SICK HORSES - ANYONE ELSE?

[Sandy S.]

ANYONE HEARD OF ANYONE HAVING SICK HORSES. WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 32 AND SOMETHING SEEMS TO BE GOING THROUGH ALL OF THEM, NO ONE HAS LEFT AND NO NEW ONES. VARYING DEGREES OF SYMPTOMS. I AM IN CONTACT WITH THE VET AND JUST TREATING SYMPTOMS, HE THINKS SOMETHING VIRAL BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER AND WE REALLY HAVEN'T HAD A REAL HARD FREEZE YET. SYMPTOMS VARY FROM SLIGHT RUNNY NOSE, BEING OFF FEED FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS BUT STILL EATING HAY, TO SLIGHT COLIC SYMPTOMS, TO CHILLING AND SHIVERING, SLIGHT TEMPERATURE.

TREATING AS SYMPTOMS OCCUR WITH BANAMINE, ANTIBIOTICS, PEDIALITE AND GATORADE FOR THE WORSE ONES THAT GET DEHYDRATED, ALSO GIVING RED CELL TO THE WORSE ONES AND SOME KARO SYRUP & OIL TO KEEP THEM POOPING. SO FAR ONLY GONE THROUGH MAYBE 11 OF THEM, SO STILL HAVE 20 MORE TO GO.

THIS DARN WEATHER HERE IN INDIANA, IT WILL BE 60 ONE DAY AND 28 THE NEXT. RAIN, RAIN, RAIN, MUD EVERYWHERE, YOU SINK ABOUT A FOOT IN THE MUD EVERYWHERE. MY BOOTS SEEM LIKE SUCTION CUPS AND I GET STUCK WHEN TRYING TO FEED. I AM SO TIRED, GETTING UP AT 5 AM TO FEED AND TREAT HORSES, THEN TO WORK AND BACK HOME JUST AS SOON AS I CAN AND FEED AND TREAT AGAIN. A COUPLE ARE ON THE MONITORS SO I CAN SEE THEM ALL NIGHT. OF COURSE ALL ARE UP TO DATE ON VACCINATIONS. WE GIVE THE PRESTIGE V, NOT DUE UNTIL APRIL 5 AGAIN.

 

[Charlotte]

Oh my, sounds like when we used to live in the Kansas City area . I feel for you girl!

All are well here....knock on wood! I shouldn't have said that. It's a jinx for sure!

Where did you get Prestige V ??? I just tried to order from a couple of catalogs and they are out.

charlotte

 

[whitney]

Yep same thing here no runny noses or temps just colicky acting, bloating, intermittent diareaha, dumpy acting.

What I found works for me is Kaolin (its a white clay) I'm giving 1/3 cup am and pm in their feed.

I have had 3 vets INCLUDING one from Michigan State University trying to figure out what this CRAP is. Its not Giardia, or salmonella. Blood work comes back slighlty low Red and White count, low E, nothing else remarkable.

I tried the 5 day double dose panacur, and 10 days later the equimax (which did seem to help my new guy as he had 3 6" long tapeworms (ick). 30 days of Gastrogard. Regular pepto bismal did not help the diareaha but double strength at 35cc every 6 hours cleared it up for a 32" 250# mini mare. My mare had a SEVERE reaction (projectile diareaha after 2 days of treatment with Tribrissen) I would be REALLY careful if you decided to use it for this. I can only find the Kaolin at Tractor Supply Company and they have to special order it. I have been battling this crap for 2 months now. I'm in Michigan and we haven't had a good freeze yet either. BANGING REALLY HARD ON WOOD I haven't had diareah or colicky acting horses in 2 weeks but they are still on the Kaolin and will be until we get a couple of weeks of frozen ground.

The reason I am not treating this CRAP with antibotics is I feel if you pick the wrong one it kills the good bacteria and the BAD bacteria goes CRAZY.

I have a receipe for feed they will eat if you need it I will email it to you. TRY THE KAOLIN.

I also discovered that the 2 minis that died of diareaha are located 5 miles from my house. I also have a friend at work that has been battling diareaha for 2 months also (she's the one that told me about the Kaolin BLESS HER).

I FORGOT to add. Keep your chin up this will get better, gradually. I was a basket case 2 weeks ago. This stuff is like a rollercoaster ride one day they act better the next your back to square one.

Please try the Kaolin I would not recommend it if their was a chance it wouldn't work. The vets all poo pooed me when I told them what I was doing they wanted me to use the banamine but extensive use of that stuff messes up the gut big time. In your colicky acting ones you will see an improvement in 20-25 minutes same as banamine. However banamine is only deading the pain not removing the tonin.

