Sick Horse tonight

[wildoak]

Need your opinions here......my daughter's big mare is at a huge boarding barn a couple hundred miles from me. She called tonight to say she thought the mare was colicky, off feed mopey...... Fast forward three hours - she talked to the vet who first told her to pull all her feed & hay, this was the second call he'd had and maybe they had changed the feed. Then he remembered the mare (150 horses in this barn!!) and said oh yes, she got shots today. Give her bute, she ought to be fine, and call me in the morning if she's not. She got strangles vaccine, rhino and maybe west nile, she can't remember. Was also dewormed. We had no notice he was coming today.

Just talked to my daughter again before the bute kicked in and the mare was picking at hay, but also had somewhat loose poop and was shifting her weight from foot to foot.

I hate this - I'm too far away to check her myself, the barn CLOSES at 10 pm and locks the gate, my daughter doesn't have a thermometer apparently and couldn't get a temp on her. Doesn't think her feet feel warm.

Did I say I hate this? Any other reasons NOT to board in a big barn?

Any thoughts? She's a fairly sensitive mare & probably needs Gastroguard as well at this point but we have to get through the night first. Do you think this sounds primarily like a reaction to vaccines? I don't generally give them all at once, but I have done it without any apparent problems. I'm just thinking out loud as much as anything but would welcome any insight you might have, or anything I can give her that she might have on hand tonight. Vet also told her it would be $500-600 for him to come out tonight.

Jan

 

[Make A Wish Miniatures]

Jan, It does sound like a reaction to ALL the shots and deworming at the same time.

 

[Little Bits]

I have a standardbred mare that gets the same way when given shots, particularly Herps rhino vac. She will often will ty up. After going through this for years I have never given her Herpes Rhino again and she is fine with the other shots. She also is allergic to bute which will often complicate matters. She wouldn't want to move her neck and is stiff for days. So I generally give here banamine now when she gets those shots and I never give her bute.

I would give her some probotics, and try giving her banamine instead of bute.. Maybe the bute, even though it was a shot, upset her digestive system. I would also give her some pepto bismol to try and firm up her poops.

Also I hope that you do a little screaming about the fact that your barn administerd shots without your prior knowledge. You have a right to be upset about that. I would suggest in the future making sure that you are the one who calls the vet for shots. Also I would try and find out what brand of vacs they used so you can elimminate which ones effect her more, maybe live virus and dead virus make a difference with her. I would make sure you keep good records, so in case you need to rule out which vacs. are the culprits.

Good Luck

 

[wildoak]

Haven't heard from my daughter this morning so I guess they survived the night. Little Bits, I intend to do some yelling LOL. I am so accustomed to doing vaccinations etc myself, and having a great working relationship with my vet here, that it's very frustrating to be just a number to them. I understand that in this big a barn they have to insure that horses are kept up to date on vaccines, and the easiest way to do that is to do it yourself and bill the client but at a minimum I would expect an email or some kind of notice. There are too many horses though who have special circumstances, like your Standardbred, and can't handle vaccines. I have a couple here myself - they get minimal vaccines and routinely get banamine along with them.

Just the downside of a big barn, have been having trouble with them all summer on billing issues (they take board out automatically, but have a new computer system and have been double billing board the last couple of months. Plays heck with my daughter's bank account!! Anyway, just venting here.....thanks for the input. Aggravating thing is that they shut the barn down at 10pm and expect her to just leave a sick horse till morning. No one answered the barn number last night of course. She was leaving before they locked the gates but was going to walk back in from another parking lot.

Jan

 

[Margaret]

Vaccines can overload the immune system, and cause mutiple concerns.

This is what I would suspect as per the timing.

