Winters Classic Horse Abortions

[nightflight]

Minx,

Probably wasn't even our breed that started it. A horse could have picked it up on a transport van and taken it to the grounds, a local club could have rented the grounds for a play day and someone brought a horse to sell and tied it to a nice warm wash rack, heck, someone could have stopped by the local livestock auction then walked through the show/sale stalls and touched all the pretty horses --

 

[Mulligans Run]

I sort of figured that..so someone had it, it started somewhere..not that anyone would deliberately sabotage a sale like that, just an oversight I'm sure,,but hey lots of money and heartache there.!

Not being part of these sales and looking from the outside in, I just wonder if it would be important enough to sell a horse to go ahead and bring a sick one to the sale or hold out for the next sale.? Very hard decision? mmm....Maybe that person didn't know the horse was even sick?.

You have to realize too that this wasn't just about the Winter Classic Sale - this was the Texas Stock Show - it's two weeks long (I think) - they have cattle and all breeds of horses coming in and out of that facility on a daily basis for showing purposes. It just happened that the sale was in the same facility at the same time.

 

[BLACKWATER FARMS]

it is ubiquitous in the environment--there are a lot of asymptomatic carries, it can w airborne, when horses are stresssed they shed it. The vaccine is not 100% as the virus has the ability to evade the immune system, it is the latent carriers that spread the infection and make vaccination difficult and can be shed for a couple of of weeks from clinically affected animal----. I really doubt that it was intentionally spread by someone--someones horse could have had it (ie respiratory form of snots), recovered , but they didn't realize that the horse had it and brougt it to the sale, and the horse is still shedding the virus, then it spread like the snots at day care to everyone! You also have latent carriers that are totally asymptomatic until stress reactives the virus and they start shedding it--stress like transport, crowding, weaning etcIt's winter, so poor ventilation is also an exasperating factor --I just hope that no ones horse comes down with the neurologic form of this disease as that is the really scary form (not that losing a foal isn't awful)

Linda

 

[RockRiverTiff]

I just want to send my condolences to everyone struggling with this, and all of your affected horses will be in my prayers. How awful!

 

[Magic]

Oh no, how awful!

I'm so sorry for everyone's losses, and adding my prayers for the horses that are sick. What a nightmare!

 

[lvponies]

I am so sorry for those of you with sick horses and sincerely hope they all recover well.

{{{HUGS}}}

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Ok, here's my question: IS this Rhino? I know the original poster has it, but do we all or is it just a cold/flu bug running through our herds? My sick boys aren't near any of my other horses, but I'm afraid of inadvertantly carrying it to the others.....

Lucy

 

[RedWagon]

Our heart felt condolences go out to everyone. Your babies are all in our prayers and thoughts.

 

[LisaB Ozark]

My thoughts and prayers are with you all. I hope for a speedy and healthy recovery for all of the sick horses. How incredibly sad !!! Such a happy occasion to have a new horse.

Lisa

 

[BAER CREEK]

The vet that these horses went to strongly suspects Rhino as well as other infections. Rhino is what will cause the abortions. Since many horses are sick that were from the sale, and now around other horses at our farms, he recommended that all the minis in contact with the ones from the sale get a Rhino shot. IF any of the minis have Rhino, then the shot is part of the treatment anyway. I would suggest you take your sale horses to your own vet and see what he determines. If you have already mixed the sale horses with your herd, then keep a close eye on everyone. If anyone else has a sale horse that aborts, please keep us posted. One of my mares aborted, but the other still seems healthy and carrying her foal. I believe that this mare had her Rhino shots though which could explain why she doesn’t appear to be sick at the moment. We are so close to foaling season. I pray we don’t start loosing all our foals!

 

[albahurst]

You are all in my thoughts and prayers for a complete and speedy recovery of your horses. I am so, so sorry to hear what you all are going through--

Peggy

 

[littleones]

Prayers for all of you that have been so negatively affected by this sale. This is so horrible - and I can't even imagine how you must feel. I hope that all of the horses that are sick recover fully - and nobody else will have mares aborting from this horrible virus. How very sad.

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

How devasting for everyone involved. I'll also keep everyone in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[zoey829]

I am sooo sorry. I hope everyone recovers with no more losses. Please update, I am praying for all

 

[Mulligans Run]

My vet says that what we have is not Rhino and she's not overly concerned about them getting over this illness. What she is concerned about are the mares that are having difficulty breathing and are pregnant. They also happened to be the first ones sick and we didn't jump on it quickly enough. The yearlings are already over it, and the others on anitbiotics are showing improvement.

Also, and I took a mare to the sale that is pregnant. We had her on immune boosters for over a month prior to going - she did not have the rhino shot - she was hauled and stalled with all the other horses and we checked with her new owner today - she is fine.

And please remember this is not the fault of the sale or the people that held the sale. In my honest opinion this is the fault of the facility for not properly sanitizing between horses.

 

[wildoak]

Remember there are many many horses going through the Will Rogers facility during January. Breed shows from miniature to mules to Quarter horses, paints, palominos.......and the rodeo as well, coming from all over the country. Stalls should be sanitized, but it's still quite possible to spread this inadvertently if it is airborne. It's like someone from California (or anywhere else) getting on an airplane to Texas, and along the way spreading the flu to everyone around him....who in turn carry it to all of their destinations. We are all so mobile now that disease can spread from coast to coast in no time at all.

I think immune boosters will sure be a part of my protocol from now on with horses I am showing.

Jan

 

[Equuisize]

of their destinations. We are all so mobile now that disease can spread from coast to coast in no time at all.

I think immune boosters will sure be a part of my protocol from now on with horses I am showing.

Jan

Jan what are considered immune boosters?

I showed my two fillies in the 2005 season....locally, and they both came down,

along with many others that had attended that show, with a germ.

They had 105 degree temps.

Scared the britches off me and I've actually not showed them since.

Their shots were up to date.........is there something else that they can be

given, during show season.......

I'd like to show them but don't want to show badly enough to risk their health.

 

[Scoopiedoo]

I, too, would like to know what to give them to boost their immunity. Thanks in advance for your help.

Jodi

 

[wildoak]

There are a couple of different things that can be given. What I have used in the past on youngsters was - I think - Immunstim. It was a series of 2 or 3 injections, and had to be given IV which is why I haven't done it more often. Seems there is something now that's not an IV, I will talking to my vet.

Jan

 

[srpwildrose]

I am also sending prayers you way........what a terrible thing for all those farms.......

Glad we have this forum so everyone can communicate their symptoms and treatments.

Please keep us posted.