In the past week we have been called out to 5 horses that although may not be living how we would prefer, are being fed and although covered in mud and with shaggy winter coats, are not cases that justify veterinary intervention, nor did we need to rush out expecting a crisis. Horses often lie down and can look dead when completely flat out sleeping etc - can we please ask, if you see a horse you believe dead or dying, please stop, click your tongue quickly several times, if you know what I mean (most equines respond to this), speak, shout, rustle something and see if the equine responds. We would not suggest you enter the field - but often a reaction can be got by just doing the above - we simply do not have the resources to go to calls about equines that are literally having a nap... it is roughly 2 hours for us to check these horses with the distance involved and the need to have supplies in vehicle and ensure cover at LAW. We appreciate many people have little equine experience, a large area of mud in the area of a lying down horse (and not in the remainder of field) would often indicate excessive rolling which can be colic, a severly underweight horse will have ribs clearly visible despite the thick winter shaggy coat many breeds grow in winter (it is also usual for unrugged/unstabled horses to roll and build an extra layer of mud to help insulate so mucky and shaggy coat is not a sign of neglect on veterinary grounds), most equines will respond to noise in the area - as stated a rustling that could be food, a shout etc - they will lift their heads and look alert and probably even get up. Watch them for a while if you can - they should once alert move around and graze on whatever grass or hay is there - if it is tethered again that itself does not break any regulations we can act upon and unless tangled and caught up or tethered with absolutely no access to grass/water we can not act unless the animal is deemed in need of veterinary care by a vet. thank you
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:39:27 +0000
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