| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 711.1 | | PBA::KEIRAN | | Mon Sep 12 1988 07:18 | 6 |
| The disease you are referring to is Potomoc Horse Fever.
We had our whole barn vaccinated against it this year,
and like you said, its 2 shots the first year, and once
a year after that.
|
| 711.2 | WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MORE! | MED::D_SMITH | | Mon Sep 12 1988 07:42 | 5 |
| Is the disease tranferable between horses coming in contact with
each other or from biting insects? If your horses is diagnosed early
enough (by the symptoms described), could the affects of the fever be
minumized, such as founder, etc.?
|
| 711.3 | More questions... | EMASA2::NICKERSON | | Mon Sep 12 1988 14:14 | 12 |
| I understand that there has been a couple of cases either last year
or the year before in this area.
The biggest concern is that they don't know how it is transmitted.
Horses who have never left the property have gotten it as well
as those who do travel. One horse will get it while his neighbor
doesn't.
I even got the impression that the shot wasn't all encompassing.
I have a call into my vet now to find out what other details he
has
heard.
|
| 711.4 | | DELNI::L_MCCORMACK | | Mon Sep 12 1988 15:37 | 7 |
|
None of my horses showed this year or will be. There are no
other horses around me for about a mile. Unless it is transmitted
by insect, what is my risk factor?
|
| 711.5 | DON'T PANIC YET-STILL NOT CONFIRMED | MED::D_SMITH | | Tue Sep 13 1988 08:11 | 36 |
|
Because my horse has had diarrhea for the last week or so (one
of three symptoms), and this note was entered, I thought it would
be best to call my vet (Southboro).
What I found out is there is a panic over this case in Hopkington,
which has NOT YET to this day, BEEN CONFIRMED as Potomic Horse
Fever (Acute Equine Diarrhea Syndrome), although the word is being
passed out as such. My vet along with a few others are peforming
all the tests possible to confirm pos. or neg. If pos., she is
going to inform all of her clients. I would just suggest staying
in touch with your vet for updates.
There are many reasons for diarrhea other than PHF. Could be moldy hay.
With the growing season the way it was, and the lack of pasture
grass-horses may be eating what the normally wouldn't eat
(weeds,leaves,wood,bark). Could be just a common cold with the
drastic weather change we had the last few weeks.
___________________________________________________________________________
For thoughs interested in more on PHF, there is a fairly good article
in the May, 1988's Horse Illustrated, although there is still alot
unknown! I have the article for thoughs who can't obtain a copy.
If needed, I will reply to this note with info from this.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
In my case, as recommended by my vet, check all his vital signs
(temp., pulse, resp., cap. refill, skin pinch-dehydration), move him
to a diff. paddock and administer two pints of Pepto Bismal
a day for the first two days, then cut back to eight ounces for
the next three or so days or untill he is ok. If after a week there
is no change, she will come see him.
His temp. was normal at 100.8 degr. and all the rest of his norms.
are ok...so I'm not going to panic yet.
|
| 711.6 | RISK FACTOR | EMASA2::NICKERSON | | Tue Sep 13 1988 13:02 | 11 |
| RE.4
Not sure what the risk factor is but there was a case where the
horse never left the farm and was not in contact with any other
horses. That was last year.
Does anyone know what the vaccine is? live? dead? Have there been
any reactions to the vaccine itself?
There are so many questions with so few answers that it is difficult
to make the "right" decision.
|
| 711.7 | | PBA::KEIRAN | | Tue Sep 13 1988 13:14 | 7 |
| When my two had the vaccine this spring, it was given the same
time as their other shots. Its hard to say if they reacted to
it or not, cause one horse was kind of sluggish the next day,
but the other was acting normal. They were also given flu
shots, so its hard to say what they were reacting to.
|
| 711.8 | | SCOMAN::ROCK | | Tue Sep 13 1988 15:46 | 36 |
| I TOO USE THE VET IN SOUTHBORO, DR. LINDSAY ROBBINS. SHE IS THE
ONE THAT TOLD ME ABOUT THE POTOMIC FEVER GOING AROUND.
