Lesson 5
Detecting Illness and Emergencies in the Horse
I.
What Constitutes a Horse Emergency?
A.
Some horse emergencies are obvious; severe lacerations, violent colic episodes,
founder, etc.
B.
Owner becomes aware that his horse is acting unusual and becomes alarmed.
C.
An experienced horseperson can usually tell when a horse problem is an
emergency.
D.
When in doubt, make the call; discuss the symptoms with your veterinarian.
E.
Ultimately the owner is the best judge of when a problem is an emergency.
II.
Symptoms, which raise a red flag.
A.
Can’t put weight on a leg.
B.
Down and unable or reluctant to rise.
C.
Severe sweating or heavy breathing for no apparent reason.
D.
Obvious symptoms of severe pain. Colic symptoms – Looking back at the sides,
pawing, restless, up and down, sweating, rolling of
the upper lip, rolling, or even violent thrashing around.
E.
Neurological symptoms – In-coordination, head tilt, staggering, loss of
balance, blindness, convulsions.
III.
Checking the vital signs
A.
Temperature (100 degrees +/- 1)
1.
Human oral digital thermometers work well as rectal thermometers in the horse.
Regular mercury thermometers take a little longer to get an accurate reading.
Mercury thermometers with a ring on the end are for tying a string and clip to
so as not to lose it .
(Horses that have a bad case of diarrhea or are in shock have very
little rectal tone, and the thermometer could be sucked into the horse.
2.
Sudden temperature elevation is most commonly caused by an infection caused by
a virus or bacteria such as Flu, or Rhino, or Strangles, or something of that
nature. With these infections temperatures can reach as high as 106 very
rapidly. Colics, especially early in their course,
rarely have a fever. Heat strokes or overexertion situations will show high
fever also.
B.
Heart rate (40 beats per minute, +/- 6)
1.
Left side of chest, above elbow, use stethoscope or hand, or ear to chest.
2.
Submandibular artery on either side of the lower jaw. (If horse is not standing
still, may be difficult).
3.
In colics – 40 to 60 beats per minute –could be
considered mild to moderate colic, 60 to 80 beats per minute could be
considered moderate to severe and above 80 beats per minute is usually
considered a very severe colic. Pain response of the horse usually responds to
the severity of the colic and the pulse rate also. Heart rate above 100 beats
per minute, on a consistent basis, is a bad sign. Few horses survive the colic
episode when the heart rate stays that high.
4.
High pulse rates can also be associated with heat stroke, tying up and severe
diarrhea problems. When the horse is in
shock, no matter what the cause, elevated heart rate is seen.
C.
Respiratory Rate (12 to 16 breaths per minute).
1.
This elevation is usually associated with pain, high fever or respiratory
problems experienced by the horse. Remember one respiration is inhale and
exhale.
D.
Mucous Membrane (Gum) appearance and Capillary refill time –
1.
Normal gum color is a pale to medium pink. If gum color is brick red, this
indicates a very serious condition and an emergency (a brick red color
indicates toxemia ) If the gum color is very pale to
whitish, this also indicates a very serious condition (severe loss of blood
through internal or external bleeding would cause a very pale gum color) . If
the gum color is grayish or purplish or bluish in color this also indicates a
very serious, life-threatening situation (severe shock). Beware of the environment
you are in when you evaluate the gum color, for instance those green awnings
will make the horses gums appear bluish or purple, and some horses have dark
pigment in parts of their gums.
2.
For determining Capillary refill time press thumb against upper gum above
incisors, normal time - 1-2 seconds for normal pale pink color to reappear.
E.
Skin Pinch Test – In many illnesses and emergencies you may want to determine
whether the horse is dehydrated. Horses can dehydrate very rapidly in colic or
colitis (diarrhea) problems, as well as heat exhaustion, tying up and even
overexertion as in an endurance horse on a very hot day.
