Live Long, Live Well
What to look for as your horse gets into its senior years
by Ron Colton, DVM, Evergreen Equine Veterinary Practice
We don’t know just how many older horses there are, but we do know that number is growing. If you don’t have an older horse now, chances are you will someday. Learning to recognize the early signs of age-related declines in health can make a big difference in your horse’s quality and length of life. It might also save you a lot of heartache, as well as some serious cash.
Your Horse is Old When…
No easy answer here. Most veterinarians would agree that an equine friend that is 25 years or more qualifies for the “old” title. What about the horse that is 17, 18 or 19 years old? These cases are not so clear. There is a lot of variation in what horses in this age range can look like. Genetics, previous care or lack of care, and injuries certainly affect whether a late teens horse is perceived as old. However, regardless of outer appearances, as horses approach their late teens or early twenties, there are functional changes that take place. These include changes in cardiac and exercise capacity, ability to chew and digest feed materials, altered immune function, and lessened ability to recover from injury. The bottom line is that as your horse ages you should be ready to change how you monitor and care for him.
Outer Beauty Counts
A weight tape and camera are the best way to objectively follow a senior horse’s physical condition. Changes often occur at a slow enough rate that an owner may not notice, or will just think it’s all part of getting old. Comparing photos and measurements from year to year is more reliable than going by memory. Late spring is a good time to take a picture; the horse should be shed out enough for you to see its condition. During periods of the year when the hair coat is longer, make sure to get your hands on the horse to feel for changes, generally most noticeable over the topline.
Weight and Condition
If your horse has lost weight or body condition, this could be normal age-related loss in digestive capacity, something that is generally easy to fix with diet management. On the other hand, weight loss or failure to shed normally (remember to look at last year’s photo) may signal the presence of a medical disorder. Poor dental condition, parasite infestation, pituitary dysfunction (Cushing’s disease), and chronic pain are common causes of weight loss and poor coats in older horses. Early intervention and appropriate care to address the specific condition can often get the older horse back into good condition. Remember, too, that the older horse may need a little extra help staying warm during cold periods. Energy spent to keep warm diverts calories from weight and condition maintenance. Investing in a heavier, waterproof blanket may go a long way to keeping your horse in the best shape.
While watching for weight loss, don’t forget that some older horses have the opposite issue¬¬—they are too fat. Obesity may be due to an owner being a little too generous with the feed, or it could reflect a problem like insulin resistance or pituitary disease.
Keeping horses on the leaner side reduces the load on joints and may help manage insulin resistance. Some people fatten up older horses prior to winter; it is best to avoid this practice. Adjust feed as needed to keep a healthy weight, and don’t forget that blanket!
Not What She Used to Be
Owners often assign an older horse’s quiet behavior to “getting up there.” If your older equine stands around during turnout or looks sleepy on the end of the line, don’t accept this as just being old. Healthy older horses are not sluggish or lethargic. While senior horses may not be as active as 3-year-olds, they still should pay attention to what’s going on and readily interact with humans and other horses.
Certain disorders, like Cushing’s, may lead to a rise in some hormones, such as endorphins, that essentially sedate the horse. Look for rub marks or abrasions on the limbs. Such injuries on the front of the fetlocks or the points of the hocks may signal that the horse is having difficulty getting up or may have a sleep deprivation problem. Or you may realize that you never see your horse lying down. Chronic pain, such as arthritis, is often the reason for these sleeping or rising difficulties. There are many therapeutic options to help horses with this type of discomfort and greatly improve quality of life.
Active Lifestyle
Hopefully, you can keep your older horse in a regular exercise program. Just as with humans, activity helps maintain strength, joint health, and other important functions like immunity and metabolic stability. However, as horses age, there is usually some loss in muscle mass, and tendons and ligaments become less elastic. As these changes occur, first speed is lost, then agility declines, followed by loss in strength. When you notice a decrease in athletic ability, it may be time to consider changing what you expect of the horse. Make a move down in class or find a whole new job description. This may save your horse from a sports-related injury, such as a torn ligament or tendon. These injuries are difficult enough to rehabilitate in a young horse and can be very troublesome in older horses.
Pay Attention
Your farrier can help you monitor your horse’s condition. Ask if she or he has observed changes in the feet. Differences in how the horse accepts farrier care, along with the wear pattern in its feet or shoes, can be early clues to musculoskeletal discomfort such as arthritis. Pink or red areas in the sole and widening of the white line are indicators of laminitis that otherwise may not be readily apparent. Pituitary disease-associated laminitis often seems sudden in its onset. The reality is that this condition is usually slow to progress—all the warning signs went unnoticed. Early intervention could save your horse a lot of pain or even its life.
As veterinarians, we hope to be part of your older horses’ extended family and to help them live comfortable, productive lives. During routine exams, vets often identify age-related changes that have gone unrecognized by the owner. However, it’s best if these changes can be caught as early as possible. Older horses can fall into a serious state of decline by the time their routine veterinary care is performed, especially if they only receive annual exams. It is important for owners to understand the signs of decline and to keep a watchful eye.
Little things matter with older horses. You may not need to sweat the small stuff, but you should pay attention to it. Don’t be afraid to call the vet for a free phone consultation if you have a question. Take advantage of the many publications that provide health information specific to older horses. Remember, age itself is not a disease. You have the opportunity to help your equine companion have a good life in his or her golden years.
