Routine Health Management Keeps Your Horses Healthy and Happy
Equestrian News Release

Managing one horse can be challenging enough, but when there is a whole barn full of horses – each with its own individual needs – keeping schedules straight and preventing disease outbreaks can become a daunting task. Whether it’s a breeding facility, a bustling show barn, or simply a pasture full of backyard companions, horse owners and managers can take steps to manage their horses for optimal health.

Getting every animal on a regular schedule makes it easier to manage multiple horses—barn managers and owners should work together to implement a sound deworming program and effective fly control. There are a number of deworming products available, from paste dewormers such as EQUIMAX® (ivermectin 1.87%/praziquantel 14.03%) to daily dewormers such as STRONGID® C 2X (pyrantel tartrate). The horses’ veterinarian can help equine caretakers develop a parasite control regimen that meets the needs of all the owner’s horses or all the horses stabled under a manager’s care, as well as schedule regular vaccinations and veterinary wellness care.

A carefully designed vaccination program, coordinated with a veterinarian, is also imperative to ensure that each horse receives the proper protection throughout the entire year. The vaccination schedule of a particular barn or group of horses may vary based on location, exposure to other horses, intended use and other factors, so barn managers and owners will need to communicate their needs with the veterinarian as they develop a vaccination schedule that adequately addresses each horse’s requirements.

Routine wellness care can help horse owners save money in the long run by preventing or detecting potential problems before they develop into more serious issues. Wellness care includes not only the aforementioned vaccination schedule and parasite protection program, which can help to reduce a horse’s risk of colic and other digestive conditions, but also a general physical exam, nutritional counseling and routine dental care. Your veterinarian may already offer a wellness program, such as PreventiCare®, that provides all these services. The cost to enroll a horse in PreventiCare is only $50 per year. Additionally, the PreventiCare program offers the Colic Assistance Plan™—which provides up to $5,000 for colic surgery and up to three days of aftercare—to all enrolled and eligible horses.

Other measures that help protect horse health include practicing basic barn hygiene, both at home and on the road. Whenever possible, avoid sharing water and feed buckets, lips chains, halters or other items that might touch a horse’s mouth, nose or ears. If the items have to be shared, be sure to follow proper sanitation and disinfection techniques first. There are a number of commercially available disinfectants, such as ROCCAL®-D Plus, that are effective for killing bacteria. Veterinarians also recommend that every barn offer a shallow basin full of properly mixed disinfectant for people to wash their shoes before entering and leaving a facility.

Maintaining healthy horses in a group setting can present challenges for equine caretakers. As basic as most precautionary measures may seem, they are critical to protecting the overall wellness of each horse and the barn as a whole. Preventive care and basic hygiene also protect a horse’s health when traveling to shows and other events where it is exposed to other horses and potential disease risks. By working with a veterinarian to create a wellness program that incorporates parasite control, vaccinations, routine veterinary care, dental exams and barn hygiene, equine caretakers can provide their horses with the best opportunity to achieve optimal health.



Story Credit: http://www.pfizerah.com/index.aspx?country=US&species=OO&lang=EN&drug=PU