SHE IS CONCERNED ABOUT IT. AND I CAN TELL YOU THIS, THERE WAS ANOTHER
OUTBREAK OF IT IN HARVARD THIS PAST MAY. WHEN I TALKED TO LINDSAY
THIS A.M. SHE WAS NOT AWHERE OF THE HARVARD CASE THIS SPRING. BUT
I DO THAT SHE IS PLANNING TO VACCINATE HER HORSES. AND THAT IS
GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME TO FEEL THAT I WILL GET MY HORSES DONE TOO.
THEY DO NOT KNOW AS YET HOW EXACTLY IT IS SPREAD FROM WHAT I GATHER.
LIKE BOB WAS SAYING, OUT OF A BARN OF 10 HORSES 1 MAY GET EFFECTED.
AND THERE MAY NOT BE ANOTHER OUTBREAK FOR 10 OR 20 MILES AWAY.
THE OTHER FACT THAT I THOUGHT WAS INTERESTING IS THAT SHE SAID THAT
THEY HAVE TESTED SOME OF THE BARN CATS IN THE STABLES AND FOUND
THEY ARE SOMETIMES CARRIERS OF THIS BUT DO NOT SEEM TO SPREAD IT
TO THE HOSRES. I GUESS IF I CAN REMEMBER WHAT SHE SAID WAS THAT
THEY FOUND AN INFECTED CAT AT A BARN WHERE THERE WAS A CASE OF THIS
POTOMIC FEVER IN A HORSE OR HORSES. THEY PUT THE CAT INTO A BARN
ELSEWHERE WITH HORSES THAT HAD NOT BEEN VACCINATED AND IT NEVER
BROKE OUT IN ANY OF THE HORSES. SO SHE SAID THAT IT IS STRANGE BUT
THE CAT CAN BE A CARRIER BUT IT WILL NOT INFECT THE HORSES THREW
THE CAT.
I FOUND THIS INTERESTING...OF COURSE I PANICED...I OWN 5 CATS AND
THOUGHT OH GOD....SHOTS FOR THEM TO OR DEATH!!!
WELL WITH ONLY TWO CASES IN EASTERN MASS. IT IS NOT A MASSIVE OUT
BREAK. EACH OWNER MUST TALK TO THIER VET AND MAKE THIER OWN DISISION
ON GIVING THEIR HORSES THE SHOTS OR NOT.
PS....I WAS ALSO TOLD BY MY FRIEND GAIL McALPINE THERE WAS A HORSE
IN LITTLETON 2 YEARS AGO THAT GOT IT AND DIED FROM IT. THE HORSE
NEVER WENT ANYWHERE, JUST HUNG AROUND IN THE PASTURE SHE SAID.
|
| 711.9 | No Price To High | PLANET::SILVA | I finally got a PONY of my OWNY | Wed Sep 14 1988 07:50 | 10 |
| I had both of my horses given the vaccine this spring
along with their usual shots and neither had any reaction
what so ever. One is 10 years old and "healthy as a proverbial
horse" and the other is a 16 year old in only fair health.
Sure, it cost me $25 per horse plus house calls (one week apart)
but that is CHEAP compared to the heartbreak I would suffer if I
lost even one of them!
|
| 711.10 | GOOD PROTECTION - BUT NOT PERFECT | HARDY::REMILLARD | | Wed Sep 14 1988 12:27 | 23 |
|
I give my own shots and included this with all the others that
I give. From what I understand the vaccine is 85% effective.
Neither one of my horses had a reaction and one usually reacts
to anything - he is 32 years old. Both are fine and the other
horses I did were fine too.
The reason I decided to go with this is that I was traveling
into New York state in August and that is a heavily affected state.
I did start to worry when I started home from NY (9:30 pm) and found
that my horse was soaked with sweat each time I stopped during
the first 3 and half/ 4 hours (12 hour drive home for me).
But he was eating/drinking fine and otherwise healthy. He has never
traveled so late at night before and he had worked hard that
day - I think it was nerves. He was dry after about 3 and
half hours out so I stopped worrying about trying to find
a vet on the way home.
