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  Discussion on Silicosis
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Member:
Bailey

Posted on Thursday, Oct 21, 2004 - 1:33 pm:

My 9 yr old gelding started having low grade fevers (no higher than 102.5) every 7-10 days in Aug. My vet came out various times and put him on different antibiotics. He had no other symptoms but this recurrent fever. The vet did blood work after the first fever and it was normal then again about 2 weeks later. They tested his fibrinigin(sp) and it came back at 800 which is pretty high. At that point my vet was thinking he had a lung abcess and needed a lung x-ray to try to determine if that is what it was and if it could be drained.

To make a very long story shorter; My horse went to the hospital had a chest x-ray and both his lungs were covered with masses. Since the vet did not know what it was but concluded whatever it was it was pretty bad. They did a lung biopsy and the results are:
"When the lung was visualized under polarized light there were scattered very small needle-like bodies within the foci of remodeling. Because of the nature of the chronic inflamation its distribution within the lung (alveolar, often subpleural) the presence of the crystalline material, we are concerned that the animal has developed these legions in response to inhalation of a foriengn material. Similar legions in horses have been seen in cases of silicosis, although the disease is more typical in horses from specific regions in California. There was no evidence of neoplasia, bacterial or fungal organisms. The dignosis is: Severe chronic multifocal neutrophilic and histiocytic pneumonia with marked Type II pneumocyte hyperplasia, intersitial fibrosis and intralesional refractile foreign material.

The recomendation was to put him down.
I decided not to put him down because other than the fevers he was acting fine. He still eats like it is his last meal and runs around in the pasture like he is 2. Now he has had no fever for 2 months (I moved him from a show barn to a barn where he can be outside all day and the dust level is minimum). I ride him everyday and he never coughs or acts like the exercise is to much for him. I jump him (because that is what he loves to do) and he hardly ever breaks a sweat. As far as I can tell his breathing is normal. He doesn't make any noises or seem out of breath.

I live in Cleveland, Ohio and the vets here have never seen this in a horse that is still alive. They have all been very helpful but really do not know what to expect or how to treat him. I have read everything I can find on this and most articles including yours on Chronic Lower Airway Disease don't give much hope for a horse with this condition.

I have written to vets and scientists in California who have done studies and written articles about Silicosis in horses but have gotten no responses. I was hoping maybe if someone from California or anywhere that has any experience with this reads this post maybe they can lead me to someone who can give me some information on this disease.

As long as my horse is happy and pain free I have decided I am going to ride him and do the things he loves to do and if he starts having concrete symptoms I will have to decide then what to do.

Sorry this is so long!
Member:
Bethyg2

Posted on Friday, Oct 22, 2004 - 11:58 am:

Dear Lori,
Do you know where this horse spent his first few years? Is there a chance this could be the results of a rhodococcus infection in "foalhood?" I know there is a test for an active infection, but I don't know whether or not there is a test for past infection/ exposure. The reason I ask is becasue when my 8 month old foal had pneumonia, and they suspected rhodococcus (he came from rhodococcus ground zero in Texas) the vets all said that if he had it bad, that the worst case scenario would be lesions on the lungs much like you describe. Although it might not account for the present fevers. Has the horse been prescibed Rifampin? -Beth G.
Member:
Bailey

Posted on Friday, Oct 22, 2004 - 12:05 pm:

Beth,

I have had the horse since his 3rd birthday. When all this happened I called the person I bought him from and they remebered him and said he never had rhodococcus. I specifically asked that question. He was foaled and lived in Virginia and then I bought him on his 3rd birthday and brought him to Cleveland.

From what I have been told he has probably had this for a long time and the fevers where probably a flare up caused by somthing in his environment. He is on no medication because the vets did not believe anything could help this.

Thank you for you for your input.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Oct 23, 2004 - 12:02 pm:

Hello Lori,
I too have never seen silicosis or similar chronic foreign body pneumonia. I can only conclude when they labeled this "severe" they were mistaken as the horse does quite well at the level you are now using him.

I find no published studies on this disease in horses but this is quite common in humans in some occupations. Though slightly predisposed to lung cancer, infectious pneumonia, and more commonly predisposed to developing a recurrent bronchitis, some live quite normally. There is a progressive form with increasing fibrosis despite discontinued exposure but I cannot find a prognosis for the asmptomatic to develop this. The number and size of the lesions and the individuals immune response determine the prognosis.
DrO
Member:
Bailey

Posted on Saturday, Oct 23, 2004 - 7:26 pm:

Dr O,

Thank you for your response. The diagnosis came from the Vet in Mich who studies the biopsy. He never saw my horse but is supposed to be the top respirtory vet in this area. From the X-rays I saw the lesions pretty much cover both lungs. When I saw the videotape of the biopsy the one thing the vet told me was his lung was still pretty pliable and based on the x-ray they thought it would be hard and rigid.

The vets who diagnosed him had never seen him until the time he came in for the x-ray so they are quite surprised that he did not have more symptoms and that he is doing so well now. My vet who has known him since he was 3 was shocked because he has listened to his lungs and did respritory exams on him and never suspected anything like this.

For now I am just going to go on with his life and hope I can keep him from flareing up again by changing his environment the best I can. Living in Cleveland, Ohio he is not going to be able to go outside as much during the winter. At this time I have not found any information or anyone who has experienced this. All I do know is it is not bacterial, fungal or cancer so there is really nothing I can treat him with.

Lori
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