Geriatric horse care
As we age, we must make changes to our lifestyle in order to maintain skeletal, muscle, and anatomical integrity. This is also true for horses.
While there are many tests that can be performed to assess a horse’s condition, horse owners should be proactive in their aging horse’s health care in order to prevent health problems from worsening and allow your horse to age as comfortably as possible. Below are some recommendations from the veterinarians at the UF Large Animal Hospital.
Regular Veterinary Visits for Older Horses
Vaccinating older horses is one of the key steps to preventative health care. Read the AAEP’s vaccination chart for adult horses.
Body Condition & Weight Loss
Keeping your horse a healthy weight and strength with proper exercise and diet is one of the best things a horse owner can do for their older horse. While keeping weight on can be difficult, a dedicated exercise routine, along with ample warm-up time and a good diet can make all the difference.
Possible causes of weight loss:
- Dental disease
- Intestinal disease
- Systemic disease
Horse’s teeth change as they age due to natural development, vices, injuries or changes in eating behavior. Dental exams for older horses are recommended every six months, but you should schedule an exam with your veterinarian if the following clinical signs are present:
- Weight loss
- Difficulty chewing
- Recurrent choke
- Long fibers or grain in the feces
Older horses have a tendency to become arthritic. Diagnosing arthritis by a veterinarian first requires the horse owner knowing the clinical signs, such as stiffness or lameness. There are multiple treatment options available, and working with your veterinarian in the initial stages of arthritis can help prevent invasive treatment options.
Heaves is recurrent airway obstruction caused by inflammation of the lower airways, typically due to hypersensitivity to inhaled molds and dusts. The clinical signs of heaves may include coughing, nasal discharge, exercise intolerance, post-exercise breathing difficulty, and a visible “heave” line. If any of these clinical signs are evident, call you veterinarian to discuss options for care.
The risk of diarrhea increases with age due to disruption of normal physiological processes. It is common and can be frustrating to diagnose and treat. Remember to keep your horse properly hydrated at all times and work with your veterinarian to treat diarrhea as soon as it starts.
Some causes of diarrhea are:
- Abdominal abscesses
- Other systemic diseases
Neoplasia is the formation of growths, and the risk increases with age. Squamous cell carcinoma tumors or growths may form along the eyes, prepuce and stomach. Other forms of neoplasia are melanomas, lymphoma and adenocarcinoma. If you have a gray horse with melanoma, it may be eligible for our equine melanoma vaccine clinical trial.
Cushing’s disease is the loss of dopamine production in the hypothalamus. Horses over the age of seven can get Cushing’s disease, but the average age is 19-21 and prevalence of the disease increases drastically after 30 years. It is caused by adenomas in pituitary, increased secretion of multiple hormones or compression of surrounding brain structures.
Clinical signs of Cushing’s Disease
- Hirsuitism and poor hair coat
- Polyuria/polydipsia (drinking too much and urinating too much)
- Lethargy or docile attitude
- Hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating)
- Ravenous appetite
- Muscle mass atrophy
- Bulging eyes
For more information about equine Cushing’s disease, read Management of Equine Cushing’s Disease and Equine Metabolic Syndrome, written by the UF Veterinary Hospitals Chief of Staff, Dr. Dana Zimmel.
Equine Metabolic Syndrome
Equine Metabolic Syndrome is a developed resistance to insulin. All horses over the age of five are at risk, and the most common breeds are morgans, paso finos, arabs, fjords and horses with a genetic predisposition.
- Regional adiposity (accumulation of fat in certain areas)
- Prior or current laminitis
For more information about equine metabolic syndrome, read Management of Equine Cushing’s Disease and Equine Metabolic Syndrome, written by the UF Veterinary Hospitals Chief of Staff, Dr. Dana Zimmel.