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Ask the Expert: Bill Ormston, DVM

Read Advice from a Renowned Veterinarian - Dr. Bill Ormston Below

DISCLAIMER: Ask The Expert is provided as a service for informational purposes only and is not intended as an endorsement of any product or as a prescription towards any condition. Ask The Expert is not intended to be a substitute for visits to your local veterinarian or other equine expert but rather the information contained within is the sole opinion of Ask The Expert. Answers given by Ask The Expert are not intended to treat or diagnose but rather as a general source of information about animal health care.

My 17 year old gelding who has never shown any "stud like" behaviors and was cut young...now is trying to mount mares. Why at this late stage in life would he suddenly start noticing mares in season. Is there anything I can do other than separation?

Question submitted by Nancy Bullock, Acworth, GA

First you must rule out medical causes for a change in behavior. Something as easy to treat as a bladder or kidney infection may lead to changes in behavior. I have a lot of questions after reading about your problem.

Behavioral problems almost always turn into a puzzle with lots of questions until all of a sudden it becomes obvious what brought about the change. The change could be with your horse, another horse in the pasture or one in the neighboring pasture.

First you must determine if this is sexual or just a dominance thing. Does your gelding extend? Does he get an erection? Are there any new horses in the pasture? Neighboring pastures? Any horses leave lately? Any change in personal or amount of work that you are asking of your gelding? If you can ask the correct questions, you will usually come up with the reason. That will be different in every case and getting to the reason of some of these cases can be very difficult.

Don't get discouraged and keep looking. In the mean time you can try using Relax Blend Supplement or Mellow Out Flower Essence to calm your gelding down.

Our seven year old Trakehner-TB mare has a history of difficulty keeping on weight. Right now she is maybe 70-80 lbs. too thin. We are currently feeding her Nutrena XTN (4 qts per day) and unlimited hay/grass but that does not seem to help. Someone suggested we switch to a mixture of oats, corn and barley with a scoop of a product you sell that contains vitamins and minerals. Do you think this makes sense? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Question submitted by Diane Manson, New Boston, NH

I will assume that you have ruled out a medical cause. Low grade infection, diabetes, parasites could all be causing weight problems. You don't mention the quality of the hay but a little alfalfa will go a long way in helping to put weight on most horses. The addition of PreProbiotics can be added to any diet, either one that is commercially prepared or one that you mix yourself. PreProbiotics contain prebiotics, probiotics and digestive enzymes to help support your horses digestive system. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Is he suggesting that PreProbiotics will help our mare gain weight?

Question submitted by Diane Manson, New Boston, NH

The PreProbiotics help support the gastrointestinal tract of your horse. This support allows the body to absorb nutrients from the feed sources that were previously passing thru undigested. Most animals on good probiotics and quality feed will gain weight. The best source of nutrition for most horses that need to gain weight is alfalfa hay.

My horse is 29 years old. She is maintaining her weight. Last month I took her to the vet and they said her teeth were good and they did not need to float them. Her main problem is that she is very sore in the joints. I am asuming it is arthritis. My vet is trying IV injections of Legend every month, she has had two IVs so far and I am not seeing any change in her as of yet. I saw this web site and was thinking of trying the Arnica Montana tablets(not sure how to give those to my horse) and the King Bio Arthritis Reliever, Homeopathic Blend. What do you recommend? Am I choosing the right products for my horse? I no longer ride her, she is quite sway backed, but she is not in bad enough shape to warrant putting her to sleep and my vet agrees with that. I just don't want her to be in any pain, she still likes to run around the pasture.

Question submitted by Stacy Hoffer, Laramie, WY

Arnica is very effective for acute bruising and muscle soreness. The homeopathic blend King Bio Arthritis Reliever should work better with a horse that has chronic problems. I would recommend chiropractic care to try and restore motion to joints, especially those of the spine. Each and every spinal segment contributes a small portion of the total amount of movement that allows the horse's back to move. This cumulative motion allows your equine friend to bend and change directions. When one segment is not moving correctly then the segments in front of or behind may become hyper mobile in an attempt to maintain normal range of motion. Hyper mobility leads to degenerative changes and eventually loss of mobility of another segment or two. The loss of function in one spinal segment will affect the way your horse's entire body moves and reacts to the world around it. Kinesiopathology restricts your horse's ability to move in any or all ranges of motion. Remember that in order for the cartilage to get nutrients the joint must be moving. Each joint's movement helps bring the nutrients in and remove the waste from that joint.

Personally I have had good results with a few other products as well...are you familiar with Ani-Motion, which works differently than Legend and the Sore No More liniment is invaluable from a topical perspective. You might also want to ask your vet about Adequan as an alternative to the Legend.

I recently purchased a 6 year old gelding thoroughbred racehorse. He is body sore. I would like to get a race out of him before I turn him out. I bought the Sore-No-More Gelotion but I'm not sure about using it. I plan on using it before a race, particularly for his back and shoulders. His shoulder seem tight and I may or may not sweat him before hand. How far ahead of time should it be applied? How long does the effect last? Should it just be applied to the skin, or massaged in? Thank you for any info you can give me on using this product.

Question submitted by Lisa Lubben, South Sioux City, NE

SNM may be used pre-race. It may be used to soak their legs and down their hamstrings right before they run to help them push from the gate. It can also be used every day. Pre-race I would use it 1-2 hours out. I would always massage it in. Since there are no oils in the product, you can put it right on the back and then put the tack one to help warm up the back muscles before you exercise him. People find this very helpful. Absolutely, rub it into his shoulders. If you ever get the regular formula (not the gel version) you can also add that right into their bath water, as a bath brace, after they have exercised.

