Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2012 | Page 101

EQUESTRIAN equine veterinary diary Left - normal urine, Right - urine from a horse with Urine from a horse with atypical myopathy atypical myopathy • Breathing which becomes more laboured with time • Increased heart rate • Affected animals are often still keen to eat. Symptoms usually occur extremely rapidly, although occasionally owners report prior signs of lethargy, decreased appetite, colic, stiffness or lameness. In this latest UK outbreak more unusual clinical signs have been noted. These include vigorous head-shaking and nodding, frenzied vocalisation and choke-like retching neck spasms when feeding. I think my horse is showing these symptoms, what should I do? • Call your vet as soon as you see signs that are compatible with the disease. • Try not to move your horse. Movement will aggravate the muscle destruction • Keep them warm. • If your horse urinates try and collect a sample to give to the vet as this will aid diagnosis. • Do not let it eat from the pasture. If your horse is hungry it may be allowed small handfuls of concentrate feed provided it is able to swallow. • Fresh water in a bucket taken from a drinking water tap can be offered. Do not give water from troughs in the field or neighbouring watercourses. What about other horses sharing the same field? • Bring in other horses sharing the same grazing and keep them stabled. If there is not enough stabling for all the horses bring in those that are under the age of 5 or over the age of 20 as they are most at risk. • Feed with concentrate food only • Provide water fresh from a drinking water tap only. • Closely monitor horses for the next 72 hours. • If in doubt ask your veterinary surgeon to take a blood sample from your horse to look for signs of muscle damage. Horses are often found in the field recumbent and unable to rise • Provide a salt block. • Avoid pastures where previous equine deaths have occurred. • Avoid pastures with bare grassland, pastures surrounded by watercourses, boggy pasture or pasture covered with a lot of dead leaves. • If you are supplementing pasture with hay make sure it is given in a dry area in a non-humid environment. • Remove toxic plants and moulds from pasture. • Regularly remove manure from pasture. Treatment Supportive treatment is given in the form of pain relief, intravenous fluids, anti-inflammatories and nursing care. Sadly there is a 75-90% mortality rate for this disease. Preventative measures Will a cure ever be found? • Keep up to date with routine healthcare such as vaccinations and worming and ensure your horse maintains a healthy bodyweight – (good body condition not obese!) • &W7G&