Spring Horse Health

It is spring time in the Northwest and time to make sure your equine partner is healthy and ready for the adventures you have planned this season.  We are blessed to live in an area that offers boundless wonderful places to enjoy our horses in the great outdoors as well as an active local equine community offering a staggering variety of clinics, lessons, shows and play days to attend with all of your horse crazy friends.   Here is what you need to know about equine health as you plan your events this summer!

Vaccinations

We are so lucky to live in a time when vaccinations can be viewed as superfluous by a great number of the population.  Because of vaccinations we no longer see the deadly diseases that our parents and grand parent’s generations had to endure.  Many of the life-threatening illnesses are rarely seen in this modern world thanks the to technology of vaccinations and preventative medicine.  With that said, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing and the old standard of twice yearly 5-way administration to all horses is no longer appropriate.  Designing your vaccination protocol should take into consideration not only the age and health of the horse to be vaccinated but what that horse’s likely exposure is going to be for the year.  We have the option of combining all of those products into a single shot for those needle shy or difficult to vaccinate horses and we also have the ability to split the products into multiple vaccinations to minimize overloading the immune system at one go.  For many of the respiratory diseases we also have the option of going with an intra-nasal vaccination which further diminishes the introduction of adjuvants into the system.  Here is a brief overview of the vaccinations to consider for your horse.

Core Vaccinations:  These are the vaccines that are recommended annually to all healthy horses regardless of travel or living conditions in the contiguous United States.

Tetanus:  The gold standard back bone of almost all the combo vaccinations.  Tetanus vaccine protects against the toxin produced by clostridium tetani, a bacteria that is prevalent in the soil.  Because this bacterium is ubiquitous and lives for long periods in the soil, our horses are exposed to this disease in their own back yards.  Horses that contract tetanus disease are very likely to die and treatment is rarely effective and always very expensive. 

Eastern/Western Encephalomyelitis:  Often referred to as Sleeping Sickness this disease is spread by mosquitos and biting flies from infected birds to horses. This is two disease types lumped into one category.  These diseases are named according to the areas in which they were first identified and most commonly seen.  There is a third encephalomyelitis in horses called Venezuelan Encephalitis that we do not typically vaccinate for in the US and certainly not in the Northwest.  While this is a disease that a concentrated vaccination program has made fairly rare we do occasionally see cases that pop up in the summer months.  Like most of the other diseases in our core vaccination protocol the mortality for these diseases is very high.  50% mortality rate for WEE and 90% mortality rate for EEE.  This along with tetanus is the backbone of most of the combination vaccinations.  Even horses that do not travel are at some risk for this disease as it is spread by insects traveling from one place to another. 

West Nile Virus:  First identified in the United States in 1999 this disease is a great example of the effectiveness of an active and aggressive vaccination program.  Almost as soon as the cause of this emerging disease was identified, Fort Dodge went to work developing a vaccine to attempt to stem the cases of this deadly virus.  West Nile Virus causes neurologic symptoms and tremors which can progress rapidly to recumbency and once down these horses do not tend to recover.  The mortality rate is reported to be between 30-40% of cases.  In those horses that recover, gait and behavioral abnormalities are often seen 6 months after infection. We have seen both a decrease in disease incident as well as an increased likelihood of survival in our vaccinated population.  West Nile Virus was slowed in it’s spread across the United Stated both by climate and mountains as well as vaccination.   In the Western states we watched in trepidation as this disease marched across the country then after about 10 years when we didn’t see emerging cases people began to stop vaccinating for this disease.  That was about the time we started seeing cases here in the Northwest.  In our practice area we have had several cases of confirmed West Nile Virus in horses.  Three of the confirmed cases that I treated personally happened to survive the disease and one horse succumbed to the paralysis and had to be euthanized.  None of those horses had any history of vaccination.  For some reason, this vaccine gets the most bad press and love or hate social media that seems to be where most if it occurs.  In my own personal history of vaccinating thousands of horses annually since 2002 (my first year in practice the West Nile Virus vaccine was required to be administered by a veterinarian due to conditional licensing.)  I have had only one horse that had what would be considered a moderate reaction characterized by diarrhea and cramping.  He also received a 3 way vaccination and an anthelmintic that day so there isn’t any way to be sure what he reacted to.  Currently the recommendation from the AAEP for vaccination against West Nile Virus in our area is for every adult horse to receive annual boosters prior to the onset of bug season. 

Rabies:  Rabies is also ubiquitous and present in most mammalian species.  Across the United States we see reservoirs of rabies in certain wildlife populations.  In our area the rabies virus seems to be carried by our bat population.  This does not mean that this is the only way to contract rabies, but it is the most likely source of wild rabies.  There is a vaccination for all large animals for this disease.  AAEP currently recommends annual vaccination for adult animals.  Because in the Northwest we see very little wild type rabies and because this is one of the vaccines that in horses seems most likely to cause muscle soreness, our recommendation for horses that are housed in rural parts of North Idaho to be vaccinated every 3 years or every other year, following the protocols commonly used in our small animals.

Risk Based Vaccines:  These are vaccines that you and your veterinarian may deem necessary in order to keep your horse healthy based on his exposure rate to these diseases.

Equine Herpes Virus (Rhionpneumonitis):  There are two types of virus associated with equine herpes in horses.  Equine Herpes Virus Type 1 (EHV 1) and Equine Herpes Virus Type 4 (EHV 4).   Like the common cold, this is a disease that varies quite a bit in severity from individual to individual and circumstance to circumstance.  This can be a subclinical mild fever of 24-48 hour duration which may go unnoticed to more serious cases of lethargy, anorexia, upper respiratory infection and cough.  Most horses will be exposed to EHV 1 during their first weeks or months of life and recover without incident.  Recurrent infections occur when young horses are housed together and entered into competition or training, just like kids passing a cold around when school starts.  EHV1 also is associated with abortion in pregnant mares as well as weak non viable foals and it is in this capacity that most aggressive vaccinations protocols have been implemented in an attempt to reduce viral shedding among pregnant mares.

