I just want to send this excerpt from an article on the
horse.com. I just became aware of my mare having an heart arrhythmia during a
ride at the beginning of March. I have owned Perle for two years and had never
had any indication that there was any type of problem. She has completed 250
miles in those two years and only 1 pull before the one in March and that was
for lameness when she sliced her heel bulb. At the ride in March she came into
the first vet check showing no signs of any problems. The only concern was
that the vet heard the arrhythmia because she was listening for longer than the
usual time. So I want to encourage people to follow the advice below.
Really get to know your horse's heart. Listen to it a lot and for long periods
of time. Perle may have had this condition for her whole life and it just was
never caught before now. When she is at rest it only happens about once every 5
minutes and was happening during the ride about once every minute and half
to two minutes, so listening for just 15 seconds or even 60 seconds may not
always catch a problem. I don't want to freak anybody out and make
them think that their horse has a heart problem, I just want to encourage
you to really get to know your horse's heart so that you will be able to tell
when it is not normal. So everyone take 10 minutes today or tonight and just go
listen to your horses heart.
Katrina Mosshammer
<< Horse owners who know their horses well
will notice signs that their horse is not as perky as normal, and they can begin
their investigation by listening to the horse themselves. "Any horse owner can
feel their horse's pulse or use a cheap stethoscope and listen and get familiar
with what your horse's normal heart rate and rhythms are," Barton says. "If you
have a horse that is showing signs of reduced performance, shortness of breath
or rapid breathing, or that they take a really long time to recover after
exercise, listening to their heart might tip you off."
"Horse owners can get to know their horse's heart
rate and know what they feel like--or, using a stethoscope, sound like--at rest,
after light work, and after heavy work," Nelson advises. "They can hear how
quickly the heart rate comes down after work. Get a good feel of what's normal
for your horse, and you are more likely to pick up abnormalities."
And, if you feel that something's not right, seek
medical help. "Anytime a horse has something wrong with its heart, you've got to
be cautious," McGurrin instructs. "You've got to be aware that the horse has
something wrong with it, and be a little bit more careful."
Take-Home Message
Nelson advises horse owners to ask their
veterinarians to listen to their animal's heart during routine visits. "It's a
good idea to get routine health checks and to ask the veterinarian to listen to
the heart rate and rhythm," she says. "Even if they were listened to last year,
things can change in a year." These routine exams help the specialists determine
how long the problem has been in existence.
"Sometimes long- standing problems are a lot
harder to deal with than if it's a recent occurrence of a rhythm disturbance,"
she adds. >>
