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1999 Cherry Hill ©
Copyright Information
This newsletter is a personal message from me to you, a fellow
horse owner and enthusiast.
My
goal is to send you interesting stories and helpful tips for your horse care,
training, and riding.
LOCAL
"PIGEON FEVER" OUTBREAK
Savvy,
my 26 month old Quarter Horse filly, developed a swelling on her chest above her
pectoral muscles. It started as an egg sized swelling a few weeks ago but matured
to larger than grapefruit size rather quickly. This disease usually manifests
as a slow developing deep abscess with several common names:
Pigeon Fever
Pigeon
Breast
Colorado Distemper
Dry-land Distemper
Update
November 2002: Unusual rise in cases in Colorado and Wyoming this year. See http://www.thehorse.com/news.asp?fid=3973
Colorado
State University Pigeon Fever Fact Sheet
It
is caused by infection from the bacteria corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis.
It is not known exactly how the bacteria is carried into the horse's tissues,
but it is almost certain to be an insect of some type.
Horses
that get Pigeon Breast can be of any age or sex and are usually in good health.
Most cases occur in California and Texas in the late summer and early fall.
My veterinarian said that in all of his years of practice, he has only seen two
cases - about 11 years ago and both were horses that moved here to Colorado from
California and came down with it soon after arrival. Since then he has not
had a single case until this year. So far this fall, he has had 15 cases!
What's going on??!!
Since the abscess associated with this infection is very deep, under the pectoral
muscle area, a long, large bore needle (4 inch, 12 gauge) is used to determine
when the abscess is ready to be lanced. If a thick, creamy pus is aspirated,
it is time to open the abscess. After the drainage incision is made and
the exudate is released, the deep cavity is flushed thoroughly with betadine solution.
Follow up includes hydrotherapy, a thorough cleansing with Betadine Scrub, and
flushing with betadine solution. This is done once a day for a week to two
weeks as tissue healing takes place. Full healing and complete remission
of swelling and scar tissue will take two months or more.
Although antibiotics should not be administered BEFORE lancing the abscess (as
they would delay formation of the abscess and prolong the disease), antibiotics
(such as 30 cc Penicillin IM each day for 4 days) are used AFTER lancing to prevent
any secondary bacterial infections from complicating healing.
At the end of each daily treatment, the surrounding area is dried thoroughly and
a film of Corona bag balm or petroleum jelly is applied below the incision to
soothe the skin and prevent the exudate from scalding the hair and skin.
Savvy is an excellent patient and as of day #3 of treatment, healing is progressing
well. I'll give you a brief update in December's Newsletter.
If any of you have had horses that experienced this disease, please let me know
the details of the case.
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WHAT
IS A "CHORE SANDWICH"?
No,
it is not a snack that I eat while doing chores! It is a visual image I
have of the way I do chores AND take my morning walk.
The
bottom slice - Each morning, the first thing I do is go out and feed all
of the horses their hay.
The
filling - While they are munching, I take a brisk walk around some of
the pastures and down to the creek. This accomplishes several important
tasks: I check the perimeter and cross fences (mainly for deer damage), I make
sure the creek is free of ice, and I enjoy the magic of nature - the transformation
of the pasture grasses and trees through the seasons, the majesty of our resident
buck and his herd of seven does, and the morning light changing on the rock cliffs
PLUS I get my morning warm up exercise!
The
top slice - After my walk, I feed all of the horses their grain.
In the time it takes me to cruise around the property, they have eaten almost
1/2 of their hay ration. This has taken the edge off their appetites so
they are less likely to bolt their grain. They thoroughly chew their grain
which results in more efficient feed utilization and better digestion (read less
colic). I'm all for that.
See
if you can work a "chore sandwich" into your routines. Let me
know what your "filling" is and I'll share some of your ideas with readers
in the next newsletter - anonymously if you'd like.
*************************************************************
WINTER
IS COMING
Here
in Colorado we are having record high temperatures for November but I know that
winter weather can come upon us suddenly. So while the days are still sunny
and warm, Richard and I are taking advantage of them to prepare for winter's onslaught!
