National Farm and Facility Level Biosecurity User Guide for the Equine Sector
Annex 6: Vitals Exam Record

Sample form for vitals exam record

The form heading reads: Vitals Exam Record – When at competition or any commingling venue.

The heading is followed by a paragraph: Monitor rectal temperature twice per day. If temperature exceeds normal value, perform a horse health check and contract your veterinarian as necessary.

The form then contains two fields:

1. Horse Name
2. Horse Identification

The rest of the form is a table used to collect the following information:

• Under the header Normal values: Date
• Under the header 37.0-38.5°C (98.6-101.3°F) Adult at rest , 37.5-38.9°C (99.5-102.0°F) Foals/Newborn:
  • Temperature am (°C)
  • Temperature pm (°C)
• Under the header 10-14 breaths per minute Adult at rest, 20-40 breaths per minute in foals or newborns:
  • Respiratory rate (Breaths per minute)
• Under the header 28-44 bpm Adult at rest, 80-100 bpm Foals/Newborn
• Heart rate in Beats per minute (bpm)