August 2017 8 Arizona REAL COUNTRY the magazine Mike Barna Publisher mbarna@963realcountry.com (602) 622-3695 Erika Smith Royal Editor erika963realcountry@gmail.com Misty Voitovski Creative Director Contributing Writers Kim Christman, Daniel Davis, Kimmie Dillon, Veronica Duron, Robin Etnyre, Jim Olson, Robert Piekow, Bill Roberts, Bob Roloff Buddy Uldrikson, Renee Winter, Jennifer Wolf, JolynYoung 801 W. Wickenburg Way Wickenburg, AZ 85390 (602) 622-3695 ArizonaRealCountry.com Arizona Real Country is owned and published by Barna Broadcasting LLC. No person, organization or party can copy or reproduce the content on our website and/or magazine or any part of this publication without a written consent from the editor’s panel and the author of the content, as applicable. The publisher, authors and contributors reserve their rights with regards to copyright of their work. /ArizonaRealCountry @arizonarealcountry /arizonarealcountry Ask the Vet Q. My horse has spots on one of it’s ears and it is not going away, what can I do? A. White spots or bubbles in the ears are very common in horses and generally difficult to get rid of. Nobody is really sure what causes them, but a combination of pest-transmitted viruses, irritation from biting insects, and local immune response are all thought to contribute. Diagnostic swabs and biopsies generally lead to a mixed bag of inflammatory cells along with opportunistic bacteria and fungi that thrive in moist dirty environments. Treatment is complicated by the fact that anything you rub on the pinna (external ear) is going to drain down into very sensitive and fragile inner ear structures and nerves. Aggressive medication and cleaning will probably cause a bad case of head-shyness without having much effect on the spots. The good news is that horses are rarely bothered by this condition, so I tend to keep an eye on it but back off with the aggressive cleanings and medications. To prevent further spread, I recommend gentle hygiene (trim back any outrageously long greasy ear hairs but don’t clip down to bare skin as that fur is protective against flies and UV rays), wiping the skin with a gentle cleanser like dilute hibitane, and use of a fly mask with an ear hood to keep biting and crawling insects out. If your horse is showing signs of irritation, such as head shaking and discharge, your vet can examine the ear canal with an otoscope to identify other problems. Q. As barn owners/manager, what is the best way to ensure the horses in our care stay cool during these heat waves? A. As the temperatures spike you can purchase fans to hang around the stalls to cool the horses. Horses have a small surface area relative to their body mass so they tend to have more difficulty cooling off in hot weather, especially when exercising. Every precaution needs to be taken to ensure their comfort. This included special misting/cooling fans, electrolytes, lots of cool baths, timing their workouts during cooler hours of the day when possible, and if necessary, intravenous fluids to replenish losses after extreme exertion. Horses under less demanding athletic conditions don’t necessarily require this level of preventative management, you can still take some simple measures to ensure their comfort during a heat wave. This includes: • Lots of fresh clean water available at all times. Dehydration is the most significant concern due to sweat losses, so it is important that they have water both in the stalls and on turnout. • Electrolyte supplementation- horses that are working in extreme heat will lose electrolytes in their sweat so replacement therapy is helpful. • Switching to overnight turnout keeps horses safe from direct sun and flies while allowing them to enjoy turnout in the cool hours overnight. Then they can loaf in a shady, well-ventilated stall during the day. • Placement of fans in doorways, windows, and in front of stalls will ensure good ventilation and help with cooling because air movement enhances the cooling effect of sweat through evaporation. • Alcohol or witch hazel baths are more cooling than a straight water bath. • Good fly control. Horses get very hot, cross, and fussy to work with if they have to spend the whole day stomping and swishing to dislodge flies. Not to mention the wear and tear on their legs from these activities. Q. In this kind of weather with the heat and humidity, what are the guidelines for giving or not giving oral electrolytes? A. As long as they have constant access to fresh water, most horses that are in light or no work will meet their needs adequately without electrolyte supplementation. Once a horse starts to work hard enough to sweat, they lose salts and minerals (electrolytes) generally equivalent to the rate that they are sweating, which must be replaced through the diet. There are a couple of ways to offer electrolytes, one is to hang a water pail with electrolytes added for the horse to consume free-choice. A more consistent method is to add the electrolytes directly to the diet to ensure the horse is actually getting them every day. There are many commercial electrolyte supplements available at the tack shops that are flavoured for improved palatability, but you can easily make your own by combining equal parts salt (sodium chloride) and lite salt (potassium chloride) and feeding a couple of tablespoons of it per day. Fortunately, horses do not suffer from dietary induced hypertension from excess salt like humans do, so this is a safe way to supplement the electrolytes they lose through sweating. This will also stimulate thirst encourage them to drink more, which is also desirable to guard against dehydration.