More recently this virus has been in the news for the wild type mutation of the EHV 1 virus that causes debilitating neurologic disease.  The neurologic form of this viral disease is associated with a much higher mortality rate.  Unfortunately this disease is as easy to spread as our common cold and once it is identified in a population of horses it becomes a biosecurity challenge to control.  Current recommendations are for horses that are in populations in close confines (boarding facilities) competing or traveling to areas where many horses congregate are vaccinated twice annually for EHV.  For some horses competing in USEF events, more frequent vaccination may be recommended.   There is no vaccine available for the neurologic form of this disease.  Our best tool for protecting our populations of horses is to mitigate shedding and passing of the virus among the population leading to increased risk of the formation of the wild type virus. 

Equine Influenza:  This virus is one of the most common infectious diseases identified in the respiratory track of horses.  There are three distinct strains in the equine population in North America.  It is endemic in the equine population and is most commonly spread by infected horses.  Horses are rarely subclinicaly infected but may shed virus before the onset of clinical signs.  This is why quarantine of all new horses entering a population for at least 14 days is recommended to be sure you do not introduce the virus into a new herd.  Like in the human population antigenic drift does occur and as the equine population immunity waxes and wanes new strains of the virus are occasionally identified.  Vaccine companies work hard to make sure their vaccines provide optimum protection for the strains active in the population.  Horses that are traveling and are exposed to other horse populations should be vaccinated every 6 months for equine influenza.

Strangles: Caused by the bacterium Streptococcus equi this disease is an upper respiratory and lymph node infection causing significant fever, lethargy and purulent nasal discharge as well as swelling of the retropharyngeal lymph nodes that may impair breathing (hence the name).   This disease is highly contagious and has a long life in the environment and may be spread from feed bunks, grooming equipment, water tanks etc.   There is a very effective intranasal vaccine for strangles.  Horses that have experienced the disease and recovered have variable immunity but are generally considered protected at that time.  Vaccination of adult horses annually after initial 2 dose vaccination schedule is based on exposure.   We have seen an uptick in Strangles cases in our area in the past few years. 

How do I decide what to vaccinate my horse for?  There are many variables to consider when you are planning your vaccination program with your veterinarian.  Your veterinarian will want to examine the horse to determine if he is healthy and able to be vaccinated.  Horses that are ill, weak, malnourished, struggling with any disease process or have a history of serious vaccine reactions are poor candidates for vaccination.  Vaccinations rely on a healthy immune system to be effective.   Your vet will also want to know all of your plans for your horse for the year and the type of activities you are likely to participate in.  If you are taking part in organized shows or part of a show circuit you may have vaccine requirements that are established by the governing body or show management.  Understanding equine vaccinations and your horse’s risk is an integral part of the Veterinary client patient relationship and helps to ensure your horses are protected to the best of our ability.

What are the risks?  The vaccine’s job is to activate the immune system to recognize the antigen that has been placed in the body.  There is a product called an adjuvant (which for anti-vaccine folks is the major source of contention) that is added to the antigen to flag the immune system.  For some individuals this will cause local muscle soreness and in some cases a transient low grade fever.  Somewhere between 2-5% of horses vaccinated will have some reaction of this type.  The veterinarian and the vaccination company like to be aware of this occurrence rate as we are always trying to maximize protection while minimizing risk for our equine patients.  This is another benefit to using a veterinarian for your vaccinations (besides assuring your horse is healthy and receiving the recommended vaccinations).  If your horse does have a reaction your veterinarian can help guide you through that reaction and ensure that we minimize the risk of a repeat reaction the following year.  Most mild reactions are managed with anti-inflammatories.  Occasionally, we see injection site reactions due to vaccinations.  In over 15 years of vaccinating horses I have had one of these cases from a vaccine I administered and 2 cases from client administered vaccines.    The very worst reaction to the vaccine is anaphylactic shock.  Anaphylaxis is a severe immune reaction to something encountered in the body.  It can occur with vaccines, medications and supplements.  Typically, injectable substances are associated with the most severe cases of anaphylaxis.  This is a very rare occurrence but can be fatal and usually occurs directly after the administration of the vaccine (ie before the vet’s truck is pulling out of your driveway).  

How are vaccines administered?  Almost all equine vaccines are going to be given intramuscularly or intranasally.  Intramuscular vaccines are generally administered in the neck before the shoulder and above the cervical vertebrae.  A 20 g 1 – 1 ½ inch needle is inserted deep into the muscle.  The veterinarian ensures a vein has not been involved in the injection and administers the entire vaccine.  Intramuscular injections may also be given in the pectoral region or the in the back of the hind leg.  The pectoral region is a good place for horses that are needle shy though it is often associated with some dependent swelling.  The back of the leg is a great choice for some of the larger thicker vaccines (such as pneumobort) but can be an inconvenient vaccination placement for many of our patients.  The neck is the safest place for the administration of vaccines. 

The intranasal vaccine has several benefits.  Firstly, it provides excellent immunity for some of our respiratory diseases.  Strangles, Rhino and Flu can all be administered intranasally.  Secondly, it reduces our risk of vaccine reactions from adding adjuvants to the horse’s system.  Thirdly, giving these vaccinations outside of the combination (in a 5-way or similar) allows us to better time vaccination with exposure maximizing immunity.  It is more difficult to administer but as the products and applicators evolve we can teach our patients that this administration is painless if not entirely pleasant. 

What is the minimum I am required to give my horses?  Because the majority of the core vaccination protocol is limited to diseases that are not spread horse to horse and do not pose a risk to the general population other than to your own individual horse, the choice to vaccinate against these potentially deadly diseases is entirely your own as long as you understand the risk that if your horse were to contract any of these diseases his risk of death is high with West Nile Virus having the highest percentage of survivability at 2/3 of the horses that contract the disease surviving.  If I were to choose just one of the core vaccinations to administer to my horses it would be tetanus.  Tetanus is everywhere and once contracted is almost impossible to treat.  If your horses are isolated and stay home and do not commingle with other horses they are not endangering the equine population.  However, if you take your horse to events and gatherings of horse people where they are within 14 feet of each other, stabling overnight or sharing a water source, it is your responsibility to help to ensure the health of the equine population at large by vaccinating your horse for the respiratory viruses.  One unvaccinated horse shedding virus and entering into a population of horses can cause an outbreak of a disease that can derail the equine activities in that area forcing closure of barns, cancellation of events and at worse, the death of other horses.  You do not have to inject your horse with anything if you are opposed to the practice, but please, for the sake of my patients, my own horses, my friends horses and my fellow competitors out there, administer at least an intranasal flu vaccine prior to going out with your horse. 

