Post by Shelly on Dec 2, 2014 0:29:30 GMT
In face of an emergency your horse's vitals signs can tell you ALOT of how your horse is doing. Knowing what your horses vitals are prior to calling the vet (or before they arrive... in an emergency always call first) can really help give your veterinarian an idea on what the problem is so they can then give you better guidance in return.
Here is a list of vitals that are considered “normal” for an adult horse:
Temperature: 99-101F (37.3-38.3C)
A horse’s temperature is taken rectally. Make sure to stand beside the horse while taking their temperature and to have a firm hold on the thermometer (some people will attach a string to their equine thermometer just incase). I like to press mine to the side so I don’t get a false reading.
Pulse: 20-44bpm
You can take a horse’s pulse using a stethoscope. Stand on the left side of the horse and place your stethoscope firmly in the little “dip” by the horses elbow. Count your heartbeat for 15 seconds and multiply your result x4 to get your number of beats per minute (bpm). You can also check your horse’s pulse underneath their jaw using the facial vein. Palpate gently underneath the jaw using your pointer finger and middle finger. You should be able to place your fingers on each side of the vein and count ever “bounce” you feel between your fingers to find your bpm.
Respirations: 10-24rpm
Counting a horse’s respiration rate is easily done from a distance (ie, looking from the outside of the stall). Look at their flanks/abdomen and count each full breath (every inhale and exhale counts as 1 breath). You can count the breaths for 15seconds and multiply your result x4 to get the number of respirations per minute (rpm). You can also count your respirations using a stethoscope directly over your horse’s ribs. This could be more difficult as other horse bodily sounds are audible and can be a bit harder to count. By auscultation the lungs you can also hear is there is any wheezing or etc that could indicate respiratory problems.
After getting my basic vital signs, I like to do a “head to toe” exam on my animals. The easiest way to remember is to literally start at the nose and continue down your horse’s body.
Nose: Nostrils should be free of discharge. If discharge present, take note of the color and consistency (ex, greenish, thick yellow or white). Also note if your horse’s nostrils are flaring or if your horse may look as they having trouble breathing.
Mouth: You can check your horses mucus membranes (ei, gums). They should be moist and a healthy pink color. You can also check your capillary refill time. To check this you can push on the gums with a finger. The spot you pushed on will turn white temporarily and should go back to its normal pink color in 2 seconds or less. If the colour does not return to pink within 2 seconds this could indicate possible circulatory problems.
Eyes: should be clear and bright, you can also check if your horse’s pupils are reactive to light using a flashlight.
Ears: are your horse’s ears alert? Reactive to sound?
Neck: Is your horse sweating? Does it look like their neck is “tugging” when they breath? Can you see their jugular vein “bounce”? You can do a skin test on your horse’s neck by pinching the skin. Your horse’s skin should replace itself within 1-2secs. If it does not replace itself it can indicate dehydration.
Overall body; What is your horse’s overall body score? Quality of their fur?
www.thehorse.com/free-reports/30154/equine-body-condition-score-poster
Gut/Gut sounds: gurgling, gaslike growls, should hear attest one “sound” for ever 40secs; absent = EMERGENCY. You can check your horse’s bowel sounds using a stethoscope and placing it firmly against your horse’s flank area.
Bowels: note consistency of stools (does the horse have diarrhea? Can you see chunks of feed in their stool?)
Hoof: is there heat? Can you see a bounding digital pulse? (can be felt at the back of the fetlock) - seeing this can indicate laminitis
It is always a good idea to practice doing all of these things on your horse before hand. Equine emergencies can be very stressful on your horse to begin with so if your horse is already comfortable with the basic examination process (yes this includes temperature! LOL) it can make treating/diagnosing your horse just a tad easier on your vet. I may have missed a few important things, so if you have anything to add just comment and I will add it to my current list. I used personal experience and “thehorse.com” as a source to create this list.
Here is a list of vitals that are considered “normal” for an adult horse:
Temperature: 99-101F (37.3-38.3C)
A horse’s temperature is taken rectally. Make sure to stand beside the horse while taking their temperature and to have a firm hold on the thermometer (some people will attach a string to their equine thermometer just incase). I like to press mine to the side so I don’t get a false reading.
Pulse: 20-44bpm
You can take a horse’s pulse using a stethoscope. Stand on the left side of the horse and place your stethoscope firmly in the little “dip” by the horses elbow. Count your heartbeat for 15 seconds and multiply your result x4 to get your number of beats per minute (bpm). You can also check your horse’s pulse underneath their jaw using the facial vein. Palpate gently underneath the jaw using your pointer finger and middle finger. You should be able to place your fingers on each side of the vein and count ever “bounce” you feel between your fingers to find your bpm.
Respirations: 10-24rpm
Counting a horse’s respiration rate is easily done from a distance (ie, looking from the outside of the stall). Look at their flanks/abdomen and count each full breath (every inhale and exhale counts as 1 breath). You can count the breaths for 15seconds and multiply your result x4 to get the number of respirations per minute (rpm). You can also count your respirations using a stethoscope directly over your horse’s ribs. This could be more difficult as other horse bodily sounds are audible and can be a bit harder to count. By auscultation the lungs you can also hear is there is any wheezing or etc that could indicate respiratory problems.
After getting my basic vital signs, I like to do a “head to toe” exam on my animals. The easiest way to remember is to literally start at the nose and continue down your horse’s body.
Nose: Nostrils should be free of discharge. If discharge present, take note of the color and consistency (ex, greenish, thick yellow or white). Also note if your horse’s nostrils are flaring or if your horse may look as they having trouble breathing.
Mouth: You can check your horses mucus membranes (ei, gums). They should be moist and a healthy pink color. You can also check your capillary refill time. To check this you can push on the gums with a finger. The spot you pushed on will turn white temporarily and should go back to its normal pink color in 2 seconds or less. If the colour does not return to pink within 2 seconds this could indicate possible circulatory problems.
Eyes: should be clear and bright, you can also check if your horse’s pupils are reactive to light using a flashlight.
Ears: are your horse’s ears alert? Reactive to sound?
Neck: Is your horse sweating? Does it look like their neck is “tugging” when they breath? Can you see their jugular vein “bounce”? You can do a skin test on your horse’s neck by pinching the skin. Your horse’s skin should replace itself within 1-2secs. If it does not replace itself it can indicate dehydration.
Overall body; What is your horse’s overall body score? Quality of their fur?
www.thehorse.com/free-reports/30154/equine-body-condition-score-poster
Gut/Gut sounds: gurgling, gaslike growls, should hear attest one “sound” for ever 40secs; absent = EMERGENCY. You can check your horse’s bowel sounds using a stethoscope and placing it firmly against your horse’s flank area.
Bowels: note consistency of stools (does the horse have diarrhea? Can you see chunks of feed in their stool?)
Hoof: is there heat? Can you see a bounding digital pulse? (can be felt at the back of the fetlock) - seeing this can indicate laminitis
It is always a good idea to practice doing all of these things on your horse before hand. Equine emergencies can be very stressful on your horse to begin with so if your horse is already comfortable with the basic examination process (yes this includes temperature! LOL) it can make treating/diagnosing your horse just a tad easier on your vet. I may have missed a few important things, so if you have anything to add just comment and I will add it to my current list. I used personal experience and “thehorse.com” as a source to create this list.
