If
you have a question for Neil or our other vets, send it to:
Ask the Experts, NZ Horse & Pony Magazine,
PO Box 12965, Penrose, Auckland.
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Letters may be edited for length and clarity
Q :About two months ago I noticed a clicking in my eight-year-old
gelding’s
hips, especially when I asked him to bend. I put it down to the fact that he
had been doing some rather spectacular leaps – as jumping is new to him – and
maybe had a slight sprain, or an air pocket in the joint. It isn’t
affecting his performance at all and it only happened every now and then but
it still concerned me. So I eased off the hard riding and asked the vet, who
said not to worry unless it got worse or caused lameness.
Since then the clicking has become less noticable but I’m beginning to
hear other creakings in his neck and just his general body. I’ve been listening
to the other horses on our property and they don’t click at all. Am I being
paranoid or is there something wrong?
Rheanne, Whakatane
A :Rheanne, you are certainly worrying unnecessarily.
As a general rule, if the horse is not worried about the click (no matter how
loud it is!) then don’t you worry. There are heaps of horses out there
clicking, and almost all of them are totally comfortable with it.
The noise is normally caused by the joint ligaments. These very strong thick “elastic
bands” hold the joint together, yet allow the normal movement of the joint.
Often a joint “click” is one of these ligaments flicking over the
bone to a new position, as the joint moves.
As with some people, me included, who can click a joint, there is normally no
pain or discomfort associated.
These clicks can come and go a bit, depending on a variety of things, such as
the level of work the horse is doing, their conditioning and so on.
 |
Horses
can produce some spectacular leaps, but there is usually
no pain associated with joint clicking |
Q :In March you addressed a concern regarding a runny nose. My
20-year-old gelding also has a chronic runny nose, and has
had for the past twelve months. He has had numerous courses
of antibiotics, powders and injections, but the runny nose
comes back. A blood test showed not much except for a bacterial
infection and high levels of allergies. His nose runs from
only one side and is mostly white, doesn’t smell and
very occasionally for a day it won’t be there at all.
He is retired but I am very worried about him as I don’t
believe this is normal. My vet suggested I take him in for an
examination, but he is not good to get on a float so I’m
not keen on taking him in. Can you give me an indication of what
they would be looking for, and what treatment might be associated?
I am nearly tearing my hair out as this just isn’t going
away.
Karen, Helensville
A :There are a number of possible causes for a chronic unilateral
(ie. from one side only) nasal discharge, including a nasal
foreign body, an infection within one of the paranasal sinuses,
and a growth (cyst, tumour or polyp).
Often a thorough examination is necessary to diagnose what the
problem is.
This can involve:
• percussion,
where tapping on the sinuses, and comparing one side to the other, can help
determine if one is full of infection
• endoscopy,
where a flexible endoscope is used to examine the nasal passages from the inside
• x-rays,
for growths and foreign bodies
• infections
in the sinuses
• tooth problems
which can result in a sinusitis.
A sinusitis is the most common cause of a unilateral nasal discharge.
Treatment would consist of correcting any possible cause before
flushing and irrigating the sinus though a small hole drilled
in the nasal bones. This is normally done in conjunction with
appropriate systemic antibiotics.
This does sound pretty radical but is normally done fairly easily
in a sedated horse.
Tooth root abscesses are the cause of a large percentage of infected
sinuses – this normally requires the removal of the offending
tooth.
Occasionally sinusitis follows an upper respiratory tract infection.
Possible treatment for growths and tumours does depend on their
size and position.
Some can be surgically removed reasonably easily via the nostril
while others may require reasonably radical surgery. It is not
always possible or practical to attempt removal.
Foreign bodies may sometimes be able to be dislodged with the
endoscope.
Q :I want some advice regarding vitamin and mineral supplements,
after being told that vitamins are not needed at all and minerals
are over-fed.
I feed my horse a well-known brand multi-vitamin and mineral
supplement ‘just in case’. I have never had his mineral
levels checked and he doesn’t seem to suffer from any imbalances/deficiencies.
My horse is used for pleasure riding and the occasional low-level
competition. He is on average-quality pasture, and gets worked
about four or five days a week, usually for about an hour at
a time. On the days he is worked, he is fed about 750g of a pre-mixed
feed, and a scoop of lucerne chaff, with 60g (the recommended
amount for a hack) of the vitamin and mineral supplement. Over
winter, I feed him 500g soaked sugarbeet as well.
