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Post by countryhwy101 on Sept 23, 2010 17:24:47 GMT -5
Hello all.....My name is Lloyd and I have a friend that needs some information. I have tried looking on line, my friend does not have Internet, but am unable to find the answer to her situation. She is new to your area of Snohmish, sorry if spelled wrong. She moved there about 2 1/2 years ago from IL. She breeds and trains TW for show and cart.
Anyway she seems to have a few of her horses that have come down with an infection, a virus of either the flu or EVA. Her vet said one had phamonia and is on med's but the rest are just showing typical signs and not much they can do but let them all run the course.
She is afraid there may be an outbreak as she has a few private boarders. She believes one of the newer horses may have brought in the virus. She asked her vet if she should call anyone to notify them of a possible outbreak. Here in our state it is the law if so many animals come up sick to notify officials. But the vet said it was fine. Should she rely on that or should she contact someone as another came down ill today. It has been going on for over 5 weeks now. Everyone is in lock down, no one in or out. But I think someone needs to be notified, Am I wrong, is there not a law on this and if so can someone lead us to a web site or number?
Does anyone know if there is something similar going on there?
Thank you.
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Post by schwung on Sept 23, 2010 19:29:39 GMT -5
Hi Lloyd, and welcome to the site. I am moving your thread to a more appropriate location.
So I am not aware of any cases of EVA here in Washington, and if it were so or if the vet suspect it were, you would see some action fairly quickly and mandatory quarantine. There is a virus that has been going around (and a few horses here got it) that causes fever, snotty nose, and in some cases swelling of the lower limbs. It is not life-threatening but quite contagious.
I think your friend is doing everything she should do - notifying everyone including her boarders of the issue - instituting a quarantine, and hopefully also taking precautions to ensure the rest of the healthy horses do not get sick (basically involves using completely separate clothes, shoes, etc and washing self thoroughly after handling contamidated horses and making sure nothing is shared at all (this includes things like not using the same hose to fill the water tubs, making sure not only to use separate feed tubs but making sure feed scoops do not touch the feeders at all, no sharing of halters/lead ropes or turnout spaces).
We rarely in this part of the country get some of the truly scary diseases here, but we do occasionally see Strangles. This however doesn't sound like Strangles. I would advise her to trust her vet and if the vet doesn't feel this requires reporting to the State Vet, then no action is probably necessary and its just one of many fairly harmless but annoying viruses that just need to run their course.
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bsnlark
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Post by bsnlark on Sept 23, 2010 21:06:52 GMT -5
I dont have specific information, just my faulty altzie memory. I read something last week, I cant remember where, abt a virus that has hit 3 counties up in that northern Wa area
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Post by countryhwy101 on Sept 24, 2010 2:19:51 GMT -5
Well I am wondering if one of the new horses she got in did not carry it in. She did get several all at once from different places. Well not all at once but with in a month or a few weeks of each other.
Bsnlark, can you try and remember where you heard about this? Maybe we can pinpoint it. I don't know all the locations she picked up theses horses. I do know not all where in great shape but not sick when they came to her. It tooks several weeks to a month or so for tehm to get sick. Just very frustrating for her and she wants to report anything that may be spread.
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Post by bsnlark on Sept 24, 2010 11:40:01 GMT -5
I found that information on the Auction Horses web site..It was quoted from a now deleted CL posting.. Be Aware « Thread Started on Sept 15, 2010, 11:21am » -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- seattle.craigslist.org/kit/grd/1953275354.htmlPlease be aware that a terrible cold (influenza) is going around for horses. Many horses have been infected and it is VERY contagious. Horses are getting sick within 1-3 days of contact. It is a viral infection spread through horse to horse contact, riding & cleaning equipment and through human contact (petting horses). Symptoms inc: lethargy, cough, discharge, fever and loose stools. Be aware this is going around Kitsap & Mason and be cautious. We caught it at a public horse event. Takes up to 3-4 weeks for lungs to heal enough to ride. Be safe & proactive!
