Page 74 - Libro_MariaA_26agosto

María Alejandra Ramelli

When you own a horse, you
will feel like you’re pushing
yourself into pre-vet school
because you have to learn the
basics of horse health to make
sure your horse is healthy. It
is very important to know the
normal vital signs of a horse to
know if he is healthy, and detect
early some symptoms of serious
illness. Another basic point to
learn is the vaccines your hor-
se should have, and how often
your horse must be dewormed.
Having this information will
ensure that your horse doesn’t miss any vaccine or deworming, so he won’t
catch any of the diseases that vaccines prevent, or parasites that can kill him.
Moreover, you should also learn how often your horse should visit the black-
smith, dentist, and vet to keep your horse healthy all year round. Finally, it is
very important that you know the most common diseases your horse can catch
to prevent your horse from getting any of them, as well as the most common
poisonous plants to prevent your horse from eating them.

Your horse’s vital signs (Nash & HyGain Feeds Pty Ltd., 2018)

Normal signs for adult How to measure
horses in rest
Temperature 37º-38º C Insert the thermometer into the
horse’s rectum, and read the tem-
perature after one minute.
Heart Rate 38-40 beats per Place your hand or stethoscope
minute on the left side of your horse’s
chest under the elbow.
Capillary Refill 1-2 seconds Lift the horse’s upper lip, and
Time press your thumb firmly against
the gums for two seconds. This
will leave a white mark, and pink
color should be back within 1-2
seconds
Respiration 8-15 breaths per Place your hand in front of your
minute horse’s nostril to feel exhalation.

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