The weather is nice, and you’re out on a long ride with your horse. But right at the start of the first stretch of canter, your horse suddenly becomes very stiff and starts sweating unusually heavily. It barely wants to move and is arching its back downward. However, these signs seem too severe to be just simple muscle soreness, especially since you haven’t done anything with your horse in the last few days. Avoid any further movement of your horse and always contact your veterinarian immediately in such a case. The symptoms described are very painful and may be the first signs of a laminitis attack.
Cross-lambing is a metabolic disorder. During prolonged periods of rest combined with a high-carbohydrate diet, the horse’s muscles build up an energy reserve known as glycogen. When you start exercising your horse again, this glycogen is broken down through muscle work with the help of oxygen. If there is too much glycogen, not enough oxygen can be supplied for its breakdown, and breakdown products such as lactate (=lactic acid) accumulate in the muscle. This accumulation is further exacerbated by reduced blood flow in cool outdoor temperatures, as less lactate can be removed. The muscles become acidic and cramp up. As the condition progresses, muscle cells may be destroyed and the muscle protein myoglobin may leak out.
Since this muscle disorder frequently occurs after horses have not been worked for one or more days while maintaining the same feed ration, it is also known as “holiday disease” or “Monday Morning Disease.” However, horses that are worked regularly can also develop the condition. Young horses of heavy breeds are particularly at risk. In the days when carriage and work horses were heavily labored, this disease was greatly feared. Today, it occurs only sporadically, mostly in horses that are light eaters and in good nutritional condition.
In typical cases, the first symptoms appear within the first 15 minutes after the horse begins moving. The horse starts to tremble, sweat, and exhibits a stiff gait or stops moving altogether. The back is arched, the forelegs are extended forward, and the hind legs are thrust far back. This "sawhorse stance" is characteristic of cross-strike. If movement is not stopped immediately, the hindquarters may buckle and the horse may fall. If the heart muscle is affected, an elevated heart rate and cardiac arrhythmias may occur. The muscles of the back, croup, and thighs are severely hardened and painful. Another very noticeable symptom is the brownish discoloration of the urine, caused by the breakdown of myoglobin.
The condition is extremely painful for the horse and requires immediate veterinary treatment.
In addition to assessing the typical symptoms, a blood test is the best way for your veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis.
The most important immediate action is to prevent the affected horse from moving at all in order to prevent its condition from worsening. Blood circulation can be stimulated by covering the horse and massaging in liniments. This helps improve oxygen supply and the removal of harmful substances.
Veterinary treatment aims to prevent further muscle damage. To this end, metabolism and kidney function are stabilized through fluid administration via intravenous infusion. Pain relievers and antispasmodics may also be used. Your veterinarian will determine the exact course of action on a case-by-case basis. Only once your horse is completely at rest again can it be carefully led back to the stable or transported.
The likelihood of a full recovery depends heavily on the severity and extent of the condition, and in particular on whether the horse was immediately restricted from movement when the first symptoms appeared. In mild cases and with immediate treatment, a complete resolution of symptoms without any lasting damage can be expected within 12 to 24 hours. Even if the horse is lying down but is able to stand up on its own or with assistance on the second or third day after treatment, there is a good chance of recovery. If significant muscle damage has occurred, the healing phase can be significantly prolonged. In such cases, incomplete healing with long-term consequences in the form of muscle atrophy and permanent lameness is also possible. Affected horses are prone to relapse.
In extremely severe cases, if no attempts to stand are made even after three days, the prospects for recovery are very poor, as too large a portion of the musculature has already been irreparably damaged.
The incidence of this condition has already decreased significantly thanks to improved housing and training conditions. Nevertheless, certain factors are known to contribute to the development of colic. So what can you, as a horse owner, do to eliminate these factors?
The foundation of good prevention is feeding your horse a diet tailored to its needs, with sufficient roughage, which should be adjusted daily based on the varying level of exertion. Ensure your horse gets a consistent amount of exercise every day. If this isn’t possible, reduce the concentrate ration. Don’t expect your horse to run a marathon if it has had a long break from training. Always ensure an adequate warm-up phase. Increase the workload only gradually so that you can enjoy your next ride with your equine partner without any worries!
Tooth fractures are relatively common in dogs and are usually caused by playing with stones or sticks, biting, or accidents. This can result in small, sharp chips in the enamel or larger defects that expose the pulp (nerve and blood vessels). If the pulp cavity is exposed, the tooth should be treated as soon as possible to reduce the risk of infection and preserve the tooth. The incisors, canines, and fangs are primarily affected. Young dogs are particularly at risk because their teeth are still developing and are therefore much more unstable than those of adult dogs.
Tumors of the urinary bladder or urethra are relatively rare in dogs, but are often malignant. In most cases, they are transitional cell carcinomas. Older female dogs are primarily affected. A higher incidence has been observed in Scottish Terriers, Airedale Terriers, West Highland White Terriers, and Beagles.
This tumor, which originates in the spleen, is one of the most malignant cancers in dogs. The spleen tumor grows very quickly and spreads metastases to all other organs, often before the actual primary tumor is discovered. Older dogs between the ages of eight and ten are most commonly affected.
Leukosis is a tumorous disease of the hematopoietic system and, unlike in dogs or cattle, is relatively rare in horses. Lymphatic leukosis is the most common form in horses and develops as a result of the degeneration of cells in the immune system.
Kidney disease is relatively rare in horses, but its symptoms are often nonspecific and therefore not always immediately recognized, meaning that treatment is often delayed. In many cases, kidney disease is a concomitant or secondary condition of other diseases.
This disease, often mistakenly referred to as feline leukemia, is caused by the feline leukemia virus. However, since the virus causes many other serious symptoms in addition to malignant tumors of the lymphatic tissue, the name is somewhat misleading
Anthrax is an acute, often fatal infectious disease that mainly affects cattle and sheep, but horses are also highly susceptible. The disease gets its name from the "burnt" appearance of the spleen in infected animals. Anthrax is found worldwide and is considered a zoonosis, as it is also dangerous to humans. It is a notifiable animal disease, but is now rarely observed in Germany. The anthrax bacterium is considered one of the most dangerous pathogens and could also be used by terrorists as a biological weapon.
A must-have in every horse stable: a box containing the most important items for providing first aid or minor treatment to your horse yourself.
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological brain disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. Since horses have a significantly higher seizure threshold than small animals or humans, for example, seizure disorders are relatively rare in horses. Seizures only occur in horses with severe brain damage. Foals, on the other hand, have a significantly lower seizure threshold and are more susceptible to seizure-triggering factors.
Feline panleukopenia, also known as parvovirus or panleukopenia, is an acute, serious infectious disease that is particularly dangerous and even life-threatening for young, unvaccinated cats. Thanks to an effective vaccine, this disease can now be easily prevented.
Lush green meadows, a small herd of horses galloping towards someone calling from afar, the sun shining from a cloudless sky... how beautiful are the images of summer! And what a time for our horses, when they can live as close to their natural state as possible. Nevertheless, grazing time also requires appropriate management, regardless of whether the horses are only out to pasture for a few hours or live on permanent pasture for months at a time.
Mycoplasmosis is the most common respiratory disease in rats. Also known as murine respiratory mycoplasmosis (MRM), this disease is caused by a bacterium that is very common in pet rats and is chronic and progressive.
