Sick Horse

Horses are quite large animals and thus when your horse falls sick, it becomes challenging to take good care of your pet. It is the responsibility of the owner of the sick horse to look for symptoms and changes in its attitude, give him proper treatment in time and take extra care while it is recuperating. If you are the one who wants to be a really good horse keeper and have a keen desire to know what to do when your horse is sick, the following account will be a boon for you.

Signs of a Sick Horse

Some of the extremely common signs and symptoms of a sick horse are lowered head, excessive sweating, once the horse lies down, it will be unable to get up, it is coughing and has a runny nose, ears flat back, it is behaving differently, discharge of mucus or thin clear liquid and it looks sad and miserable. Other signs that show your horse is sick are high temperature with raised pulse and breathing, its coat becomes dry and dull, it stops eating and drinking normally, pale or very red gums and eyelids, grinds teeth, its excreta is loose and unusual in color, it paws at the floor and the area around its nostrils looks pinched.

Treatment of Sick Horse

Medicines given to a sick horse may include any or a combination of pills, powders, capsules or liquids. These medicines are administered in different ways which are-

• Pills should be given to the horse after crushing.
• Press the capsule in the apple pulp, the horse will accept it as a treat.
• Add the powdered medications to the horse’s food.
• Liquid medicines are given like powdered ones. To add to the methods; drop the accurate amount inside lower lip or squirt it into your horse’s mouth with a syringe and onto your horse’s tongue.

Caring for Sick Horse

Efficient and considerate nursing is an important part of treating the sick or recuperating horse. Without good nursing his recovery may be delayed.

The sick horse should be kept in a well-ventilated, but draught-free, loose box, as far as possible away from other horses and from noise and other activities. The bed should be deep and comfortable and made from short straw to enable the horse to move around without great effort. Follow the instructions below to relieve your sick horse and help it recuperate rapidly-

• The infected horse must have his own grooming kit, feed bowl, water bucket, rugs etc, which are not allowed to come into contact with other horses.
• The person attending the sick horse must keep overalls, boots and rubber gloves at the isolation stable and these should not be allowed to come into contact with other horses.
• Always give it fresh water to drink.
• A bowl of disinfectant, soap, scrubbing brush and a towel must be kept at the isolation box for the use of the veterinary surgeon and the attendant after each visit to the sick horse.
• Never feed it with lawn trimmings.
• Stable bedding and muck that are removed from the isolation box should be burned and not put on the muck heap.
• When the horse has recovered, all the items of clothing, including the head collar, and bandages that have been used on him should be disinfected. The stable must be emptied and thoroughly scrubbed out with a strong disinfectant.

Horse is one of the most elegant animals amongst the tall ones. They are believed to be a symbol of strength, power, beauty, grace, nobility and freedom. These traits make them desirable. The horse keepers sometimes find themselves in a soup when they have a sick horse in their stable. If details of horse sickness, care and treatment are known, horses can regain their health quickly.