Beginner Preventative Care: TPR

Not as many pictures today... Sorry about that. Hope you enjoy anyways! On the plus side, no diagrams to memorize :)

Preventative care includes everything we do to keep our horses healthy before they get sick. At the beginner level the most important thing you can do is know what is normal. That sounds so obvious, but it's the little details that count.

In order to judge if something's wrong, you must first know what is normal. For instance, if your gelding usually loves being groomed and is all happy when you brush him, and then one day is suddenly really snarky, nipping and pinning his ears when you brush him, there's probably something wrong. Or if your mare always pays attention to what's going on, comes over to see you when you open the stall door, watches people in the hall way, and then one day is standing with her head in the far corner of the stall not looking at anybody, odds are good she's not well. What's important here is knowing what is *normal*. Some horses are ALWAYS grouchy when they're groomed, so it's not a worry sign. Some horses ALWAYS ignore the world, again that's just fine. It's when there's a sudden change in behaviour that there's reason for concern. And to know the change, you have to know what is normal.

Some examples of behaviour you should know about:

• How does he react to people/horses/environment around him?
  
• Does she always eat all her food?
  
• How much water does he usually drink?
  
• Does she usually lie down in her stall?
  
• How much manure is normal in his stall?
  
• How clean is her stall?
  
• What are some you can think of?
  

Horse's are creatures of habit; when something changes in their habit, you have to be aware of it. A horse who is usually neat and suddenly has a messy stall has probably been pacing or kicking -- either she doesn't like her new neighbour or she's not feeling well.

Another series of important normals to know are your horse's TPR. TPR stands for Temperature, Pulse and Respiration and is one of the first things the vet will want to know when you call. A horse's temperature at rest (when they haven't been exercising) should be between 98.5 - 101 F or 37.5 - 38.5 C. You should know what normal is for your horse. To find the temperature (btw please do NOT try this on your own the first time -- make sure you have an experienced horse-person with you!) you need a rectal thermometer that has a string tied to one end. Dip the thermometer in vaseline. If you're using an "old-fashioned" thermometer (that'd be non-digital, mercury based) make sure you shake it a few times -- hold the top and flick your wrist down -- so the mercury is in the right place. Stand at your horse's hind end, slightly off to the side, tie the string to your horse's tail, lift the tail and slide the thermometer in. Be sure to pay attention as some horses (understandably!) don't care for this and may kick out! Leave the thermometer in for a few minutes then slide it out. Wipe it off on the towel (not running it under water!) and read the number. Make sure after you're finished you clean and disinfect the thermometer! A horse who has just finished exercising, is eating, or is stressed will have a higher temperature, so it's always best to take their temperature when they're at rest. A horse at rest with a temp around 39C (102F) has a mild fever, 39.5-40 (103-104) is moderate (call the vet), and above 40 (104) high (definitely call the vet now!). A horse whose temperature drops lower than normal is likely in shock. Also call the vet.

So TPR is Temperature, Pulse, and Respiration. The Temperature should be 37.5-38.5C (98.5-101.5F). Next in the list is P: Pulse. The pulse at rest should be between 32 and 40 beats per minute. This too will be elevated after exercise or with stress (just think of how fast your own heart beats if you're excited -- so does your horse's!) You should know what the normal resting pulse is. You should also for conditioning purposes take the pulse during and after work -- once you know what the normals are there, you'll be able to tell if your horse is working too hard or is stressed. For those who event, the vet will sometimes check your horse's pulse after XC; if it doesn't return quickly enough to normal, your horse will be deemed unfit and you'll be out. To take the pulse you use two fingers (not the thumb) and feel inside the lower jaw -- there's an artery there that you press gently against the bone. You have to press firmly enough to feel it and lightly enough not to cut off the pressure. Count the beats for 15 seconds and multiply by 2 (at least if you're doing the EC test. Everybody will give you a different number for their favourite counting methodology). The other place you can find it (harder with fingers, but easier with a stethoscope) is at the top of the front leg on the inside, right in front of the elbow. There is also technically a digital pulse (digit = limb... the digital pulse is felt at the back of the pastern. Remember where that is? If not, review Theory Thursday 1 - Anatomy) but if you can feel that it's a pretty safe bet your horse has laminitis (more on that another day!). So it's not a good place to be checking when you really just want the pulse.



So TPR is Temperature, Pulse and Respiration. The resting temperature should be 37.5-38.5 (99.5-101.5); pulse should be 32-40, and then we have the third item -- respiration. Respiration is breathing rate and should be 10-14 beats/minute (at rest -- just like when you run you end up huffing and puffing, so does your horse! And just like you, one of the signs of fitness is how quickly their breathing returns to normal. But for you to know how they're doing, you have to know what normal is!). The easiest way to check the respiration is by watching the horse's flanks. The breaths should be even and regular and at rest are reasonably shallow. Remember in and out counts as one!

The other random that a vet will often ask for along with TPR is the capillary refill time (particularly if you're calling about colic!). To check this you need to turn up your horse's lip and press on his gums (over the teeth). This will change them white where you've put pressure. When you let go they should turn back to pink in under 2 seconds. If not, circulation is not what it should be.

One other thing that doesn't really fit here, but is easy and important to know is the wrinkle test. Horses require a lot of water and dehydration can be fatal. The wrinkle test is a quick way of ascertaining if your horse is dehydrated. All you do is pinch the skin on the neck -- if it takes more than two seconds to snap back into place, it's not a good sign...

That was a reasonable amount of Very Important Information to take in. Did you get it all?