Elkhorn Valley Equine

02/21/2022

With spring only one month away (!!), it’s not too early to start thinking about a deworming plan for your horses.

If deworming is something you’ve been doing the same way for as long as you can remember, this year we encourage you to break tradition and work with your veterinarian instead to create a targeted plan for each horse. Before you dismiss this notion because you’ve “been doing it for years,” you should know that the old-school approach to deworming is quickly becoming outdated and is also not sustainable — it’s a waste of money AND it builds drug resistance in the parasitic fauna of equines, which means we are running out of drugs that can effectively help us control parasite infections.

There is no single deworming program that suits all horses and all situations. Your veterinarian can help you devise an appropriate strategy based on the number/ages of the horses on the farm, pasture management and your geographic location.
One of the most useful tools in a parasite control program is the f***l egg count — microscopic examination of fresh manure for parasite eggs. This simple test allows your veterinarian to determine which parasites are present and whether the infection is light, moderate, or heavy. This information is important in choosing the right treatment for your horse and in monitoring the efficacy of the dewormer used last.

Finally, don't rely on dewormers alone when it comes to parasite control. As parasites are primarily transferred through manure, good pasture maintenance and management are also necessary.

For more information, the AAEP Parasite Control Guidelines can be found on our website at https://aaep.org/document/internal-parasite-control-guidelines
As always, consult your equine veterinarian to learn more and for questions specific to your horse(s).

08/28/2020

https://www.facebook.com/128570532690/posts/10157078709627691/

HORSE TRIVIA TIME!
Q: "What's the best hay for your horse?"

Hay contributes to 50-90% of a normal, healthy horse's nutritional needs, yet there is a lot of confusion over what, exactly, defines "good" hay — and the overall role of hay in a horse's diet.

General guidelines call for horses to get 1-1.5% of their body weight in forage. This means that an average 1,000-pound horse should eat 10-15 pounds of hay per day. Few owners, however, weigh their horse's hay to verify how much forage the animal is actually getting. (Do you?)

Nutrient value is one of the things that defines hay quality; it varies widely, and nutrients are affected even within the same species of hay by factors like where hay is grown, when it's harvested, and weather. A hay analysis is the best way to determine what quantities of each nutrient exist in hay. When that is not possible, a visual assessment offers useful indicators (like color, smell, quality of the stems).

So, how do you decide what's the best hay for your horse? Well, that all depends on the hay's suitability for what your horse is doing and its stage of development! If you have a fat horse, for example, you want hay with low nutritional value so that your equine friend can spend enough time eating without gaining more weight. Conversely, a hard-working horse needs forage with plenty of the digestible energy that comes mostly from carbohydrates and fat.

This being said, keep in mind that even "good" hay can have bad things in it. The hygienic state of hay is the final component in evaluating hay quality — read: the presence of dust, mold, fungi, bacteria, and other allergens, which are mostly invisible to the human eye. These dangerous respirable irritants exist in hay of all types and nutrient quality; they make their way deep into your horse's lungs, where they will restrict the animal's ability to get oxygen to the muscles and limit performance.
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Read more about understanding hay quality on our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/understanding-hay-quality-even-good-hay-can-have-bad-things-it

01/26/2018

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154940385837691&id=128570532690

Full and half blinks decreased significantly during stressful situations, researchers found.

01/26/2018

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154959646332691&substory_index=0&id=128570532690

Regular exams save lives because of early detection. Consult your veterinarian to determine the exam schedule most appropriate for your horse's age and use. Learn more about caring for your horse at http://aaep.org/horse-owners?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=American%20Association%20of%20Equine%20Practitioners

11/19/2016

Rapid changes occur in the last months of gestation, making it important that owners monitor mares closely.

11/19/2016

Mares in good body condition have a reservoir of stored fat that can be used during cold winter weather.

09/28/2016

Explore American Association of Equine Practitioners' photos on Flickr. American Association of Equine Practitioners has uploaded 1 photo to Flickr.

07/20/2016

Find out what the most important things to consider are when caring for horses in extreme heat.

06/10/2016

Deworming protocols have changed radically over the past decade. Here's what you should consider.