What about titers?  “Titers” refers to a test that measures levels of protective antibodies in the horses blood and estimates their protectivity to certain diseases.  Titers are currently available for many of our common disease including West Nile Virus, Strangles, Rhino and Influenza.  Unfortunately we do not currently have good population data that is conclusive as to what levels of titers in the blood are considered protective.  So, for a horse that has vaccination reactions, especially serious ones, running titers may give us some information about that horse’s immune status and at least give a sense of comfort as to the choice not to vaccinate.  I believe as we move into the future these titers will become better understood and more readily available so that we can better adapt our vaccination protocols for maximum benefit.  Just as our deworming protocols have changed and the frequency and ease of fecal egg counts have increased, titers are likely to be tool of the future.   

Traveling

In the state of Idaho we are required by law to have a current brand inspection on any horse in our possession.  This is especially important when traveling with our horses.  In addition to this requirement, the majority of the neighboring states also require either a health certificate or a current coggins test or both depending on the state of destination. 

What is Coggins?   Coggins is a blood test for Equine Infectious Anemia.  This is a debilitating and sometimes life threatening disease that was first recognized in the early part of the 20^th century.  Because the disease causes untreatable anemia it can severely impact the performance of the animal.  In an attempt to stem the spread of the disease the federally regulated testing was implemented in the 1970’s using a test developed by Dr. Leroy Coggins.  Equine infectious Anemia is spread in the population from infected horses which may or may not be showing signs of disease by biting horse flies.  Currently the incidence rate in the United States is fairly low but we do see pockets of the disease appear in populations from time to time.  Recently there was a herd of infected horses in the Gallatin Gateway area of Montana. 

You are required to have a negative Coggins within either 6 months or 12 months of entry into a state and the requirement varies quite a bit from state to state.  You can research the state requirements yourself by visiting the APHIS website https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/importexport 

For Washington, Oregon and Montana we can issue a joint health and Coggins that is good for 6 months.  Each state requires an individual permit number and Montana requires a few extra steps and a 5$ fee/horse as well as notification or travel into the state. 

It is not unusual for events or facilities to require negative Coggins from horses prior to an event even if the horses are in state.  Plan ahead for your travel and be sure you have your paperwork in order well before your departure date.  I don’t know about other vets, but I’m sure I’ve lost years of my life stressing about other folk’s emergency travel papers on Friday evenings before a Saturday departure.  There is no reason not to plan ahead for those events.  Your veterinarian will thank you.

That sums up the needs for horses that will be hitting the road with their adventurous owners this season.  Stay tuned for another installment about biosecurity and minimizing your horse’s exposure to the disease that are out there ready to put a serious damper on your summer of fun!

My Horse Doesn't . . .

As a large animal veterinarian I spend the majority of my spring traveling around and performing annual exams and vaccinations in preparation for the busy summer riding months. I both love and dread this crazy time of year. For many of my healthy patients this is the only time I will see them in the year. It's good to catch up with the owners and scratch some old friends that I may have known since birth.

It's also the time of year that many of my patients are handled for the first time all year. They may have been turned out to pasture or kicked out and on round bales all winter. They can look a little rough and often act a little rougher. And we may as well be honest;  veterinary procedures are not always pleasant for the horse.  We make the visits as painless and positive as possible because the last thing any veterinarian wants is a patient that doesn't like them.

You can tell a lot about a horse by how he or she handles certain unpleasant tasks but you can tell even more about the owner of that horse and their expectations for the horse's behavior.  For instance, when I go to look in the horse's mouth and the owner smirks and says, "Good luck with that, you can't touch that horse's mouth."  Now, some horses have a reason for defensiveness about the mouth and are a constant challenge to handle that way.  I can usually tell which ones are actually fearfully defensive and which ones have just never been taught to accept handling.  And, no, I'm sorry, it probably does not mean they were twitched by some "cowboy" at some point.

Some owners are very apologetic and embarrassed about the poor ground manners of their horses but others, seem to be even proud of the fact that their horse is tough to handle.  Or they laugh it off saying, "I wouldn't want somebody looking in my mouth either!"  The problem is that these horses that are tough for me to handle during routine veterinary examination likely have holes that you have trouble dealing with in your partnership as well.  That's not always the case, for sure.  I'm not unrealistic.  I have a few patients that I have to have the owner do some of the vetting like vaccinations or blood draws because their horses just aren't handled by other people often and trust is not always transferable.

But, here is my challenge to my fellow horse owners.  Don't let these little picadillos just become part of your expectations for how your horse will behave.  If you have a list of things your horse doesn't do or doesn't like, I would make it my priority to address those because until you do, it is bound to rear it's ugly head at the least convenient time.   I once lost a wonderful beautiful patientnbecause he couldn't be medicated orally.  Injectable medication became too challenging and expensive for the owner and because we were unable to treat him with any form of oral medication we had to make the tough decision to euthanize.

Teaching your horse to accept a de-wormer or oral treatment or have their feet handled or stand still for a vaccination is part of teaching your horse to be a good citizen and is every bit as important as teaching them to whoa or jog or change leads.  Too often this is left  to the veterinarian that if you are lucky only sees your horse once every year.

It's all about your expectations.  If you expect and accept that your horse is difficult to de-worm and just use the feed through to get around that issue you can also expect that won't ever change.  Or you can expect your horse to stand like a gentleman and allow oral treatment without a fuss.

So, if you have one of those horses that has trouble with annual veterinary examination or fights you to de-worm him or doesn't like his mouth touched or you have trouble bridling, here are some tips for how you can help your horse become a better citizen.

First of all, if your horse is difficult for oral medication you cannot only work on it twice a year when you de-worm them.  Two fights a year, even if you win, will not fix a horse that is tough to treat orally.

Be sure that your horse is comfortable with all of his mouth being handled.  As an owner you should be able to (respectfully) run your hands over your horse's entire muzzle including the nares, gums, lips and chin.  Make sure that when handling your horse's muzzle you use a flat cupped hand with good contact so that you aren't tickling or annoying him.   Once you can handle the entire muzzle and lips with the horse standing and accepting it (without you holding him there) you can start to work on his gums.  You should be able to rub the gums above and below the incisors with your finger tips.  Many horses will learn to really enjoy this as it is one of Linda Tellington-Jone's tips for relaxation of the horse.  From there you can move to inserting your fingers along the bars and inside the lips.  The key is to have your horse accept all of this without you having to hold him there tightly by the halter.  Maybe it becomes part of your routine before you mount up.  Devote 5 minutes of your time to making sure your horse is okay with all of that.

