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Pain and inflammation in horses

As a horse owner, there is nothing worse than seeing your beloved companion in pain. Pain can have many different causes and can concentrate in various parts of the body. Inflammation can cause more or fewer complaints, ranging from a small harmless swelling to pain and fever or severe itching or shortness of breath. Once the cause and type of pain or inflammation are determined, Pharmacy4pets is happy to help alleviate your horse's problems.

Pain in horses

Pain is an unpleasant feeling that indicates that there is or could be damage to the body. Initially, pain has a function, namely to prevent further damage and to give the body a chance to recover. Severe or prolonged pain can, however, delay recovery and affect the horse's well-being.

Recognizing pain in horses

Because horses are prey animals, they often show signs of pain late and not always clearly. Sometimes it is unmistakable, such as when a horse is severely lame due to a hoof abscess or has severe colic. Much more often, the signs of pain are subtler. It is very important to recognize pain signals, as early pain management can prevent much suffering. Some pain signals are:

Changed facial expression:

Flared nostrils.
Squinted eyes or raised and furrowed upper eyelids, visible whites of the eyes.
Tense mouth corners.
Tense jaw.
Ears laid back.

Flehmen.
Yawning.
Making sudden head movements.
Absence of normal behavior/changed behavior.
Abnormal posture.
Reduced performance.
Irregular walking/tripping often/poor coordination.
Teeth grinding.
Groaning.
Protesting when handled, putting in the bit, saddling.
Aggression, head shaking, or other "disobedient" behavior while riding.
Reduced appetite.
Swishing the tail when there are no flies.
Looking at the painful area (e.g., looking at the flank during colic).
Change in mood: less energetic, little interest in the environment, symptoms of depression, changes in behavior towards other horses.
Rolling.
Sweating.
Increased heart and breathing rate.

Especially in older horses with pain due to, for example, osteoarthritis, changes in behavior and stiffness are often attributed to old age. However, the pain in these horses can and should really be addressed!

Causes of pain

A horse can have pain anywhere, from its head to its toes. Common types of pain include:

Visceral pain: This is pain that comes from the organs in the chest or abdomen. The most well-known example is, of course, colic. But also stomach ulcers cause visceral pain.
Orthopedic pain: pain in the musculoskeletal system, i.e., the muscles, bones, or joints, for example, pain due to a tendon injury, tying up, or osteoarthritis.
Pain from trauma: for example, pain after a kick from another horse, a collision with a fence, or stepping on something sharp. This also includes pain caused by the bit, saddle, or rider and surgeries!
Neurological pain: Here, the pain is caused by pinching, irritation, or inflammation of nerves.

Treatment of pain

For the horse's well-being, it is important to relieve the pain as quickly and as effectively as possible by administering a painkiller. In addition to painkillers, pain can also be relieved by removing the cause: a remedy for cramps in colic, treating a stomach ulcer, or simply loosening the noseband.

With good management and a balanced diet, you can help prevent pain in your horse. Colic, for example, can be prevented in no less than 80% of cases! Stomach ulcers are common in horses that suffer from stress and/or receive too little roughage and/or water. You can help prevent tying up by adjusting your horse's diet to its level of training.

By regularly giving your horse a course of psyllium fibers, you help it pass any ingested sand, reducing the risk of sand colic. Probiotics help keep your horse's gut flora in balance.
Sectolin Glucosamine, Chondroitin & MSM supports your horse's joints.

And most importantly: familiarize yourself with the pain signals so that you can recognize pain in your horse at an early stage and take immediate action if your horse is in pain.

Inflammation in horses

Inflammation is a reaction of the body to a certain stimulus, such as a bacterium or virus. Inflammation can also be caused by contact with an irritating substance or hot liquid. In addition, inflammation can be an exaggerated reaction to actually normal things. For example, in allergic reactions such as summer eczema, a horse experiences severe itching due to a hypersensitivity reaction to the bite of midges (Culicoides). If inflammation is directed against the body's own tissue, we speak of an autoimmune reaction. Inflammation can be accompanied by an infection with bacteria or yeasts (as is often the case with ear infections), but this is not always the case. This is then referred to as a 'sterile inflammation'. This is the case, for example, with tendonitis.

Symptoms of inflammation

Inflammation has five characteristics: redness, swelling, pain, heat, and loss of function. Inflammation can occur throughout the body. Depending on the location, cause, and severity of the inflammation, it can cause different complaints. In the case of an allergy, we see that the horse has a lot of itching; in the case of tendonitis, lameness is the result. In horses with asthma, a chronic inflammation in the deeper airways develops as a hypersensitivity reaction to dust. Coughing and shortness of breath are the main symptoms. Sometimes a horse has hardly any symptoms and only a small swelling or a red spot, for example, at the site where a tick has been.

Treatment of inflammation in horses

Since there are an enormous number of different inflammations, the treatment depends very much on the location, nature of the inflammation, and severity. If there is also a systemic infection with bacteria, an antibiotic is usually given. Inflammations of the skin, ears, or eyes are often treated locally with an anti-inflammatory ointment that may contain a yeast- or bacteria-killing agent. Sectolin Sweet Itch soothes the skin of horses with summer eczema. Honey ointment can support the healing skin.
In the case of asthma, keeping the environment dust-free is the most important measure, as it is in the case of summer eczema the use of an eczema blanket.

Of course, supporting your horse's immune system is especially important when inflammation is present. The organ affected by the inflammation can often be well supported by giving supplements. Think of linseed oil to support the skin and coat, Vitamin E and selenium for healthy muscles, and fenugreek to support the airways.

In many inflammations, pain relief is also necessary. Often non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers are used: painkillers that also have anti-inflammatory effects. In some severe inflammations, such as many autoimmune reactions, NSAIDs are insufficient and steroidal anti-inflammatories (corticosteroids) must be used to control the inflammation.

Pharmacy4pets is happy to help your horse with inflammation or pain with prescription medication, caring ointment, and supportive supplements. If you have any questions about our products or about pain or inflammation in your horse, please contact us.