WWYD - infection risk on yard???

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Morgan123

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I’ve got a vet phoning me back for advice on this, but in the meanwhile need some good old HHO advice… would you be worried about the following? I’ll keep it as concise as possible but sorry if that's not very...!

I’m on a large-ish yard (around 30 horses plus 20 or so polo ponies which just arrived to winter with us out the back); the horses are split into fields of around 5 and can sniff neighbouring fields over the fence. Around a month/6 weeks ago, a few horses including mine had a bit of a winter bug – coughing, very lethargic, bit low. Sorted after a week or two of rest, no problem, not a big deal.

More recently (past 7 days) the following has happened:
Horse a) put down due to twisted gut from colicking
Horse b) The following day, one horse getting low grade colic which developed overnight – not awful but bad enough for buscopan etc. Gradually subsided. He’s now on antibiotics for suspected peritonitis (unconfirmed, no blood tests done). Better, but still a bit low.
Horse c) One other horse has low grade colic a few nights this week.
A few weeks ago, several other horses, who’ve showed no other signs of anything (colic or lethargy) posturing to wee but not actually weeing, which seems from ym reading to be a symptom of peritonitis?!

Peritonitis was mentioned with the first horse too, though not sure why specifically. The vet thinks horse b has peritonitis caused by a bacterial infection, but hasn’t been worried to hear about horse c or recommended blood tests or antibiotics for horse c. All the horses on the yard are eating the same hay, including two very, very ancient ones who’ve had none of the above symptoms. Horses b and c are in the same field and owned by the same person, and their owner bought brand new food this week just in case it was a bad bag of feed she had or something.

My horse is in the same field as horses b and c. I’m due to go to a fun ride on Sunday, and I have to share transport with another horse from another yard. My horse has had whatever was going round and is recovered. Would you think I would need to be worried about an infection risk?

I’m kind of thinking about this like as if it’s a tummy bug going round the office; you’re not infectious once it’s over – but then again, you could still transmit it to others couldn’t you?

Urrr… that wasn’t that consise!!! What would you do?! Not go without a blood test??? I know my horse is fine, I'm just worried about spreading anything that's going round?
 
Just spoke to vet and he said there's absolutely no need to worry if my horse has already had something, then recovered. I did phone another vet as well so might double check for a second opinion too just to be on the safe side.

Anyone any thoughts though?? I don't know if I'm just being a bit OCD about this.
 
It's getting colder, about -1 at night, water not freezing quite yet. I suppose it could be that causing the colic (though horse c has only been getting colicky in the evenings). Our grass is still surprisingly long, so I guess the cold could be causing changes in it. Seems surprising that the two ancient ones aren't getting whatever it is though....!!
 
I have heated drinkers over here so the water my horses drink is the same temperature in the winter as it is in the summer. When numerous horses get colic over here in the winter, chilled water is often the common denominator. Also do they have adlib hay? That's another big ??? when horses come down with colic in winter.
 
Interesting - we hadn't thought of the water actually. I wish we had heated troughs, what a good idea! If it is the water, at least that's good news in that it's nothing spreadable.

They aren't getting Ad Lib hay, but are having one bale in the field every day. We did suspect the hay actually, since the whole yard is having the same, but then only a few horses have had anything wrong with them - and not the ones you'd expect!

thnaks for your help.
 
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