Routine health checks

Performing annual health checks can help to keep your horse in tip top condition and notice problems before they become serious, particularly in geriatric horses.

What is a geriatric horse?

Horses aged over 18 are considered to be geriatric.  Looking after a geriatric horse can be quite challenging and often small changes to the way you manage your older horse can have big differences in the future quality of life

What things do i need to take special note of for my geriatric horse?

TEETH - As your horse ages, the teeth are gradually worn down which leads to problems with chewing as well as numerous other serious issues.  An annual dental exam is a very important part of caring for your geriatric horse; allowing the vet to address any dental problems they find and to discuss the most appropriate kind of dietary management with you. Please see our dentistry page for further information. 

NUTRITION - As dental function declines your horse may need to switch to a complete pelleted feed to meet its nutritional requirements.  There are many senior pelleted rations on the market now and advice should be sought as to which is most appropriate for your horse. Also some diseases more common in geriatrics may limit the types of feed your horse can have.  Addition of things like brewers yeast can increase the B vitamin content of feeds and adding vegtable oils can increase the engergy of the feed and neither requires chewing to be of benefit!

WEIGHT LOSS - If you notice a change in your geriatric horses' weight you should have a thorough check -up and consider a blood test to check renal and liver function.  Once a geriatric horse begins to lose weight it can be extremely challenging to get the weight back on and weight loss is often the first sign of systemic illness.

VACCINATION AND WORMING - Geriatric horses often don't have excellent immune systems and are thus more likely to pick up any disease which they come in contact with, particularly if they suffer from cushings.  Their natural immunity to parasites also may not be what it once was and they will pick up worm infections easily.  Please see our worming section for advice and if your horse is in contact with others we reccomend you maintain up to date Influenza vaccinations and tetanus vaccinations should always be maintained.

Diseases that particularly affect geriatrics

Cushings Disease (hyperadrenocorticism):  This is one of the most common conditons affecting older horses.  It is caused by a benign growth on the pituitary gland which then causes the pituitary gland to overproduce several hormones.  These hormones then in turn cause an overproduction of cortisol and other cortisol like hormones.  These have wide reaching effects throughtout the body including interfering with blood glucose regulation and supressing the immune system.  Perhaps the most serious effect of cushings is to predispose the horse to developing laminitis which is often fatal if the underlying cushings cannot be controlled.  The most common signs of cushings disease are long hair coat that doesn't shed readily, increased drinking/urination, pot bellied appearance, chronic or persistent laminitis, skin infections and frequent respiratory infections.  There are a variety of tests available to diagnose cushings and the most appropriate test will be selected by your veterinarian but all involve taking blood samples.  There is no cure for cushings but there are treatments which help to control the side effects of hormone overproduction.  If you suspect your horse has cushings disease please don't hesitate to contact us to discuss this conditon in further detail.

Arthritis:  Most older horses suffer from wear and tear to their joints.  For this reason it's a good idea to allow your older horse regular exercise.  If this is ridden exercise bear in mind that older horses bodies change shape quite rapidly and the saddle may need to be adjusted regularly to maintain a good fit.  Supplementation with products that contain glucosamine/chondroitin or hyaluronic acid may also assist horses with arthritis.  Some horses have lameness problems which can't be cured and as such require daily non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) therapy. Any changes in your horses lameness should be discussed with your vet and if maintained on NSAIDs monitoring may be required.

Heart Murmurs:  a lot of geriatric horses have heart murmurs and most live with them without developing heart failure for some time if at all.  The most common cause is a leaky valve and dependent and the size of the leak this may not cause a problem.  The only way to accurately assess the significance of a horse's heart murmur is to perform a cardiac ultrasound.  General signs that your horse may be suffering from heart failure are exercise intolerance, weight loss, ventral oedema and swollen legs and a jugular pulse.  Treatment for equine heart conditions is limited.

Cataracts:  These are opacities of the lens which interfere with the horses vision and in some cases can progress to include the whole lens and thus cause blindness.  There are many different types of cataracts but this information will focus on senile cataracts.  Senile cataracts are very common in geriatric horses, the exact cause of these cataracts is unknown.  They are usually bilateral but not necessarily symmetrical.  They usually progress slowly but over time can result in blindness.  Cataracts can be surgically removed, however, this is a very specialised procedure not suitable in every case.


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