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Post by spotti on Jul 27, 2008 11:54:48 GMT
Atleast that's what I think it is!
A few other horses on the yard have had this horrid cold for a few weeks now (seems to go after about 2/3 weeks) - snotty nose, sore throat, unwilling to eat or drink but will do after a few days. They all seem better outside than in, but our yard doesn't do 24/7 turnout...not even for a poorly pony! Everyone else has been giving their horses bute to soothe the sore throat, soaking their hay and feeding it off the floor. A friend had a vet out the other day who said she was doing the right thing and that her horse should get better soon.
My worry is, now Faith's got it. She's barely eaten for 3 days (she eats grass but nothing else, hence wanting her to live out until she's better), had practically nothing to drink, and she just looks so miserable! She looks just like death warmed up (not a fetching look for such a pretty pony!). I've been doing as advised by friends vet, but since she barely eats, I'm unable to get any bute into her so she doesn't seem to be getting any better, although she seems to be at her worst now so should (hopefully) start getting over it soon.
I've had loads of issues with her boots recently (found out this morning that all of her feet are different sizes so will need different sized boots, grrr) so currently have no boots that fit so have had to put her out without them on and now have my fingers tightly crossed that a) she doesn't get bruised soles or b) she doesn't get lami. I'm really worried that if she doesn't eat or drink that she'll get more poorly and won't be able to fight the infection, or that it will spread to her lungs... I'm very tempted to get the vet out, but he'll only tell me the same as the other vet and charge me lots for it...if she's gets much worse then he'll be coming, but until then, I could do without the vet bill.
Anyone got any idea of what it could be?
We all reckon its come from the YO's horses - she deals horses so has new ones all the time but has no form of isolation *tut* - because it was some of hers that had the bug first, then one of our liveries that goes out with her horses, and now us...great isn't it?
It does seem to go after a while, but I'm just worried because Faith seems prone to disaster and will no doubt get the worst strain of the bug as is insanely possible and take absolutely yonks to get over it.
Help please!
(And if you're thinking "Bute? For a cold?" I thought that too! From what I understand Bute is a pain killer - obviously to kill the pain in the throat so they can eat and then fight the bug themselves - but I thought you'd need an antibiotic or something to kill the 'bug' outright??? But hey-ho, thats just me...)
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Post by kateflashy on Jul 27, 2008 12:27:55 GMT
i would get some histra strepicillian which is anti biotics and anti imflamertary all in one but i expect your'd need the vet to pescribe it , over here i just go to the surgery and get it , have you tried hay tea , soak the hay in boiling water so it acts like a decongestion thing
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Post by spotti on Jul 27, 2008 13:09:30 GMT
Hay tea??? How does that work?
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Post by kateflashy on Jul 27, 2008 13:42:48 GMT
just put hay in a bucket and soak in boiling hot water and the steam clears them out and when its cooled they eat it not quite sure of the hows and whys but an old farmer told me about it and it works
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haffyfan
Administrator 
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Post by haffyfan on Jul 27, 2008 13:47:26 GMT
Sounds like the yard has a virus...personally I would get a vet in and the YO needs to stop all movement of horses on /off yard or it will spread around the area.
Murph had flu ( vet refused to say this and called it a virus of the upper respitorty (sp) tract as a 4 yr old...it really knocked him for six, his temp was 105! He was put on finadyne and the vet gave him something too but it took ages to get him back to health and months before we could re start the starting process. (He never has liked working for a living) Several others at yard got it but Murph and the old pony Bandit were by far the worst.
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Post by cherry on Jul 28, 2008 8:29:24 GMT
That sounds a little bit like the strangles we've had at our yard to me, sorry, I'm not trying to scaremonger! My horse got over it quite well (I've found out he was previoulsy at a yard before I had him where they had it so got some immunity) but another mare is showing the symtoms that you describe, but her snot is yellow custardy stuff (her nose is quite messy). She's not eating. Are their glands up, throats puffy at all? High temp? She's been having bran mashes, sugar beet as it's easier to eat, and I think if you put a small pinch of salt in the food it can encourage them to drink. I think you can even soak pony nuts to make a nice soft food for them. She has been given bute by the vet to make her more comfortable.
I know there is quite a bit of strangles going round the country at the mo, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and hope they get over it quickly, whatever it is.
