Are You Prepared for a Disaster?

We have all seen the devastating flooding that is currently taking place in Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.  If you were in this situation, would you be prepared to save your horses?  Emergencies can come in many different forms here in North Carolina.  It could be a hurricane, an ice storm, flooding from heavy rains, a severe thunderstorm, or even a wildfire.  Are you prepared to help your horses in the event of a disaster?  Creating a personalized disaster plan before disaster strikes can be a critical part of allowing your horses to survive the disaster.  Below are some helpful tips from the UC Davis Center for Equine Health on developing an individual disaster plan.  When creating your plan, consider the following:

1. Identify which disaster scenarios would be most likely for your place of residency and create a plan for each scenario.  Some parts of your plan may overlap, but your evacuation protocol may vary depending on the scenario.
   
2. Identify your evacuation sites based on your area of residency.
   
3. Consider forming a Neighborhood Disaster Committee.  If you live near other horse or livestock owners, consider having a discussion to form a "committee" to determine how you can help each other during a disaster.
   
4. Work with your county extension agent to develop your plan and to make connections with potential evacuation locations.

White Line Disease

White Line Disease is a condition where the white line is separated from the sole of the hoof.  It is really not a disease, but an infection.  Bacteria, fungi, dirt and other opportunistic organisms can enter and infect the hoof wall.  Some reasons for the separation are mechanical stress caused by excessive toe length; environmental conditions such as excessive moisture softens the hooves allowing cracks to form; laminitis; and hoof imbalance.  It is more common in humid climates, but can occur in other areas.  Usually the horse does not seem to be in pain.  White line disease can cause lameness and lead to the displacement of the coffin bone if left untreated.  White Line Disease can affect horses of any age, sex or breed.  It can be in one or multiple hooves.   

It is usually diagnosed by a farrier or veterinarian who notices hoof wall separations during routine health care or shoeing.  Slow, poor hoof wall growth is commonly seen.  White line disease is not contagious.   Veterinarians don’t completely understand why hoof wall separation occurs.  It can be difficult to treat due to not knowing the exact cause of the infection.  It is also difficult due to the location and lack of blood flow to that area.  

Removal of the entire damaged hoof wall is the most important step in treating.  Most treatments include using a topical medication to treat the infection.  Regular cleaning of the area can help with treatment.  Some horses may need to be shod to protect their feet or have the edges sealed to prevent more damage.  It can take up to a year for the hoof to grow back.  Talk to your veterinarian and farrier for recommendations for your particular situation.  Prognosis is usually good, but the earlier it is diagnosed and treatment has begun, the better.  Some horses may have white line again, so monitoring for future infections is critical.

Prevention includes pick and clean hooves regularly and have regular trimmings by a farrier.  Keep the horse in clean, dry conditions.  Proper nutrition and regular health care is important too.   

The  American Association of Equine Practitioners has an article How to Manage White Line Disease that has a lot of pictures and goes more in-depth into the cause and treatment options.  The American Farriers website has an article Preventing and Treating White Line Disease .

Mosquitoes spread diseases

Mosquitoes are pesky bugs that annoy most of us on summer evenings. Citronella candles, bug spray and avoiding stagnant water are ways we often combat these pest. For horses, it’s not quite so easy. Bug spray and reducing standing water are important but for some diseases spread by mosquitoes, vaccination is your best tool.

            As I sit in the office and write this article, we’ve already seen cases of West Nile Virus and EEE in the US for 2017. Both are mosquito-borne diseases that often result in mortality. A simple vaccination, and annual booster, can greatly reduce the risk that your horse, or donkey, will contract the disease. Mosquitoes can breed in any pond of water that remains for more than 4 days, so it is important to make sure this doesn’t happen on your land (if possible). Keeping your horses stalled at night and using sprays or fans can help reduce exposure to infected mosquitoes.

            West Nile Virus (WNV) is exhibited by flu-like symptoms in equine species. They may seem mildly depressed, have a decreased appetite, hypersensitivity to noises or touch, occasional drowsiness and asymmetrical weakness. The mortality rate ranges from 30-40%. Depending on the area you live in, your horses may need a booster in the spring and the fall. Be sure to consult your veterinarian for the best health plan for your herd!

