Travelling can be a stressful activity for horses, both mentally and physically. Common travel related health issues can include dehydration, muscle soreness, traumatic injury, and colic. Long distance travel also risks the development of respiratory conditions such as “shipping fever”. So, what can you do to help prevent some of these problems for your horse?

Check your float: Ensure your float is regularly serviced and is safe and roadworthy. Be sure to carefully inspect the float flooring, as this is what is separating your horse from the bitumen below.

Hydration: Provide constant access to good clean water in the lead up to travel. Drinking can be encouraged by giving some electrolyte paste or by adding a small amount of salt to the feed. For horses which are fussy drinkers, try taking some familiar tasting water from home away with you. Remember, horses normally drink between 20-55 litres of water each day.

Ventilation: Make sure your float is well ventilated and free of dust and irritants which can wreak havoc on your horse’s airways. Be wary of ambient temperature during travel. On warm days, ensure good airflow and avoid rugging. Check the temperature inside the float regularly to avoid chilling or overheating your horse, and consider avoiding travel altogether in extreme temperatures.

Take regular breaks: Keep trip length to a 12 hour maximum. Stop every 3-4 hours to offer water, and ideally allow your horse to stretch his legs. At these breaks, offer grass or feed at ground level to enable your horse to lower his head and clear the airways.

It is important to understand the normal calving process to know when to intervene. The normal calving process is divided into 3 stages of labour, as follows:

Stage 1 – This is where the soft tissues of the birth canal dilate in preparation for calving

Stage 2 – In this stage the cow will lie down with active contractions until the calf is delivered. Average 70 minutes in a normal calving with progress seen every 15 – 20 minutes

Stage 3 – this is the expulsion of the placenta and should be complete within 24 hours of calving

Signs of trouble calving/when to intervene

• Slow progress of expelling the calf in stage 2 i.e. no further progress after 20 minutes
• If 2 hours of labour has passed without complete delivery
• Presence of the water bag or feet without any further progress of calving
• Where it can be seen that the calf is not in the correct position. Examples of this include if only one leg can be seen outside the vulva.
• If you can see yellow fluid coming out (meconium).

Tips for assisting a cow that is having trouble calving  

• Always clean the vulva and perineum before having a feeling inside.
• Use plenty of lube.
• Do not try to pull it out unless you are sure it is in the correct position!
• When using mechanical calf pullers, force should never be excessive – the calf will come with steady traction providing it is not too big and in the correct position.

When is it time to call the vet?

• If you have tried for 20 minutes and the calf is not out
• If you can feel that the calf is not in the correct position and you are unable to correct it
• If the calf is not progressing out despite using steady pulling/ traction with the calf in correct position – likely indicates too big to come out without veterinary intervention

Pneumonia is a very frequently occurring disease in calves. It is often seen in calves 4-6 weeks of age and post weaning. The disease is characterised by:

• Open mouth breathing
• Nasal and oral discharge
• Coughing
• Drooping ears
• Increased respiratory rate
• Fever >39.3oC
• Sudden drop in condition
• Reduced appetite

The risk of a calf developing disease depends on several factors which relate to either the chance of exposure to a pathogen and the immunity of individual. Cold weather, poor air quality, mixing of age groups and overcrowding increase the chance of exposure. While a calf gains immunity from colostrum; stress, ventilation and husbandry influence their ability to fight disease.

Prompt treatment of calves is essential for good outcomes. The lungs can become permanently damaged following a bout of pneumonia. In fact, a calf which develops pneumonia pre-weaning is 1.8x as likely to suffer from calving difficulties as a heifer. This indicates the lifelong impact that pneumonia has on dairy cattle.

If you are having trouble with pneumonia in calves, please call us. We can provide a correct diagnosis, look for risk factors to reduce disease and set up treatment plans for your calves.

Narcolepsy is a rare sleep disorder that has been recognised in many species. The condition affects around 1 in every 2000 humans, however the true incidence of narcolepsy in horses is unknown.

Narcolepsy in horses, and many other mammals, is characterised by periodic episodes of “cataplexy”. Muscle function is temporarily affected resulting in mild weakness to complete collapse. During most attacks horses will regain strength and stand without falling, but occasionally horses may fall completely.

Horses suffering from narcolepsy may show unexplained abrasions or injuries associated with weakness or collapse, especially over the fetlocks and hocks.

In humans, emotions can be triggers for narcoleptic attacks. However, in horses, attacks can occur during routine activities such as leading a horse out of his stable, hosing off after exercise, or during the first mouthful of water or feed. There is even the potential for a horse to suffer a narcoleptic attack during riding.

The exact cause of narcolepsy is not known. Diagnosis can be challenging as episodes can be difficult to observe, although video recording of a horse in his stall can be helpful. It is very important to rule out other conditions that may cause sudden collapse, such as heart conditions, seizures and other neurological diseases.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for narcolepsy in horses or humans. One of the more common drugs used in human patients, imipramine, has been used in horses with inconsistent results. The negative side effects of such medications should also be considered.