In July 2021, Horse Canada, Canada’s national horse magazine, published an excerpt from The Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need in its Equine Welfare section. The excerpt covers the veterinary examination every newly acquired rescue horse should receive: what the first visit establishes medically and legally, body condition scoring, fecal evaluation, the Coggins test, blood work, and screening older horses for PPID. Horse Canada’s editorial introduction framed the piece with Canadian context, noting that 30,000 to 60,000 unwanted horses are processed annually in Canada’s slaughter industry.
Helping Horses in Need: The Veterinary Examination
Excerpt from The Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need by Stacie G. Boswell, DVM, DACVS — Horse Canada, July 7, 2021
This article is provided for general information only. It is not a substitute for veterinary examination, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a licensed veterinarian before beginning any treatment or making decisions about your horse’s care.
A few passages from the excerpt:
Your veterinarian is part of the team
As soon as your new horse is home, call a veterinarian for a physical examination. Your veterinarian is a big part of your team—she will help you establish a medical record, legally documenting your horse’s condition on arrival. She will also identify subtle or underlying problems, perform laboratory testing, and make a plan to restore your horse to full health. As the new owner, willingness and financial ability to provide medical care supports your legal ownership, should it ever be questioned.
Why deworming is not automatic
If a horse is debilitated, deworming him before his strength returns could cause harm. A newly acquired rescue horse has many risk factors for colic: travel, a change in food, and a change in housing. Another is killing off a large number of parasites at one time, which may result in inflammation of the gut, causing colic.
The case for blood work
The biochemistry panel is a good screening tool for every horse, but especially for a thin animal. If there is an underlying disease process, such as kidney failure, you will have a much tougher time working on weight gain. And, you have to ask yourself, how fair is it to keep going with a horse who has a fatal disease that remains unidentified and untreated? Doing blood work helps you make educated choices about what the best, most humane plan is for a horse.
Read the complete excerpt at Horse Canada.
The Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need covers care, training, and rehabilitation for rescues, adoptions, and horses in transition. The book is available directly from Stacie or from Trafalgar Square Books.