Shipping Fever

[Jean]

Anyone out there have much experience with shipping fever and then pleuresy?

[wilf]

As an owner/trainer for many years I have shipped many horses of my own and observed various complications. I also flew all over the world accompanying horses under stressfull situations and learning how horses react to travel and the best ways to approach the trip. Of course you can give broad spectrum antibiotics to cover your bases and you can oil them with a naso gastric tube which is a complete waste of time and money. The single most important issue with horse travel is the ability of the horse to assume the grazing position at times and to keep the mucus membranes moist. If a horse is able to put it's head down during travel and flush out it's nasal cavities keeping the membranes moist then you will be in good shape for a long journey and it will take water in due course to complement the needs of the trip. If a horse is tied short and left under this stressful position for say perhaps only 3to4 hours then you are asking for trouble. If the trip is of a long duration then any kind of respiratory complications can arise. Jean what does your vet advise as far as pleurisy is concerned ? I imagine antibiotics and perhaps intravenous DMSO but it's an avoidable nightmare that I don't envy and certainly a difficult one to beat . Keep us posted. Wilf.

[Jean]

The horses that arrived were put on gentocin and Exenel at clinic, lost the battle. Lungs were drained several times, the mares we kept at home were put on penicillen 30 cc's per day and after 3 weeks seem to be Ok. All had temps taken right off trailer. Mare that died had 106 temp and was put on Exenel immediately and shipped to clinic. Did not get fluid on her lungs for 5 days and then seemed to be responding and then took a turn for worse after 6 days.

[madelyn]

Oh how terrible! How many mares were involved?

[clh]

I am sooooo sorry! How long was the trip?

[Jean]

In total 4 mares, one totally healthy and 3 sick. The trip was 1000 miles.

[Ryeno]

Who was the hauler?

[Jean]

I don't think it would be wise to say who our hauler was but there were 3 different loads out of 3 different states and so far 5 have died and several vet clinics are richer. All states had had reported cases of the HP1 virus but none of the horses tested positive. It seems wierd as horses were hauled by various professional outfits from 3 difereent locations in US.

[clh]

Jean - again I'm sorry. It is hard to know who to pick to haul your horses - you just assume they are legitimate and that they clean and sanitize their trailers, etc.... but I guess you always run the risk that something like this can happen when you put your horse's welfare in someone else's hand, be it a hauler, trainer, boarding farm, etc... Unfortunately for alot of us there is no other option but to trust others. Thoughts are with you!

[wilf]

Jeez Jean what a nightmare! I feel so bad for you but when horses get into that mess, very few survive! They are so susceptible to lung problems in the area of shipping and yet it is so avoidable if one guy is on guard the whole way. One time I saved $150 on a trip from Fla to Ontario Canada with a van but it cost me $3000 to save the filly's life at Guelph Uni afterwards. Its really gets you both ways.

[Mood Swings]

Hi Jean,

We had a mare with a suspected case of pleuritis last year. She developed a high fever after shipping home from KY. She was initially started on Tribrissen and bute but after she failed to respond she was started on Gentomycin and Penicillin. She had no appetite, a fever of 104.3 at it's highest and lung sounds. She was never admitted to a clinic for conformation of the pleuritis. Luckily she made a full recovery and delivered a healthy filly in February.

[griff]

Do you yhing goving the horses a shot of penicillin just be fore they are loaded abd again at their destination would help?/

griff