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Medical Conditions That Are
More Common In Older Horses
With an increased level
of care and advances in veterinary medicine, it is common for our horses
to live into their thirties and even forties nowadays. But these senior
citizens are at risk for developing some medical problems that need to
be addressed to keep them healthy and happy. Some of the more common
conditions are described below.
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Weight loss is one of the most common problems in the older
horse. Reasons for weight loss include (but are not limited to):
dental abnormalities, changing nutritional requirements, housing and
management, parasites, infections, endocrine (hormone) disorders,
cancer, and kidney, heart, or liver failure. If your horse is
difficult to keep at an appropriate weight, or loses weight either
rapidly or over a longer period of time, an appointment should be
made with your veterinarian for a thorough physical examination.
Bloodwork and additional testing may be necessary to determine the
cause of your horse’s weight loss, but many horses respond well to
simple treatments or dietary and management changes.
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Heaves, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and Small
Airway Disease are all names for a non-infectious respiratory
disease that can affect horses of all ages, but seems to be more
severe in older horses. Sensitivity to inhaled dust and mold
appears to be the trigger for inflammation of the airways in the
lungs and mucus production in these airways- similar to asthma in
humans. Signs of this disease include: coughing, especially during
exercise or while eating, increased respiratory rate and effort, and
flared nostrils. Sometimes you may even hear the horse wheezing
while having difficulty breathing. If your horse displays any of
these signs, an appointment with your veterinarian should be made
for an accurate diagnosis and to rule out a respiratory infection.
Horses with COPD can be successfully treated by adjusting some of
the routine care and management procedures and medicating when
necessary. These management changes involve ways to minimize dust
and mold such as decreasing the amount of time that the horse is
stabled, wetting the grain and hay before feeding, keeping hay
stored in a separate, dry building, feeding hay from large buckets
or hay racks that are low to the ground, and feeding quality square
bales or chopped forage instead of round bales which may contain
more mold and dust.
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Information
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Colic is another medical condition that can occur in horses
of any age, but there are some unique causes of colic in older
horses. The term “colic” refers to a situation in which a horse
displays signs of abdominal pain. These signs include: pawing,
teeth grinding, biting or kicking at its belly, refusing food and
water, laying down repeatedly or unwilling to get up, rolling and/or
thrashing, and standing stretched out as if to urinate, but not
actually urinating. Colic is always a medical emergency and your
horse should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Causes of colic
include: gas, dehydration, sand accumulation in the intestine,
parasites, intestinal infections, and twisted or displaced
intestines. Additional causes that are more common in older horses
than in younger horses are abdominal masses, such as tumors, and
dental abnormalities causing inadequate chewing. Treatment of colic
may be achieved with medications at the farm, but hospitalization
and/or surgery are required to treat some causes of colic.
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Information
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Choke in horses refers to the inability to swallow due to an
obstruction in the esophagus. Most commonly, feed material is the
offender. In an older horse, improper chewing due to dental
abnormalities is a common cause. Other causes include: rapid
ingestion of feed, inadequate water intake, poor quality feed, and
pelleted or dry feeds such as beet pulp and oats. Signs that a
horse is choking are coughing, inability to swallow, salivating, and
regurgitation of feed and saliva through the nostrils and mouth.
Sometimes the horse is able to clear a small obstruction if allowed
to relax. However, in many cases, a veterinarian is needed to
sedate the horse, insert a tube into the esophagus, and flush the
area with water, removing the feed material through the tube. Ways
to help prevent choke include: maintaining proper dental care for
your horse, feed types of feed that can be adequately chewed and
swallowed, and adding water to dry feeds, especially feeds such as
beet pulp.
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Information
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Cushing’s Disease is a syndrome associated with hormonal
imbalances due to an improperly functioning pituitary gland. It is
much more prevalent in older horses than in younger horses. There
are no known risk factors or breeds more susceptible to the disease,
although it seems more prevalent in ponies. Signs of cushing’s
disease are variable, but include: an abnormally long, curly hair
coat or absence of seasonal shedding, increased drinking and
urination, weight loss, decreased muscle mass, particularly over the
back, and a pot-bellied appearance, laminitis, bulging of the fat
pads over the eyes, and recurrent or lingering infections such as
hoof abscesses, eye ulcers, and delayed healing of wounds. To make
an accurate diagnosis, your veterinarian will need to do some
bloodwork, specifically to determine the cortisol concentration in
the blood. This may need to be done as series of tests before and
after the administration of other diagnostic drugs. Treatment is
achieved medically by the daily administration cyproheptadine or
pergolide which can improve the hormonal imbalances present.
Improvement or even resolution of clinical signs is possible with
medication. Good management practices such as routine deworming,
dental care, and foot trimming, good wound care, and body clipping
for horses with heavy coats are necessary to maintain the comfort
and good health of these horses.
More
Information
NOTE: Material presented by
Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary on equineelders.org or in any
other manner is for information purposes only. It is in no way
intended to replace the services or advice of your veterinarian.
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