Strange illness that completely baffles the vets?

[EchoDream]

Hi, um ... I'm just so worried, and the vet is stumped!!

I work on a small yard, where we have a couple of DIY liveries; my mum has a little irish cob and one of the liveries owns a 10yro thoroughbred, both geldings. The thoroughbred suddenly became very quiet last saturday, and by Tuesday we had to call the vet. He was weak, dopey, stiff in the back legs, almost looked drunk! Vet did a rectal, took a temperature and a blood test, and nothing showed up at all. She gave him penicillin and bute, but when she'd left, he suddenly started sweating heavily, it was so bizarre and then it subsided

They treatment seemed to be working, but it's like everything exhausts him. And then I saw my mum's horse going the same way, and the vet came back out. He had a temperature, exactly same symptoms but not quite so bad as he is a tough little thing, was off his food (totally unusual!) and his blood test was exactly the same as the other's.

He is on the same treatment, and it does seem to work. The vet thought it must be a viral thing, but these two are opposite ends of the barn from each other. They've never been turned out together, only gone hunting on boxing day together.

The vet thought flu, but there's no nasal discharge or coughing. Maybe Herpes? But herpes would show up on the blood test. We are so confused and so worried, because all the other horses are fine so far, but they're inbetween the two affected ones.

None of them have been vaccinated except for tetanus, and there's a horse on box rest who should be vulnerable to whatever it is, who must have been exposed to it but is fine.

Has anyone seen anything like this? It's awful not knowing what to do or how to prevent it, it's driving us crazy! Thank you very much for reading

 

[glenruby]

Yes saw a gelding this week just like that. High temp, very uncomfortable but nothing on bloods. Also treated with bute and penicillin.
Assumed viral.

 

[TarrSteps]

It does sound viral. Perhaps they were exposed to something hunting or the hunting stressed them near the exposure and set them up for it.

When I was a teenager "something" went through the horse population where I lived (in retrospect perhaps Potomac Fever). Horses ranged from unaffected despite living closely with ill horses, to some actually dying. My own horse had a few uncomfortable days but the horse living next to him, whom he almost certainly affected, was ill for weeks. These things can and do "make the rounds" unfortunately and we don't always know what or why.

I think people are very reluctant to share information on events like this, too so for all you know a number of horses in your area might be similarly affected. It's usually only ages later, when the horses are fine again, that people make the connection.

If they're responded that well to treatment, I'm sure they'll be fine. Just be very careful of them for a bit - you know yourself, how much a virus knocks you out!

 

[Ella19]

If their neurological signs get worse, wobbling, lying down etc then I would ask your vet to look into acorn/mushroom/fungi poisoning. Years ago I was on a yard where a lovely little pony who was turned out with 5 others suddenly went down hill, nobody knew what it was, turned out he'd be snuffling under the trees despite pleanty of grass and had eaten some form of toxin probably on the mushy leaves.

 

[EchoDream]

Thank you so much for replying, it's so helpful to know other people have been there! I've been working today, and the thoroughbred is much better, grumpy as usual, lol, but my mum's little cob still isn't very happy. He nibbles at his hay and feed, he's just so tired.
I think he'd have gone by now, if he was going to, though? And the others are still fine
We have a broodmare due in a month, still living out. I wanted her to come down and be in the nice big box we have for her, but it's next to the others. If I disinfect the stable when they get better (two stables open out to be the foaling box, lol) would she be ok? I think I'd rather keep her away, but it's been so wet and horrible, and she won't have the same level of care in the big barn where she is.

Thank you so much, I feel very much encouraged!

 

[fatpiggy]

Years ago my mare came down with something. She went off her feed completely and just stood at the back of the stable looking depressed. Vet came out, temperature was over 104 and lungs noisy so penecillin. Within 10 minutes she was sweating like something just finishing the grand national and the vet said it was the bugs dying. Ten minutes after that she ate more than she had done so in days. No other horse was affected (she was the first stable on the yard) and we never did get to the bottom of what it was but later it was suggested it might have been EHV with pneumonia as a complication.

 

[Kokopelli]

It sounds like it could be some kind of poisoning but this would most likely show up in bloods.
I hope you find the answer out soon

 

[NOISYGIRL]

Very odd, hope they are ok, I presume you are using some sort of infection control so that YOU are not passing it on, doing the infected horses last. Keep us updated, I hate things like this where there is no explanation. Maybe people on your yard should look into vaccinating their horses, I rarely take my horse anywhere, odd trip to the beach, but other people on my yard compete regurlarly so I have my horse vaccinated in case they pick anything up and bring it back. Everything on the yard where I keep mine is supposed to be vaccinated.

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

What do you feed - hay or haylage? If you feed haylage have they tested for Botulism?

 

[ImogenBurrows]

If this is a vral infection, then the fact that the horses are on the same premises is enough to constitute possible spread. Don't forget viruses are usually spread in a aerosol manner and wind will disperse the virus surprisingly far without you knowing. Plus if you, your mum or any other people are coming into contact with both horses without following strict isolation procedures then disease can spread using the person as the vector too.

Viral infections are commonly treatment with supportive therapy as antivirals in the horse are not used really. (unavailable/vast expense) This may include using antibiotics to protect the horse from succumbing to a secondary bacterial infection, but they won't treat the actual problem so recovery is often slower that you'd expect.

The animal health trust are currently running a screening programme for influenza so will run the swabs FOC for horses (vet fees still apply ) and you can test for EHV too - 2xbloods for serology at 2 week intervals so it may give you an answer but retrospectively. Virus isolation can be done on both flu and EHV from nasopharyngeal swabs (takes a while). If your horses have been vaccinated for EHV ever this needs to be known.

Hope they improve
Imogen

 

[EchoDream]

These two sweated after vet had left, actually, so maybe it was the penicillin? Thank you fatpiggy!

The other horses are still fine, and the throughbred is better, he was cantering roung the paddock today, but Boston got much worse suddenly, the vet came, and his kidneys are packing in! He's had gallons of saline given to him on a drip, and he went out for a graze today, seemed happier, but he does just stand in the corner, in between grabbing bits of haylage

The vet says its a secondary infection, like you said, ImogenBurrows, and the blood tests are bad - she thinks it 50/50 either way - poor Boston.

They do have haylage, but she's pretty sure it's not botulism, or poisoning, and the other horses are still fine, they seem to have an immunity somehow, though have never had any special vaccinations.

I think, though I'm just guessing, that off all the horses, these 2 would be most likely to get it - the others are fit healthy hunters, and Boston has only been with us 2 months, and he was out at grass before, I know his tummy was unsettled after the switch from grass to haylage, and the thoroughbred's owner was ill, so couldn't give him his usual huge amount of TLC and he lost weight.

Thank you so much to everybody, you've been so helpful, I feel a lot better to know it's not a completely isolated thing Have to see what morning brings Thank you! xxx

 

[blackhorse37]

im praying and keeping everything crossed for boston to get well, let us know how he is and if you get to the bottom of this x

 

[EchoDream]

Hello I know I should have finished this off and said a final thanks to everyone, but I haven't had the heart - Thomas got better, completely back to normal, but Boston got a secondary infection and we had to have him put down, his kidneys were packing in.

We've not had a repeat, and it all remains a mystery! but I have learnt that if a horse's bloods go downhill the way Boston's did, expensive drips will probably not save him, but will keep the vets in business. Poor little Boston.

Thanks to everyone who replied, I'm very grateful

 

[foxy1]

I'm sorry to hear that but thanks for updating us.

Did the vet think viral in the end or just don't know?

 

[Tnavas]

Echo Dream so sorry to hear of Bostons death ((((HUGS))))