Our adorable small pony Freddie has had a high fever and lack of appetite. Another horse in the barn with same symptoms within 24 hours. the vet isnt sure what is causing it.
Potential suspects:Potomac fever,A viral illness, Lyme or RMSF.He was vaccinated for Potomac fever.
They treated him initially with IV Tetracyline but on 3rd day he had a bad reaction with staggering and facial grimaces. Very frightening!
Now he has to take 30 doxy tabs ground up in his little handful of grain twice a day for a month. Guess we'll be using lots of molasses! He is feeling better today almost back to his spunky self.
Has anyone else had a horse with Lyme? How did it present? I can barely take care of my self and kids, dont need chroniclly ill pony. Cindy
Posted by just don (Member # 1129) on :
Are you sure he doesnt have West Nile? Horses and people are there best targets. They have vaccine for horses but not for people,go figure!! Any dead birds laying around?? Just a thought from--just don--
Posted by DLD (Member # 9421) on :
Gee, I wasn't aware that horses were susceptible to Lyme.
I have a 26 year old Quarter Horse who is loaded with ticks every season. He was acting a bit "off" this Spring but I don't think he had a fever though.
The vet ran blood tests and some of his liver enzymes were slightly elevated. She thought it could be an age-related thing. We did put him on antibiotics as his WBC was at the high end of normal.
He seemed to perk up and his white count was lower the next week when she did some followup bloodwork.
I'll be interested in hearing what other folks have to say about horses and Lyme. I know we have some avid horsepeople out here.
Donna Posted by clpgotlyme (Member # 7875) on :
Don, No I'm not sure its not West Nile. Dont think we vaccinated for that either. Hmmmmm. Cindy
Posted by clpgotlyme (Member # 7875) on :
Donna, Our Vet said she has seen a lot of Lyme this year in horses. My LLMD has horses and one of hers has recovered from it. Cindy
Posted by DLD (Member # 9421) on :
Cindy,
Thank you for the info. Do they use the same Lyme test on horses that they use for dogs? Is it somewhat more reliable than the Elisa?
I tend to worry about my horse more now because of his advancing age. I've had him for 21 years and we've been through a lot together.
Please keep me posted on your pony's diagnosis and progress.
Donna
Posted by clpgotlyme (Member # 7875) on :
Donna, Not sure what test they used. I will ask them when they come to check him again. Cindy
Posted by Andie333 (Member # 7370) on :
Poor Freddie!
The thing that makes me suspect Lyme is his quick response to treatment. My Aussie, Ty, went lame suddenly about 6 weeks ago.
At first, we suspected his arthritis flaring (he's 11) but something told me to suspect Lyme. The vet said if he responded to the abx quickly, it was likely Lyme was the culprit.
Within about 3 days, he was much perkier and by the end of the week, he had full mobility again. We still have him on the abx, though -- just as a precaution.
I hope he continues to heal!
Andie
Posted by clpgotlyme (Member # 7875) on :
Andie, Thanks for the info. we will get test results back next Monday. Hoping for the best.
We are actually trying to sell Freddie as my daughter has wayyyyyyyyyy outgrown him. We let her keep riding him longer as she is very skinny.
Of course, we posted an ad on Equine.com the day before he got ill! It will be a very sad day when we find him a new home.He has more personality than any other horse I've met in the past 35 years.
I'm glad to hear your horse is feeling better, too.
P.S. If you want to see his picures on Equine.com, his show name is Freddie Flintstone. Cindy
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