Next you want to add a tube that you can introduce into their mouths.  If your horse is fearful or really bad about having anything near his mouth I would start with an old empty tube that does not have any trace of medication left in it.  Start just like you did with your hand and get him used to having that tube rubbed all over his muzzle then start asking the horse to accept the tube in his mouth.

I do not advocate using your finger to introduce the tube.  The goal is to have the horse soften his mouth and accept the tube without your finger being in his mouth. The step of handling his mouth and lips and gums was part of teaching him to accept handling and not be fearful.   Wait for him to be ready to accept the tube before you force the issue by using a finger in his mouth.  I bit my horses the same way.  I don't force the horse to open his mouth for the bit.  Wait for them to soften and pick it up themselves and they will forever be better to bridle.

Once the horse is able to accept the empty tube you can fill it with something scrumptious like molasses, honey, applesauce etc and start delivering some little treat if he keeps the tube in his mouth long enough.  You want to be able to administer the medication slowly so that they don't spit it out and so they don't get into the habit of having a wad of something crammed into their mouth and then they are released.   If you give the de-wormer in a big wad and then hold the horse's mouth closed until they swallow it that's not much of a reward to the horse for them calmly accepting the medication.  Instead, give it slowly, allow the horse to work it around his mouth and then you can remove the tube without the fear that they are going to pitch the whole thing.

It doesn't take long to address these issues if you don't make a big deal out of it and work on it every day.  I spent a year teaching my horse that he didn't need to have a coronary when I got the clippers out.  I'm ashamed to admit that for years I just drugged him until I finally realized that if I didn't fix this I couldn't really call myself a horseman.  So, I made it part of our daily saddling routine.  We started small and in the beginning they weren't on.  They were just rubbed over his body.  Then eventually I started turning them on for a bit.  Then I started running them up near his bridle path.  Etc, Ect. Until I could clip him without a halter on.  It took a year's time but only a minute or two out of routine every day.  With intense time concentrating on the issue I probably could have fixed it in a matter of days, but who has time for that?  I want to get in the saddle too!!  Obviously you can approach these things either way.  As long as you are making progress each and every time you are doing it right.

I do want to make a caveat for issues in the horse that are fear based and not just failure to accept.  It can be hard to distinguish these things sometimes but as horse owners we need to be detectives in our horse's behavior and attempt to determine if the behavior we are witnessing is driven by fear.  Fear based behaviors obviously can be addressed but they take more time and patience.  You cannot reprimand a horse that is afraid.  It adds to the fear and for many will make them combative.  Learn to read the difference between fear and misbehavior and if you have any doubt at all which you are dealing with seek help from an equine professional before proceeding.  Fear in the horse is often expressed through vastly increased heart rate, short shallow respiration, trembling, tight lips and tight eyelids and fleeing.  Horse's can be afraid of what they don't understand so fear doesn't mean there was any abuse or tragic event in their past.  Fear from lack of understanding generally goes away quickly.  For some horses, fear behaviors can be so deep seated they can take years of patience and redirection of energy before they can accept the object they are afraid of.

Almost everything on your "My Horse Doesn't like . . . " list can be addressed and improved.   It should be every horseman's priority to make their horse the very best citizen they can be.  All of these little pieces are part of that citizenship.  Raise your expectations for your horse's behavior and I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Winter Maladies

Winter in North Idaho can seem to last forever.  Not only is it tough to get out and ride but for many horses it's a tough time to stay healthy.  Here are some of the most common conditions that we deal with during the winter months and tips for  how you can help your horse avoid these common winter time issues.

Dehydration

  It is so important for horses to drink enough water.  An average size horse under just maintenance conditions (no work or sweating) should consume 8-10 gallons of water a day.  You may find that your horse's water consumption goes up in the winter months and this is due mostly to the increase in dry matter feed.  If your horse is on a primarily fresh grass diet in the summer and on dry hay in the winter, he will need to consume more water to facilitate hind gut fermentation and passage of all that dry matter.  Impaction colics during cold weather are very common.  Any change in the weather that either results in increased dry matter consumption of decreased water consumption can bring on a rash of impaction colics.

There are several ways that you can ensure your horse is drinking enough water to keep all systems a go.  Provide ample fresh clean water at room temperature.  Horses are less likely to drink their required 8-10 gallons of water a day if there are chunks of ice floating in the water.  Water consumption will decrease when the water is at freezing temperatures.  Be sure that your horse has access to a heated water tank.  You also want to be sure that water is not too warm.  Some of the smaller heated water buckets can result in water that is almost tepid and many horses won't drink water at that temperature either.  Just like the little bear, your horse wants his water "just right".  If you do use an electrical tank heater, but sure to check it yourself at least once a month to be sure there is no charge in the water.  If you don't see to be filling that tank as often as usual, it's a good time to check to be sure your horses aren't getting shocked when they go to water. If you have a 50 gallon tank and 2 horses, you should be filling that tank every 2 -3 days.

Adding salt to the diet is another great way to drive that thirst and increase water consumption.  Horses do not tend to use a salt block as much during the winter.  You can add salt to their diet by adding a small amount of grain or pelleted feed topped with a TBSP of loose salt daily.  It doesn't need to be much concentrated feed, just enough to get some salt down them.  Even just a cup of grain would be enough.

Have your horses teeth checked.  Especially older horses that are missing teeth or have loose or diseased teeth will not want to drink as much water in the winter.  Be sure your horse isn't experiencing discomfort in his mouth that is keeping him from drinking enough.

Feeding wet feed can also be a great way to add a little moisture to your horse's diet.  Bran mashes used a couple of times a month or soaked beat pulp can add moisture to the diet.  Soaked hay is another great way to add moisture.  Obviously you can't add enough to make up 10 gallons but it can help a horse that has diminished water consumption.  Be careful when changing feeds or adding soaked feeds.  Beat pulp especially can be a very dangerous feed if it is not thoroughly (I mean overnight) soaked to prevent choke.  Soaked hays or cubes also can be a choking hazard if not soaked thoroughly.  Bran mashes because they are high in phosphorous should not be used daily, but are great for those once a week or so treats when mixed with a feed your horse is used to such as Equine Senior.

