Tag Archive for: pigeon fever

Pigeon Fever Update and Addi & the Turkeys

Valley Girl was originally the only horse here that had tested positive for Pigeon Fever, but she is now on the road to recovery as her swelling has gone down and the discharge is clearing up. Mo, although he tested negative, did go into QT due to an abscess which has thankfully, now resolved and he, too, is doing well. Addi also developed an abscess a few weeks ago, and she, too, went into QT. Although she originally tested negative for Pigeon Fever, Addi was not getting better and she has since, developed a lump on her neck. I scheduled the vet to come back out last Wednesday to perform another culture and when I last spoke to him on Friday, I learned that Addi’s latest test, unfortunately, was now positive.

So now, in addition to our daily routine, it is essential that we closely monitor every horse daily, checking each from head to tail. Boo boos are treated, clean fly masks are put on and fly spray is applied. SWAT is applied under the tummy centerline and around wounds and cuts that have already been treated. We are going through a LOT of SWAT, bleach, gloves, and fly spray. Endure Gold, a new fly spray, appears to be the most effective. I prefer the pink SWAT rather than the clear formula as I can see when a horse has already been treated. Feed tubs, masks, grooming supplies, etc. are sanitized daily and foot baths are placed in several locations. Fly masks are hung on the opposite side of the property, fly traps are hung throughout the acreage and the main barn has a fly mister system.

But no matter how hard we try, the bottom line is that it only takes one fly to carry and deposit the sickness on a horse, so fly control is absolutely essential.

Good bio-security practices are a definite must as Pigeon Fever can live in the ground for years and as we have had very little rain, the climate creates a breeding ground for bacteria. Pigeon Fever is not just here at Beauty’s Haven, however, it has also been discovered in NW and Central Florida with a number of cases of strangles appearing as well.

On the lighter side

I must share a funny story about Addi. As big as she is, a few days ago, Addi became terrified of a few turkeys that strolled along the road from the neighbor’s house. I couldn’t help but laugh – it was hysterical! She tried to hide in her shelter and peek out at them, but she would then come running in a panic as if to say, ‘Help me!’ After a few days, she did get used to these strange creatures and she now bravely stands in a corner near the road to watch for them. Such a silly mare!

Lastly, on Saturday we were thrilled to welcome Chris to our wonderful family of volunteers! Magic approved!

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Photo collage of senior horses that were evaluated by Dr. Dianne McFarlane.

A Visit from Dr. Dianne McFarlane

Photo collage of senior horses that were evaluated by Dr. Dianne McFarlane.

Dr. Dianne McFarlane came out recently to do tests for Cushing’s Disease on some of our horses. She is Chair of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Studies at University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Her special area of interest is aging and age related diseases of the senior horse, and we just happen to have quite a few of those here at Beauty’s Haven! Cushing’s Disease is a pretty common neurodegenerative disease that usually affects older horses. Dr. McFarlane hopes to better understand the disease by identifying genetic mutations in order that treatment for Cushing’s can be started earlier.

Valley Girl, the only horse here so far to test positive for Pigeon Fever, is one of the horses Dr. McFarlane tested for Cushing’s and she is positive. This could be a contributing factor to why it is taking her so long to recover from Pigeon Fever. She is better but she’s still working through it. There have been quite a few cases over the past couple of months in and around the Ocala area and there will likely be more as flies are the carriers and they’ve been truly horrible this year. Plus, it’s been very dry.

The first photo is of Dr. McFarlane with Magic. He was so good getting his blood drawn – I was very proud of him! His Cushing’s test was negative but a few others did test positive so they are getting a medication called Prascend. And I thought I’d just share a few other photos while I have a chance.

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All Hands on Deck as Pigeon Fever Descends

I didn’t want to let another week end without sending out an update. To say we’ve been extremely busy would be an understatement. As some of you know, Valley Girl got sick about a month ago. It started with edema under her tummy. She was examined by the vet and blood tests were done. Over the next couple of days without improvement, the vet came back and did an ultrasound. A culture was also done and, unfortunately, the results were positive for dreaded Pigeon Fever. Valley Girl had already been separated from other horses and the barn was placed in lockdown. Valley has had a few abscesses rupture from her tummy to her chest. She had another, hopefully the last, to open yesterday.

Each horse is inspected from head to toe daily, sores are treated, SWAT and fly spray are applied, and fly masks are changed.

A couple of weeks ago, we found swelling on Addi’s chest that was suspect, so we put her in quarantine. The vet examined her and performed blood tests and a culture. Most recently, Mo also had some chest swelling so the vet came again to examine him, do a culture and run blood tests. Cultures for both Addi and Mo came back negative, but, out of an abundance of caution, we continue to treat them as a worst case scenario. Since then, the vet has lanced the swelling on Addi’s chest in order to drain and collect the discharge, but there is still some swelling. Mo had one open under his tummy on Friday and although I collected the discharge, he continues to experience some swelling.

Pigeon Fever is transmitted mostly by flies carrying the bacteria when they land on a horse that has open sores or wounds. It is, thankfully, not transmitted nose to nose like strangles. We don’t know where it originated but we are located in an agricultural community and have farms all around us with cows, horses, goats, etc. and the flies are absolutely horrible this year. It is possible that it was already in the ground, but we’ve been here almost twenty years and never before have had this issue.

Bio-security is real and it takes time and resources, all day, every day. Volunteers have been very good about following protocols put in place. It’s been quite an expensive, and exhausting, endeavor with no end yet in sight.

We’ve invested quite a bit into bleach, exam gloves, fly spray, SWAT, etc. If anyone would like to help, we would greatly appreciate it. Donations are tax deductible and no amount is ever too small. We don’t know how much the veterinary bill will be, but we will share it once it is received.

A few of our needs can be found on our Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/363QQBR2KM14O

Thank you and have a safe and blessed weekend.

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