Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

This was posted on <naturalhorsetrim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> and I thought
it contained valuable info that all of us horse people could use.
The ridecamp server rejected the email when sent as one complete document
because it's too big so I broke it into 4 parts.
Happy New Year
Don Huston

        

        

        

Part 1 of
4

> Here is an essay on the
> subject by a California vet. Noel S. Muller, DVM
> Los Caballos Equine Practice, Inc. Please note
> especially his third to last paragraph in Part 4 quoted here for
> emphasis:
>
> In the simplest terms: Do not vaccinate your horse if your horse has
> potentially been exposed to EHV1. Treat him like royalty for 21 days
> and
> keep your ears and eyes open to what is happening in your local area.
> If
> he shows no signs of disease at 21 days, go back to your old
> routine.
> Feel free to vaccinate him at that point in time. The most effective
> vaccine to use prior to exposure is Rhinomune (Pfizer). Repeat the
> vaccination in three weeks.
>
> =======================================================
>
> HERE IS THE FULL TEXT:
>
> There has been a well publicized outbreak of the neurological form
> of
> EHV1 that has occurred in Wellington, Fla. over the past two weeks.
> This
> outbreak has now spread to California. A cargo load of show horses
> shipped from New Jersey to LAX on approximately 12/10/06. Included
> among
> the equine passengers was a horse already deeply into the contagious
> form of the disease that had vanned up from Wellington. After landing
> in
> LA, this animal shipped to Del Mar. Within 48 hours of his arrival
> in
> Del Mar he began showing a high fever (over 105) and signs of
> depression. Despite appropriate treatment, he quickly showed the
> classic
> signs of weakness and ataxia (drunkenness) involving primarily the
> rear
> legs. He became recumbent, was unable to rise and was put down. This
> all
> happened within 72 hours of his arrival in CA (source, Dr. Paul
> McClellan, private correspondence, 12/18/06). 
>
> The other horses in the same load were unknowingly dispersed to
> various
> points in CA. As of this writing, several are showing fevers and the
> barns are under a voluntary quarantine. It remains to be seen
> whether
> these measures will be sufficient to prevent further spread of the
> disease. Most probably we will continue to see other small
> outbreaks.
> Please understand that these outbreaks do not feel small if they
> occur
> in or near your barn. The feelings that are generated among the
> unfortunate horse owning public in proximity to an outbreak must be
> akin
> to what people worldwide felt in the early part of the twentieth
> century
> as the Great Influenza Plague swept world wide. The outbreak is not
> small if you stand any chance of being involved. It is only through
> diligence that we will be able to control this outbreak. The
> earliest
> signs of infection are fatigue, depression and fever. Horses with
> this
> and many other diseases act like they have a deep, dull head ache
> (to
> me, if a horse acts like he has a headache, he has a headache). If
> you
> have a horse with these signs, especially if there has been horse
> traffic in your barn within the previous 10 days, please call your
> veterinarian. I will discuss the public's and the veterinarian's role
> in
> controlling this outbreak toward the end of this essay.
>
> It is interesting to note that the disease is currently not a
> reportable
> disease in California. That means that health authorities are not
> required to track the disease, to keep statistics on it or to
> disseminate information to health workers. It also means that all
> quarantines in this state are strictly voluntary in nature. Horse
> owners
> tend to be a responsible, inquisitive sort and there would be
> intense
> peer pressure against any individual knowingly breaking even a
> voluntary
> quarantine. There may also be legal ramifications if a person
> willfully
> and knowingly breaks quarantine. This would be similar, I think, to
> AIDS
> carriers being sued for spreading the disease by continuing to engage
> in
> unprotected sex.
>
> EHV1 is a herpes viral infection. Like other herpes viruses, it can
> lie
> dormant within the body for weeks, months and even years. While
> dormant,
> it escapes notice of the bodies own immune system until it can begin
> to
> multiply rapidly enough to cause clinical signs. It is able to
> suddenly
> multiply not by undergoing some mutation that allows it to escape
> surveillance. Rather, it is via a breakdown in the body's immune
> surveillance or response system. In essence, there is a "dip"
> in the
> ability to mount an appropriate immune response. The most common
> cause
> of a decreased immune response is that over worked word, stress.
> This
> can be in the form of poor nutrition, pain, anti-inflammatory drugs
> used
> to decrease pain, travel, changed social structures (think: break up
> with a boyfriend and the cold sore that you sometimes get after that;
> of
> course, sometimes a break up is a joyous occasion!) or concurrent
> disease states. Vaccinations are a stress on the body sufficient to
> cause a transient but significant dip in immunity.
>
> The majority of EHV infections in horses are EHV1 or 4. EHV1 is much
> more prevalent and more serious. There are three forms: respiratory,
> late term abortions in pregnant mares or, rarely, the neurological
> form.
> EHV4 is strictly respiratory infections. The neurological form is
> the
> most serious and often progresses to recumbency and death. Treatment
> is
> limited to supportive help and some direct anti viral medication.
> Survivors are chronic shedders.

        

        

        

See Part 2

Don Huston  <donhuston@xxxxxxx>

Don Huston  <donhuston@xxxxxxx>