Pferdeinternistin - Sophie Hug

11/06/2024

"Cool" hot weather tips! ☀️

The notion that a hot, recently exercised horse needs to walk until they are completely cooled off is a myth. A 2020 study found that out of the five methods tested, the quickest way to return to normal body temperature was stationary with continuous tap water application. This doesn't mean that you should abruptly stop exercise—finish your ride or training session with a slow walk to allow your horse's heart rate and breathing to gradually return to normal, but after that your sweaty, hardworking horse should be offered a cool shower and drinking water (small but frequent amounts) without delay.

Overall, enjoy your summer rides but be aware of signs of heat stress in your horse. When heat and humidity soar, even moderate exercise can push your equine friend's body temperature beyond safe limits! Be sure to contact your veterinarian for more information about heat stroke and for recommendations tailored to your horse's individual situation.
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Information brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

16/05/2024

If you believe that horses need grain in their diet to meet their nutritional needs, you are not alone. However, horses should get most of their nutrients from a good quality forage source such as grass, hay, hay pellets, or a complete feed.

Horses generally eat between 1.5-2% of their body weight each day, so an average size 1,000 lbs horse should eat 15- 20 lbs of hay daily. To help fill any nutrient gaps such as essential vitamins or minerals, a ration balancer may be beneficial. Depending on breed, body condition, and exercise level, concentrates may be added in to provide additional energy but are often not needed.

When deciding on what to feed your horse, it is best to invest in high quality forages as the foundation of your feeding plan. You can even have your hay tested to see exactly what nutrients it is providing. Please consult with your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist about your horse's diet before making any major changes, and remember that any changes should be made gradually over time to avoid GI upset.
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Brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

08/04/2024

05/04/2024

04/12/2023

By focusing on positive training tools, vets can help horses see health interventions as less threatening.

05/10/2023

While it’s a common equine emergency, espophageal obstruction (“choke”) can look alarming, especially if you've never seen it before. Unlike in human medicine, where choking refers to a tracheal (or windpipe) obstruction, choke in horses refers to an obstruction of the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

Most commonly, choking occur when horses eat concentrated feed too quickly without chewing it appropriately, which results in a firm bolus lodged in the animal's esophagus. However, esophageal obstruction can also occur with hay or straw, hard treats, carrots, or nonfood objects. Poor dentition, which leads to inadequate chewing, is also a frequent cause of choke.

While common, chokes can have serious consequences so be sure to call your veterinarian as soon as you notice signs of choke. A bad choke is fairly obvious to both veterinarians and horse owners, but a mild choke could be confused with an upper respiratory tract infection or colic.

Read more about this condition on our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/understanding-choke-horses

19/08/2023

Narkolepsie oder eben nicht Narkolepsie. Viele Pferdebesitzer glauben ihr Pferd leidet an Narkolepsie. Hier wird sehr gut erklärt wieso Pferde an Schlafmangel leiden können.

https://thehorse.com/155696/six-types-of-sleep-deprivation-in-horses/?fbclid=IwAR3vsIgqV1ACbV0mWM2vosndEr6o7QRIdty_OrPM78XcAWRxkrZocnG-Vq8_aem_AZWHOY2hjqjq-YrUE-21RfrENaiwoZHvoOa4VG8c_iZyofXOn5S5VSeFX098rrlOcwc

Learn more about equine sleep patterns and six different types of sleep deprivation in horses.

30/07/2023

Hot summer weather puts horses at risk not only for dehydration and heat stress but also the skin damage and discomfort that accompany a sunburn— just like humans.

Equestrians love some chrome on a horse but we need to remember that those beautiful white patches and the non-pigmented pink skin underneath are more likely to suffer from sunburn, especially in areas where the skin is more sensitive — like around the eyes and the nostrils. In addition to the pain and discomfort, horses that are prone to recurrent sunburn may also face other long-term consequences, like the increased likelihood of developing squamous cell carcinoma (a common cancer).

If your horse is susceptible to sunburn, contact your veterinarian for more information about sun damage and recommendations to keep your horse protected this summer.

More information about sunburn and photosensitization is available on our website at https://aaep.org/issue/sunburn-photosensitivity

05/06/2023

Did you know? Zero F***l Egg Count (FEC) does NOT mean you don’t need to deworm your horse!

