Need good wishes for my very sick mini. Update -Finally got an answer. Salmonella.

[valshingle]

I lost 3 mares to Colitis X (colitis of unknown origin), all in a 12 month period of time. All were in different areas of the farm when they got sick and were not in contact with each other. The other horses with them were fine. An exhaustive necropsy was done on the third and she tested negative to everything - salmonella, Potomac Horse Fever, fungus, plant toxins, blister beetle, etc. And yes, it all happened in a few days. One died within 12 hours, another was put down after 10 days.

I know how hard it hurts - I'm very sorry for your loss!

 

[ljc]

I lost 3 mares to Colitis X (colitis of unknown origin), all in a 12 month period of time. All were in different areas of the farm when they got sick and were not in contact with each other. The other horses with them were fine. An exhaustive necropsy was done on the third and she tested negative to everything - salmonella, Potomac Horse Fever, fungus, plant toxins, blister beetle, etc. And yes, it all happened in a few days. One died within 12 hours, another was put down after 10 days.

I know how hard it hurts - I'm very sorry for your loss!

I don't know how you survived losing three horses to colitis. I'd want to give up. Just when I thought I had made peace with all the different things that can go wrong ... now I have to worry about a mystery disease that can strike at any time? And when I look back, there's absolutely nothing I could have done any differently - I got him to the hospital within hours of his first symptom.

I'm so sorry you had to go through such losses to your herd.

 

[Eagle]

I am so sorry that you lost your Ollie, it must be tough not knowing why.

Thanks for finding the time to help me in such a difficult moment. That just shows how much you love horses, Ollie was very lucky to have you.

 

[sedeh]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[ChromeLuvr]

Very sorry that you lost him.

 

[Nuzzle]

Oh wow just read this. What a heart breaker. So sorry for your loss.

 

[rockin r]

Awe Geezz... I am so sorry. What a wonderful tribute to your precious Ollie...Godspeed Ollie..

 

[ljc]

For a variety of reasons, I did not learn until yesterday that the vets DID discover the cause of Ollie's death - he tested positive for salmonella. No clue as to where it came from, although my vet said that up to 40 percent of horses can carry salmonella in their systems with no problems until some sort of "stressor" comes long. Working theory is that both minis came down with a virus, one that went right through Trickster with no problem but it was enough to send Ollie's weakened intestinal system into chaos. Somehow knowing there is a cause helps. A little. I'm still grieving more than I ever thought possible. The new mini arrived a few weeks ago and he's doing a wonderful job of keeping Trickster company and doing his best to help my heart heal. I'm hoping a session with Bonnie F. will help me say goodbye to Ollie and have closure. That's the hardest part - he was so sick in the hospital that I never had the chance to look into his eyes and say goodbye.

Anyway, salmonella. A new chapter in horse ownership. Actually, I've had enough chapters recently ...

 

[REO]

{{{{HUGS}}}}

 

[PaintedMeadows]

Oh I am so sorry!! Sending healing hugs your way. I hope you find your closure.

 

[rimmerpaints]

I am so so sorry!

 

[Taylor Richelle]

I'm so sorry for your loss ((Hugs))

 

[Matt73]

I'm so sorry.

I lost my stallion in June to Colitis X (but my other vet suspects PHF) and then my filly got sick in August with the same symptoms. We ended up saving her with no side effects at all (using IV oxytetracycline and many other treatments). I'm very thankful to have her here with us still, after losing Royal. So I know how you feel. This past summer was particularly bad for Colitis episodes/deaths (we had two Clydesdales up the road die from it as well

).

 

[ForeverFarma]

A good friend of mine just had a bout with a horse tehy thougth had salmonella and it turns out he just had a super bad case of Colitis X- she'd had a colt back in Sept. Develop it as well and no idea what caused it. From how it was explained to me, a horse has to have a fecal test positive 3 times for it to be salmonella, one test is not indicative that it is, but it also does not mean that it wasn't. Another friend had a horse test negative twice, but positive on the last one, and she had the state all over her barn making sure she kept that horse isolated for 6 weeks till they were certian he did not have salmonella.

Sorry for your loss, though. It's never easy to lose one.

 

[uwharrie]

Having gone thru one case of suspected salmonella and one case of confirmed ( two months apart) I can attest to how fast and hard it hits. Both horses did survive but not without a tremendous fight. Both started with what looked to be mild colic and both were critical within hours.

I had a long conversation with the head vet at the state lab ( where all the testing is done)

to get a confirmed negative they need 5 samples over 5 days. They must be fresh and refrigerated. She also said that many horses have the bacteria in thier gut and some sort of stress can set it off. They can also pick it up from wild birds, domestic birds, rodents, reptiles, hay and feed.

In other words no way to really prevent exposure to it. I wanted to test our feed and hay as well as test our small flock of chickens that free range but the lab said most likely none of that would be conculsive.

If you get even on positive results then it is conclusive as false positives are not typical.

It is tough and once you deal with something like this you feel you can never let your guard down.

I have owned horses for almost 40 yrs and never seen anything like it. I dont know if it is due to the internet and getting information from a wider number of places or if it really is something that is on the increase but it sure seems like there are an awful lot of cases of it out there.

I am so sorry your boy lost his fight, you are not alone when it comes to the worry about where it came from and if it will come back.

 

[MiLo Minis]

I am so very sorry for yours and Trickster's loss. Glad to hear Trickster has a new companion to keep him company and get him past his sorrow - sorry it won't be quite as easy for you. I sometimes wonder why we put ourselves through these kind of things over and over again but then I snuggle a warm pony or one of my dogs and it all becomes clear to me again - it's love.