WOW, but that weather has turned really cold just now. The feet were toasting nicely on front of the stove the other evening when the phone burst into life. My heart sank and my feet jumped back from the stove, as the awful expectation of an evening outing beckoned. Getting up and out on a night call is one hard part of our job as veterinary surgeons in this country. The nurse on phone-duty had just logged a call from an old client with an equally old horse that seemed to be in a spot of bother. “It seems the horse is down and groaning and Liam would like you to call out as soon as you can” she said. “On the way” was the muffled reply and I headed out into the cold dark night.

This was an old soldier of a hunter who had served Liam well over the years but had suddenly succumbed to the cold snap and was unable to muster the strength to go on. He was at the bottom of the big field at the back of the haggard and the long dry autumn meant that the hedge-cutters had enjoyed all the time in the world to skin the hedges over the last few weeks. Now it was the hunter’s turn to get skinned as the recent polar air drove fearlessly through the remainder of the hedge that was left as scant shelter for the old horse. Liam and myself were both skinned by the same wind as we tended to our old friend.

In fairness, he had two big rugs on him and he had an open bale of hay in a circular feeder available as fodder around the clock. But on this very evening, midway through November, he appeared to have given up on life.

Cases like these occur all across the country, and serve as timely reminders to do an extra thorough check on all old stock on the farm this winter-time. Every farm, every stud and every livery-yard has one or more of these retired old ladies or gents amongst their equine numbers. These golden-oldies can be old faithful eventers, retired breeding mares or even the original child’s pony. The child or owner is now in university or off at work, but the old family steed was never sold on. They’re a family favourite and no-one ever broached the subject of giving these expensive lawnmowers a new home. With the best will in the world, these old companions will slip through the net of regular and thorough health checks.

HOOFCARE

The feet are the first to go. The hooves grow too long as they don’t get on to the farrier’s regular list. As veterinary surgeons, we come across these guys quite often as chronic lameness cases. A quick clinical examination reveals deep-seated thrush, with over-grown hooves and badly formed heels. Such was the case of my old soldier not wanting to move from the bottom of the field. His feet were difficult to examine as he was reluctant to lift one foot and bear weight on the other. However, thrush is quite treatable (and preventable), and wasn’t the only problem this retired old gent had on his plate.

I asked to have the rugs pulled back in order to listen to the heart, lungs and bowel activity. And that’s when the true picture became obvious. This hunter was wasting away under the shielding cover of the two great coats. It wasn’t until we removed the covers, that the owner could grasp the enormity of the situation. On that freezing night, we had to quickly put the covers back on but it was plain for all to see. Despite the ad-lib hay and daily scoop of oats, this hunter’s condition had dropped to a dangerously low level.

His age was a contributing factor and the absence of a companion in the field meant that the horse’s true demeanour was not evident on a quick daily visual check. His teeth were not unlike the extra-long hooves: they were in need of remedial attention. But most significantly of all, he had developed some pressure sores under the rugs where the rounded body mass had faded, leaving sharper bony points on which the rugs could rub. And this all happened without the owner being fully aware.

We decided to fetch the tractor and box to ferry the horse to the yard. He was taken indoors to a comfortable stable where we could better assess his true state. As all conditions were reversible, we began the process of treatment and repair. First things first, and we gave the hunter a warm bran mash. I saw a small bit of poteen sneak its way into the mix but decided to turn a blind eye. It was a bitterly cold evening, so I chose to ignore!

The two rugs were replaced with fresh dry coats, and the skin wounds received a thorough cleansing and some skin balm. The two most severe lesions had dressings applied and some padding to prevent further rubbing.

DENTAL CARE

And then to the teeth. I cannot over-emphasise the importance of checking the teeth of older horses on a regular basis. All the veterinary surgeons in our practice are under strict instructions to carry out routine dental checks on all the old cronies under their care. A quick look with the gag and torch, and do any rasping and extraction as required. I’m still puzzled as to how this one slipped through the net.

With sharp edges, hooks or dental disease, a horse will fail to chew the herbage/hay correctly. The chewing process is a necessary part of cell-wall breakdown in grass diets. Without adequate chewing, the hay or haylage is all but useless to the horse. The digestive tract cannot extract the full nutrient value from the hay, and with this horse, a full ring feeder was just that – a full ring feeder. It was of little feeding value to him as his teeth were unable to perform their duties adequately.

WORM BURDEN

So then we moved onto what else could have a horse so thin. All too often, we veterinary surgeons are told of large ample diets being fed to the horses under examination. And yet the animals look like a thinned-out version of the “Wreck of the Hesperus”. These horses are starving in the land of plenty. The culprit is an overwhelming worm burden.

With the wet summers of recent years, and the long mild autumn, every remaining blade of grass is brimful of parasitic eggs and larvae. Every mouthful of that luscious Irish grass is loaded to the tips with intestinal worms.

And so the horses are being starved from the inside-out. No matter how much food we push in via the mouth, the aggressive worm burden is feeding away and calling for more. And so the poor horse lives off its back. It begins to waste away under our eyes. Except for these “old soldiers” around the farm. All too often they have heavy winter rugs on and we fail to notice anything until they park themselves stubbornly at the far end of a freezing field.

The stomach tube was pulled from the car and the horse received a good strong worm dose to cleanse the system of those hateful parasites. The horse was confined to stable on full time basis. A farrier visit was planned for early the next morning and an infra-red lamp was placed strategically over the horse’s head.

TAKE ACTION

Let’s all do the decent thing this winter. Give those less active animals a thorough check-over. Pull back the rugs. Replace them with clean, dry ones as necessary. Check hooves and body condition, and get a tube drench if you feel the last worm paste failed to hit the mark. Open the mouth and ensure correct chewing is occurring as the horse is feeding. Call for help if in any doubt.

As I pulled away from the yard that night, I could sense my patient was in a far more comfortable condition than he had been when I first arrived. The lights were all switched off in the yard and what caught the eye was the rose-coloured glow of the infra-red lamp through the crack in the stable door. The frost didn’t feel half so cold now, and with that, I headed home to my own warm stove.

Peadar O’Scanaill MRCVS is a member of the Equine Group of Veterinary Ireland and is in practice in North County Dublin and Ashbourne, Co Meath.

Email: hq@vetireland.ie

Telephone: 01 4577976