HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!!!

Just a reminder that we are closed Thursday and Friday of this week and will re-open on Monday, December 1st.  

We are also available if you need us for an emergency by calling 918-827-7300.

Tuesday Trivia Answer and Winner!

There could have been a lot of correct answers for this question so here's a list from nose to tail of some places where a horse can develop an impaction in their gastrointestinal tract [GIT].

Stomach [Gastric], Ileum [last part of the small intestine, cecum, large colon [sternal flexure, pelvic flexure, diaphragmatic flexure], transverse colon [the transition between the large colon and the small colon] and small colon.

Thank you to everyone who participated and a special congratulations to Cheryl Dixon who is the winner of this month's prize!

Make sure to check back next week for a new edition of Tuesday Trivia, December will focus on Endocrine Disease so stay tuned!

TUESDAY TRIVIA!

It's the last installment of Tuesday Trivia for November so it's prize time!  This month one lucky winner will win a 14-day supply of Platinum Performance Equine.

This month we've discussed many different areas of making sure your horse stays hydrated.  This time of year we tend to see an increase colic that results from inadequate water intake.  Typically these patients are suffering from impaction colic, which means there is a large mass of digested feed stuck in their GI system.  So here's your question!

Name 3 locations in the Gastrointestinal Tract [GIT] where a horse can develop an impaction.

Answers will be accepted until 6pm tonight.  You can post your answer in the comments on the blog or on our Facebook page.  Good Luck!

Tuesday Trivia Answer

Here are 3 things you can check on your horse to estimate if they are hydrated our not.  Keep in mind that these are not always 100% foolproof and if you think your horse is ill you should always contact your veterinarian.

1) Check your horse's gums.  Normally they should be a nice light pink and slippery to the touch.  If your horse is dehydrated they may feel dry or tacky.

2) Press your thumb against your horse's gums where the gum line meets the tooth.  This will blanch out the color and when you remove your finger you want to count how many seconds it takes for the color to come back (think one-one thousand, two-one thousand...).  This is called Capillary Refill Time [CRT] and should be around 2 seconds or less.  A dehydrated horse will have a prolonged CRT (greater than 2 seconds).

3) Jugular Fill Time can be measured by holding of your horse's jugular vein low in the neck and counting how many seconds it takes for it fill up close to the throat latch.  This should be around 2 seconds, same as CRT.

Feel free to email us at legacyequinehospital@gmail.com if you have any other questions.

Be sure to check out next week's trivia question!  It's the last Tuesday of the month so it's prize time!

Tuesday Trivia

So far this month we've learned about the normal water intake for a horse and how we can encourage horses to drink more during the day.  But what about those horses that drink from a natural water source or a large tank?  How can we make sure they're well hydrated?  So here's your question for the day:

What are three things you can examine on a horse to determine their hydration status?

The answer will be posted tomorrow, Good Luck!

Tuesday Trivia Answer

An average 1000 lb horse should drink roughly 24 Liters (A little over 6 gallons) of water every day!  A quick calculation you can do to find out your individual horse's water requirement is to calculate a milliliter/pound/hour.  So let's say your Friesian weighs 1500lbs then he would need 1,500mL per hour, which comes out to about 36 Liters per day.  Most horses will drink almost their entire requirement right after they eat a meal, so don't be concerned that the water bucket is untouched during the middle of the day.  Keep in mind that this requirement can change based on the individual, for example endurance horses and mares that are nursing a foal sometimes require over twice their normal daily requirement to stay hydrated.

Thanks for checking out Tuesday Trivia and make sure to come back next week for another question!

Tuesday Trivia

So last week we learned about how to make sure your horse drinks enough water but.... do you know how much water your horse should be drinking?

How much water should the average (1000lb) horse drink in a 24-hour period?

The answer will be posted tomorrow morning, Good Luck!

Tuesday Trivia Answer

Regular table salt is a great thing to add to a horse's daily grain ration to encourage them to drink.  A little bit can go a long way and some horses respond well to as little as a tablespoon per day.  You can also use natural sea salt or non-iodized salts in place of table salt.  If your horse is out on pasture or is just fed a hay diet you can give them access to a salt/mineral block.

 

WHOOPS WEDNESDAY [The Tuesday Trivia Edition :) ]

It was a crazy day at the hospital yesterday! It may be a day late but here's your first Tuesday Trivia of November.

For the month of November we are going to focus on some questions regarding colic in our patients.  This time of year we tend to see an increase in impaction colics, which is when dry intestinal contents create a blockage with subsequent pain and discomfort.  These impactions can have various causes but one of the most likely is that the horse isn't drinking enough water.  So here's your question!

What is one thing you can add to a horse's diet that will encourage them to drink more water?

Feel free to post your answers here or on our Facebook page.  The answer will be posted at the end of the day.  Good Luck!