 

[valshingle]

A couple of comments; first of all I'm pretty sure that it's a reaction to the vaccines. We have switched to using the flu nasal rather than shot form. We've had a lot fewer reactions. The nasal doesn't last as long, but provides protection sooner. We no longer give the minis all their shots at once. First I'll worm, and then 2-3 days later give some of the shots, then 4-5 days later the rest of the shots. Doing this has kept us from having those nasty reactions and stiff necks. Last year, doing all the vaccines at once, it took our horses 4-5 days to recover.

Secondly, I worked in a large boarding stable for many years and boarded at many others all around the country during my riding days. I never was in a barn that locked their gates, or asked us to leave at a certain time if we had a sick horse. In fact, if we had a sick horse, they were thrilled that I would be there to watch him which freed up the barn help. I realize that they may have security concerns, but a sick horse is a bigger priority. I also only boarded at barns that the owner or trainer lived on the premises and had 24 hour help (which takes care of the security concerns). Unless your daughter can't bear to leave the trainer, a move may be in order.

Good luck!

 

[Charlotte]

Oh my.

what a mess. You've had good suggestions from those above. I have just one. Try Biosponge to soothe that gut and of course probiotics.

Please let us know that everything is ok with the big girl.

Charlotte

 

[minih]

When you mentioned the switching from foot to foot makes me think fever. Every time I notice one of ours doing that they are usually running a temp. A lot of times when we get their shots all at once like that they will run one for a day or two, we usually give the paste banamine by mouth since they have already been shot all over the neck. I am not a vet, but this is what has worked for us in the past.

 

[wildoak]

I'm in agreement with all of you - I don't like giving a load of vaccines all at once, and I wish she would move from this barn.

I did talk to her vet up there this morning, and he thinks she's got a couple of things going on. One is vaccine reaction - she was given flu/rhino, rabies and a strep strain they made particularly for this barn (nearly 150 horses). She's also had a dental issue (abscess) in the past and he thinks it may have flared up again, as he floated her teeth a week or so ago. If that's the case, she goes back on Tucoprim for awhile. I think she will be okay, hard for me to treat since I'm not there but she's at least had bute and had the trainer look in on her. My issue now is with the barn and vet vaccinating with no prior notice, along not being there to watch her overnight.

Jan

 

[user 488]

My issue now is with the barn and vet vaccinating with no prior notice, along not being there to watch her overnight. Jan

Wow Jan! I am completely dumb struck! How can a barn with those many horses not have a night horse watch person or someone living on the property?

No way would I want a horse there. I sure hope your daughter's mare is OK. (and finds a new place for the mare)

 

[wildoak]

I am completely dumb struck! How can a barn with those many horses not have a night horse watch person

Carol, supposedly they do have night security but she couldn't reach anyone last night at the barn number and they do lock the gates. (which is a good thing, just need to give boarders access). It's right in the middle of Dallas - that many horses on about 3 acres if you can imagine it, obviously very limited turnout but I have to say it's a nice barn physically. Stalls are picked, aisles are clean, three nice covered arenas....just not my cup of tea lol. I am too set in my ways I think - I like having control of my horses and being able to look them in the eye.

Jan

 

[user 488]

I am too set in my ways I think - I like having control of my horses and being able to look them in the eye.Jan

Amen to that Jan! I could not imagine having to go back to that type of situation. But if that is all that I could have in order to have horses I guess I would be there too.

Again, hoping your daughter's girl is OK.

 

[Katiean]

My issue now is with the barn and vet vaccinating with no prior notice, along not being there to watch her overnight. Jan

Wow Jan! I am completely dumb struck! How can a barn with those many horses not have a night horse watch person or someone living on the property?

No way would I want a horse there. I sure hope your daughter's mare is OK. (and finds a new place for the mare)

Ditto

I don't think I would leave my horse unwatched if they were sick. I won't put a solid wall up in a new shelter I am putting up so my horses have more shade/rain protection. If I can't just look out there and see them I would have missed when Princess coliced. No, I think I would have stayed and told them "sorry my horse getting sick doesn't fit your schedule." I would have stayed.