"Ask A Vet" Enrichment Program
This program provides an opportunity for you to enrich your horse health knowledge by asking a question of a professional equine veterinarian. Questions may be submitted at any time. The guest vet will select a question to answer, and it will be featured below. As each new question and answer are posted, the previous one will be filed in the topical library of questions and answers available through the menu at left.
Topics may include questions on acute conditions (founder, etc.), breeding and reproduction, chronic diseases (Cushings, etc.), dental, emergency medicine, lameness, nutrition, preventative health, skin disorders, vision, etc. Please limit the question you submit to one topic per form so that it can be easily found in the Topic Library.
Click on the buttons below to view the current question and answer or to submit a question to the Vet.
About our Veterinarian:
Dr. Wesley G. Elford practices in Mayville, WI from the Mayville Animal Clinic. He practices exclusively on large animals, of which 75-80% are horses. Dr. Elford graduated from the Ohio State University in 1975.
Dr. Elford grew up working on a relative's ranch in southern Alberta, Canada. He rode Quarter Horses until 1980, when he started competing in Endurance riding and switched to Arabians, the breed for that sport. He vets endurance rides all over the Nation, and is certified by the FEI to vet international rides.
Dr. Elford really enjoys sharing information and teaching people about basic horsemanship, so keep those questions coming.
What Dr. Elford puts in this feature is his own opinion and is given without total knowledge of any particular individual or horse, so should not be construed to take the place of your own veterinarian examining your horse and developing a sound diagnosis with the aid of scientific diagnostics and a valid relationship with you and your horse.
DISCLAIMER:
All veterinary content made available on this page is intended to be used for educational purposes only. This content is not intended to replace the professional services of your local veterinarian, who is more accurately able to diagnose and treat the conditions your equine may be experiencing.
We encourage you to work with your local veterinarian and farrier on a regular schedule to help maintain your horse's health.
Ask your local veterinarian to show you how to learn what your own horse's normal vital signs are, as variations can exist between animals. This will allow you to talk more efficiently with your veterinarian during a crisis or emergency, and also helps you to know you horse better.
Your local veterinarian should be called immediately if any of the following symptoms/situations are observed. All are considered serious and some are considered life threatening:
- Abnormal vital signs – temperature over 102; pulse over 44 beats per minute in resting state; respiratation rate of 16 or greater per minute in a resting state
- Injury with profuse bleeding that will not stop or that may require stitches
- Suspected or obvious bone fractures
- Sudden lameness accompanied by heat in hooves and/or swelling in legs. Equine may rock weight back off of the front legs or walk as if “on eggs”.
- Noisy, labored breathing (respiratory distress) in a resting state
- Choking with neck distended. Saliva and food particles may be expelled through nostrils.
- Seizures
- Uncontrolled, watery diarrhea
- Any apparent eye injury or change in the normal appearance of the eye
- Colic (as indicated by some or all of the following - excessive sweating, pawing, rolling, looking or biting at flank, stretching out to urinate without doing so, gray color to the gums, depression, lack or significant decrease of new manure in stall or pen)
