Cribbing Problems

Dear Dr. Pankau,
How can I keep my pony from cribbing on the wood fence? I have tried bitter apples, she likes it. I am a new 4-H member and love my pony very much. Thank you very much for your time and I hope you can help me.
Muriah Musser, 12 years old

Muriah,
Cribbing is considered a vice and can threaten your horse's health. There are several things you might try to minimize or eliminate cribbing.
1. Move your pony to a large pasture or pen.
2. Put your pony in with another horse in a large pasture or pen (keeps him company)
3. Exercise your pony more so he is less bored.
4. Apply creosote or similar products to the fence if available in your state.
5. Replace wood fencing with pipe fencing
6. String new wire above the fence boards to prevent access.
7. String a hot wire (electric) over the fence area in question.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Shoulder Lameness

Dear Dr. Pankau,
My horse pulled something in his shoulder area and I wanted to know what would be good for me to put on it even though there is no swelling.

Unknown

Dear Unknown,
Shoulder lameness looks almost identical to hoof lameness visually. If I do not see any swelling, I examine the foot thoroughly for any problems. Once the foot problem is corrected, you will see the "shoulder lameness" disappear. However, if it truly is a shoulder lameness (have your vet check this out) then I might try the following.
1. Complete rest or confinement for 30 days
2. Anti-inflammatory orally for 10 days (Butazolidin)
3. Have a chiropractor look at him and possibly adjust him
4. Do some stretching exercises on his shoulder and neck (use a carrot)

Mane Rubbing

Dear Dr. Pankau,
I was hoping you could answer a question I have about my horse's mane. Both his mane and tail have always been very long and full, but just this year, his mane has gotten thin and very short. His tail is the same as ever. I have seen him rubbing his neck against trees in pasture before, and I think he might have rubbed it all off. What is the cause of this, and how can I get his mane to grow back?
Thank You,
Anna Rahn

Anna,
It sounds like your horse has a hypersensitivity reaction to biting insects. You need to keep him from itching and then the mane will grow back. This will take some time. As you approach the winter it will not be so much a problem for you. I would do the following:
1. Bathe him with oatmeal based shampoo.
2. Use some of the Freedom fly repellent on him weekly. You may have to spray him as well.
3. Keep him off pasture at night (this is when the mosquitoes...feed) - stall at night.
4. Clean up the manure
5. If this does not help then I would consult your vet about giving him a Vetalog injection (steroid) to cut down the horse's reaction to biting insects.
6. Make sure the areas that he has rubbed are kept clean and you apply some sort of soothing lotion to keep the flies off.

Cataracts

Dear Dr. Pankau,
Good Morning. Is there a nutrition supplement that will reduce the progression of cataracts in my 7-yr old pony? They are very small and do not interfere with vision at this point.

Robin,
There are many causes of cataracts in horses. Some are congenital, some are inherited, some are traumatic, some are associated with uveitis (moon blindness). Treatment would depend on the cause (surgical or medical management) but In general I would suggest that you try some aspirin daily in the feed (30-60 grams) to help reduce any inflammation in the eye. Keep your pony on a good worming program that would include the use of an ivermectin wormer. This class of wormer will kill a worm called Onchocerca which has been implicated in moon blindness which can lead to cataracts. There are some neutriceuticals (feeds or feed additives like arabinogalactins) that claim to have anti-inflammatory properties as well.
I hope this helps.