Since your horse is body sore I would have him looked at by a certified animal chiropractor or acupuncturist to help determine the root cause behind the soreness. I would also look at placing your horse on some joint lubricating and maybe anti - inflammatory nutraceuticals like glucosamine and or a yucca/devils claw product.

My horse has scratches what product do you have that works on them?

Question submitted by Kathy Stiltner, Chesapeake, VA

With scratches, it is very important to make sure that you keep your horses legs dry. Dry them off after you wash them and also after you bring them in from a wet turnout field, before putting them in a stall. Sometimes moisture can aggravate the problem and even be a cause. Be sure and look into the hygiene of the stable where your horse is stalled as scratches may be an indication of a problem there as well.

The Sauce is Sore No More's horse liniment combined with Povidone Iodine. It is used for this all the time, with great results. Use it straight as a topical anti-bacterial, anti-fungal paint to be used on scratches, hooves prone to thrush, infection, or traumatized areas. You can combine it with sugar -- it may be one the most effective sugardine combinations yet. Sugardine is an old time remedy of mixing iodine and sugar to form a paste that is then applied to open wounds, abscesses, or resected hooves to reduce inflammation, infection, and healing time. Simply add sugar to make a hoof packing for abscesses and thrush. If the scratches are deep, you can use the sugardine version.

I have a hores with a stifle injury and the only time he seems to show the injury is when I don't mess with him for several days. I almost seems stiff. But, if I mess with him every day such as riding seems to loosen up. What can I do to get him on the road to recovery? Exercise, suplements, etc?

Question submitted by David Nease, Marietta, SC

It sounds like your horse is in need of a rehabilitation program. I would have him examined by a certified chiropractor to insure that there are no problems in the rest of the body. Horses that have a problem tend to develop compensations while they are healing that must be addressed. The chiropractor will also be able to help identify the muscles that need to be targeted for rehab. Eucommia is a Chinese Herbal blend, a Yang Tonic, that seems to work well on the stifles of male horses. You can contact Equilite for more details on that. I would also use the Sore No More liniment products before and after working your horse out. This is an arnica based cooling liniment that can be used before and after work to help warm up the muscles. You can also add it to their bath water as a bath brace. This should allow you to work him a little longer each day. Please look into an exercise program that would help to strengthen him behind. Stretches need to be done carefully and properly, so please find a practitioner that can help you with these. For example; Exercises for the rear end may be selected from the following list.

Gluteals	S - fast uphills, trotting cavalettis, jumping grids, half pass (abductor)	F - stretch hind limb front
Bicep Femoris	S - fast uphills, slow downhills, trotting cavalettis	F - stretch hind limb front and back
Rectus Femoris	S - fast uphills, trotting and/or slow cavalettis	F - stretch hind limb back
Tensor Fascia Latae	S - slow cavalettis, slow uphills, lateral work, serpentines	F - stretch hind limb back
Semimembranosus	S - slow uphills, lateral suppling, serpentines	F - stretch hind limb front and back
Semitendinosus	S - slow uphills, fast uphills, trotting cavalettis	F - stretch hind limb front and back
Long Digital Extensor	S - slow and trotting cavalettis, slow uphills	F - stretch hind limb back
Gastrocnemius	S - general conditioning, slow cavalettis, slow uphills	F - stretch hind limb front
Deep Digital Flexor	S - general conditioning, slow cavalettis, slow uphills	F - stretch hind limb front
Lateral Digital Ext.	S - general conditioning, slow cavalettis, slow uphills	F - stretch hind limb back
S - signifies exercises that will strengthen the muscles F - shows exercises that increase flexibility.

After an injury or any period of inactivity the muscles of the body may become weakened. Target exercises will help you strengthen specific areas of your horses body. If there is a difference in the right side and the left side of your horse the exercises need to be done to try and even out this inequality. Even in a mirrored gait (ie, walk ,trot) the inside legs will do slightly more work if the work is done in a small circle. In a non mirrored gait (ie, canter, gallop) the limbs on the lead side will be doing most of the work. You should work the horse two to three times longer to the weak side in an attempt to even the musculature.

I have a 9 yr old Percheron Guilding that I'm using for mounted patrol. I purchased him from North Carolina almost a year ago. Up until a week ago everything has been normal. He has now almost quit sweating altogether and is always huffing and puffing from the heat. Even on his days off in the pasture under a shade tree he is still puffing pretty hard. What is your recommendation for helping this big guy get through the summer around here.

Question submitted by Rhonda Watson, Cleveland, TX

Anhidrosis (lack of sweating) can be a life threatening problem. Sweating is the major cooling mechanism of the horse. Traditionally the first thing is to make sure that he is getting enough electrolytes in his system. From a chiropractic standpoint sweating is a function of the autonomic nervous system. This system requires adequate input from the body in order to get the organs of the body to respond properly. An examination by an AVCA certified doctor is definitely warranted. I would discuss with your attending vet what changes could have occurred in diet, medicines, feed that could have possibly caused the body to shut down this function of sweating. Homeopathic remedies have the ability to get to the cause of a problem rather than just mask it. There is a homeopathic product on the market called Anhidrosis H by Energique that may help your horse.