Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Hello Beth,
Your description also sounds like "pigeon fever" also called
"dryland distemper". From the vet manual, under Purpura
hemorrhagica, the 3rd
link down, the photo from Dr. Thomas Lane, the horse with filling under
the chest and flank, we had several that looked like that after a week or
so along with the pussy bumps. My horses never swelled up and got the
"pigeon look" but they got lots of bumps everywhere like hives
but bigger that burst after a while and leaked lots of pus X;{. The large
filling underneath got very hard and never burst and eventually went
away. Some got Penn-G some didn't and all got well eventually (some took
4-5 months until 100%) and the scars from the bumps have all gone away.
Pigeon fever (if that's what your horse has) is very contagious. Good
luck

At 11:38 AM 1/28/2007 Sunday, you wrote:
> Purpura hemorrhagica of horses
> is a form of nonthrombocytopenic purpura that often is a sequel of an
> earlier Streptococcus equi respiratory infection; it is mediated by
> immune complexes of antibody and streptococcal antigen in vascular
> basement membranes. 
> (from the Merck Veterinary Manual)
> http://www.merckvetmanual.com
> .  There are 3 pictures on the site.
>  
>  
> My friends coming 3 year old filly has been diagnosed with purpura
> hemorrhagica.  She is being treated with a steroid and a antibiotic,
> but just wondered if anyone on this list has personal experiences with
> this disease that I could share with her.  
>  
> At first, she thought it was hives, and began the process of eliminating
> various possible allergens from her environment one at a time, but as it
> progressed to oozing fluid filled areas on her forelimbs, she went to the
> veterinarian.  At first the treatment relieved some of the symptoms,
> but now it is getting worse, with large areas of edema on her belly,
> flanks, vulva etcetera.  The vet has had one other case like this,
> and is working through the medication/treatment options and visiting
> daily at this point.
>   
> Thanks,
> Beth
>  
>

Don Huston at cox dot net