PREVENTATIVE CARE EXAM
Horses, like humans, are living longer, healthier lives and continuing to compete well into their late teens and even early twenties. In order to achieve these extended healthy and active lifetimes, preventative health care and good nutrition are vitally important. While most horse owners have experienced an equine medical emergency, many of these “crises” can be prevented with good preventative health care.
This provides your veterinarian an opportunity to bring your horses up-to-date on season-specific vaccinations and parasite control treatments at the times of year when they are most beneficial. This also provides a time for you to visit with your veterinarian about nutrition, behavior problems, emerging disease threats, and other horse health issues. While there’s no way to completely eliminate emergency situations, a good preventive health care program will minimize the chances of life threatening, costly illness. Wellness exams are the best way to detect and treat health problems before they become serious.
What does an Equine Preventative Care Exam include?
- Comprehensive physical examination
- Evaluation of body condition
- Discussion of diet and feeding program
- Examination of coat and skin
- Examination of eyes and eyelids
- Examination of teeth and soft tissue within the mouth
- Auscultation of the heart rate, rhythm, and detection of murmurs
- Auscultation of the abdomen for normal gastrointestinal sounds
- Auscultation for sand within the abdomen
- Evaluation of the musculoskeletal system problems and concerns
- Discussion of parasite control and fecal examination
- Development of a vaccination schedule specific for your horse.
