Grass sickness

[kimrichards]

I just spoke to someone who said that there is alot of it going around due to the wet and mild conditions. She said that its a really bad case where withen in contracting in there is no cure and horses are dead withen 24 hours.

I personally hadn't heard about this, is it aload of bull or is there some truth in it?

 

[sunflower]

Grass Sickness is very serious. The acute and sub-acute forms of the disease are almost always fatal theough some horses with the chronic form can recover. I don't know about there being lots of cases at the moment but it is seasonal and seems to be linked with weather. Have a look here for more information Grass Sickness

 

[_April_]

It's completely true as I know from personal experience.
My horse was PTS sleep with acute grass sickness about 3 years ago.

Basically she was fine one night and then by the next afternoon she was in agony and the vet put her down within 10 mins of being called out.
It was very traumatic.

Apparently it is very prevalent in the West coast of Scotland which is where I lived at the time

 

[judymoon]

There is a grass sickness charity, they go to shows and such, ive met the people, very knowledgeable and passionate. try www.grasssickness.org.uk for info

 

[Happy Horse]

I was amazed when I was working at the Equine surgery how many cases of Grass Sickness we saw - I always thought it was a 'rare' illness but we probably saw a case every couple of months. It is an evil, cruel and nasty disease.

 

[lucy5]

this might be a bit stupid of me but what are the typical signs i guess loosing weight is one? x

 

[_April_]

Yeah weight loss is sever and very sudden.
It can look like colic. Horse will be rolling, pawing at the ground and looking at the flanks, difficulty in swallowing and drooling of saliva. Sweating and muscle tremors. It's terrible.

 

[giggles mum]

It is true, acute grass sickness does its damage within 24 hours. Happened to my favourite pony Sylvester last May.

 

[Sags_Deer]

my neighbours lost their lovely horse to it, yep colic symptons, vet if you ask me spent far too long getting him to an equine hospital, but who am i to comment. i tend to end up demanding things rather than waiting. horse kept lying down getting up typical colic symptons. ended up going to bell equine, they took fluid out of him, it smelt apparently. all very very sad. and no other horse has ever gone on the field since. interesting tho the field had been sprayed a few weeks before. one of the shaikhs is behind a lot of the research as he lost a valuable racehorse ( i think its something like that) one day im sure they will come up with a cure. xx

 

[Bess]

It was Dubai Millennium that died of grass sickness. A horse on our yard died of it last year, horrible.

 

[Baggybreeches]

Mister Baileys the TB stallion at Mark Johnstons yard has had it and recovered, but I think he has a droopy eye or a muscle twitch

 

[Discovery]

About 7 years ago I sold a 2 year old filly of mine, the owners called me a few weeks later and said she seemed sick....I went over there and she was in a terrible state. She was just standing there with the saddest look on her face. Mucus was coming out of her nose and mouth. She had to be put to sleep.

I was so upset as I raised her from a baby and she was the sweetest thing. Grass sickness is horrible.