To learn more about Judith Falk and Second Wind Equine Sports Massage, visit Judith’s WEBSITE: www.SecondWindESM.com BLOG: www.secondwindesm.blogspot.com/ and FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/SecondWindEquineSportsMassage/

Train your dog with Zukes Mini Naturals.

Chicken 16 oz.

$6.99

Peanut Butter 16 oz.

$6.99

Thank you to shewhisperer for this week’s Clip of the Week.

To learn more about Judith Falk and Second Wind Equine Sports Massage, visit Judith’s WEBSITE: www.SecondWindESM.com BLOG: www.secondwindesm.blogspot.com/ and FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/SecondWindEquineSportsMassage/

Keep coming back on the third Wednesday of every month to see more of Judith’s Equine Massage Videos.

By Heather Dilts Baiano
From Rein, Summer 2010

If you have ever ridden along the beach, enjoying the cry of the gulls, laughter of friends, and galloping horses, we’re certain swimming with your horse has crossed your mind. The lure of the gentle waves draw your eyes further out off the sandy beach. You eagerly aim your horse out to the shimmering horizon and urge him forward.

How do you encourage your horse to swim? Does swimming have any benefits to a horse? Are there dangers to such a venture?

According to research, relax, the benefits are endless.

Swimming with your horse can be a form of therapy. It increases circulation, and is a non-weight-bearing exercise. It relieves boredom that sets in for horses (and riders) while improving fitness, stamina, and muscle tone. For example, if a horse is on stall rest, he can still be taken out to swim. Ten minutes swimming for a horse is equal to one hour of schooling in a ring. The horse can stay in good physical condition while recovering.

Most of the muscles a horse uses they employ while swimming without impact that usually occurs on ground. There is no concussion or shockwave that travels through the legs and body, allowing muscles to work harder due to resistance, but limits potential injuries. (Click here to read complete article)

For those of you who don’t live near the beach, there are a couple of other ways to get your horse in the water.

1) Kesmarc (Kentucky Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center)

Kesmarc is a world class equine sports medicine facility, dedicated to the recovery and conditioning of high-end equine athletes. Kesmarc’s state-of-the-art swimming pool provides all of the benefits of aerobic exercise in a strong conditioning program without stressing the tendons, ligaments and muscles of the leg.

• Maintains muscle tone and cardiopulmonary capacity

• Increases mental alertness and freshness in track sour horses

• Great when used in conjunction with Aquatred Therapy and Equigym Therapy for complete rehabilitation and cross training effect.

2) Horse-Gym Aquatrainer

For more information on Kesmarc or the Horse Gym Aquatrainer, call/visit farmvet at 888.837.3626, www.farmvet.com.

by: Brian W. Fitzgerald, DVM

The Horse
September 01 2009, Article # 9530

The scenario is all too familiar for many horse owners … yesterday your horse was sound, but today you find him crippled, with no apparent injury! What could have happened? Odds are this horse has a hoof abscess. Sooner or later, nearly all horse owners will encounter this problem. Fortunately, most horses make a full recovery with prompt treatment.

Hoof Abscesses Defined

Hoof abscesses occur when bacteria get trapped between the sensitive laminae (the tissue layer that bonds the hoof capsule to the coffin bone) and the hoof wall or sole. The bacteria create exudate (pus), which builds up and creates pressure behind the hoof wall or under the sole. This pressure can be become extremely painful.

Although most commonly seen during the wet winter and spring months, hoof abscesses can plague horses year-round. Moisture in the environment can soften regions of the foot and make it easier for bacteria to get trapped inside. Extremely dry conditions can cause brittle, cracked feet. The abscess-causing bacteria enter the foot through hoof cracks, by traveling up the white line, through penetrating wounds to the foot, and even by “close” horseshoeing nails. Deep bruising might also trigger abscesses.

Diagnosing a Hoof Abscess

While a hoof abscess generally takes several days to develop, most horses don’t show any clinical signs until the pressure becomes so great that severe lameness is evident. Often this lameness develops overnight. Changes in blood flow to the hoof cause it to throb, and this can be detected as a more evident pulse in the affected lower limb. Palpation of the coronary band (hairline) or heel bulbs often elicits pain. Some hoof abscesses can cause varying degrees of swelling in the lower limbs, but the majority will not. It is important to involve your veterinarian early on in the diagnosis and treatment of this condition because hoof abscesses can mimic other more serious diseases or injuries.

Vets usually diagnose a hoof abscess based on history and a physical examination. Whenever possible your vet will use hoof testers to localize the abscess to a region of the foot. Sometimes he or she might use diagnostic nerve blocks or even radiographs to confirm the diagnosis or to pinpoint the exact location of the abscess.

Treatment

The quickest way to relieve hoof abscess pain is to drain the exudate buildup, which is like popping a large pimple. The growing exudate and pressure of the abscess will try to take the path of least resistance. For some abscesses, this means they will rupture on their own and drain at the coronary band (commonly referred to as a “gravel”) or heel bulbs. Other abscesses will need to be surgically drained by your veterinarian. For a small percentage of abscesses, they will spread deeper into surrounding structures, such as the coffin bone, navicular bursae, or deep digital flexor tendon sheath. This is particularly true with chronic abscesses in which treatment is delayed. If any of these other structures become affected, the treatment can be prolonged, costly, and could result in unsoundness.

