KAM’s “Equine Learning Circle” FREE webinars are expanded from KAM’s very popular “Tip of the Week,” which can be found on the KAM Animal Services (www.kamanimalservices.com) web site, with new ones published every Monday. During the March 28th webinar a panel of equine experts will discuss the following topics.
"To worm or not to worm" - Parasites, both internal and external, have been around as long as man and beast. But are they all bad? There is current evidence that some parasitic load is beneficial for developing the immune system, decreasing the incidence of allergies, and balancing the gut flora. However, too many parasites can lead to colic, anemia (lack of blood), weight loss, and damage to various organs. Age, overall health, risk to exposure, and geographical location all need to be considered when developing a deworming schedule. “
“On The Road Again” - For an animal whose survival instinct is “fight or flight,” how unnatural it is for a horse, to walk into a small, noisy, unstable, metal box with no escape route? Yet we expect them to walk in to a trailer and travel hundreds of miles, while eating, drinking, sleeping, and eliminating in a rolling death trap. Once they arrive in a new environment they are then expected to perform. This is MAJOR STRESS! When horses are in a “fight or flight” state their gut motility decreases and blood is diverted to muscles to run or fight. This can lead to colic. Stress causes an increase in the chemical cortisol which lowers the immune system function.
"Equine Jail” - All too often an injury or surgery requires a horse to be put on “stall rest” to promote healing and/or prevent further damage. Horses were designed to be herd animals while walking and grazing for 20 hours a day. It should be no surprise of the stress and problems stall rest can lead to. Vices, such as cribbing and stall weaving may develop to relieve boredom. The lack of exercise can lead to circulation problems (swollen legs and poor blood flow to the hooves), digestive problems (colic), and weight gain. Some horses build up so much energy they “explode” in the stall.
“There Is Fungus Among Us” - Dermatophytosis, a fungal skin infection, is common in horses. Fungi live in the environment (dirt, mud, shavings, straw and hay) and on the hair and skin of most horses.
“Got Joints” - If the joints don’t move well, the body doesn’t move well. The ability to flex, extend and rotate the joints in the horse’s legs and spine sets the parameters for that athlete’s ability. Many things contribute to joint problems such as nutritional imbalances, GI problems, trauma (acute or chronic), genetic pre-disposition, conformation, poor shoeing/trimming, metabolic disorders, normal “wear and tear,” and infections (systemic or in the joint).
The panelists welcome your questions either during or after the webinar. If you attend the seminar live they are FREE. If you want to be able to download the presentation and listen to it again, an annual membership is available. To register go to www.kamanimalservices.com and click on the webinar link at the top of the page.
ENDS