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  Discussion on Grass Sickness
Author Message

Posted on Thursday, Feb 14, 2002 - 2:02 pm:

Dear Dr.O,
I had never heard of this condition before our 4H meeting last night when one of the kids did her presentation on it.(She recently lost a yearling and the death was attributed to this illness.)
The only reference I find in HA search is as a differential dx in EMND. Is there another name for this? Scary disease - the colt died nastily, it seems.
Just what a horse hypochondriac needs, to find out about a previously unknown & unworried-about disease!
Sharon

Posted on Friday, Feb 15, 2002 - 1:17 pm:

This is a bit odd Sharon. I see you live in FL USA and as far as I know (and examining research published as recently as Sept 2001) there has not been a reported case in this country. This has been a frustrating disease that currently is of unknown cause though mycotoxins are suspected. The only way to positively diagnose this disease is by histopath on the cranial cervical or celiacomesenteric nerve ganglia. I would interested in any further information on this suspected case.

Currently the incidence is increasing in the British Isles and it is spreading through Europe. You are right we should have an article on this disease and when I get back (we are going riding for the weekend) and after getting the newsletter out I will get to work on it.
DrO

Posted on Friday, Feb 15, 2002 - 2:55 pm:

That would be great, DrO. The clinical picture fit this young horse's complaints perfectly and in retrospect it seems a clear case of chronic grass sickness. Unfortunately, it wasn't picked up on in time for appropriate treatment.When he eventually died they had a PM done but the pathologist didn't identify the cause - we thought it might have been confirmed by examination of the mucosa of the bowel, so we've learned a little more already! The family was determined to research what could have possibly caused him to die and came across info on grass fever, which as I said fit the symptoms exactly. In fact, they had been experimenting with feeds and had some success (totally accidentally, since they had never heard of the condition)with sweet feed & added molasses.He died on the coldest night we've had this year - they guess triggered by hypothermia, since the sweating and frothing and rank smell were all present.
I'll be glad to read what you can find because our information is somewhat limited.
Have a great weekend!
Sharon

Posted on Monday, Feb 18, 2002 - 6:06 am:

Sharon, it is very unlikely to be grass sickness, there has never been a case of this in this country and there are no pathognomonic signs for this disease. This means that clinical signs alone are insufficient to diagnose this condition.
DrO

Posted on Monday, Feb 18, 2002 - 10:53 am:

Dr.O,
Sure would like to know what it was.
They had run toxicology studies in the months before he died, thinking he was ingesting something. Took down trees & shrubs, just in case. He was kept with two other (older) horses who are fine.
I do realize that without proper autopsy specimens we have no evidence at all, but no one can find anything else that fits the picture!
In any case, I'll be really interested in learning more about this disease. And I guess things do sometimes start in new places (WNV,some of the encephalitis strains).
Sharon
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