 

[sfmini]

I lost a filly a month ago. They were so sure it was salmonella based on the intestinal lesions but it wasn't, it was Actinobacillus equili and it was an accute case that was not curable. She got sick and was dead in two days. Another horse got sick, similar symptoms so we jumped on treating him with pennicillin and gentocin injections. Moved on to a nasty case of ulcers which we are still fighting. This horse almost died, didn't eat for weeks so we were force feeding liquified feed to keep him going. He didn't poop for two weeks and that has started back up. His white count was very high and protiens very, very low. The vet is calling him a miracle horse as he really should be dead.

I am happy to say that he finally ate a full ration of grain yesterday, and ate some alfalfa pellets too. He is grazing and is so much happier that we are thinking we got it licked. This is a picture of him and his guard kitty (taking advantage of the heater).

 

[kaykay]

its been horrible in ohio too! all this warm weather and rain is wrecking havoc. its truly a breeding ground for bacteria. ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

jody im so happy to hear hes better. i have been praying for him!!!

 

[whitney]

Do you feel LUCKY pick a drug.

http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/publi...06_Bacteria.pdf

 

[minihorseluver]

I know the problem. I've actually lost 2 minis this year because of this bug. It's wierd, the only way that you know that they are sick is that their ears droop. Marble died Christmas Eve morning. The Thursday before, her head was droopy, and she only drank water, but her feces were good, and she didn't have a runny nose or anything. By Sunday, she died. Then I lost my 17-yr-old mare to the same thing.

My stallion got sick in mid November, but I was able to get him better through banamine, penecillin, electrolytes, and lots of water. He's fine now, but I still cringe when he goes outside. I've got all of my minis in the barn now, and they only go out side when it isn't windy and cold. I've just moved, so all of my mares are in a corral put up in the back of the barn. You can just about imagine how happy they are when it's nice out. My mom also lost one of her quarterhorse yearlings to the same thing, and he was kept outside with a run-in shed in his pasture. My father also has lost a few calves due to this weather. I'm hoping that Mother Nature decides to make up her mind soon. :no:

 

[Frankie]

Sandy,,,,,,due to the tons and tons of rain,,,,,,,,,and mud,,,,,,,,too, make sure you are checking feet.

When you have something going around like this and the weather isn't helping. Spray down the barn every 3 days with bleach while the horses are out in the mud. Doesn't take much, and I sure think it helps.

:

 

[minisforever]

I live in Indiana and know what you mean about this weather. I too have had more sickness in my horses this year than usual. I came home last night to one of my really nice mares acting oddly. I am hoping it was light colic and she is not trying to abort her foal. She was sweating and not rolling but looking at her sides and breathing a bit heavy and sometimes stomping her back feet. I put her up and treated her she seems much better today. I am watching her on the barn cam. My horses have heavy winter coats but are sweating on the 60 degree days.

I also lost a very nice filly about a month ago to respiritory illness. I wish it would just get cold or just stay warm but the fluctuation in temperatures sure is difficult on the horses and yes the RAIN.........Will it ever end?

 

[New2Minis]

It's not the flu like virus that hit the Wellington, Fl area back in December is it? Here is the link:

http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/ai/Announceme...tusReport.shtml

 

[Sandy S.]

SHOULDN'T BE THAT VIRUS, ALL HAVE BEEN VACCINATED AGAINST EHV-1. THATS WHY WE USE PRESTIGE V, IT COVERS QUITE A BIT AND THEN WE GIVE PRESTIGE V WITH VEE EVERY 5 YEARS. EXPENSIVE AND HARD TO COME BY SOME YEARS, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE THE MOST LUCK WITH.

 

[Miniv]

We swear by the Prestige V as well..........You need to shop around with the catalogs for it, though. It sells out fast (which should tell you something.).

I think the wierd weather is doing things with the horses. I agree. Horses that are used to climate changes get totally thrown off when those changes don't happen normally and will get sick easier.

We are fluctuating between mild 40+ day time temps to dropping into the teens - STILL in the daytme! So it gets very confusing for our animals........which means needing to watch for any change in behavior......(knocking on wood here.)

MA

 

[Barbie]

I've heard that they think the problem that started in Wellington could be a slightly different strain of EV-1 - possibly not covered by the vaccine. I know it sure makes me nervous - one show coming up in a couple of weeks is in West Palm Beach not too far from Wellington, the other is at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa - hard to know what to do.

Prayers coming your way for all the sick horses.

Barbie

 

[Marty]

OH MY GOD SANDY 32 HORSES WHERE DID THEY COME FROM ???? Dumb Question, huh?

Sandy you poor thing. You have got to get some rest somehow and take care of YOU TOO my friend!

I can't even imagine what you are going through. This is just so bad and I know that you are busting your hump and doing everything in your power to take the best of care of your horses. I know whatever they need, you're on it. I just hope whatever this crap is will hurry up and run it's course in a hurry.

Our weather here is insane. We have not had winter yet. Just one bad cold front the first week of December and only lasted 2 days. Then it's been back up to 60 degrees. My windows in my house are open again today. It's too warm in here. Very little rain. It's just a crazy time everywhere.

Take Care Sandy.

Much Love