Very Common
You also might be observing
Observation
What you see. The starting point for addressing any equine health related issue is your observation.
YOU ARE OBSERVING
Depressed & Not Eating Right after Intense Exercise
Summary
Generally, when a horse does not eat something that it would normally devour greedily, it is a sign of a significant problem. A lack of appetite coupled with depression after exercise is also of great concern. I differentiate it here because there is a different group of possible diagnoses associated with the horse that has just exercised.
-
Code Red
Call Your Vet Immediately, Even Outside Business Hours
your role
What To Do
Assess your horse's general health using the Whole Horse Exam (WHE), and contact your vet immediately with your findings and concerns. Especially monitor heart rate, respiratory rate and rectal temperature. Offer your horse small amounts of water, remove your tack, and let them rest quietly. Contact your vet with your findings and concerns.What Not To Do
Do not force exercise. Do not give flunixin (Banamine) or any other medicine and then feed the horse. You will falsely improve appetite, possibly causing other problems.
Skills you may need
Procedures that you may need to perform on your horse.
your vet's role
Your vet assesses the situation and does a physical examination to rule out exercise associated conditions like exhaustion, "tying up" and conditions causing colic.
Questions Your Vet Might Ask:
- Will the horse walk freely in hand or do they resist?
- Do you feel any bulging or hard muscles along your horse's topline or rump?
- What are the results of the Whole Horse Exam (WHE)?
Diagnostics Your Vet May Perform
Figuring out the cause of the problem. These are tests or procedures used by your vet to determine what’s wrong.
Diagnoses Your Vet May Consider
The cause of the problem. These are conditions or ailments that are the cause of the observations you make.
Less Common
Rare
Treatments Your Vet May Recommend
A way to resolve the condition or diagnosis. Resolving the underlying cause or treating the signs of disease (symptomatic treatment)
