Know your horse - by Lynne Allison Wilhelm By Denise Nisbet on Sunday, 25 March 2012 at 09:52 Lynne Allison Wilhelm Although high temperatures are often an indication of AHS, by the time the horse has a high temperature, the body has normally been fighting the virus for quite a while. Its merely an indication of the fight already happening and the body is possibly struggling to cope. Add to the fact that several people who have lost horses have said their horse has had no temperature rise, it soon becomes clear that although taking temperatures daily is a help, we CANNOT afford to go by that alone. A key factor in winning the battle against AHS is to know your horses. Know how they respond to you and each other, how they greet you, how they eat their food, how much they drink on cold and hot days, how fast they move during certain times of the day, when they lie down, how bright their eyes look. Knowing them inside and out will allow you to pick up a change in them that will tell you in your gut there is something wrong with them. If you feel something is not right, do not wait for the vet, start treating with the chosen alternative immediately. I am NOT saying do not get the vet out, but where ever second counts you cannot afford to wait for them to arrive without starting to help the horse to cope. I cannot stress enough that it is vital to have your chosen treatment/support on hand. It doesnt help if there is nothing available to treat the horse with when every hour counts and the vet is an hours drive away. At the start of the horse sickness season stock up with whatever you need, get an emergency kit together and purchase whatever treatment/support you choose. At first sign of looking off colour, boost their immune system, give alternative supports to eradicate the virus, prevent colic - for billiary too if need be. As long as it is safe and will only benefit - I would not wait for the vet or a diagnosis. Not when our horses lives are at stake. Once again, it doesnt mean dont get the vet but at least you will be able to do something for the horse to begin the road to healing while waiting for the vet. Many vets will tell you that there are heaps of viral infections going around. This is a scary time for every horse owner. Two of the scariest things are firstly the unknown - the pictures and reality of AHS still fresh in every one of our minds and the fact that we are helpless - there is nothing we can do. If we can take the fear out of the equation and replace it with knowledge - the knowledge that we CAN do something and it doesnt always end in death, we are halfway there. If we are to do this we need to equip ourselves in every way to be as prepared as possible for when AHS lands up on our doorstep ... and then pray we never have to use our knowledge or the treatments/supports. This year it seems that mares with foals are hit the hardest. Here there is a need to stress that the mare must get extra care - good nutrition and extra of whatever you choose to boost the immune system and the foals too. She needs to be in the best condition possible as she is providing immunity for herself and her foal. Many people dont realise just how much the foal takes out of the mother. Having said this all this, nothing is ever fool proof with this disease it seems and it sadly does not always work that way. Some who have done everything in their power have still lost horses and we do query why. I dont think we will ever stop asking why and going through our minds if we could have done something differently. It is then that we need to realise that maybe, just like people, there comes a time when our lives on this earth is up however hard it is to accept that.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 15:51:36 +0000
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