Sore Feet

When we have periods of frozen uneven ground it is common to get calls about horses that are sore footed.  Many horses with thin soles do not do well on that treacherous ground.  While I don't generally recommend shoes in the winter months, some of these horses may benefit from well fitted paddock boots.  It's important when using boots in the paddock to check the boots twice daily for any rubs or build up of mud or moisture.  Another option is to provide a soft footed resting area.   Sawdust or shavings in the area where horses spend the majority of their time can allow them to at least have a break from the hard footing and can go a long ways towards improving their comfort until the thaw.  Cleaning the feet daily will help you to determine if your horse's bruised hoofs are becoming abscessed and requiring further treatment. 

Rain Rot

Rain rot isn't as common in our area as it is in the more coastal regions but we do see a few cases every year.  Rain rot is caused by the bacteria dermatophilis congolensis and generally occurs along the top line.  Typically we see this in the spring during the really wet months before the horses have begun to shed.  If the horses spend several days soaked to the skin it provides the perfect environment for the bacteria to thrive.  It causes a clumping and flaking of the skin with loss of the crusty chunks of hair.  This can also happen under a blanket if moisture gets trapped beneath that blanket. 

The very best cure for all but the most complicated cases of rain rot is good grooming.  The bacteria is sensitive to light and dry air.  While there are many many shampoos and medical treatments on the market your best bet is to get your horse dried out and curry as much of the affected area as possible.  Occasionally we will have to treat a horse with one of the topical treatments but what invariably happens is that somebody follows some on line advice, applies a topical ointment and just increases the warm wet environment by sealing all that moisture in there.  By keeping a close eye on your horses and being sure they are groomed regularly you can prevent most cases of rain rot in our area. 

Swollen Sheaths and Ankles

I get a lot of calls in January and February for swollen sheaths and ankles.  When our footing gets to be the worst and the horses do not have enough room to move around they spend a lot of time standing in one spot.  Typically it is aged horses that are most prone to this phenomenon but you can see swollen ankles on young horses that are spending too much time in the same spot.  Generally this is not a serious condition and it will improve as soon as the horse can get some exercise.  If your horse is acting normal in every way and there is no evidence of lameness, I generally recommend a walk if possible.  10-15 minutes of hand walking in an area with decent footing can go a long way to improving circulation and diminishing the swelling.  If, however, there is associated lameness or your horse is not acting normal he should be seen by a veterinarian to rule out other more dangerous causes.  

Obesity/Emaciation

Just because it is winter and your horse is on vacation is no excuse for your horse to become in poor condition.  We see both extremes on the scale, from the horse that winters poorly to the horse that "winters well".  While some fluctuation in weight is to be expected and indeed there are folks that study wild horses that seem to think it healthy, extreme fluctuations in your horse's weight is no more healthy for them than it is for you.  

For the easy keeper that packs on the pounds in the winter it is important to not give into the guilt feedings.  If your horse can maintain his weight on 16 pounds of dry hay alone then feeding extra hay will only serve to cost you more money and sacrifice your horse's health.  Be sure you are body condition scoring your horses at least once a week to see if your feeding program is adequately meeting their needs.  There are many options for the easy keeper that gets bored quickly in the winter months besides just allowing them to eat themselves into oblivion.  Slow feeders or breaking their meals up into multiple small meals/day can help to alleviate the boredom and help you avoid overfeeding just to keep them occupied.  While we all love to see that nice, bright green high quality hay stacked in our barn, sometimes a lower protein variety is more appropriate for your horse in the winter time.

The other side of this coin is the horse that winters hard.  It is not okay for your horse to drop to a body condition score of less than 4 during the winter months.  If the weather and feeding conditions are such that your horse is loosing weight, that needs to be addressed before their condition worsens to the point of a bad colic or hypothermia.  Horses need that good layer of flesh to adequately maintain body heat.  Without it, they will require a blanket or more substantial shelter to keep from getting chilled.  Horses that have a hard time consuming enough calories to maintain their weight on hay alone must be fed some type of concentrate feed, and generally that is going to be Equine Senior or another pelleted whole feed.  Just like the horse that's an easy keeper, the hard keeper should be body condition scored weekly so you can be proactive about making necessary changes to their diet.

Trudging through the snow, fighting frozen hoses, dragging sleds full of hay or manure all are the stuff that make horse owning in the northern states something that is not for the faint of heart.  Just think how much tougher us northern horse people are than those soft southern types!  No fear, it'll be over soon.   Then we can move onto bug season! 

Saying Goodbye

As a veterinarian I get asked all the time how I handle putting animals to sleep. "Isn't it hard?" they ask, or, "I could never do that because I love animals too much".  I don't think you will find a body of professionals that loves animals more than veterinarians. We have dedicated countless hours to the study of them and spend our every waking hour covered in some excretion from them.  You don't become a veterinarian because you are cold hearted and able to end animals lives without a second thought.  Thankfully it is most often a great kindness we offer; the chance for an animal to miss out on the pain and suffering of a terminal disease or miss the hardships of frigid temperatures on a tired old body.

In our practice as rural large animal vets in North Idaho humane euthanasia definitely has a "season". So many of my clients want to give their horse that one last summer or glorious fall and choose to say goodbye as the temperature starts to drop in late fall. While I support and in fact encourage this practice it does cast a shadow on our fall work as we send so many of our old friends on their journey across that rainbow bridge.

Although we specialize in large animals we also offer at home euthanasia for dogs and these are usually the hardest for both myself and my husband.  Our clients appreciate being able to quietly say goodbye to their dog in comforts of their home and quite often it's a nicer way for the dog to go too surrounded by family on his own bed in front of the fire.

Recently we were called to provide this service for a retired police dog.  He had had a very long and active life but had recently suffered from failure of his hind legs.  To see these elegant and prideful dogs reduced to scooting around is tough all by itself.  I don't know what it is about police dogs, but they seem somehow more human.  I have tremendous respect for these animals and the work that they do as well as the bond that forms between dog and handler.  I had the privilege, while in Veterinary School, to see a couple of these dogs during my small animal rotation and was struck with their grace and intelligence then as well.

This old boy was a beautiful dog.  I could see that in his prime he would have been a specimen of canine supreme athleticism.  Though he had been retired for several years, he and his handler still had a close working relationship and as I sat down next to him on his blanket he looked to his handler for support and instruction.  This is probably the hardest part about working with police dogs.  It's very important for most of these dogs to have the handler remain calm and quiet throughout the procedure.  If the dog picks up on the distress of the handler they can get upset themselves.  Watching their strong handlers fight for emotional control as they quietly send their old partners on their way is absolutely heart wrenching.