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Sept 24, 2010 13:29:39 GMT -5
There IS a bug going around. I have had several of my clients horses come down sick in the last few days, and know of many others in boarding barns and whatnot that are also sick. With the Ick, I can suggest some nutritional supplementation that can help boost the immune system. This is good for the healthy horses as well Start supplementing high doses of probiotics. I like a product by Equerrys Called Large animal Probioitic - www.equerrys.com I feed 4 scoops per day while the horse is sick and 2 scoops daily after. Also - vitamin C- 10,000mg (1gram) 2x daily while he horse is sick, and 1 time daily otheriwse. You can buy the vitamin C designed for horses, but it is also a-ok t get the 1000mg tabs for humans and either disolve in a little warm water or crush them up and add to feed. Some horses will also readily eat the chewable vitamin C's Vitamin E - Boost vitamin E levels during illness to 8000IU daily as a minimum. Electrolytes - I give a paste electrolyte orally while a horse isn't feeling well Just like gatoraide or pedialyte for humans, it helps maintain electrolyte balance and helps them to not get dehydrated - this is so important when they are sick. Fever meds - check the temp several times a day. Anything that maintains over 101 degrees should be treated to reduce fever. Typically Banimane is my first choice, but if you don't have banimane either call your vet and ask for a few tubes OR worst case you can give asprin. They do make equine asprine that is crubled into a base that makes ti taste better. However if the horse i at 102 or higher a vet needs to be involved. for extreme fever you can cool hose legs and the front of the chest. Works like a cool bath to help reduce fevers. Hope this helps some
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Post by countryhwy101 on Sept 24, 2010 15:31:29 GMT -5
Great info. Schwung, I wanted to go in a little deeper on this situation with you. You mentioned that you don't believe it could be EVA. The reason I bring this up as possible is have breeding stock like a newer stallion, as you know it can be passed through sperm. This new stallion may have brought in and no one was the wiser. BUT the youngster that got phamonia was very anorexic after not eat for several days. I know how quick a sick animal can loose weight. I just had a little puppy a few months ago get very sick. We took him to the vet and he tested for Parvo, hospitalized him and had him pumped on fluids. Anyway the little guy lost about 6 lbs and for his age at the time was only 20lbs at the most. Vet says it was normal. He came up negative for Parvo and they feel it may have been salmonella poison. My point being animals loose weight and I do not know to many that loose that kind of weight with just the flu, meaning a horse. This youngster lost alot and was very sick. He pulled through and is on the road to recover, but at first she has no idea it had developed to phnomina because he was fine one day and sick the next and lost weight with in 3-4 days. This is what is concerning her. It seems to be only afflicting the animals that she just got, so there must be an outbreak somewhere IF it is the flu. Kinda getting off track but if it is EVA it makes more sence coming in on the breeding horses, don't you think.
Anyone know how long these outbreaks have been going on? She wants to protect herself as she has heard from some other horse people that things can get out of hand on how people preseave things. Who would be the State Vet she calls? I think she is better safe then sorry. I love my animals and I have different types, but I know how some people can be, and please don't anyone take this the wrong way, but there are way to many tree huggers out there that see a situation and think they know what is going on. She needs to be protected from this and the best way is to make a report that she has over 10 head sick and there may be an ongoing outbreak of something, flue, Rhino or EVA, who really knows. Strangles was mentioned but it defiantly is not that. One of her fillies got strangles when she first moved to WA from a show horse that had it.
Anymore input on what may be happening would be great.
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Post by schwung on Sept 24, 2010 17:06:04 GMT -5
Lloyd - try this: www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/area_offices/Yes if she had horses or breeding stallions coming from other locations that certainly opens up the possibilities to many different diseases and it sounds like she would benefit from a discussion with a state vet about what she is seeing. Many viruses can have a incubation period of up to 3-4 weeks so it is possible the horses appeared healthy on arrival and came down with it later, or the new horses could have been non-symptomatic carriers.
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Sept 27, 2010 23:52:36 GMT -5
I have recently been made aware there has been a number of horses coming down with EVA. The key is to get the horse tested PRONTO and do a serious quarantine. If the other hroses around are not positive, the should be vaccinated ideally. Test pronto!!!!
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Post by countryhwy101 on Sept 28, 2010 18:47:01 GMT -5
Cutiepiepmu....can you tell me a little more? Do you know how long it has been in circulation and on what breeds and if it is just breeding stock. As I am sure you are aware EVA can spend months and sometimes years in breeding stallions. Knowing what breeds are being effected and what area may help to pin point. Years ago it was Standerdbreds most prone, now TB's seem to be as well as some of the other hot blooded horses. I want to help my friend by doing a little research so any help on location and breeds would sure help.
In any event what are the folks that are experiencing this doing and what vets are they using, and what are the vets saying if anything. Vets like human Dr. I find tent to not acknowledge something that is not common and just dismiss that there is a possibility. To many of them with to any opinions. Don't get me wrong, they have their purpose, but I find you can't get 5 in a room and agree on one subject. My friends vet did not seem concerned, she is however and with being in the business and having real life experience and not getting it out of a book has lead her to believe there is something going on here. So it would be great to know how long this has been going around.
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Post by cricket on Sept 29, 2010 23:11:49 GMT -5
Any breed of horse can be infected with the virus. It's thought that many of the horses that get infected don't show symptoms and most horses recover from it without any problems. Mortality is very infrequent (except for aborted foals).
Check out the USDA link that schwung provided. You'll find all the facts there.
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Post by countryhwy101 on Oct 1, 2010 15:04:38 GMT -5
True Cricket....but for us oldies that remember from the 80's when EVA was first made an issue it was Standardbreds that where very prone for some reason. Then is KY it went ramped on many TB farms....to most it is still a very new thing.
Has anyone else heard of anything on where it is most generating. I would like to know how long it has been in circulation?
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