            EEE (Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis) is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and one horse has already died from the disease in North Carolina this year. EEE causes inflammation or swelling of the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms may include impaired vision, aimless wandering, circling, inability to swallow, and paralysis. It can take anywhere from 3-10 days for a horse to exhibit signs after being bitten. It is usually fatal and the horses often suffer a great deal before succumbing to the disease.

            Vaccinations are an important piece of any herd health plan and it is important to keep accurate records on all of your animals. These may mean the difference between life and death for your horses. There is no evidence of horses being able to transmit the viruses to other horses, animals or people through direct contact. Please talk to your veterinarian about vaccinations for WNV, EEE, and other prevalent diseases to maintain the health and safety of your animals. 

Fall Pasture Preparation

As fall quickly approaches getting your pasture ready for cooler weather should be on your to-do list.  Whether you have Bermudagrass, fescue or another type of perennial grass there are several things that should be done in the coming weeks to help your grass make it through the fall and winter.

 

Take a soil sample:  Now is a great time to take a soil sample to determine what needs to be applied to your pasture in early fall.  Your local Extension office has the boxes and forms for the soil analysis and will be happy to answer any questions you have about the sampling process or interpreting your results.  The soil analysis is free March 1 through Thanksgiving and is $4 per sample Dec through the end of Feb.

Make soil amendments:  Early fall is the perfect time to lime your pastures based on what your soil analysis recommends.  Your lime recommendations will be based upon your soil type, what you are growing and what your liming history is like.  In the Sandhills, we usually recommend 1-2 tons per acre each year but it will differ depending on your region.  It takes lime 4-6 months to change the pH of your soil, so liming in the fall is a must for happy spring pastures.  Your soil analysis will also include fertilizer recommendations.  If you have fescue or another type of cool season grass, early fall is the ideal time to get your fertilizer out. You will get a fertilizer recommendation in lbs/acre of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which is useful in calculating what fertilizer to use and how much to put out, but for warm season grasses, nitrogen will be wasted since the plants’ vegitative growth is naturally decreasing.  Too much nitrogen in the fall can actually inhibit the plant from starting its overwintering response.  For cool season grasses such as fescue or orchard grass, a light to moderate application of nitrogen in the fall based on the soil analysis recommendations would be fine.   The most important nutrient you can put out in the fall, however, is potassium, for both warm and cool season grasses.  In the fall, grasses have major root development both in the form of growth for carbohydrate storage for survival through the winter as well as the formation of new growth points.  Potassium is key to good root growth and development.

  

Overseed/reseed:  For Bermudagrass pastures overseeding with a winter annual, usually ryegrass, is a good practice.  Not only does it provide forage for your animals in the months that your Bermuda is dormant but it insulates the dormant Bermuda plants and provides a natural barrier for winter weeds.  You want to seed with rye or ryegrass from late August to mid-October in the piedmont region, with that window closing a little earlier in the mountain region and a little later in the coastal plain region.  Rye and ryegrass can be broadcast or drilled.  For fescue pastures if you noticed your spring pasture was looking a little less lush than it used to, fall is the perfect time to reseed your pastures.  You can seed fescue by itself, but adding some clover into the mix is a great option!  Not only does it give your animals a little variety in their diet and add some nitrogen into your soil but it also helps dilute the fescue which is important if you have an endophyte containing fescue (which most of us do).  Fescue and clover should be seeded about the same time as rye, late August to mid-October, and should be drilled, especially if the seed includes clover.  To determine depths and seeding rates contact your local Extension Office.  

Weed Control:  If your pastures are well managed, such as the fertility being right, ideal pH and overseeding/reseeding, weeds should not be that big of an issue.  In Bermuda pastures, the most useful and effective methods of weed control in the fall is to make the necessary amendments to get the soil fertility and pH right and overseed in the fall.  If the soil fertility is right then your Bermuda should be able to choke out most weeds that try to come up next spring, and overseeding should outcompete most winter weeds.  For fescue pastures the same holds true.  Since fescue is actively growing in the fall and spring, having your fertility and pH right as well as having a strong stand of grass will help to compete with, and hopefully choke out any weeds.  If you feel you need to use chemical control, contact your local Extension Office for recommendations on what will work best for your farm.