Health

bay horse laying in snow

Equine Guelph’s “Colic Prevention Month” Serves Easy-to-Digest Tips

February is Colic Prevention Month at Equine Guelph, when all horse owners are encouraged to raise their awareness about colic, the number one killer of horses.   Take 10 minutes and visit the FREE interactive Colic Risk Rater (TheHorsePortal.ca/ColicTool).  Valuable feedback is provided on the risk of colic to your horse(s) based on your current management practices.  Horse owners that…

World Rabies Day

World Rabies Day ‘One Health’ Approach and the Horse Owner

On September 28, 2024, Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) coordinates World Rabies Day and this year’s theme is ‘Breaking Rabies Boundaries’.  In the ‘One Health’ approach, every sector takes responsibility in the effort to tackle rabies.  Rabies is a viral infection of the nervous system known to be problematic in carnivores and bats, although…

Senior Horse Challenge

Senior Horse Education Month Features Arthritis and Pain Recognition

Chronic pain and lameness resulting from osteoarthritis (OA) and other musculoskeletal conditions are the most common causes of poor quality of life in senior horses.  In the month of September, Equine Guelph promotes Senior Horse Education, increasing awareness of ways caregivers can be the best advocates for the health and welfare of their senior equines. …

Horse drinking water

Preventing Dehydration in Horses

Authors: Dr. Mike Lindinger & Gayle Ecker With exercise, the body temperature rises. This heat must be dissipated, or the horse will literally “cook”!  The body cools itself through the evaporation of sweat, so sweating is especially important for the exercising horse. The sweat contains water and electrolytes, or salts. The main electrolytes are sodium,…

Give the best possible care to your horse with Equine Guelph healthcare tools

Equine Guelph Healthcare Tools for the Win!

One can go down many rabbit holes searching on the internet for horse health advice and Dr. Google is known to serve up many popular myths.  Over the years, Equine Guelph, the Centre for the horse at the University of Guelph has developed twelve free interactive online healthcare tools to help horse owners provide optimal…

horses frolicking in mud

Your Vaccination Program may be Impacted by Climate Change

Learn more during Equine Guelph’s Vaccination Education Month in March Have you noticed bug season starting earlier and finishing later?  Have changes in the weather caused more standing water in your paddocks? If you answered yes to these questions and wonder how climate change may impact your horses, not to mention your vaccination program, read…

Horses drinking from trough

Colic Prevention Education Month 2024 Focuses on GI Health for Your Horse

February is Equine Guelph’s Colic Prevention Education Month when we tackle the number one killer of horses with our highly popular free healthcare tool, Colic Risk Rater (http://www.thehorseportal.ca/ColicTool). After you complete the free risk rater to assess your horse’s risk, you will have the option to learn more by signing up for Equine Guelph’s short…

Dr Arroyo discusses equine gut health in Equine Guelph 2024 Research Annual

A Stable Gut:  The Key to a Healthy Equine

Equine Guelph 2024 Research Annual Volume 21 – cover story by: Jackie Bellamy-Zions Gastrointestinal issues (GI) are the number one cause of morbidity in horses other than old age.   An unhealthy digestive system can cause poor performance, pain, discomfort, diarrhea, and a whole host of issues that can sideline your horse.  It’s no wonder researchers…

World Rabies Day

September 28 is World Rabies Day

Did you know there is a Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC)?  On September 28, 2023, GARC coordinates World Rabies Day and this year’s theme is: All for 1, One Health for All.  This date also marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur’s death, the French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first Rabies vaccine.  The…

Pony grazing by approaching forest fire

Air Quality and Air Pollution’s Impact on Your Horse’s Lungs

Story by:  Dr. Janet Beeler-Marfisi There’s nothing like hearing a horse cough to set people scurrying around the barn to identify the culprit. After all, that cough could mean choke, or a respiratory virus has found its way into the barn. It could also indicate equine asthma. Yes, even those “everyday coughs” that we sometimes…

Dr. Luis Arroyo

Screening for biomarkers & indicators of intestinal health among equine microbiota

No one will argue that prevention is better than cure and early intervention is certainly preferable to watching an equine partner go from not feeling 100% to being completely sidelined.  Ontario Veterinary College researcher, Dr. Luis Arroyo is embarking on a very interesting collaborative study that may result in the ability to detect the first…

Anatomy of Horse illustration by Ruth Benns

The Impact of Antibiotics on the Equine Gut

The thinking on how we use antibiotics is changing in the world of medicine especially as we learn more about their impact on the inhabitants of the gut.  Ontario Veterinary College researcher, Dr. Diego Gomez, took part in a collaborative study with researchers across North America to study the effects of intravenous antimicrobials on the…