Monthly Archives: October 2008

Diagnosis by Process of Elimination

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equine, Horse care, horse health and tagged with , , ,

Kroni is still sick. We don’t yet know what is making him ill, but we’ve been able to eliminate a few things. He does not have Lyme or Erlychiosis. That would explain why the antibiotics did not address all of his symptoms. In contrast, my Westie looked practically as good as new after just two doses of doxy.

He does not have Equine Herpes Virus (EHV), also ruled out by the blood work. That’s certainly good news because EHV sounds like a nasty virus which is highly contagious. The description below is excerpted from “Equine Herpes Virus will Bring Down Your Barn.“

Many horse owners don’t know that there are at least four types of Equine Herpesvirus. The ones that we associate the most are EHV-1 and EHV-4. EHV-1 is the most prevalent and often the most destructive to the horse. EHV-1 causes severe respiratory problems, abortion in mares and neurological disease. EHV-4 causes upper respiratory infection only. Most horses, however, contract EHV-1 and is it usually first diagnosed by runny noses, fevers, coughs and broodmares that are aborting.

The neurological disease of EHV-1 is a mutant strain and has caused many stables and racetracks to have to be quarantined around the country. The University of Findley in Ohio has reported the most devastating outbreak of EHV-1 where one-third of the schools 140 horses displayed the neurological symptoms in 2003. Twelve of the horses died from the disease.

Once the virus has infected the horse, the horse will be a lifelong carrier. This is very similar to the herpes diseases found in humans. The horses may no longer show signs of being ill, but they will continue to shed the virus, especially during times of high stress. The horses sporadic shedding of the disease is often considered the cause of many outbreaks that occur randomly. Many veterinarians believe that nearly three-quarters of the equine population are thought to be carriers of the EHV-1 non-neurological form of the virus.

The disease is spread by infected horses through their respiratory secretions. Horses can contract the disease through nose-to-nose contact, sharing buckets, bits, lip chains and even on handlers. Once the virus has made it into the horse, the virus travels through the bloodstream. The early symptoms include nasal discharge and a slight increase in temperature. The fever does not remain consistent, so if you believe that your horse is showing symptoms, you will want to check their temperature every six hours. The nasal discharge will begin clear, but will turn to thick and milky. Your veterinarian can obtain swabs of the discharge and blood samples to test for the disease.

If the horse is infected with the neurological strain, the horse will begin to show symptoms in six to twelve days. The initial progression of the disease may happen quickly and within 24 to 72 hours. Fevers are generally over 102 degrees Fahrenheit and other symptoms include the nasal discharge, depression and loss of appetite. The first neurological symptoms may begin in the hindquarters and may include toe dragging, a floppy tail, incontinence and weakness in the hind legs. Eventually, the horse will not be able to stand. If the horse is down for more than twenty-four hours, it is not likely that they will survive the infection.

But he is still sick. His neurological signs continue and he is very body sore. He is still unable to eat off of the ground because his neck is so stiff; I have to put his feed tub on a stool for him to eat! Luckily, I have hay racks so he is able to eat hay to his heart’s content.

Last night the vet performed acupuncture on him and that has given him some relief. Immediately he perked up and wanted to move. This continued through my late night check and into this morning. It certainly made me feel better to see him respond! He’s been shifted to a new medication for his aches and pains, Equiox, and he’s now on Ulcer Guard to counteract any ill effects from the Doxy. Right now his temp is normal and I am cautiously optimistic. I hope that he continues to improve.

Washable Jackets are Indespensible

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, dressage, English Riding, equestrian, equestrian apparel, fox hunting, foxhunting and tagged with , ,

I am a dirt magnet. I don’t understand how all those hunter princesses stay so immaculate when the go into the show ring. When I go to a hunt, I wear a sweat pants over my breeches and a sweater over my shirt. I don’t remove my outer garments until I’m ready to get on my horse. And I’m still filthy by the time I go home. Often, I’m dirty before I get on my horse (which seems like an impossibility).

Cavallo Washable Dressage Coat (www.dressage-ext.com)

Cavallo Washable Dressage Coat (www.dressage-ext.com)

Machine washable jackets are a life saver. Since I hunt twice a week (when I don’t have a sick or injured horse, so not this season!) dry cleaning isn’t much help. I just love being able to throw my jacket in the washing machine and letting it dry on a hanger.

