Symptom guide

A signpost, not a verdict

Anyone who notices a change at the yard usually faces two questions: what could be behind it, and does someone need to come now? The symptom guide structures both. It leads from an observed sign, such as coughing, rubbing or stiffness, through typical situations to possible directions described in the specialist literature.

What it does not do matters just as much. It does not see the horse, listen to it or palpate it. A possible cause in the guide is a line of thought, not a statement about a particular animal. Which cause is actually present can only be established by a veterinary examination — the guide helps you arrive there with better observations.

Observe rather than guess: vital signs at rest

The basis of any assessment is a handful of numbers that every owner can collect. For the adult horse at rest, textbooks and guidelines give these reference values: body temperature around 37.5 to 38.0 °C, with some sources placing the upper limit at 38.3 or 38.5 °C; pulse around 28 to 44 beats per minute; respiration around 8 to 16 breaths per minute. Pale pink, moist mucous membranes on the gums are considered unremarkable when the colour returns in under two seconds after brief thumb pressure — the so-called capillary refill time.

Measure at rest, not straight after work and not during strong excitement. Temperature rectally with a digital thermometer, pulse at the artery on the edge of the lower jaw or with a stethoscope on the left behind the elbow, respiration by counting flank movements over a full minute. Heat, humidity and training raise all three values.

A survey of more than 1,500 owners found that only about half could correctly state resting values for pulse and respiration. It is therefore worth recording your own horse's values on several quiet days. A personal baseline says more in an emergency than any table.

The face is informative too. The Horse Grimace Scale, described in 2014, scores ear position, the area around the eyes, the chewing muscles and the nostrils for signs of pain. For owners it is less a measuring instrument than a training in looking closely.

When not to wait

Some situations leave no time for reading up. The guide therefore places them at the top of every sign, before any branching. They include persistent restlessness with pawing, looking at the flanks, repeatedly lying down and rolling; no passing of droppings or wind for several hours; lameness in which a leg bears little or no weight; a temperature clearly above the resting range, especially together with dullness and refusal of feed; visibly laboured breathing or breathlessness; pale, bluish or dark red mucous membranes with a prolonged refill time.

In these situations the vet is called, and the time until they arrive is used to note values and times. Nothing is given without consulting the vet first, because it can make the examination harder. One call too many costs less than one too late.

One sign, many possible causes

A cough can stem from dust in the stable, from an infection or from long-standing irritation of the airways. Rubbing of mane and tail ranges from a seasonal hypersensitivity to insects to parasites or ringworm. A drop in performance can be linked to the saddle, the teeth, the stomach or the feeding.

That is why the guide works with several paths instead of a single answer. Each branch begins with a situation that can be observed: season, affected part of the body, accompanying circumstances, number of horses affected in the yard. Several paths can fit at once, and none excludes the others. This very openness is the reason why clarification belongs in veterinary hands.

Feeding and nutrients: context, not a substitute

In some paths the guide names nutrients that are discussed in the specialist literature in that particular context. This is background information on nutritional physiology. It is not a recommendation to feed anything, and it is not an answer to the observed sign.

The links lead to editorial compound profiles with legal classification, state of the evidence and sources, not to products. Nutrients in complementary feed are feedstuffs, not medicines. Where a sign calls above all for management or veterinary clarification, the guide deliberately names no nutrients at all.

Notes for the conversation with the vet

On the phone, what helps is what is concrete: since when, how often, in which situation, which values at what time, what was eaten and drunk, when the last droppings were passed, and whether anything has changed in feeding, housing or training. A photo or a short video of a movement or a behaviour often says more than any description.

The guide provides the structure for this. It directs attention to exactly the circumstances a vet will ask about anyway. That turns an uneasy feeling into an observation that can be worked with.

• Reed et al. 2018 — Reed, Bayly, Sellon (eds.): Equine Internal Medicine, 4th edition, Elsevier
• NFACC 2013 — Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines, Appendix C: Vital Signs in Horses and Donkeys, National Farm Animal Care Council (Canada)
• Bowden et al. 2020 — Horse owners' knowledge, and opinions on recognising colic in the horse. Equine Veterinary Journal 52(2), PMID 31461570
• Dalla Costa et al. 2014 — Development of the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) as a pain assessment tool in horses undergoing routine castration. PLoS One 9(3), PMID 24647606