Older horse care
Fieke Bennett BVSc MRCVS, equine vet at MSD Animal Health, explains how to keep older horses in good shape
Keep your golden oldie in tip-top shape
OLDER HORSES SHOULD have regular veterinary check-ups to ensure that their health is maintained and any problems are detected early, since they can be more prone to disease and parasites. Conditions that generally affect older horses include arthritis and Cushing’s disease (also known as PPID) which is most common in horses over 15. There may also be dental issues that will require regular care and attention. It’s therefore vital for the health and wellbeing of older horses that preventative healthcare measures are carried out. These include: Vaccination: The duration of immunity provided by vaccination is not dependent on how many years a horse has been vaccinated. This means that regardless of the number of years your horse has been receiving booster vaccinations, it is still important to keep to the recommended vaccination schedule to ensure that he remains protected.
This is even more important in older horses who often have a compromised immune system due to conditions such as Cushing’s disease. This makes them much more susceptible to infections and, once infected, the disease is frequently more serious. Worming: As horses age, their immunity to parasites decreases, so older horses are at an increased risk of high worm burdens. This means that owners of older horses must take great care to ensure that they are wormed correctly according to their vet’s advice. Dentistry: Dental problems become more common as horses get older, so it’s vital that they are given regular dental examinations at least once or twice a year.
As equines chew, they grind down the surface of the teeth and, to counter this, the teeth continually erupt throughout their lifetime. As horses get older, the roots become shorter until eventually the tooth may fall out, forming a gap between the two adjacent teeth. Abnormal gaps between teeth, known as diastemas, can lead to two main problems: n First, there may be overgrowth of the opposite tooth, resulting in damage to the soft tissues within the mouth. n Second, food can become packed in the diastema, resulting in infection of the gum, also known as periodontal disease. Some horses with serious dental problems may show no signs, which is why routine examinations are so important.