I have three washable jackets: a Cavallo Dressage Coat and two Equine Athletics Hunt Coats. I’ve owned the Cavallo jacket for about 10 years and it has held up remarkably well. My EA coats are each a few seasons old and also have survived the gentle cycle without any harm.

Other equine apparel manufacturers have jumped on the machine washable bandwagon. You can now buy a washable jackets from Pikeur, Tally Ho,  and Ovation, as well as from Cavallo and Equine Athletics.

What did I do Before the Davis Soaking Boot!

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equine, Equine lameness, hoof care, Horse care, horse health, horses and tagged with , , , , ,
Davis Soaking Boots take the pain out of soaking.

Davis Soaking Boots take the pain out of soaking.

Freedom, my TB, recently suffered from a bad abscess. A rock worked it’s way under his hoof pad and the abscess came out the heel bulb. It was swollen and painful.

I can remember soaking a horse’s foot before Davis Soaking Boots were widely available. Often times the process was more painful than the injury, at least to the horse owner.

It went like this:

  • Heat water in a tea kettle, pour into a bucket with plenty of epsom salts.
  • Next, put horse on cross ties.
  • Put bucket of hot water and epsom salts in front of him.
  • Lift the hoof that needs soaking and attempt to place it in bucket of hot water. Horse resists putting his foot in the water several times.
  • Horse finally stamps down in the water, spraying water and epsom salts all over you.
  • Horse stands still for three seconds, then lifts foot and knocks over the bucket, spilling water all over the aisle.
  • Begin again.

Now, you simply mix up the hot water and epsom salts, put the boot on the horse, pour the mixture into the boot and you’re in business! I often let my horse snack on hay in his stall or even graze while they are soaking. They don’t even know they are being treated.

Definitely, a product that works.

I’m Ticked Off About Ticks

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equine, Horse care, horse health, horses and tagged with , , ,
Is this the Culprit?

Adult Female Deer Tick: Is this the Culprit?

Kroni’s initial blood work came back yesterday afternoon and the tentative diagnosis is either Lyme or Ehrlicchia, both diseases carried by ticks. That’s the second time this week one of my animals has been infected by one of these tiny blood suckers and frankly, I’m tired of it. Actually, my strong anti-tick feeling surfaced early this summer when my daughter was diagnosed with Lyme. If the disease wasn’t bad enough, the doxy was worse. She had such a severe reaction to the sun after taking the medication that her hands swelled up and after minimal exposure (wearing SPF 70) she turned lobster red.

Ticks have been a real problem in New England this fall. Blame it on  last year’s warm winter; the ever-increasing population of white-tailed dear; or reforestation, but tick populations are larger than ever before and the incidence of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases is escalating. I read somewhere that 90% of all cases of Lyme are found in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York. Nothing like living in the epicenter of a tick epidemic.

Whether or not horses can get Lyme disease is still debated by some veterinarians. However, there’s no denying that my horse is quite ill. He also seems to be responding to the antibiotics (at least it’s controlling his fever) which leads me to believe that the underlying cause is bacterial, rather than viral. It’s certainly true that in New England most horses have been exposed to Lyme and a large proportion of them will show

It’s daunting to give a horse 90 pills a day and even more distressing when you start to add up the cost. At this point, we don’t even know if the diagnosis is correct, but since he seems to be responding to the antibiotics, I was loathe to stop them. If he has Lyme, we’re looking at six weeks of treatment (that’s 3,780 pills!). Ehrlicchia requires only three weeks of meds (a mere 1,890 pills). Luckily, Kroni seems not to notice when they are mixed into his feed. He’s gobbled them right up without complaint. I know other people who have had to grind the pills, mix them with a liquid and syringe them into their horses mouths. That generally means that a good percentage of the medication ends up either all over you, or spit out onto the barn floor.

Certainly the meds are keeping his fever down. I’ve also noticed that his colic symptoms are mostly gone. What remains is the body stiffness, some of the uncoordination and the depression. He is brighter — he nickers now when he sees me coming into the barn and called for Freedom when I took him out for a ride this morning, but he’s still spending the majority of his time standing in his stall looking miserable.

I just hope that he looks better in the morning.

Thumbalina Has a Job: She Cheers Up Children

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equine, horses and tagged with ,

Thumbalina, the world’s smallest horse, has an important job: she visits with 20,000 – 30,000 children every year, many of them in hospitals. In the video below, you can see how much the children at Children’s Hospital, in Oakland, California, appreciate her visit. She is so gentle with them! No wonder it is said that horses are “good therapy.” It’s an experience they are sure to treasure.

