Pain and Illness in Horses

Pain and illness in horses form to be a serious health problem that can cause their movements, performance and if go long, can be fatal. It is very important to be alert about your horse's health as an owner. Here is some advice and tips to detect the pain and illness in horses and its treatment.

Symptoms of pain and illness in horses

It is important to notice the signs and symptoms of illness in horses. It may include-

Ataxia, such as, lack of coordination, staggering or stumbling
Difficulty in walking
Knuckling over
Tilting head
Twitching muscle or tremors
Inability to stand
Circling with no reason
Weakness
Paralysis of limbs
Evident blindness
Drooping lip
Grinding teeth
Death

These are the symptoms that can also be caused by several other diseases such as, rabies, equine encephalitis virus infections and equine herpes virus infection. At present, there are several live tests for WNV in horses. There are some other encephalitis viruses namely, Eastern Equine Encephalitis or EEE.

What causes pain and illness in horses?

There are many reasons due to which the horses get pain and illness.

Taking contaminated food or water
Ecological toxins in the food, water and air that are foreign to the metabolism of body
Inheritance of flawed genetic code
Having weak constitution that can cause impaired organ function
Poor response of immune system
Inability to cope up with stress as they are creatures of response and speed
Reacting fast to danger has been survival
Restrictive movements to stalls, corrals
Trauma or blow to any part of body, especially head and derangement of the natural flow of Chi or Life Force

Any horse restricted over the point for a good point of time may develop abominable arthritis, bad working of the internal organs and damage to the immune system.

What to do when pain and illness in horses is suspected?

If you are suspicious about pain and illness in your horse, you must call the veterinarian at once. Prompt and proper treatment generally reduces the severity and the length of the disease. Call a veterinarian immediately if-

The rectal temperature of horse is 103 degrees F or higher
The horse suffers from recurrent and deep cough or chronic cough
The horse is having low feed.
The horse is observably depressed or depicts from irregular behavior or attitude.
The horse gets thick discharge from nose.
The horse has any sign of colic or abdominal pain and does recurrent kicking, rolling, cutting at the belly and having lots of sweating.
Severe diarrhea
Failure to pass manure indicating colic or disease
The horse is injured or lame for about 5 days
The mare is undergoing with the birth operation
The horse is suffering from an eye injury

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