed and a reading taken. Digital thermometers have an alarm which beeps when the reading is established. An elevated rectal temperature may indicate infection, inflammation or heat stress whereas a temperature below normal values indicates shock, hypothermia or in some instances chronic infection.
Any deviation of rectal temperature from the normal limits warrants prompt professional veterinary attention.
Mucous Membrane Colour
The horse's upper lip is raised and the colour is a pale pink. If the gums are pale or white, this may indicate anaemia or shock. Blue or purple gums suggest a horse that is in severe respiratory distress with circulatory collapse.
Capillary Refill
Capillary refill time is usually 1-2 seconds and involves pressing on the gums above the teeth, to squeeze out the blood, and counting how long it takes for the colour to return. A prolonged capillary refill time occurs when blood supply to the tissues is reduced as a result of circulatory shock, heart disease, etc.
Heart Rate/Pulse Rate
Pulse rate and heart rate are equivalent because blood is pumped through the arteries (pulse rate) by the heart beating (heart rate).
Heart rate can be measured by listening to the heart with a stethoscope placed just behind the horse's left elbow.
Pulse rate can be measured by placing a finger over an artery either at the base of the mandible or the back of the fetlock.
Count the number of beats/pulses over a fiftenn second period and then multiply by four. Heart rate increases with exercise and/or
excitement, therefore the horse should be examined at rest in a quiet area.
An alevated resting heart or pulse rate is indictive of cardiovascular compromise and/or pain in conditions such as colic, and is used to assess the severity of the
disorder. Elevations of resting heart rate to 60 bpm or above can mean disease of a very severe
nature and immedicate veterinary attention should be sought.
Respiratory Rate
The respiratory rate can be achieved by listening to the chest with a stethoscope or by visually counting the number
of times the chest expands per minute.
An elvatation in respiratory rate may indicate chest infection, bronchitis or cardiovascular compromise and needs to be correlated with other factors
such as the presence of a cough, nasal discharge, dehydration and/or fever.
Gut Sounds
Normally Present On Both Left And Right Hand SidesIncreased gut sounds are evident in cases of spasmodic colic and diarrhoea, whereas decreased gut sounds or complete lack of gut sounds indicates abdominal disease of a more serious nature and veterinary advice should be sought immediately.
Manure output and intestinal function are directly proportional, so elevate the nature of the horse's faeces as well as listening to the abdomen.
So what does this all mean?
It must be stressed that each vital sign should be assessed in relation to the entire clinical examination and not in isolation.
Your veterinarian is the person most qualified to carry out this evaluation and therefore should be contacted
if you detect any abnormal signs.
If your horse is clinically normal but displays uncharacteristic behaviour, futher tests such as rountine blood analysis may be required to pinpoint the problem, so seek veterinary advice.