To
determine dehydration, grasp a piece of skin on the side of the neck with your
thumb and fore-finger and pull outward on it and then let go. In the normal
horse the skin should bounce right back in place, but in the dehydrated horse,
the skin slowly crawls back into place. The slower it bounces back, the more
severe the dehydration.
IV. Calling the Vet
A. Have emergency numbers for your vet and a back up handy.
B. Be ready to give good description of how the horse is acting, any
abnormal vital signs or other peculiar activity. Be as specific as possible.
C. Describe what you have done for the horse so far, get instructions of
what to do until the vet arrives and be sure and ask for an estimated time of
arrival.
V. Well Equipped Emergency Kit (List of contents at the end of this lesson.)
A. Keep handy at all times.
B. Keep up to date and clean.
Administering Intravenous and Intramuscular Injections
GENERAL
OVERVIEW
I.
Intramuscular Injections
A. Most commonly used technique.
B. Normally a 1 ˝ inch 18 to 20
gauge needle is used depending on thickness of the medication.
C. Method -
1. Site should be clean of any
foreign debris (dust, dirt, loose hair) and then use an alcohol or other
disinfectant swab over the area of planned injection.
2. Place needle into muscle with rapid stroke.
3. If no blood is exuding, place syringe on
needle and inject medication. Pull back on syringe before injecting medication
to be sure you are not in a blood vessel.
D. Some commonly used medications are
too irritating to go intramuscularly
1. Do not use Bute
intramuscularly.
2. Do not use Tetracyclines (oxytet) intramuscularly.
E. Three main intramuscular
sites.
1. In the side of the neck. A
triangle is formed with the upper part of the bracheocephalicus
muscle, the anterior part of the scapula (shoulder blade) and the lower border
of the nuchal ligament (lower line of the mane).
Give injection within that triangle.
2. Below the point of the
buttocks in the heavy muscle of the semitendinosis
and semimembranosus.
3. At the sloping part of the
rump on either side of the midline.(croup area)
For prolonged treatments (daily
injections for 5 to 7 days) rotate sites.
II. Intravenous
Injections
Only
in the left or right jugular vein.
A. Normally a 1 ˝ inch 16 to 18
gauge needle is used.
B. Method –
1. Vein is held off in the lower
part of the neck
2. Jugular vein is identified as
blood engorges the held off vein.
3. Needle can be placed into vein
first followed by the attachment of syringe.
3. Precautions need to be taken
to place all injected material into vein only.
BARN FIRST AID
A.
Large Fishing Tackle or Tool Box (can be purchased at a department or hardware
store.
B.
Label It (Red Tape in a Red Cross)
1. Rectal Thermometer – (plastic
digital works well). Normal Temp. 100 +/-1. Foals 101
2. Stethoscope (Walgreen) Heart
Rate ~40 /min.. Respiration rate 12 - 16/min.
3. Vetwrap
3 Rolls
4. Gauze squares. (3x3 or larger).( May have to get from your Vet.)
5. Gauze roll bandage (2)
6. Vaseline. (Comes in handy
below oozing wounds)
7. Antiseptic wound ointment and
Spray. (Nitrofurazone) (Aluspray)
8. Hydrogen Peroxide.
9. Isopropyl Alcohol
10. Saline solution
11. Betadine scrub
12. Betadine liquid
13. Latex Gloves
14. Bandage Scissors or plastic
protective bandage knife.
15. Roll of Sterile Cotton.
16. Disposable diaper or Sanitary
Napkin pads
17. Forceps or tweezers
18. Bute Paste or Banamine Paste
The following could be kept in
the tack box (large items used in non emergencies also)
19. Epsom Salts. Tack Box) (soak
foot abscesses)Add to warm water until it doesn’t
dissolve.
20. Hoof Pick
21. Hoof Knife
22. Farriers Rasp
23. Duct tape. (Waterproof a
bandage.)
24. Flashlight
25. Zip lock baggies (keep small
items clean and free of dust)