Horse IQ

Here’s the scenario: You go out to your horse barn just like you do every day. But today, you notice your horse cocks his head at an odd angle, and holds it there. Then he tosses his head - often and for no apparent reason. After a while you see him rub his ears against the side of his stall, as if he’s trying to scrape them off. He may just be acting goofy today. Or he may this this problem…

If your horse exhibits the symptoms I’ve described above, he may have an inner ear infection. His ears hurt, but he thinks the source of pain is coming from the outside. That’s why he’s trying to scrape off whatever he thinks is ‘biting’ his ears.

In addition to those symptoms, he may also react sharply when you try to touch his ears. Don’t be surprised if he wants nothing whatsoever to do with a bridle. The notion of anything coming within a few inches of his ears means more pain for him.

He may also show a lack of balance. Your horse’s inner ear directs his equilibrium. If he has an infection, his inner ear fluid might be skewed to one side of his head. He’ll think he’s right side up. But when he canters, he looks like a 1/2 ton truck with two flat tires on the same side.

Here’s the medical explanation of what’s going on inside your horse’s ear…

Your horse’s middle and inner ear has several odd-looking canals running through it. We call it the labyrinth - named after the maze from Greek mythology. That’s actually a good name for it - it looks a lot like a bizarre maze.

The labyrinth acts kind of like a gyroscope for a ship. It keeps him upright and synchronizes his ears with his eyes and legs. This helps him maintain his coordination and balance.

But if he has labyrinthitis, those inner ear canals become inflammed. And when that happens, the ear fluid can’t flow freely as it normally does. It gets bottled up on one side of his head. That’s why your horse cocks his head and walks at a list. He’ll think he’s walking upright, but he’s not.

What causes this problem? The usual suspect is bacterial infection. So when you call your equine vet (and call him, you should), he’ll most likely prescribe antibiotics to combat the infection.

Oddly enough, the antibiotics he’ll prescribe for your horse are the same ones he’ll prescribe for your dog. I won’t mention the antibiotic names here. Just know that he’ll get a class of antibiotic called an “antimicrobial.” That means it is designed to destroy whatever micro-organisms that happened to have caused the infection in the first place.

It’s hard to say how long it will take to get your horse back to normal after coming down with labyrinthitis. It could be as little as 3 weeks. Or as long as 3 months.

But the earlier you catch it, the shorter time it will take for him to heal. That’s why it’s so important for you to be able to recognize this problem quickly before it becomes a major horse health issue.

Inner ear infections are rare in horses. But even so, it still pays to know the symptoms so you can take action. Remember, the goal is to catch horse health problems while they’re small. And easier (not to mention cheaper) to solve.

Yours For Better Horse Care,

Sierra Lynch

Tags: Horse Diseases

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