Oh, the vaccine can be bought for about $10 something a pop..
And I know the Vet even gets MORE of a price break.
Susan
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| 711.11 | Better safe than sorry | COSBY::FOX | And onward we go... | Wed Sep 14 1988 12:37 | 9 |
| I had my horse vaccinated for PHF in May. I decided to get the shots
after asking my vet about the pros and cons of the shots. Basically
the answer was that if your horse contracts the disease and does
not have the shot, it'll most likely die a painful death; with the
shot the horse will be sick, but not nearly as bad and will survive.
Needless to say, I opted for the vaccinations.
Linda
|
| 711.12 | Wintertime | BOEHM::SCHLENER | | Thu Sep 15 1988 12:40 | 6 |
| Out of curiousity, are there signs that this disease becomes dormant in
the winter? (A shot in the dark!)
(Do they have any idea of the causes ....?)
Cindy
|
| 711.14 | Vaccine or not to vaccine | LEZAH::EZELL | | Tue Sep 20 1988 15:42 | 39 |
| The horse that I sold 1 year ago died a week ago in Upton. During
the course of the fever the owners chose not to have blood drawn
and after the horse died they would not allow an autopsy. When I
learned my old friend had died I called the vet involved with the
case and he said the animal displayed the symptoms of Potomic Fever.
He proceeded to describe the death of a horse in Hopkinton a week
before (discussed in previous notes) that was also thought to be
Potomic Fever.
I was concerned for the horse I presently own (Reg. Quarter Horse)
and asked about the vaccine. He explained that the vaccine was only
50% effective so I've decided not to vaccinate.
One thing I do think is appropriate for all of us, and my vet agrees,
is having a blood profile with muscle enzyme done. This will do
two things; if your horse contracts ANY disease the blood will show
a change in one or more different areas (white cell count, platelet
count, red cell count, etc.). By having baseline blood work done
you'll know from a second blood test at the time of symptom onset
what the possible causitive agent is. The second thing the baseline
work might do; if your horse does get Potomic Fever we might get
a better profile of the disease through the examination of the blood
during the course of the illness.
Every year a new baseline should be drawn, preferably the same time,
because a winter blood sample will be different from one done in
the summer. The cost of this procedure is around $45.00.
I've also heard of a two horses in teh Middlesex County area with
Lyme disease and one horse with an Auto-Immune-Difficiency Disease.
The horse with the later disease was not expected to live but he's
slowly making a comeback at the vet's. I don't know how similar
this disease is to the dreaded human version of AIDS, vets don't
want to talk about it for fear of panic, I've been told.
If I hear of anymore clinical information I'll convey them to you.
Cheri
|
| 711.15 | IT IS POSITIVE IN HOPKINGTON,MASS. | SCOMAN::ROCK | | Wed Sep 21 1988 15:39 | 16 |
| WELL THE SECOND TEST ON THE HORSE IN HOPKINGTON CAME BACK YESTERDAY.
IT IS POSITVE. THE HORSE DOES HAVE THE POTOMIC FEVER. MY VET IN
SOUTHBORO STARTED VACCINATING OUR HORSES AND HERS LAST WEEK.
SO ANYONE THAT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ILLNESS SHOULD CONTACT THIER
VET RIGHT AWAY.
ALSO NONE OF MY HORSES (5) HAD ANY PROBLEM WITH STIFFNESS OR SWELLING
FROM THE SHORTS GIVEN. BUT MY 6 MONTH FOAL HAD A STIFF NECK A LITTLE
AND SOME SWELLING THE NEXT DAY BUT WAS FINE THE FOLLOWING DAY.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL...
TR
|
| 711.16 | Potomac Fever written up in Equus | KOAL::AIKEN | Arabian Horse Breeder DTN378-6706 | Wed Sep 21 1988 22:00 | 52 |
| Potomac Horse Fever did start along the Potomac River in Maryland,
hence the name. The last I read, it is thought to be transmitted
by an insect such as a tick. Dog flea/tick powder rubbed into the
manes and tails is supposed to help repel the insects.
