(Continued from Pago SO)
ent food supplies, exposure to harsh weather, disease and
predators all take their toll on wild herds. From an evolu
tionary perspective, there was no need to worry about the
teeth once the horse got very old. This would be like Ford
Motor Company worry over whether the alternator would
still work in a Taurus with four hundred thousand miles on
it. But now ‘Old Pokey’ is staring me in the face and I want
to try to help him.
First, I’ll ask some questions of the owner about his his
tory; How old do you think he is; has he been sick lately;
how long have you owned him; what is he fed; and such.
Then I’ll examine him. Since I’m mostly interested in his
teeth (I leave the rest of his health concerns to his regular
veterinarian), I examine his mouth carefully. To do this, I
use an oral speculum. A speculum holds open the horse’s
mouth so I can examine and work without worrying about
getting bitten. Most of the time I will mildly sedate the horse
so he will relax and not get too excited. I’m never sure what
I’ll find when I examine these older horses.
Dairy cows respond to consistency.
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Old horses have a hard time eating hay and grain. In fact,
many old horses cannot eat these feeds at all. They will try
to eat hay, for example, but when they cannot chew it up
well enough to swallow it, they spit out the wad of partially
chewed hay on the ground. This is called “quidding.” That
mouthful of food left on the stall floor is lost calories to the
horse. All the food in the world will not help a horse if he
cannot eat it.
What is needed is a modified diet that is balanced and
easily digested by ‘Old Pokey.’ Luckily, there are a variety of
specialized feeds that help meet these requirements. Com
bining a special diet and other management practices, often
these older horses respond very well. Of course, there are
other factors that can affect the health of the geriatric horse.
It is important to remember that older horses may not be
able to compete with their younger stablemates for food and
shelter. Research also suggests that old horses have an in
creased vulnerability to parasites and other infections. Med
ical problems should be addressed by the owner and their
veterinarian.