Basic Equine Healthcare Flashcards
(45 cards)
Define: “hyperaesthetic”
Over-responsive (experiencing things such as pain, heat, or cold in a way that is unusually strong and unpleasant)
What are some behavioural signs of a healthy horse?
Interested in its surroundings
Doing what it normally does
Engaging how it normally does
What does the acronym “DUDE” refer to?
D - defaecating
U - urinating
D - drinking
E - eating
Describe the defaecation of a healthy horse
4-13 piles per day
Appearance relates to diet
Individual formed nuggets (can squeeze moisture out)
Normal colour
No visible parasites
Typical location for individual
Describe the urination of a healthy horse
Several times per day
One large/several small wet patches in stable
Normal posture
How might a normal urination pattern change for a mare in season?
Mares in season tend to urinate frequently and in small volumes
Describe the drinking of a healthy horse
40-60ml/kg/day
Increases when eating
Increases with dry food
Describe the eating of a healthy horse
Most horses are keen to eat hard food/treats anytime
1.5-2.5% bodyweight of dry matter intake per day
Continuous trickle (grazing)
When is best to starve a horse before a procedure?
In the early hours of the morning, due to their natural resting behaviours
What is the minimum amount you should feed to an overweight horse as part of a diet?
1% bodyweight of dry matter intake per day
What goes into the examination of a horse?
Observe demeanour and behaviour
Respiratory
Pulse/heart rate
Mucous membranes and CRT
Lymph nodes
Auscultation
Temperature
What is the normal range for temperature in the horse?
37.5 - 39.0°C
What is the normal range for pulse/heart rate in the horse?
80 - 100 beats per minute at rest
<150 bpm when active
What is the normal range for respiratory rate in the horse?
30 - 40 breaths per minute (within 4h of birth)
What should be taken into account when examining respiration in the horse?
Observe respiratory rate and effort
Should be hard to see
Look for a heave line/nasal flare/abdominal effort
Observe nares (moist but no discharge)
Observe if coughing
Where is pulse rate commonly measured on a horse?
Transverse facial artery
Facial artery
Digital artery
Where can heart rate be measured on a horse?
On left lateral thorax underneath point of elbow
6th intercostal space
How do horses’ mucous membranes differ to most mammals?
Their mucous membranes are often tinted yellow due to horse fat being yellow (as a result of grass pigments)
Where can mucous membrane colour/capillary refill time be measured on a horse?
Conjunctiva
Oral (salmon pink colour)
Nasal (not recommended to blanch this area)
Vulva
What should be taken into account when examining lymph nodes in the horse?
Small, pea to bean sized nodes
Either side of midline ventral mandible
Directly between points where the facial arteries cross under the jaw
Stroke the skin from caudal to cranial
What should be taken into account when auscultating the lungs/trachea in the horse?
Should be difficult to hear
Divided into 9 fields
What should be taken into account when auscultating the heart in the horse?
Clear S4-S1 and S2-S3 “lub dub”
Auscultate the left and right
May hear “dropped beats” (normal at rest)
May hear murmurs (can be normal)
What should be taken into account when auscultating the abdomen in the horse?
Gut sounds should be present in all quadrants
Should be proportional to activity
Caecal emptying (right dorsal quadrant, toilet flush sound)
Is it common to see hypothermia in horses?
No, very rarely
Question duration, battery power, position of thermometer, gas pockets, open anus, etc.
