RC: Atrial Fibrillation

[Wendy Milner <wmilner@verinet.com>]

Julia,

A-Fib is nothing to play with. Yes it is something to be concerned about.
However, it is easily treatable in horses. From your description of the
ride, and the stress of leaving other horses at home, it is possible that
the horse lost sufficient electrolytes to cause the A-fib. When you returned
home, I'll bet the horse went and ate some salt, ate her normal food which
contains natural electrolytes, drank so that the salts were pushed into
her blood stream, etc. 

To prevent another occurrence try giving a dose of electrolytes prior to
leaving home. Generally the horse is well hydrated at home. Then, once you
start the ride, give another dose, and continue dosing as long as the horse
is drinking. I'd probably double the doses that I normally give, that is,
give them twice as often, not twice as much at a stop.

When the horse has insufficient electrolytes, there is
not enough "electricity" to keep the beat steady. Fibrillation is a fluttering
of the valve. In a sever case, the fibrillation does not stop, and this causes
damage to the heart. 

By the way, a good vet with a good stethoscope can defiantly hear a-fib.
There are three valves in the heart. The heart sounds like Lub-a-Dub. 
If one of the valves is not functioning properly, the vet will hear a
different beat. Such as Lub-a..Lub-a..Lub-a-dub..Lub-a..etc.

I've seen horses that look perfectly fine but are in a-fib. As long as it
is detected and treated, the heart will revert to normal and be fine. This
is not a problem that needs to worry you, except that you should treat
with electrolytes from now on. I've also seen one horse that was run
into the ground because the rider refused to believe the horse. This horse
went to the hospital following the ride, and the vets there said the horse
should never be ridden again or it would risk death.

-- 
Wendy
Dragon Crest Ranch
Some where near Masonville, Colorado

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