F***l Egg Counts can give a good indication of parasite egg shedding status, but a FEC cannot determine if a horse is free from parasites as there are several parasite eggs that do not consistently appear with routine FECs. Additionally, the most dangerous stage of a parasite lifecycle is the immature, larval stage which does not lay eggs, and therefore cannot be identified in a FEC.

Talk to your vet about the best course of action when it comes to developing a deworming treatment for your equine friend. All adult horses need to have 1-2 dewormer treatments per year and FEC can help identify horses that might need additional treatments.

Brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.
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23/04/2023

Any nasal drainage can be an important indicator of a horse's health and can even herald an emergency. Here are 6 scenarios and possible causes.

01/03/2023

Unnatürliche Fütterungspositionen für Pferde – etwa bedingt durch zu hoch gehängte Heunetze – könnten das Wohlbefinden von Pferden beeinträchtigen und negative Langzeitfolgen haben, darauf weisen Forscher der Universität Turin in einer Untersuchung h...

25/02/2023

Wenn Pferde akut schmerzhafte Augen haben und man von blossem Auge kraterartige Defekte auf der Vorderfläche erkennen kann, die evtl. eigrig-gelbweisse Ablagerungen zeigen, dann sollte man so schnell wie möglich den Tierarzt kommen lassen. Solche infizierten Hornhautulzera werden oft rasch schlechter und müssen chirurgisch stabilisiert werden. Medikamente gegen Pilze oder Bakterien müssen nach einem Zellabstrich so schnell wie möglich gezielt verabreicht werden.

14/02/2023

Background Genetic tests for variants in MYOT (P2; rs1138656462), FLNC (P3a; rs1139799323 or P3b; rs1142918816) and MYOZ3 (P4; rs1142544043) genes are offered commercially to diagnose myofibrillar m...

14/02/2023

Decipher fact vs. fiction when it comes to the complicated world of feeding horses.

19/12/2022

A very important reminder courtesy of the horse doctors at Miamitown Equine Veterinary Services:

"When securing blankets, make sure that the snaps/clips are facing inward, toward the horse! If they are facing out, they can easily become stuck on something, like the hay net in the picture."

02/12/2022

By focusing on positive training tools, vets can help horses see health interventions as less threatening.

30/11/2022

Learn how various components of the horse’s GI tract evolved to consume forage, and feed accordingly to prevent issues.

13/11/2022

Why do horses dunk their hay while eating? Our equine nutritionist offers several ideas and suggestions.

12/11/2022

Mehr dazu liest Du hier.

11/11/2022

The term "fat leg" is pretty self-explanatory, but do you know the difference between stocking up and cellulitis?

Many horses will "stock up" with subcutaneous edema (fluid swelling) in two or more legs (usually the hind limbs). Stocking up generally results from a significant decrease in exercise and usually resolves as the horse starts exercising again.

Lymphangitis (or vasculitis, big leg disease, staph infection, or cellulitis), however, is a bacterial infection and a dramatically different condition. While its causes may vary, it’s easy to spot once it sets in: the swelling will be extreme, hot and very painful to the touch, and the horse will be depressed due to the fever and discomfort.

If you think your equine friend has cellulitis or even if you're not sure, we encourage you to seek professional help promptly. Your horse doctor will make the best treatment recommendations, both to reduce swelling and to address any sort of bacterial infection that might be active or that could occur due to the edema in the soft tissue.

Read more on our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/lymphangitis-frustrating-condition

11/11/2022

Winter can be tough on the oldest member of the herd; the article below offers a few valuable tips to keep your older horses happy and healthy through the cold weather season courtesy of our friends at Equus Magazine and AAEP member Dr. David Trachtenberg:https://equusmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/11/REV-EQ_EXTRA-VOL76-Winter-Care_fnlp.pdf

In particular, Dr. Trachtenberg recommends focusing on the two areas of winter management that can have the biggest influence on the health of older horses—feeding and blanketing.

22/10/2022

Knapp 40 Prozent aller Freizeitpferde leiden unter einem Magengeschwür. Bei den Turnierpferden sind es sogar über 60 Prozent. Schuld ist vielfach Stress und eine falsche Ernährung.