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  Discussion on Infection at the Umbelical Chord...
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Member:
Lanna1

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 1, 2004 - 4:10 pm:

Hi everyone & DrO,

I noticed this morning my 8 day old filly has some discharge coming from her umbilical chord. This filly was dipped twice with teat dip seconds after she got up from foaling, but she was born in a dirty section of the paddock.

There has been some "swelling" above her chord since birth pretty much that I've been keeping my eye on. Now she has a discharge coming from that swelling that appears like bloody puss. If I squeeze the area slightly it is sore to the touch.

My Vet suggested that to rule out urine dripping from the area.

He also suggested I start 5cc of antibiotics 2x/day for 5 days. He didn't think it was necessary to clean the area, he only suggested that I leave it alone and allow it to drain naturally.

Is there anything else I could be doing besides the antibiotics? Is this filly at risk for joint ill?

Any suggestions, advice, etc. is greatly appreciated.

This foal was also born without a nursing reflex and had to be fed every hour for the first 36 hours before she was capable of nursing on her own - I don't know if that is related in any way or not?!?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jun 3, 2004 - 5:54 am:

Hello Lana,
This is potentially very serious. While some foals do drip for a day or two following birth, when the unbilicus begins to drip a few days after birth it is a strong indication there may be an infection brewing and antibiotics won't always take care of it. See Equine Diseases » Foal Diseases » Patent Urachus and Diseases of the Umbilical Cord for how to diagnose and treat this condition.
DrO
Member:
Lanna1

Posted on Thursday, Jun 3, 2004 - 1:02 pm:

Thanks DrO,

I quickly read through that article before posting my question, but I'll go back to it again and have a closer look. I've talked to both my Vet and the local Vet and both gave me the same advice. Put the filly on 5cc 2x/day of antibiotic for 5 days, don't wash or scrub the area in any way and let it drain naturally.

She seems to be responding to the antibiotics as the swelling has come down. But, the stump of the umbilical chord fell away sometime yesterday before I administered her evening shot.

I've tried to reach my Vet twice & have been instructed to call back at 1pm today, so that's what I'll do.

I really don't want this to get out of hand or over look something that could be treated now, etc...

I'll post my update as to the conversation I have with my Vet & I'll re-read that article right away too.

Thanks for the advice,

Lanna in BC
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jun 4, 2004 - 9:03 am:

The possible complications of such as event are the foal becoming either uremic or septic. In both cases your first sign will be the foal spending more time down and not nursing as aggressively. So watch very carefully, once systemically ill foals go downhill very quickly.
DrO
Member:
Lanna1

Posted on Friday, Jun 4, 2004 - 11:34 am:

Hi DrO,

Thanks for the reply, I was able to reach my Vet this morning to ask more advice since we're on the 4th. day of antibiotics and I didn't feel good about finishing without knowing for sure it's taken care of.

He then suggested switching from the injectible penicilin to injectible excenel for horses which has a broader spectrum. I wish he would have told me that from the start!

Needless to say, his advice was to switch to excenel (sp?) which is given 1x/day for as long as needed. He mentioned to continue as long as there is any moisture or indication that it's still draining. Once it's completely dried up, to continue administering for 24 hours.

So far this filly doesn't seem ill at all, she's very alert, playful, gets to her feet in an instant and has a healthy appetite. I will continue to keep a very close eye on her though as I know there is little time to fool with if things go wrong.

I'll keep you posted on my progress & thank you for your advice, it sounds like I'm on the right track so far?!?

Lanna in BC
Member:
Contilli

Posted on Friday, Jun 4, 2004 - 12:56 pm:

I had a similar problem with my filly, actually two fillies. We used Silver Nitrate sticks (to colorize) the opening and sprayed it will Alluspray (a spray bandage). It helped on the one filly but not the other. The other had no sickness systems, just a swollen umbilical and dripping. It would dry for a few days then start again. We ended up at the hospital with a complete umbilicus removal. They ultrasounded the area and found that there WAS infection of the artery and surrounding area. It was 4 times the size and the area inside around her umbilical ford was 5 inches in diameter and should have only been 1-1 ˝ inches. They said I was lucky to get her in when I did. We were treating her at home for 2 months. I have only heard that antibiotics do not work on umbilical problems they just delay symptoms. I definitely would not rush to surgery but have someone ultrasound the umbilical area. I wish I new to ultrasound it before I spent over 1000.00 on my vet at home. If I would have ultrasounded it sooner I would have saved a lot of worry and time.

Denise
www.BryantFarm.com
Member:
Lanna1

Posted on Friday, Jun 4, 2004 - 1:35 pm:

Thanks Denise,

What's your opinion with this DrO? Am I in fact just prolonging the problem by keeping the infection at bay with the antibiotics & it's hopeless to suggest that it "will" completely clear the infection?

Should I consider an ultrasound at this point? Or, is there any other means I should consider?