I'm generally able to maintain a semblance of professional demeanor until I walk back to my truck.  This time I barely made it.  Watching the end of a human animal partnership like that just tears at your heart and I was openly sobbing by the time I reached my tail gate.  Throughout the rest of the day I would remember the officer stroking that big head as he slipped away and tear up all over again.

So, yes, now that you mention it, it is hard on us vets to have to put animals to sleep.  But what an amazing gift we are able to offer our patients.  To quietly leave this life and cross over into the next surrounded by family and friends and the feel of a well loved hand stroking your ears.  I hope I will be so lucky myself.

De-worming your horse.

The recommendation for de-worming protocols has changed quite drastically in the past 5 years.  While new research continues to point out the risks associated with over doing it with your de-worming the word has been hard to get out to horse owners, which is hampered largely by the anthelmintic companies continuing to tout the rotational every other month de-worming schedule.

Typical parasite programs have been based on schedules that have nothing to do with parasite transmission.  For years the recommendation was to de-worm every time your farrier came to reset your horse's shoes.  The goal of this recommendation was to make it easy for horse owners to remember.  You are standing there holding your horse, great time to get this little chore done.  Or if you are lucky your farrier might even give you hand.

The problem is that this method of medicine delivery did not take into account what was actually going on in your horse's body.  Repeated use of common anthelmintics given at inappropriate doses has led to vast resistance in our parasite populations. This not only complicates our ability to deal with significant parasite loads but also leads owners to believe that they are de-worming their horse when they may be doing nothing more than giving ineffective drugs.  While the thought of any parasite lurking undetected in the bowels of your favorite mount can give any horse owner the heebie jeebies, recent evidence suggests that horses may actually be healthier with a small well managed parasite load.

What?!  How can this be possible?

Make no mistake, after all the progress we have made in equine health in the field of parasite control since the development of ivermectin I am not advocating that parasites are good and should be encouraged.  But, there is evidence that maintaining a completely parasite free digestive tract may predispose a horse to digestive insufficiency as well as allergies.

Horses evolved right along with the parasite and their digestive tract has carried and supplied the parasite with a viable home for eons.  In the wild as horses are constantly on the move, overt overburdening with parasites is rare, though parasitism is not.  It is our artificial containment of horses restricting their natural grazing patterns and concentrating the parasite load they are exposed to that has caused problems in our domestic horses with parasite loads.

There are very good reasons to control parasites in our horses. Overloading a horse with parasites can have disastrous effects.  Arterial aneurysms, larval migration damage, worm impactions, ileo-cecal colic, poor health, poor weight gain, and overall damage to the intestinal tract all are consequences of an overabundance of parasites.  However, a few helpful parasites in the intestinal tract of a healthy adult horse help may (there is conflicting research in this area) help to stimulate the horse's immune response in a positive way, as well as increase overall gut motility and in some cases aid in digestion in the large colon.

In our area we are blessed with incredibly cold parasite unfriendly winter temperatures as well as a period of very dry hot weather in the summer.  During both of those times there is very little transmission of parasites happening because the larva do not survive to be transmitted.  The exception to that would be horses that are kept indoors in the winter or on irrigated pastures on the summer.  High stocking densities and poor manure management also increase the ease of parasite transmission and may lead to a larger worm burden in your particular herd.

In most cases we recommend twice annually de-worming.  I like to use a product in the fall that will take care of both tape worms and bots (both of which are common in our area in the summer months).  These products include Equimax, Quest Plus and Ivermectin Gold.  Equimax is my preferred choice.  I have had a few horses react badly to Ivermectin Gold I do not recommend that one in pregnant mares.  In the spring I recommend one of the drugs that targets roundworms and strongyles such as Strongid, Panacur, or Safeguard.  Typically we are de-worming towards the end of October to coincide with freezing temperatures and therefore less chance of larval transmission and then again in the spring when there is warmer temps and thawing generally March or April.

In the between months I recommend fecal exams on your horses to be sure that this program is working for your particular herd.  Sometimes a horse may be extra likely to be carrying or shedding high numbers of parasites despite de-worming.  Those horses will often need more frequent de-worming in order to prevent shedding or a build up of parasites.  Foals need to be de-wormed more frequently during their first year of life as well as they are extra sensitive to an over abundance of parasites.  I recommend that foals be de-wormed at one month of age, again at weaning or 3-4 months of age, and then again at 6 months of age.

There are several options out there for folks wishing to go more natural and not use the commercially available products.  In some herds with very strict manure management these can be effective but I do recommend periodic fecal exams to be sure that worm loads aren't building up creating trouble.  Diatomaceous earth, garlic, and tobacco have all been used by horse owners attempting to manage their horses more organically.  Of these options diatomaceous earth would be my first choice.  Garlic can cause anemia when administered at levels high enough to discourage parasites.  Tobacco also comes with other side effects and is not generally recomended for horse or human!

Vaccinations for the North Idaho Horse

Vaccination is one of the topics that can be terribly confusing to the horse owner.  I can remember in our Sr. year of veterinary school (ironically the first time we had covered vaccination protocols in our education) hearing the vaccine lecture on each of my rotations through Equine Medicine.  It was probably my third rotation through that I finally began to feel like I had a grip on developing a vaccination program.  So, if you have had horses for years and you are still confused, don’t feel bad!  Let’s go over it one more time, shall we?

Core Vaccines

There are several disease that are listed on the core vaccination list.  These vaccines are recommended by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) for all horses in all ages and stages at least annually.  The core disease are Easter Encephalomyelitis, Western Encephalomyelitis, Tetanus, West Nile and Rabies. 

Every single one of those disease has a high mortality associated with it.  That means that if your horse gets any of the disease listed on that core vaccine list he is likely to die.  Luckily the vaccines for all of these disease have been shown to be very effective and very safe.  This makes the risk associated with these vaccines far less than the risk associated with the disease. 

The other thing of note with the diseases listed on the core vaccination list is that they all come to your horse.  Both of the Encephalomyelitis strains as well as West Nile are carried by biting insects.  So, your horse doesn’t have to go anywhere to be at risk for those diseases.  Tetanus is of course found in the soil in every horse pasture.  Rabies, though not as common in our area as it is in other parts of the country, is found in our population of bats.  Of the core vaccines, this is the one that is least commonly administered in our area.  My current recommendation is to do rabies every other year for horses that live in areas where bats frequent. 