Wouldn’t it be Nice if They Could Tell You Where it Hurts?

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equine, Horse care, horse health, horses and tagged with , , , ,

Kroni is still sick. He’s lethargic, shows signs of colic and has mild neurological symptoms. His temperature has been normal now since last night, but prior to that he’s been running a low-grade fever since Monday.

It all came to a peak yesterday morning when I came to feed my horses. Kroni was standing outside when I got there. My immediate response was one of relief. Since Monday he’s spent most of his time hiding in his stall and I was encouraged to see him out. When I’d checked him at 11 p.m. the previous night, he’d seemed better and his temp was normal.

Then I saw him try to walk and I realized that he had taken a turn for the worse. He started by taking tiny steps and when I went up to him he turned and almost fell. I took him slowly to the barn and took his temperature. His fever was back and now, with the neurological symptoms, I was really worried.

I immediately called my vet, who managed to fit me in first thing this morning. I’ve been talking to the practice since Monday, so they knew how his illness had progressed. First, she did a standard physical. She noted that he had gas in intestines, but that he was still digesting food and producing manure. She found that his heart rate and respiration were slightly elevated. Next, she performed a neurological exam. He was less uncoordinated than he’d been that morning, but he had little resistance to being pulled sideways by his tail. His cranial nerves were fine. To learn more about what a neurological exam entails, read this excellent overview from Tufts: The Neurological Examination.

The problem is that it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s bothering him. It would be so helpful if he could just tell us where it hurts! I had two choices: treat him in the field with a more “shot gun” approach, or bring him to a clinic where they could perform more diagnostics. He seemed so uncomfortable that I decided to treat him at home first. I thought that trailering him and taking him to a strange place might add unnecessary stress.

To treat his colic symptoms, he got tubed with mineral oil, electrolytes, and DMSO. The DMSO was added as a way to help bring down his fever and because it’s an anti-inflammatory. Kroni hasn’t been tubed in the 12 years that I’ve owned him and was not happy about it. If he hadn’t been so sick, I think he would have really put up a fuss.

He got an additional shot of Banamine to bring down his fever. I discovered that my thermometer had not been accurately registering his temperature and that it was about 1/2 a degree below the vet’s. She explained that with digital thermometers, you need to leave them in and repeat the cycle 2-3 times to get an accurate reading; the 15-30 seconds that those thermometers use to obtain a reading just aren’t long enough.

Next he got IV fluids, antibiotics and vitamin B. You could see after just 10 or 15 minutes that he was looking more comfortable. There was a palpable look of relief on his face and he took a nap. I’d brought an audio book and spent the hour or so during the drip, hovering by his stall.

The good news is that his temperature has remained normal and he’s been much more alert since the treatment. The bad news is that he’s still suffering from a gas colic and I don’t yet know what the underlying cause(s) of these symptoms could be. My vet has mentioned as possibilities West Nile Virus and EPM, or it could be an upper respitory infection. Hopefully the blood work (due back later today) will give us a better idea.

Tonight is a Hunter’s Moon

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary and tagged with ,
Hunters Moon

Hunter's Moon (source: www.nightskyinfo.com)

Okay, maybe this isn’t all that horse related, but it came from an equine source and I find it interesting. According to one of the “foxes” at Old North Bridge Hounds, Dan LeBlanc , tonight is the full moon known as the Hunter’s Moon, or a Blood Moon. According to www.nightskyinfo.com, the Hunter’s Moon is the full moon that appears in the sky after the Harvest Moon and gets its name from hunters who tracked and killed their prey by moonlight, preparing for the onset of winter.

All of the full moons have names, many of which were derived from the names given them by native Americans who kept track of the seasons by giving each full moon a distinctive name. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the names were consistent throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior and were later adopted by the colonists.

Here’s a list of the moon names:

  • January: Wolf Moon
  • February: Snow Moon
  • March: Worm Moon
  • April: Pink Moon
  • May: Flower Moon
  • June: Strawberry Moon
  • July: Buck Moon
  • August: Sturgeon Moon
  • September: Harvest Moon
  • October: Hunter’s Moon
  • November: Beaver Moon
  • December: Cold Moon