About the Author
Ron Colton, DVM, is a co-partner at Evergreen Equine Veterinary Practice in Snohomish, WA. His specialty interests include lameness, ultrasound, and internal medicine. www.evergreenequinevet.com
by Ron Colton, DVM, Evergreen Equine Veterinary Practice
We don’t know just how many older horses there are, but we do know that number is growing. If you don’t have an older horse now, chances are you will someday. Learning to recognize the early signs of age-related declines in health can make a big difference in your horse’s quality and length of life. It might also save you a lot of heartache, as well as some serious cash.
Your Horse is Old When…
No easy answer here. Most veterinarians would agree that an equine friend that is 25 years or more qualifies for the “old” title. What about the horse that is 17, 18 or 19 years old? These cases are not so clear. There is a lot of variation in what horses in this age range can look like. Genetics, previous care or lack of care, and injuries certainly affect whether a late teens horse is perceived as old. However, regardless of outer appearances, as horses approach their late teens or early twenties, there are functional changes that take place. These include changes in cardiac and exercise capacity, ability to chew and digest feed materials, altered immune function, and lessened ability to recover from injury. The bottom line is that as your horse ages you should be ready to change how you monitor and care for him.
Outer Beauty Counts
A weight tape and camera are the best way to objectively follow a senior horse’s physical condition. Changes often occur at a slow enough rate that an owner may not notice, or will just think it’s all part of getting old. Comparing photos and measurements from year to year is more reliable than going by memory. Late spring is a good time to take a picture; the horse should be shed out enough for you to see its condition. During periods of the year when the hair coat is longer, make sure to get your hands on the horse to feel for changes, generally most noticeable over the topline.
Weight and Condition
If your horse has lost weight or body condition, this could be normal age-related loss in digestive capacity, something that is generally easy to fix with diet management. On the other hand, weight loss or failure to shed normally (remember to look at last year’s photo) may signal the presence of a medical disorder. Poor dental condition, parasite infestation, pituitary dysfunction (Cushing’s disease), and chronic pain are common causes of weight loss and poor coats in older horses. Early intervention and appropriate care to address the specific condition can often get the older horse back into good condition. Remember, too, that the older horse may need a little extra help staying warm during cold periods. Energy spent to keep warm diverts calories from weight and condition maintenance. Investing in a heavier, waterproof blanket may go a long way to keeping your horse in the best shape.
While watching for weight loss, don’t forget that some older horses have the opposite issue¬¬—they are too fat. Obesity may be due to an owner being a little too generous with the feed, or it could reflect a problem like insulin resistance or pituitary disease.
Keeping horses on the leaner side reduces the load on joints and may help manage insulin resistance. Some people fatten up older horses prior to winter; it is best to avoid this practice. Adjust feed as needed to keep a healthy weight, and don’t forget that blanket!
Not What She Used to Be
Owners often assign an older horse’s quiet behavior to “getting up there.” If your older equine stands around during turnout or looks sleepy on the end of the line, don’t accept this as just being old. Healthy older horses are not sluggish or lethargic. While senior horses may not be as active as 3-year-olds, they still should pay attention to what’s going on and readily interact with humans and other horses.
Certain disorders, like Cushing’s, may lead to a rise in some hormones, such as endorphins, that essentially sedate the horse. Look for rub marks or abrasions on the limbs. Such injuries on the front of the fetlocks or the points of the hocks may signal that the horse is having difficulty getting up or may have a sleep deprivation problem. Or you may realize that you never see your horse lying down. Chronic pain, such as arthritis, is often the reason for these sleeping or rising difficulties. There are many therapeutic options to help horses with this type of discomfort and greatly improve quality of life.
Active Lifestyle
Hopefully, you can keep your older horse in a regular exercise program. Just as with humans, activity helps maintain strength, joint health, and other important functions like immunity and metabolic stability. However, as horses age, there is usually some loss in muscle mass, and tendons and ligaments become less elastic. As these changes occur, first speed is lost, then agility declines, followed by loss in strength. When you notice a decrease in athletic ability, it may be time to consider changing what you expect of the horse. Make a move down in class or find a whole new job description. This may save your horse from a sports-related injury, such as a torn ligament or tendon. These injuries are difficult enough to rehabilitate in a young horse and can be very troublesome in older horses.
Pay Attention
Your farrier can help you monitor your horse’s condition. Ask if she or he has observed changes in the feet. Differences in how the horse accepts farrier care, along with the wear pattern in its feet or shoes, can be early clues to musculoskeletal discomfort such as arthritis. Pink or red areas in the sole and widening of the white line are indicators of laminitis that otherwise may not be readily apparent. Pituitary disease-associated laminitis often seems sudden in its onset. The reality is that this condition is usually slow to progress—all the warning signs went unnoticed. Early intervention could save your horse a lot of pain or even its life.
As veterinarians, we hope to be part of your older horses’ extended family and to help them live comfortable, productive lives. During routine exams, vets often identify age-related changes that have gone unrecognized by the owner. However, it’s best if these changes can be caught as early as possible. Older horses can fall into a serious state of decline by the time their routine veterinary care is performed, especially if they only receive annual exams. It is important for owners to understand the signs of decline and to keep a watchful eye.
Little things matter with older horses. You may not need to sweat the small stuff, but you should pay attention to it. Don’t be afraid to call the vet for a free phone consultation if you have a question. Take advantage of the many publications that provide health information specific to older horses. Remember, age itself is not a disease. You have the opportunity to help your equine companion have a good life in his or her golden years.
About the Author
Ron Colton, DVM, is a co-partner at Evergreen Equine Veterinary Practice in Snohomish, WA. His specialty interests include lameness, ultrasound, and internal medicine. www.evergreenequinevet.com
Labels: Feature Stories, ron colton
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