Because we are vaccinating our horses for diseases carried by insects it makes the most sense to vaccinate them in the spring months in North Idaho.  We recommend vaccination with the core vaccines between March and May. 

Risk Associated Vaccines

We are blessed to live in the pristine Northwest where our list of risk associated vaccines is relatively short when compared with other parts of the country.  The vaccines we include on this list are Influenza, Rhinopneumonitis, and Strangles. All of these disease are associated with co-mingling with other horses where they can pass the diseases back and forth.  These diseases tend to be more serious in young horses, though flu and strangles can be very tough on an older horse as well.

How do you decide if your horse needs these vaccines?  First of all any horse under 4 should have an annual vaccination for flu/rhino to help establish adult immunity. Rhino is a disease of the respiratory tract causing cough, runny nose and fever.  Rhino is caused by a herpes virus that almost all horses will have been exposed to by the time they are adults.  We vaccinate the young horses to keep them from having active disease when exposure happens.  Because it is a herpes virus, once they have been exposed they will carry the virus for the rest of their lives.  As adults the virus may recrudesce or become active again, typically during times of stress, causing a transient fever and rarely more serious disease.  Influenza is rarely seen as a cause of disease in horses under a year of age.  It causes fever and upper respiratory signs similar to Rhino but may last longer and prolonged periods of fever can cause dehydration which is the most serious complication.  Both of these virus can lead to secondary invasion by bacteria causing deeper respiratory issues needing prolonged antibiotics. 

Strangles is a bacterial disease that is highly contagious and causes swelling of the lymph nodes at the angle of the jaw often resulting a grossly distended throatlatch, hence the common name.  This is again typically a disease of younger horses and tends to be found where lots of horses congregate such as show grounds, training barns and sale yards.  Younger horses going into training should receive a strangles vaccine.  Because Strangles is a bacterial infection the vaccine is a “dirty” vaccine.  This means that it has an increased risk for causing infection.  It should be administered carefully and not in conjunction with other vaccines when possible. 

In my practice I recommend these vaccines for young and adult horses that are actively competing, boarding, or spending time where other horses congregate.  If you are generally a trail rider that maybe rides with 3 or 4 other horses on the weekends your horse is unlikely to need these vaccines.

While the core vaccines are recommended just annually the risk based vaccines are recommended to be administered biannually or at the commencement of show season. If you choose to administer your own vaccines you may find that your options at the feed store are limited to either a tetanus, a 2-way (flu/rhino), or a 5-way (EEE/WEE/Tetanus/,flu,rhino).  Giving your backyard horse a 5-way that they may or may not need is okay but you are probably over vaccinating.  The more things that are contained in a vaccine, the higher the risk of an adverse vaccine reaction.  Generally we will recommend splitting those products up and often will give the flu and rhino intranasally which is associated with fewer reactions and has been shown to have improved length of effectiveness. 

Severe vaccine reactions are rare and in almost all cases the risk of the disease outweighs the risk of the disease itself.  A typical vaccine reaction includes soreness or swelling at the sight of the injection and transient fever.  Rarer are injections site reactions, allergic reactions ranging from diarrhea and colic signs to hives.  If your horse experiences a reaction to a vaccine we may temper his vaccine protocol in order to mitigate those reactions and sometimes will eliminate some of the diseases that are at a low risk for your particular horse. 

We are so lucky to live in a time where we have safe and effective vaccinations against these deadly diseases.  We can safely protect our horses from diseases that we have no means of treating.  While the expense of vaccine may seem like an additional burden on an already stretched budget it is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of treating any of these disease. 

To Blanket or Not to Blanket: Common Sense Approach

To Blanket or Not to Blanket: Common Sense Approach.

There are many, many, different voices weighing in on this debate in horse husbandry; many with very passionate arguments on both sides. While I hesitate to add my voice and muddy the waters further, I feel that I owe my clients a view on the blanketing issue so that they can make a decision based on facts and common sense rather than internet fodder rife with judgmental and often unsupported non-facts.

Horse husbandry has changed dramatically over the past 30 years that I have been a horse owner.  I remember as a young horse owner in North Idaho that most horses didn’t have barns.  Many felt that the cover of a good stand of trees was sufficient protection from the elements for all forms of North Idaho winter weather.  Barns were for show horses.  Blankets for horses were largely unheard of for back yard horses.  Most horse owners would have one or two moth eaten canvas topped felt lined horse rugs for emergencies.  Show horses, were of course blanketed more frequently but even those were rarely blanketed all year.  While our winters seem to be getting a little longer and a little colder these past 10 years, I don’t think the climate change has changed as much as the way we take care of our horses.

It’s not uncommon to see horses in my practice now that are rarely without some type of clothing.  From one or two winter blankets, fly sheets, stable sheets or coolers.  Some horses have more wardrobe options than a Reba McIntire concert.  How do you decide if your horse “needs” or could benefit from a blanket?  Are you doing harm to your horse by keeping that blanket on all year?  Are they better off being “all natural” and hairy?  Let’s talk about the pros and cons of blanketing in general and then you can decide if and when blanketing fits into your personal horse husbandry.

From a completely medical standpoint, there are a few reasons why a horse might “need” or benefit from a blanket.  Any horse that is under ideal Body Condition Score (BCS) of 5/9 cannot adequately maintain his body temperature in colder temperatures.  In our area I’ll define that as below 20 degrees F.  But there are other factors to consider.  Horses can deal far better with cold and dry weather than they can with cold wet weather.  Those fluffy winter coats insulate best when dry and long periods of rain and near freezing temps can significantly lower your horse’s ability to keep warm.  That’s where that extra layer of insulation of body fat kicks in and protects the horse from chill.  Even a well fleshed horse can become chilled in those late fall/early winter cold wet rains.  Be sure your horse has some ability to get a break from the constant wet so that the undercoat has a chance to dry.  Without some type of shelter from the rain, a waterproof blanket can provide a wonderful layer of protection. 

