Lymph system Normally, few lymph nodes are palpable in the horse. The submandibular nodes between the sides of the lower jaw can be felt easily. The prefemoral and cervical lymph nodes may sometimes be felt with deep palpation but should not be obvious.

Your horse's wellness exam will include a medical evaluation, dental evaluation, fecal testing, lameness screening, vaccines and parasite control. Additional wellness care procedures can be done at the time of the visit, including sheath/udder cleaning, Coggins test, CBC or blood chemistry, and dental float.

SIGNALMENT: This is the “description” of the horse, meaning name, age, breed, gender. These basic descriptors are important as some breeds, ages and genders are predisposed to different problems.

The signalment of an animal refers to its species, breed, age, and sex. Anamnesis is the process of taking a medical history. There are basic facts to collect for every horse and additional questions for the individual situation.

A brief physical exam may simply consist of temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate, as well as auscultation of the heart, lungs and gut. An exam may also be tailored to the problem at hand, such as lameness, in which cases your vet will do a more thorough examination of muscle, tissue, movement, etc.

Placing a halter - From the near (left) side the handler should first restrain the horse by placing the lead rope around the neck. Once this is accomplished, the halter is opened up and with the right arm placed around the neck (holding the long strap of the halter in right hand) and the halter is applied.

Generally, we divide the lungs into left and right “ventral lung fields” (which surround the heart and just above it), “middle lung fields” (which are in the center of the chest on both sides), and “dorsal lung fields” (closer to the spine).