A friend of mine (who had two cases in her barn) said she first
notices that the horse goes off his feed and acts droopy. She checks
the gums; pink with a dark pink line where teeth and gums meet is
apparently symptomatic. When the fever hits the diarrhea stage,
it's much harder to save the horse.
A blood test is necessary to confirm the disease. Pepto Bismol
helps with the diarrhea. We also give strawberry flavored yogurt
to replace the "good" bacteria in the gut. (Don't ask me why they
seem to prefer strawberry!)
We haven't had the disease here and I hope we don't. We have had
a lingering case of something that could be strangles. Same apparent
symptoms: initially high fever (103-106) that drops to 99 after
Bute and penicillin -- the next day! There may be a runny nose,
often thick pus, yellow or greenish, but sometimes nearly clear,
especially if the fever is high. If left untreate, there may be
coughing from swollen glands preventing passage of food. Bute,
or
Ascriptin for youngsters, will reduce the swelling so the horse
can eat. Sometimes you need Robitussin, too for the cough. The
temptation is to NOT give the Bute when the fever is down; however,
the horse needs the antiinflammatory to reduce the swelling in his
glands.
We have sprayed the barn, stalls, fence, paddock fences, buckets,
etc., with a 50-50 mix of Clorox bleach and water. It's supposed
to kill Strep Equi, which causes strangles. I haven't been able
to get a good culture from either of the two babies who got very
swollen lymph nodes that eventually abscessed. A culture is the
only way to know for sure what you're fighting.
Anyway, back to Potomac Horse Fever, we gave shots last year, two
each at $13 each. This year, because of the other problem, we haven't
revaccinated yet. In Maryland, the PHF shots are given in August,
the
worst insect month.
There have been several excellent articles in EQUUS about PHF.
Read them rather than panic.
The disease is no picnic, but so far, it's treatable if you know your
horse and can identify changes/symptoms early on.
Good luck Massachusetts!
Merrie
|
| 711.17 | PHF In Harvard MA! | MPGS::SCHOFIELD | | Fri Oct 28 1988 09:43 | 18 |
| Just to update everyone on the Potomac Horse Fever situation.
I had my vet out yesterday and she informed me that PHF is now
something to be concerned about. There where two horses in Hopkinton
that were confirmed to have PHF. One of the horses died. There is now
a case that came from Harvard, MA. My vet was on the case. The horse
has been at Rochester. It has had all the tests and it has been
confirmed that the horse has PHF. It was detected in time and they say
that the horse will live. I had my horse vacinated yesterday and there
will be a booster shot that follows in 3 weeks. The cost was $22.
My vet is planning to notify all her customers by postcard recommending
the vacine. As she explained there is no alternative, because they
don't know how the disease is contracted.
Wendy
Wendy
|
| 711.18 | | PBA::KEIRAN | | Mon Oct 31 1988 13:00 | 10 |
| Just to let everyone know about the case of PHF in Harvard, the
horse hasn't tested positive for the disease yet, as the test
takes about 2-3 weeks to run. The horse is now at Rochester,
and when I hear the results, I'll let you know. It got me rather
concerned because I live about a mile from this horse, and my
pregnant mare was never vaccinated before I got her. I will be
getting the shots from the vet this week, so by springtime, I'll
be a little ahead of the game.
|
| 711.19 | | PBA::KEIRAN | | Fri Nov 04 1988 14:06 | 12 |
| Update of the PHF in Harvard, the horse is still in Rochester, and
is remarkably better. She has been on Tetracyclene since she got
there, and since it was the first case Rochester has seen, they
got in touch with some vets in Maryland to find out how to treat
it. The horse has lost massive amounts of weight, and according
to her owner, she was extremely lucky to have survived the first
night with this because she was so sick. She is still being kept
in quarentine, and even though the test hasn't come back confirming
its definitly PHF, Rochester said they are 99% sure thats the case.
This horse hasn't left her farm in well over a year, and how she
came in contact with it is still a mystery, as this disease itself
seems to be.
|