Dr. Brian Eitelman, DVM, CJF, and Aggie Vet and Farrier Services provide veterinarian and farrier services in Parker, CO, Elizabeth, CO, Franktown, CO, Castle Rock, CO, Sedalia, CO and Larkspur, CO. To learn more, please visit us at www.vetandfarrier.com
In this episode, Dr. Brian answers the top 5 questions he gets as an equine veterinarian.
Should I blanket my horse and when?
How often does my horse need a dental?
How often should I deworm my horse and what should I use?
Can I give my horse its vaccines?
Should I get insurance on my horse?
Unfortunately there were some technical difficulties with the recording so to see the complete and uncut version just check out our facebook page on April 5th 2020.
Should I blanket my horse?
Horses are built for the cold. Even the warm environment horses typically adapt to the cold very quickly. For almost every horse, if they can have cover to stay dry and out of the wind, they are more than fine. Even then, horses have coats that again are built for the cold so even in extreme conditions - they’re warmer than we think. Issues arise with times of thinner coats and wet cold - like early fall (before they grow full coat) and late spring (after they’ve shed their coat). The storms we get start with high moisture content rain or snow and really soak horses. Then turn super cold. In those circumstances, bringing them in completely or using light sheet just to keep moisture off is usually more than enough. The thicker/heavier the blanket, the less their coat can fluff up and insulate them. You should NEVER just put a blanket on and leave it. We dress in layers, they’re no different. Commit to blanketing and plan for several wardrobe changes through the day or probably don’t blanket at all
How often does my horse need a dental?
Best practice is to check their teeth at least once yearly - this is typically done around annual or regular vaccine times. Some horses need dental checks more often than that - most often young horses with actively changing dentition, old horses with not much tooth left and we’re trying to get the most out of it, and horses with poor or neglected teeth that we are trying to manage/correct. Not every horse needs a dental every year but every horse should get that annual check. Biggest goal is keep small problems small, protect the teeth, keep your horse happy and pain free, and best news is that good and regular dental care probably pays for itself with your feed costs because those teeth are chugging along optimally and getting everything possible about of every stem and flake.
Deworming
The best answer is to watch our video on deworming - a lot more info and strategy for long-term solutions than I have time for now. Deworming is important but manure management and pasture management are far more important. There are a lot of ideas on deworming and the best thing for you and your horse is to see your vet regularly and discuss strategies for your individual conditions and horse. The best deworming products still are ivermectin, ivermectin and praziquantel to address tapeworms, or pyrantel. Unfortunately fenbendazole which you might see as power pack is almost worthless. Understand, dewormers are a tool and not the answer.
Can I give their shots
In short, yes. I like the analogy of changing you own oil. Yes you can vaccinate your horse. Yes you can change your own oil. But just like using oil changes and other routine things be a great way to get to know, trust, and develop a relationship with your mechanic as well as have knowledgeable fresh set of eyes on your car to catch things and discuss concerns before catastrophic events happen. The same is true with regular interaction with your vet. Not only do I examine your horse before vaccinating it, the whole time I’m there, I’m likely talking about weight management, answering diet/feed questions, talking about herd management and behavior issues, skin changes and lumps and bumps. Regardless, your horse needs regular vaccines - typically yearly but some horses and for some diseases need it more often. Horse immune systems are good but they have short memory so immunity doesn’t last long and we’re usually vaccinating against stuff that will kill them so please don’t take it lightly.
Should I get insurance on my horse
Horses are expensive. Routine care and maintenance aren’t cheap and emergencies can be very expensive. And they’re emergencies because they usually can’t wait which means when they happen, it is too late to start thinking about how to afford it. Even with insurance, I strongly recommend having a separate savings account with several thousand dollars per horse so that you have control in the situation. Bottom line: you owe it to your horse to be able to take care of them in their time of most need. Please don’t assume that your horse will never need help or that you won’t need to be able to pay unexpected and large bills for them at a moment’s notice.