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Post by dannyboy on Jul 28, 2008 9:00:37 GMT
How is faith today - any improvements or did you call the vet?
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Post by scattymare on Jul 28, 2008 11:31:23 GMT
I was going to say the same thing as Cherry in that it sounds a bit like strangles - though I'd have thought the vet that came out would have picked up on that if it was. Not had experience of any other flu type thing. Hope she's on the mend now. It's just horrible when you can't do anything for them.
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Post by zara on Jul 28, 2008 16:07:02 GMT
I hate to say it but my forst thought was strangles. Has anyone been tested? If not I think that someone should. Hope Faith is soon felling better Zx
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Post by jack on Jul 28, 2008 17:06:54 GMT
get the vet out the best thing has to be anitibotics and being outside if you have a dealer at the yard this is always going to happen and they dont seem to want to do any thing about it because they are just going to be sold on anyway
i realy hope she gets better soon but dont leave it to long before calling the vet out
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Post by spotti on Aug 1, 2008 7:53:56 GMT
I've not been on for a while and had actuallyforgotten about this post, but I have an update!!! She seems to be getting better! I too thought it could be strangles at first, hence asking you lot about it, but I'm not so sure now. All the horses that have had it seem to have gotten over it ok, although I am surprised that there's no isolation unit on the yard  Cherry - the snot seems to be the same colour as whatever she's been eating i.e. grass = green snot, mollichop = brown, water = clear etc etc. No her glands don't appear to be up and her throat isn't puffy, although I think its been a bit sore inside. She did have a high temp at first but that seems to have because of the extra work her body was doing to fight the virus. It's taken just over a week, but things are now looking up! She's started eating again, she did a poo (which she's not been doing due to not eating very much), had a heeeeeuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge drink in the field this morning AND she had her head over the door to greet me this morning instead of stnading in the back of her stable feeling sorry for herself! I've been doing my best to contain the bug - disinfecting everything we use and not sharing stuff etc, but I can't do anything about what goes on in the field and apparently there's nowhere she could go out by herself until she's better...so....I guess it might spread further  but still, I've done my best (which is more than anyone else with a horse who's had it has done) and that's all you can ask for. Atleast we know how to help get rid of it now. (Oh, and Faith has fought this bug all by herself as she wouldn't eat so hasn't had any medicine/bute to help her so she's been battling all by herself and fingers crossed that she's winning!) |
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Post by jack on Aug 1, 2008 10:05:34 GMT
im so pleased she is eating and drinking god you must feel so good at the mo give her a big hug from me xxx
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Post by spotti on Aug 1, 2008 13:57:25 GMT
Will do!  |
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Post by fleabitten on Aug 1, 2008 17:30:12 GMT
Thats good! Apparently its good for them to be out when they are sick as all the gunk will drain out of their nose.
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Post by kateflashy on Aug 1, 2008 18:37:47 GMT
glad she's getting better
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Post by spotti on Aug 2, 2008 18:13:42 GMT
Sodding hell! Just when I thought we were over this...
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flash7
Novice Willy Washer
"It is ok to be you....."
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Post by flash7 on Aug 3, 2008 11:08:18 GMT
How is Faith?
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Post by spotti on Aug 3, 2008 11:54:04 GMT
Not good. She seems better in herself but is now isolated and away from her friends as a precaution incase this 'cold' turns out to be strangles...typical Faith really - everyone else just gets a cold and she's likely to get the full blown infection! GREAT! (not)
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Post by brigadier on Aug 3, 2008 13:12:23 GMT
Spotti
have you had a diagnosis for this? You seem to be doing all the right things re contamination etc but do you know what it is and is it actually being treated, she may need antibiotics and pain killers pronto and it seems to have been going on for ages....? She could be dehydrated so doubly suffering. Get the vet as soon as, even if she has got what the other horses have had she may have a different response to the infection so please please please get the vet.
brig
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Post by spotti on Aug 3, 2008 17:26:14 GMT
I phoned the vet last night and told him all about it, he said it sounded like it could be strangles so isolate her and disinfect everything. I phoned him again this morning and he said that he would come out if I really wanted him to, but that he probably wouldn't treat her with anything yet anyway...apparently its best for her to build up her own immunity. He said just keep to what he told me (isolation, disinfecting everything etc etc) and she should be ok.