He seems to be well enough, but I wonder if the supplement is
unnecessary (ie. only needed for high-performance horses)?
Curious, Auckland
A : With the level of work you are asking of your horse, it is
very likely that the vitamins you are giving are unnecessary.
Generally, I feel, there is a lot of money spent on vitamin supplements
which are just not needed. Certainly they do no harm (except
they cost!) and are looked on as some sort of insurance.
This is not the case with every horse.
If a horse has been on antibiotics, for example, he could be
at risk of a vitamin deficiency. The intestinal bacteria normally
produce a good supply of the B vitamins that are necessary for
good health. These bacteria can be compromised inadvertently
by the antibiotics. This may lead to a shortage of supply of
the necessary vitamins, until the normal gut flora re-establish.
Horses in high-stress situations, eg. racehorses, frequent travellers,
regular competition horses and those that are eating poorly may
also derive some benefit from a vitamin supplement. Any horse
that is on a high grain, low forage diet may also benefit from
vitamin supplementation.
Supplementation of the B group vitamin, biotin, has been shown
to be beneficial to a lot of horses. It has been shown to increase
the strength and health of the new hoof that grows from the coronet
while the horse is being supplemented.
Minerals are necessary for many reasons and whether supplementation
is necessary depends on your horse’s diet and the work
your horse is required to do.
In your case, the only mineral I would be concerned about is
selenium.
New Zealand soils are generally low in selenium and without supplementation
most horses are deficient. Selenium is such an important part
of most metabolic pathways within your horse. Deficiency can
lead to a number of problems including sore muscles, lethargy,
nervousness and behavioural changes.
Because over-supplementation can cause serious problems, you
do need to blood test to check levels on a reasonably regular
basis.
Supplementation of other minerals may be beneficial in some particular
cases. For example, a horse that sweats a lot will lose a number
of minerals in this sweat, which can be easily replaced with
a good balanced electrolyte mix.
If a horse is on mainly hard feed and limited pasture, then a
calcium supplement will be beneficial.
And during times of rapid grass growth, horses on pasture can
develop a magnesium deficiency and become nervous and hypersensitive.
This is easily corrected by adding it to their diet.
There are numerous other very important minerals that are normally
supplied in a good balanced diet but occasionally a shortage
can exist.
a. Calcium and
phosphorus – necessary for good bones and blood clotting.
b. Iron, copper
and cobalt – all necessary for haemoglobin production and
prevention of anaemia
c. Zinc – important
for healthy skin, cartilage and hoof
d. Iodine – necessary
for normal thyroid function
e. Manganese – needed
for cartilage and bone production
Q : Hi there. When I got my horse about eight months ago, she was
suffering from bad rain scald all over her back, neck and rump.
I managed to get this cleared up, using a Vetadine wash. Now
that we are heading into winter again, I’m wondering
if there is anything I can do to prevent this happening again,
as she is obviously prone to it.
Andrea, Northland
A : Rain scald is caused by the bacteria dermatophilosis congolensis
which is pretty well everywhere in the environment. The outer
layer of normal healthy skin acts as a barrier to prevent this
bacteria taking hold and causing an infection.
However, with prolonged wetting or dampness the skin becomes
more susceptible to damage by grooming tools, parasites, scratches
and so on.
This minor damage is often all that is required for the bacteria
to cause a problem. Once a minor problem starts it can very easily
spread – by local invasion of the surrounding skin or by
covers, brushes and other grooming tools.
So it is very important to treat any problem as soon as it starts
and to keep all brushes etc clean.
The bacteria are easily killed by most antibacterial agents – including
iodine (Vetadine shampoo is often used), halamid, dilute copper
sulphate solution (5g/litre) – and many more. It is necessary
to remove any scabs to expose the bacteria that are underneath.
Brushes and so on are cleaned easily in iodine solution or halamid.
Horses that are in poor condition do tend to be more susceptible
to infection (note – I am not saying they are in poor condition
if they get it!) – so ensuring they are healthy will help.
Keeping them covered during wet periods will help, but removing
covers on hot days is also necessary, as constant sweating will
have a similar effect to the rain.
Horses that are copper deficient are more prone to infection,
so correcting this, if it is a problem, will help.
