E-Vet Clinic - Horse Health Care

Remember when I wrote about feeding fat for horses - Feeding Fat in Horses not a fad

That diet was specifically formulated for EPSM or PSSM…well there is new research on that disease which shows that it has a genetic component, which is very exciting! It may be possible in the future to test for that genetic type and eliminate a disease that affects a large percentage of draft horses and a few Quarter Horses. What a way to improve horse health by breeding appropriately and removing a defect. It can be done with HYPP if there was not money involved in keeping that disease around…oops sorry did I say that.
Check out some of this information from the Horse - Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy: Blame It on the Genes 

And the actual paper of the research from PubMed -  Glycogen synthase (GYS1) mutation causes a novel skeletal muscle glycogenosis.

Are you on Twitter? It is one of the fastest growing websites on the internet today. It is a way of keeping in touch with people. At first I did not quite get it…now I do and so I am inviting you to follow my twitter - http://twitter.com/Dr_Dan_DVM which is my professional twitter. I will be posting quick tidbits about dog and horse health here and you can really make comments back ask questions really interact with me very quickly anytime I am in front of the computer. Almost instant access, because I have a small program called Twhirl which keeps me connected to my twitter account anytime I am on the computer. It is excellent. So go ahead follow my Twitter @Dr_Dan_DVM

Spring is in the air at least it finally is here in the midwest…we actually had a 60 degree day today. This means it is time for a dental examination and possible dental work.

Your horse needs to have an full examination done at least twice a year, many times there will be no need for any dental work but an examination needs to be completed to determine the need. One of the most important aspects of equine dentistry is the use of a full mouth speculum shown here -

This device is absolutely necessary to be complete in the examination and makes it much easier for the veterinarian or dentist to complete any dental work that may be needed, especially in the very back of the mouth at the last molars. I have opened many of horses mouths that have very good balance in the front of the mouth up and including the first couple of molars only to find in the very back two very large spikes protruding upwards on the last molars because no one really opened the mouth using a mouth speculum.

So be sure that your horses mouth is being looked at very carefully and the proper tools are being used to perform the necessary examination and work. Small adjustments to the teeth in your horses mouth can have dramatic effect on their movement under saddle. If a horse has small enamel points or worse large spikes in their mouth they will not be comfortable and this can cause head tossing or even a slight positioning difference in the head. This tossing or head position can cause problems with the bit, or the overall smoothness of the ride. In fact one of the first things you should do if your horse is tossing his head while you are riding is to have a dental examination. Twice a year examination and work usually prevents any of this from occurring.