Here is one of the areas where you need to be conscientious, though.  A horse that is blanketed while wet can develop bacterial or fungal infections in the skin if they allowed to stay wet under that blanket.  Some of the new breathable blankets do a great job of both insulating and allowing a horse to dry while protecting them from continuing rain.  If you blanket your horse while he is wet, be sure to check under that blanket to be sure he is drying out thoroughly.  Some of the ways to aid in this is to have a cooler under the blanket to absorb the moisture (here come the wardrobe changes), replace the wet blanket with a dry one once the horse’s coat has dried a bit, or place terry cloth towel between your horse and the blanket to absorb the moisture.   As long as you are making sure that you aren’t creating a warm wet environment under that blanket you will be okay.  Don’t choose not to blanket a wet chilled horse just because you have heard you should never blanket a wet horse.  That piece of colloquial wisdom should be changed to “you should never blanket a wet horse and then forget about it for the next few days”.

Older horses, even in good flesh can have a very hard time regulating their internal temperatures during frigid weather.  I do recommend blanketing these older guys when the winter weather gets frigid to help them to not spend so many precious calories on keeping themselves warm.  Be diligent about removing that blanket at least once every few days to evaluate body condition and be sure you aren’t creating pressure points on these often bony seniors.  I’ve seen many oldsters that were blanketed through the cold months have their blanket pulled on the first warm spring day only to find an open wound or that they have lost 75 pounds undetected under that blanket. 

Weanlings are the other group that can often have trouble adjusting to our cold temps in the fall;  especially late in the year youngsters that were maybe weaned in late September or October.  Depending on your feeding program you may find that your weanling is all belly and little bulk.  They have a distinct ability to grow copious amounts of baby fuzz often disguising a lack of muscle covering.  Especially if you have one of the non-quarter horse breeds that doesn’t build blocky muscles at an early age, your youngster may be lacking in enough meat on his bones to keep him adequately warm.  Watch these youngsters carefully for signs of being chilled.   Be sure you have a blanket that fits your baby well as these little guys can get themselves pretty tangled in blankets that are too big for them. 

The other group of horses that are often blanketed through the winter are those horses that are being ridden.  Trying to work a horse with a full coat of winter hair can be difficult.  If you get any sort of sweat it can take hours to dry them off and they are at increased risk for being chilled until they do dry.  Not to mention the incredibly annoying prospect of saddling the wet muddy horse with 2 inches of winter hair.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with blanketing a horse that you are planning to ride through the winter just to help mitigate these issues.  I actually much prefer blanketing to body clipping if I had to choose one for myself and my horses.  But, often for horses in extremely athletic work a combination of the two might be necessary.  All of the internet rumors that blanketing ruins a horse’s ability to grow a winter coat or that it robs them of necessary vitamin D or that it creates horses who forget how to regulate their own temperatures is largely poppy cock.  The one downfall to keeping your riding horse blanketed through the winter months is that you will need at least two blankets, maybe a cooler and possibly an additional heavy insulated blanket if it gets really, really cold.  It takes more monitoring and diligence to keep your blanketed horse’s adequately protected from the unpredictable North Idaho weather.  I don’t recommend it for horses that are only being ridden lightly or are turned out in a typical treed and brushy North Idaho pasture and only being seen during daylight hours on Saturday.  Too many issues can arise with blanketing for those kinds of situations. 

So those are just a few of the situations in which you might consider a blanket for your horse.  Before you go shopping let’s go over some guidelines and pitfalls that may occur with winter blanketing.

1.  Wetness:  We’ve already touched on this topic with the blanketing when wet issue.  It’s important to note that waterproof blankets don’t always stay waterproof.  If your horse gets damp or remains damp under that blanket they can get chilled, or develop nasty skin conditions. 
2.   Sores or rub marks:  Some horses can be harder than others to fit to a blanket.  Be sure that your blanket fits your horse well with no pressure points.  Some common areas of pressure are the top of the withers and the points of the shoulder.  Even with a well fitting blanket, repeated wear can cause hair breakage just from rubbing.  Evaluate your horse while moving and with his head down eating to be sure your horse’s blanket fits well.
3.  Tangles:  Any horse can get himself in a bind while rolling in a well fitted blanket.  Obviously blankets with missing belly or leg straps or that don’t fit well are a bigger risk.  We once had a horse in a nice new well fitting blanket completely shred the blanket in a matter of 2 hours.  We didn’t see it all happen.  Just found a naked horse and a destroyed blanket 2 hours after turn out.
4.  Chilled horses:  This seems counterintuitive but for horses that have been wearing a big heavy winter blanket since November, that February sub zero cold snap can feel REALLY cold.  This is when you may need either a second blanket or a heavier blanket to help them stay warm when those temps hit. 
5.  Overheated horses:  Because our temps are unpredictable and often we see temperature swings of over 40 degrees in a 24 hour period it can be hard to find the perfect combination of insulation and breathability to keep your horse from sweating under that heavy blanket.  One of the ways to best deal with this is to keep the lightest blanket possible on your horse.  I prefer to let my horses develop a bit of a winter coat (even if I’ll be riding in the winter) before I start blanketing.  Then I use a mid-weight breathable blanket that mostly protects from wetness without completely compromising hair coat.  Then I can remove the blanket on the warmer days without my horse becoming chilled or developing a sweat under the blanket. 

So, I think it is obvious after reading this that most of the pitfalls with blanketing can be avoided by diligent husbandry practices.  A healthy application of common sense and responsibly checking your horse’s blanket fit and being sure there is no moisture or sores developing can help you avoid almost all of the common problems associated with blanketing.

We can’t complete a blanketing discussion without talking about shivering.  Shivering is the body’s way of creating heat through muscle contraction.  When the core body temperature drops low enough shivering will ensue in an attempt to warm that temperature back up.  Horses primarily heat themselves through the winter by fermentation of fibers in the hind gut.  Often times feeding a shivering horse a helping of forage will stop the shivering within a few minutes.  If that is the case then your horse is probably going to be okay without a blanket.  But if they are shivering so hard they won’t eat or if the shivering persists even in the face of a big hay breakfast then you need to take steps to warm them up.  GRAIN DOESN'T KEEP HORSES WARM in the winter, hay does and it’s one of the reasons that I recommend grass hay as your forage of choice when it’s cold.  Keep your horses munching throughout the day on those really cold days and they will stay nice and warm. 

In summary, blanketing your horse is often a personal choice though there are times when we may recommend a blanket for medical reasons (age or body condition mostly).  If you do make the choice to blanket your horse please understand that it requires diligent monitoring throughout the winter and that MOST healthy horses if provided adequate protection from wind and rain can survive our North Idaho winters just fine.