Equine Intro and Terminology Flashcards

Flashcards covering common terminology, physical examination, and normal values in horses.

Foal

Young horse prior to weaning

Weanling

Young horse, from weaning to first birthday

Yearling

One to one and a half years old

Colt

Intact male between 2 and 3 years old

Filly

Female between 2 and 3 years old

Stallion

Intact male older than 3 years

Mare

Female older than 3 years

Gelding

Castrated male of any age

 Common leg markings

• Coronet

• Pastern

• Sock

• Stocking

 Common face markings

• Star

• Stripe/Strip

• Snip

• Blaze

• Bald

Common colors of horses

• Bay

• Sorrel/Chestnut

• Black

• Grey

• Dun

• Roan

Whorls

Every horse has them in the flank and over the trachea, not helpful for ID

Equine Insurance

Mortality, Loss of use, Surgical insurance

Consent Forms

Owner must sign prior to treatment/surgery. Needed for Euthanasia Authorization.

In case of extreme circumstances where animal is suffering,

veterinarian has permission to euthanize in case the owner cannot be contacted by phone

Physical Examination Types

Baseline, Potential problems, Insurance examination, Pre-purchase examination (Used in the sale of horses; It is not a guarantee!)

Patient History Components

Vaccination history/deworming history, possible exposure to contagious diseases, clinical signs, medications given, feeding regimen, environmental stresses

Basic physical examination procedures

Visual observation, Respiration, Pulse, Heart/lung auscultation, Abdominal auscultation, Temperature, Mucous membrane evaluation, Hydration status, +/- height, weight measurement

Visual Observation

• Gait

• Posture

• Hair coat

Normal respirations for adult horses

8-20 breaths/min

Landmarks for Lung Auscultation

Caudal to shoulder musculature; Ventral to epaxial muscles

Pulse Locations

Facial artery, Transverse facial artery, Coccygeal artery, Digital artery (femoral artery in sheep and goats)

Normal pulse for adult horses

28-44 bpm

Normal pulse for foals

70-100 bpm

Heart Auscultation

• Auscultate both sides of thorax

• Rate and Rhythm

• Regular/irregular

• Best from left side

• Heart sounds (S1 and S2) are very distinct sounds (don’t over count heart rate!)

Landmarks for Heart Auscultation

Caudal to triceps, Ventral to level of shoulder joint (heart base), Dorsal to level of elbow joint (heart apex)

Large animal thermometer with string and alligator clip

• Can lose thermometer in rectum

• Can attach to the tail hairs or hair coat (never the skin)

Normal Temperature for Adult Horses

99-101.5 degrees F

Normal Temperature for Foals

• 97-98 ⁰F immediately after birth

• 99-102 ⁰F first few days to weeks after birth

Food Intake for Adult Equine

1-2% body weight/day

1,000# horse eats about 10-20# of forage

Taking a Temperature

• Stand at hip facing caudally

• Grasp the base of the tail and move to the side-not up (sensitive area for most horses)

• Insert the lubricated thermometer

• Clip to tail hair

• Wait at least 60 seconds for a mercury thermometer

• Gently remove the thermometer and read

Water Intake for Adult Equine

5-10 gallons/day

Defecation Frequency for Adult Equine

10-15 times/day

Urination Frequency for Adult Equine

4-6 times/day

Abdominal Auscultation Scores

0 - Silent, no motility heard during 30 seconds.
1 - Less than normal motility.
2 - Normal motility.
3 - Hypermotile, more gut sounds than usual.

“Normal” motility in adult horses is 1-3 borborygmi/min

Normal mucous membrane

light to dark pink and moist

Abnormal mucous membrane

• Blue (cyanosis) – extremely low oxygen levels in blood; multiple causes

• Brick-red – endotoxic shock (often from gram negative)

• Yellow (icteric) – liver issues

• Pale (pink-white)- anemia or poor perfusion but in horses does not indicate disease (can be normal finding)

• Splotched (petechiae) – hemorrhages, clotting disorder (also ecchymotic, purpuric size of hemorrhage dictates nomenclature

• Moist/dry/tacky—not as useful as above

Capillary Refill Time

Gums should return to normal color in less than 2 seconds

Skin Turgor

• Pinch the loose skin at the point of the shoulder

• Skin should snap back to its original position in 1 second or less

• In dehydrated animals if the response is greater than 1 second (>5% dehydration)

• In severely dehydrated animals it may take 8 seconds or more

Height

Measured in hands, 1 hand = 4 inches

Weight

• Weight is measured at girth area-just behind withers using a calibrated tape measure—species specific (cow vs horse)

• Livestock scales are also becoming more common for both horses and cattle