In most cases your veterinarian will create a small hole through the white line, sole, or hoof wall in order to provide a pathway for the exudate to leave the foot. Once drainage is established, your veterinarian will probably apply some type of poultice or bandage to help pull the remaining exudate from the hoof.

Depending on where the abscess drains, your vet might recommend keeping the drainage site clean until it has had a chance to dry and harden.

Treat Abscesses with Kaeco’s Hoof Abscess Kit

only  $42.25

This kit contains all of the essential components to help address abscesses, punctures, and sole bruising.

• Kaeco’s Epsom Salt Poultice
• 4-Wooden Applicators
• Hoof Wraps tough resistant nylon bandage
• CoFlex Elastic Bandage – 2 Rolls
• 4-Cotton Barrier Pads

Prevention

Regular hoof care and farriery is an important step in preventing hoof abscesses, but there is no guarantee that your horse will be immune to this problem. While difficult to control, avoiding extremely wet or dry conditions, as well as sudden changes in moisture, can help prevent formation of hoof abscesses. Routine mucking of stalls, pens, or other confined areas can also help prevent them.

Call/visit us online for questions or to order: 888.837.3626, www.farmvet.com

Some of FarmVet’s best Cross Ties and Lead Ropes include:

Call/visit us online at 888.837.3626, www.farmvet.com to order.

Some of FarmVet’s best Western Products include:

 Thank you to livestrong for this week’s Video Spotlight.

Call/visit us online at 888.837.3626, www.farmvet.com to order.

To learn more about Judith Falk and Second Wind Equine Sports Massage, visit Judith’s WEBSITE: www.SecondWindESM.com BLOG: www.secondwindesm.blogspot.com/ and FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/SecondWindEquineSportsMassage/

Keep checking back here for Judith’s next Equine Massage Video.

“Rain Rot”, “Scratches”, “Dew Poisoning”, “Skin Scurf”, “Pastern Dermatitis”, “Greasy Heel”, “Mud Fever”…all of these terms will cause horse owners to groan, shudder, exude sympathy for the person treating it, and silently pray that their horse isn’t the next victim!  This condition is caused by fungus-like bacteria called Dermatophilus congolensis.  It typically affects the lower limbs first, with white legs and light colored horses more susceptible.

Most of the time, this skin disease can be controlled with good stable management and grooming techniques.  Unfortunately, there are some common misconceptions out there in what constitutes good stable management for prevention.  While horses living outside full-time in rainy conditions with long hair coats and infrequent grooming are affected with this condition, there are also many, many show horses who are groomed every day, body clipped, and rarely turned out that have to battle scratches.  Since readers can find a multitude of articles about how to manage and treat scratches in pastured horses, this blog is going to focus on preventing and treating scratches in show horses.  Many of these animals are either on their way to winter horse show circuits, or are already enjoying sunny locations.

The biggest contributing factor in the development of scratches is MOISTURE.  Moisture strips away the natural protective oils in the skin, penetrates the protective layers, and causes irritation and inflammation.  This allows the bacteria to also penetrate the skin, and set up an infection.  The biggest source of moisture in a show horse’s environment is BATHS.  Many of these horses are bathed daily…in wash racks away from their barn…where they then walk with wet legs through sand or dirt to their stalls…  This scenario is basically an open invitation for bacteria to waltz right in and infect legs!  Yes, show horses have to be clean while they are in the ring, but this doesn’t always mean they need to be bathed every day.  There is also a fear that they will pick up skin disease in the show rings, and need to have the sand and dirt washed off after each ride.  Brushing and toweling off legs will clean them without stripping away all the protective barriers the body has in place.  In fact, brushing actually brings those protective oils to the surface, which is why horses that are groomed daily have such a nice sheen to their coats.  When a horse does need a bath, make sure to towel dry his legs in the wash rack before walking him through the sand or dirt to his stall.  Also, using a gentle shampoo that has some antibacterial properties, such as a silver-based shampoo or Nolvasan/Chlorhexidine shampoo will also help protect the legs.  Harsh scrubs such as Betadine should only be used for the first few days of treatment for scratches.  Longer-term, this will dry out the skin and cause more irritation and inflammation.

If these management changes still aren’t enough to keep scratches at bay, begin treating your horse as soon as you see any evidence of skin disease.  Sometimes this manifests as swollen, hot, and painful legs (to the point of severe lameness), and sometimes there will be ulcerations and raised nodules on the legs, with or without hair loss.  It is always a very good idea to have your veterinarian examine the horse to determine the severity of the skin disease, and help you formulate the correct treatment plan.  Typically, the horse will need systemic broad-spectrum antibiotics such as SMZ’s or Gentacin and Naxcel.  If the swelling and skin inflammation is severe, the horse may also need to have a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as Banamine for a few days, and possibly an injection of a steroid such as Dexamethasone to help decrease the pain and inflammation.  As stated before, using Betadine shampoo for the first few days of treatment will help to kill a lot of the bacteria, but then you need to switch back to one of the more mild shampoos listed above.  Just as in the prevention of scratches, when you are treating for the disease, you also want to keep the legs as clean and dry as possible, and only shampoo every few days after the initial 2 or 3 days of treatment.  The legs should also be coated twice a day with a topical cream containing a combination of anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs.  Hopefully these tips will help prevent a long, drawn-out battle with a very nasty skin disease.

Call/visit us online at 888.837.3626, www.farmvet.com for questions about Scratches or to place an order.

Some of FarmVet’s best Tack Equipment includes:

Call/visit us online at 888.837.3626, www.farmvet.com to order.