I've got to phone him daily to keep him up-to-date and he says if she gets any worse then phone him and he'll come to give her antibiotics and stuff, but for now I should just sit tight and let her fight it on her own, which is really hard because I feel so helpless (although Faith actually seems happy and is eating/drinking fine now. She poos and wees too, but is just poorly on the outside).
As for me, I'm really feeling the strain. I'm so stressed out about it all that I now feel thoroughly miserable and could really do with a hug.
Me thinks that this could well end up as our first insurance claim...now aren't I glad I got her insured
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Post by cherry on Aug 4, 2008 7:43:03 GMT
Hi Spotti
So sorry it's got worse. A mare at our yard got it quite bad but she's fighting it off without antibiotics, sounds very much like Faith as she is eating and drinking now. Just looks poor in herself, lost a lot of weight. Our vets said they prefer not to give antibiotics as it can turn into b*stard strangles.
Really hope she gets better soon. Just a shame it seems to be such a horrible, slow process. It's annoying at our yard cos it could've been prevented if a proper quarantine had been put in place, but at the first sign of something not right, the horse's owner who first showed symptoms (a veterinary nurse!!) put the horse out with hers (who turned out to be the carrier) into a field with my horse and the mare, spreading it round the yard. I'd feel really guilty if I'd caused someone else to go through this, even if it wasn't deliberate, but not heard anything from her. Oh well, not much we can do about it now!
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Post by spotti on Aug 4, 2008 9:55:16 GMT
That's what my vet said Re: b*stard strangles - better to let her give it her best shot at fighting it off by herself before intervening with medication. Again, ours could have been prevented if other people had opened their eyes a bit and quarantined at the first signs of something not right (yet no one would admit they had anything that could be potentially dangerous), but like you, there's nothing we can do now except keep everything clean and keep away from the others so we don't spread it... Arrived this morning to find a new pony is in quarantine too. Caught a glimpse of his throat and he has what appears to be a burst abcess under his chin too...poor pony, but it wasn't us that gave it to him because I've never seen that pony before, let alone had contact with him so he didn't catch it from me. So Cherry, how is the mare at your yard doing? What is being done to help her? And how is the owner keeping her entertained/not fearful of being treated??? Faith seems ok in herself but I think she'll get bored soon and will want something to do. Also, she now seems to resent me coming to see her, knowing I've got to treat her, so turns her bum on me and walks away - I spent ages this morning doing a form of Join Up with her (minus the running) just so she would let me near enough to clean her up a bit. It just makes me really sad to see her like this because we were so close, and now we're so distant. I miss her. I can't wait until she's better and I can give a big cuddle again  |
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Post by spotti on Aug 4, 2008 9:58:00 GMT
Oh and Cherry, I'm giving you a karma - can't quite decide on a reason why, but I think you deserve one! Here you go... |
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Post by cherry on Aug 4, 2008 10:58:31 GMT
Ah, thanks for the karma, sending one (I think) back your way!! I suppose Faith is just not feeling herself , so hopefully once she is she'll be back to her normal self and love you more than ever. The mares I've some across I usually find more independent, and tougher when they're unwell, whereas the geldings just want cuddling and fuss, and told how brave they are! I know when my dogs feeling ill she just wants to be on her own, not realising we're just trying to help! Milly, the infected mare is 23, she's lost a lot of condition and not sure she has much of a will to turn her bum on me. Her nose is sore now from all the wiping, poor old thing, but we're putting sudocream on it to help. She also has a pink nose so we've got to stop it getting sunburnt when the sun decides to come out. She's very slowly getting over it. It's a shame other people are so irresponsible and don't show any respect for other peoples horses!
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Post by Becca on Aug 4, 2008 12:54:22 GMT
awww spotti what a pickle. Did you not say other horses had been ill before her? have they been disinfecting the main yard too incase those horses had the same? big carrots for faithy and big hugs for you hun. She's a tough cookie she'll be fine. Just think on the good side the vet can't carge you for phone calls, i bet our money grabbing vet would 'need' to visit everyday. |
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but still, I've done my best (which is more than anyone else with a horse who's had it has done) and that's all you can ask for. Atleast we know how to help get rid of it now.
for so much hard work we thank ye!!
)
Always saddle your own horse