Denise, what happened with the other filly you mentioned?

I'm having problems with the local clinic whereas they won't issue the antibiotics to me because they're not the ones consulting me on the problem! Needless to say, my Vet is going to bus up the meds to arrive on our evening bus. I will start her treatment with the excenel antibiotics tonight, but I surely want to make sure that I'm treating this effectively.

My Vet is not local and not as readily available to come out & the local area Vet's just don't seem as knowledgeable with equines. I simply don't trust them with any of my horses for many reasons.

The Vet that I use regularly I do trust and he hasn't suggested any other treatment other than the antibiotics, for as long as it takes for the drainage, or any sign of moisture to stop. He mentioned that the biggest mistake people make with this type of infection is stopping the meds. too early. That's why he suggests I continue to administer 24 hours after the area is completely dry with no signs of drainage or moisture.

DrO, am I on the right track here? Should I be requesting more tests, such as an ultrasound?

Thanks again everyone, this is the first time I've dealt with an infection of this nature.

Lanna in BC
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Jun 5, 2004 - 8:48 am:

Because your foal started dripping several days after birth I agree completely, ultrasound is important, for more on this see Equine Diseases » Foal Diseases » Patent Urachus and Diseases of the Umbilical Cord. I thought I had already referred you to here above but see I put in the article to this forum.
DrO
Member:
Contilli

Posted on Saturday, Jun 5, 2004 - 7:50 pm:

Lanna-

The other filly was just fine. We treated her with Silver Nitrate sticks to cauterize the opening and sprayed Alluspray (it's silver) as a bandage to keep bugs out. We did this for four days and the hole closed up perfectly. I sold her to a wonderful doctor in Texas.

My filly, Contilli, is just fine. She recovered from surgery and was taken home the same day. The fee is 800.00 with 5 days of antibiotics to follow. Although, my mare lost her pregnancy due to the Dr's not sedating her while the filly was taken away for surgery. I requested sedation and they put their hand in my face and said she will be fine. This is the second time this hospital would not sedate one of my pregnant mares and I've lost both pregnancies due to it. It is Marion Scott DuPont Hospital in Leesburg Va. They will be receiving a letter of my thoughts shortly.

Belly/abdominal infections are one of the most difficult to resolve. Like I said, we were treating her for two months and finally I just didn’t like how long it was taking so I scheduled the appointment with the hospital. I would get an ultrasound ASAP and if no one will come to you then have “medicine” at a hospital look at her. Go with your gut feelings on this one, I did and I was right – again. They usually do not wait on these issues….. AND her tommy looks so much better now. She got a tummy tuck at 2 month old……

By the way, where in BC are you? My Aunt was the Municipality Mayor for Delta, Tsawwassen and Ladner for several terms - Mrs. Beth Johnson.

Keep me posted and good luck.
Denise
www.BryantFarm.com
Member:
Lanna1

Posted on Monday, Jun 7, 2004 - 12:14 pm:

Thanks DrO & Denise!

Well, we're continuing to treat her with the excenel antibiotics which is nice because it's better absorbed & only 1x/day! She's getting a little resistent to all these needles, poor little thing.

I did notice a little moisture there, seems to be present in the am, not in the afternoon/evening. There are also flies biting her around the area, so it's been hard to tell if that's where the problem is.

I spoke to my Vet this morning to give him the update & we're going to continue treatment as necessary. He also suggested rubbing bug dope around the surrounding area, not touching the umbilical though & that might help the fly problem.

He's coming out Thursday morning to ultrasound the area, I'll feel much better about things with an ultrasound to see what's going on inside & he agreed!

That's a HUGE relief.

I'll keep you posted on how that turns out - thanks so much for your information, I'm going to read that other article now DrO. Thanks again for your advice, I'm determined to get this filly healthy!

I'm located in northern BC (approx. 5 hours north of Prince George, or 2 hours west of Grande Praire, Alberta)

Take care,

Lanna in BC
https://www.colouredquarters.com
Member:
Lanna1

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 9, 2004 - 3:12 pm:

Well, the Vet is out tomorrow, so I'll post the results to everyone on Friday! I sure hope we have a happy ending to this story, I've become very attached to this little gal!
Member:
Lanna1

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 15, 2004 - 2:57 pm:

Hi Everyone,

Great news! The ultrasound showed no signs of infection so we were able to stop treatment right away and so far she's still doing great!

Sorry it took me so long to let you all know, I sure appreciate your feedback and experience on this!

Thanks for recommending the ultrasound Denise, that helped to put my mind at ease, the guessing game was a little too much for me! I'd rather know one way or the other & it's always best to know sooner rather than later!

Thanks again for your advice, suggestions & suggested reading material!

Lanna in BC

PS Why won't your Vet sedate your pregnant mares? I've had to sedate pregnant mares in the past and was always told it wouldn't harm the pregnancy... And, it never did!
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