Equine concerns and their solutions

Horses can get fleas although it's not very common. They tend not to get infested, but they can be affected by them.

Yes and no, they can see enough to graze at night but if we eliminate all possible light sources then the horse won't be able to see. Just like humans, horses too need a light source for their vision to interpret objects. What allows horses to see better than humans at night is their sensitivity to light, particularly low light.

Throughout its life, horse needs proper dental care. Most horses will have to have their teeth floated at least once per year. Floating is the practice of filing off any sharp edges or hooks that may form on the edges of the teeth. Horse's teeth grow and change throughout their lifetime. This is why you can tell a horse's approximate age by its teeth. As they chew, they wear the tooth surface away slowly, but new tooth material slowly grows up to provide a new chewing surface. If the wear is uneven, the teeth may form sharp edges. However, many old horses have gaps made by teeth that have fallen out, making it very difficult for them to chew. Sometimes discomfort due to dental problems is mistaken for bad behaviour. Head tossing, inability to go or stay on the bit, bit chewing or tongue rolling can be just a few of the signs that your horse has tooth problems.

First of all, if you have any reason to believe your equine has been poisoned, call your vet immediately giving as much information as possible, however trivial it may seem. Whilst some poisons are not aggressive and can be treated, others are very aggressive and, if treatable at all, are extremely time sensitive.

Excessive sweating

A donkey infested with mange mites will be suffering intense irritation to the skin which will have lesions, scabby areas and consequent loss of hair. As mite numbers increase, so do the skin sores and scabs until the skin becomes raw and leathery in some areas. There are many different types of mange mites and treatment will depend on both the type and how far the condition has progressed before diagnosis. In all cases, a veterinary surgeon should be consulted for a correct diagnosis as the symptoms are very similar to both lice infestation and rain scald.

Mange invariably needs to be treated with washes specific to the type of mite and can take from one week to one month to eradicate. The seriously infected skin may require antibiotics and other veterinary intervention. Neem oil has been reported for successfully treating scabies, which is a serious skin disease caused by one of the same mites that cause mange.