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  Discussion on Pigeon Fever policy needed for Boarding Barn
Author Message
Member:
5691

Posted on Monday, Aug 18, 2008 - 10:13 pm:

Hello All,

A 7yr old mare has been diagnosed with Pigeon Fever after running temperatures from 101-104 for about a week before developing two fist sized lumps on her chest between her legs. At this time, they are still closed.

She is in the barn where 16 other horses are stalled in 12x12 stalls with 12x36 attached paddocks. Across from her stall/paddock is another barn with 20 other horses stalled in the same manner.

Many of us are very concerned about the possibility of this disease spreading to the other horses if and when the abscesses open and begin draining. Many of us would like to see the mare removed from the barn and put in an isolated stall away from the other horses, but for now she has been shut in her stall which seems unreasonable since there is no open wound or drainage.

There seems to be a need for a protocol on how to minimize the possibility of cross contamination when stalls are mucked, horses fed and how to protect the other horses in the event of the abscesses draining. Right now we, (the other boarders) are taking steps on our own to keep our horses fly sprayed and we are putting our bridles in bags since the mare is stalled next to common cross ties and the tack room which can be locked, but has an open bar door which flies can enter easily.

What suggestions would those of you who are more familiar with this disease suggest for the barn owner and horse owner to impliment to minimize contagien? What suggestions can the rest of us take to protect our horses? It seems to many of us that the protocols for strangles would be reasonable to follow.

We are in the SF Bay Area of California. I was curious to read that in one post, someone felt that the large number of turkeys on their property might have some connection with Pigeon Fever. We certainly have large flocks of turkeys on the property, but the barn owner in order to save money this year had the shavings from all three barns spread around the bridle paths instead of paying to haul them away. The flies have been noticiably increased this summer and many of us are concerned that the fly population will make it more likely that more horses may/will contract this disease if this mare stays in the barn with a draining wound.

Thanks for your consideration,

Debra
Member:
mrose

Posted on Monday, Aug 18, 2008 - 11:30 pm:

Hi Debra, I'm no expert or vet by any means, but years ago had a mare that came to our barn with Pigeon fever. Our vet at the time stressed that it was imparative the mare go into quarantine. She was moved to a pen that was quite a ways from the other horses, although she could easily see them. She got fed last, her pen cleaned last, etc. After she was cared for, we washed hands and changed boots and shirts. I don't know how necessary this strict quarantine is considered to be these days, but no other horse got sick. The quarantine was started before she had any ruputures. I think flies could be a problem for you also. I think that if they get on the open wound, they can spread the desease. I'd suggest using swat around the wound and maybe a light gauze or flysheet and flyspry so the flies don't land on her wound. We used to have a good size breeding farm with lots of broodmares and young foals. Whenever any horse got symptoms of desease including fever, it was kept apart from the others. We were very strict about this, and never had an outbreak of desease.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008 - 10:17 am:

Hello Debra,
The problem with such a question is that you have to work with the facilities you have so it is hard to give specific advice. The article gives the goals of prevention but how to achieve these at your farm is hard to say. The bottom line is you do not want draining puss to contaminate the ground where it cannot be sanitized.
DrO
Member:
5691

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008 - 3:59 pm:

Thank you Sara and Dr O,

As an update.. the BO yesterday was most annoyed that one of the boarders had put up an article from a past Equus magazine that had a comprehensive explanation of the prevention, diagnosis,treatment and protection for other horses. The BO feels that we are "hysterical" regarding this issue and took the article down. It was only after it was pointed out that education was the intent of posting that she allowed the article to be returned to the bulletin board.

It remains to be seen how this will play out..The stalls have rubber mats as flooring.. Can rubber mats be sufficiently sanitized? Is a bleach/water combo an effective sanitizer?

The primary concern in our barn is how to protect our horses from the flies that may land on the wound and then land on waterers, feed troughs, tack, stall walls, ect. if the mare ruptures and she is kept in the barn.

I plan to talk to the mare's owner and the trainer to get their perspective on this issue. We really are a very friendly, supportive group in this barn and realize that this could happen to any of us.. There is no need for blame or defensiveness.. but there is a need for a game plan.

Still open to any more suggestions..

Smiles,
Debra
Member:
dres

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008 - 4:29 pm:

I have dealt with pigeon fever several times here at home and at a boarding barn.. At the boarding barn my young horse was taken out of the herd, there was no way to do more then that, he was put in a solo pasture next to his herd.. No one else got the infection..
Here at home I had a filly come down with it.. I took her out of the herd and put next to them.. No one else came down with it..
Luck? maybe .. i think once it is on the property all are exposed..
There is no reason to panic .. it is just yucky but unless goes internal harmless..

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
Member:
gailkin

Posted on Sunday, Aug 24, 2008 - 8:43 pm:

I agree with Ann that most all the horses are already exposed as it seems to be in the soil. My older horse developed pigeon fever about 6 years ago when I was gone for four weeks. He was on a large ranch with my younger gelding and a third horse. When I finally came home and saw him I could tell he wasn't well. At that time he had an open draining sore right behind his left front leg. He later developed another one on his left front chest and finally one on his scrotum. The vet lanced the second one that hadn't started to drain yet. I lanced the scrotum one. I would wash them each day and try to keep some kind of cover on the open sores, but the one on the chest was really hard to treat and keep covered. I did not do any disinfecting or spraying of the ranch area with clorox as some recommend. I did not isolate my older horse. My younger guy developed a small golf ball swelling on his chest, but it never abcessed or opened--it just went away. The third horse never got anything. The scrotum swelling took over a year to finally go away after the disease was over. In hind sight I would not lance the swellings in case they might just disappear on their own.

Another friend had four out of five horses come down with it after spraying and cleaning her barn area, dirt area pastures, etc. with clorox twice every day and keeping all horses isolated from each other. As far as I know, we still suspect that flies can carry the bacteria? from the wound, but there has never been any proof of that and trying to infect other horses with the wound ooze has been unsuccessful.

The real danger is an internal infection which is really serious, but I do know a horse that recovered from that also. I hope the mare gets better soon. It is a nasty disease. I am probably the one who suggested the turkey connection which, of course, has never been proven. But pigeon fever did not start to show up in our area of the Sierra foothills until the turkeys migrated up into the area. And the ranch owner was feeding left over alfalfa on the ground to my horses (I did not know this as I was gone) and the turkeys would then scratch and eat there too. My older guy will literally lick up all the dirt that alfalfa has been on and consequently the turkey DrOppings, etc.

Both my horses live at home under my house now and are very happy and disease free except for one quick case of tick fever.

I suspect that some horses are more prone to the infection (my older gelding had a scar on his chest that I assumed came from barbed wire, but is in the exact same place that he got his new scar from the pigeon fever. They can get it again, but some horse never get it even if exposed. If I were you I would try to keep the horses' immune systems in good shape.

Best of luck, Gail
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