SmartPak Monday Morning Feed: Ask the Vet, September Edition

In this month’s episode, SmartPak addresses issues like whether or not to give mineral oil to prevent colic, the amount of salt a horse should get every day, slobbers, pre-purchase exams, blister beetle toxicity and so much more!

Thanks, SmartPak, for ensuring that we have access to free education to help us all be better-informed horse owners! The ongoing “Ask the Vet” series is always chock-full of information, as SmartPaker Dan and SmartPak Staff Veterinarian Dr. Lydia Gray answer real fan-submitted horse health questions on a variety of topics.

In this month’s episode, they answer these questions:

1. Should I give my horse mineral oil to keep her from getting colic?

2. How much loose salt should I feed daily? I live in Florida, so my horse occasionally sweats and seems to not drink much. Please help!!

3. Every summer my horse and other horses at the barn start with the slobbers from red clover. Is there anything that can help slow down the amount of drooling without limiting the horse’s turnout?

4. Why are pre-purchase/adopt vet checks so important? What health things do vets typically search for when doing an examination of a horse that someone is going to buy? And what happens if the horse doesn’t pass the vet check?

5. I’d like to add alfalfa cubes to my horse’s diet but I’m concerned over blister beetle toxicity. Are hay cubes just as likely to carry blister beetles and, if so, how can we tell which are the good ones to buy?

Have your own horse health questions to submit for next month? Tag your question on social media with #AskTheVetVideo. Bonus: if your question is selected for a future video, you’ll win a SmartPak gift card!

Go SmartPak and go riding.