Preventative Care

Annual Wellness Exam

Your veterinarian should do a complete wellness exam on your horse at least once a year to assess their general well-being.  At this exam, we will listen to their heart, lungs and gut, examine eyes and skin, check weight, and assess their gait.  We also recommend a complete set of flexion tests for our performance horses. Problems can be identified and treated early before they lead to bigger, more painful or costly problems. 

Vaccinations

Tetanus

Tetanus is a disease caused by a bacterial toxin commonly found in the soil.  The bacteria enters the horse’s body through a break in the skin or hoof and once in the body, releases a toxin which can cause a “spastic paralysis,” meaning all of the muscles in the body go into spasm and are unable to relax.  Usually tetanus is fatal, but the disease is almost entirely preventable with proper vaccination.  All horses should receive a tetanus booster yearly, or if your horse receives a cut, hoof abscess or undergoes surgery more than six months after the previous vaccine. 

Eastern and Western Encephalitis

Eastern and western equine encephalitis (also known as “sleeping sickness”) are severe and often fatal neurologic diseases caused by viruses transmitted by mosquitoes.  Early on symptoms include fever and depression, as the disease progresses to the central nervous symptom, horses develop neurological signs.   This vaccine should be given yearly to all horses, and is typically in combination with the tetanus vaccine.

West Nile

West Nile is another virus that causes severe neurologic signs, and is often fatal.  The virus is transmitted from birds to horses via mosquitos.  Infected birds and mosquitoes are commonly found throughout Southern California.  The vaccine should be given yearly to all horses, preferably immediately prior to the start of mosquito season to boost immunity when the chance of exposure is greatest.

Strangles

Strangles is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the upper airway and lymph nodes of the head and neck.  It causes high fever, nasal discharge and swelling of the lymph nodes.  Typically horses recover from strangles, but occasionally severe complications can occur and be life-threatening.  The vaccination for strangles is administered yearly, and is recommended for horses that travel and are exposed regularly to other horses.

Rabies/Potomac Horse Fever

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that infects the nervous system of mammals.  An infected animal (i.e. bat) transmits the virus through saliva to another animal (i.e. horse) through a break in the skin.  Once an animal develops clinical signs, it is invariably fatal and carries a risk to the humans in contact with the animal.  Bats are the most commonly infected animal in Southern California, and rabid bats have been found throughout Orange County.  Officials believe the incidence of rabies is increasing in Southern California.  Potomac Horse Fever is a bacterial disease that causes severe diarrhea and often leads to laminitis.  The vaccination is usually given as a combination, and is recommended yearly for all horses.

Influenza/Rhinopneumonitis (EHV)

Rhinopneumonitis is caused by a highly contagious herpesvirus that causes signs of a respiratory infection, including fever, coughing, nasal discharge and swollen lymph nodes.  Occasionally, the virus can infect the spinal cord and brain, leading to neurologic signs.  Influenza is another highly contagious respiratory virus causing fever, coughing, nasal discharge and swollen lymph nodes.  The flu and rhino vaccines are administered in combination every 3-6 months depending on the horse’s risk of exposure.  For horses in the large boarding stables, or those that are travelling frequently and exposed regularly to other horses, quarterly vaccination is recommended.  Many competitions require certificates of vaccination for flu/rhino.

Common Vaccine Reactions:

Because vaccinations act on the immune system to stimulate a response, some side effects your horse may experience are:

• Low-grade fever

• Decreased appetite

• Decreased energy or fatigue

• Tenderness or swelling near the injection site

Vaccination side effects typically improve within a few days post vaccine. Always contact your veterinarian if symptoms worsen or continue longer than a few days.

Why a Veterinarian Should Administer Vaccines:

• Your veterinarian ensures your horse is receiving both core and risk-based (as defined by the American Association of Equine Practitioners) vaccinations at the appropriate schedule.  They are also in close contact with the state veterinarians and are up to date on recent outbreaks in your area, which enable them to carefully tailor your horse’s vaccine schedule based on your area and your horse’s specific needs.

• Your veterinarian also ensures that all vaccines have been properly handled, stored at the correct temperature, given the correct dosage and administered in the right location. 

• Our vaccine manufacturers provide a guarantee if the vaccination is given by our veterinarians.  If your horse develops any clinical signs of the disease for which they have been vaccinated, the manufacturer will reimburse cost of diagnostics, and treatment if the horse did have that illness.

• Is your horse insured? Some insurance companies will deny coverage for treatment of a disease or deny a mortality payout if vaccines were not administered by your vet.  Colic surgery reimbursement programs such as Platinum Performance EQCO and SmartPak ColicCare require vaccinations be given by a veterinarian.

• Do you travel or compete? Your veterinarian is not able to provide certification of vaccination for a competitive horse or one that needs to be transported if the vet has not administered the vaccines. 

Deworming

Deworming recommendations have changed significantly in the last ten years due to the growing resistance of parasites to our current dewormers.  As there are no new dewormers being developed at this time, we need to use dewormers more judiciously.  Rotational deworming every six weeks is no longer recommended.  We recommend a fecal egg count be performed annually (or more often if indicated), and a deworming protocol will be customized to your horse’s needs.

Additional Wellness Recommendations

Oral Exam/Floating

All horses, regardless of age, should have a complete oral exam performed once a year, or more often for horses with certain oral problems.  The horse will be given a light standing sedation and the veterinarian will place a speculum in the horse’s mouth.  The entire mouth, both teeth and soft tissues, will be evaluated for any potential problems such as ulcerations of the cheeks or tongue, sharp enamel points, lost or broken teeth, retained caps, wolf teeth, infection, excessive wear, etc.  Based on the oral exam, a floating may be recommended to remove the sharp enamel points and correct any maloccluisions (hooks, ramps, waves) that can develop and cause problems with the chewing surface or movement of the jaw. 

A licensed veterinarian should ALWAYS perform your horse’s oral exam and floating.  The lay dental practitioners may have no formal training in equine dentistry and are unqualified to do a complete oral and physical examination.  Legally they cannot sedate horses, and are unable to address problems in the back of the mouth without sedation and a speculum.  With the use of motorized equipment, we can address each tooth specifically and accurately.  Standing sedation and mouth speculums have made dental procedures safe, low stress, and gentle on the horse

Sheath Cleaning (Geldings and Stallions)

An annual sheath cleaning is recommended for all gelding and stallions to remove the excessive buildup of smegma and remove any beans from the urethra.  We recommend this typically be done at the same time as your horse’s oral exam, as light sedation is typically needed.

Gastric Scope for Ulcers

With stomach ulcers becoming more and more common in the domestic horse, we recommend that an annual scope for ulcers be done to ensure your horse is not suffering.  Clinical signs of ulcers vary dramatically between horses and often go unnoticed.  Many horses show few or mild outward signs, and they can range from decreased or change in appetite, colic, cinchiness, poor performance and dull hair coat.  Your horse will be given a light standing sedation and the 10 foot endoscope will be passed through the nose into the stomach.  The entire procedure typically lasts only 15 minutes and can also help identify impactions, tumors, internal parasites and other abnormalities.