It's About The Horse

FarmGirl · Member Joined: 25 Feb 2009 Posts: 78

We suspect that my sister's horse has lyme disease. He has been achy and not quite himself for the past week and he also has some recently developed skin sensitivity on his neck. Has anyone dealt with this disease if so what kind of treatment worked for you? We do live in an area where lyme is frequent so our vet should have some good advice on what route to take, but I wanted to also ask about pro- or pre-biotics. If he is on antibiotics what kind of preventative measures should we take? He is otherwise a healthy horse and lives on pasture 24/7. Our budget is not real great...can't afford the expensive stuff, but want the best quality for our money. What actually works without breaking the bank?

Thanks!!

FarmGirl · Member Joined: 25 Feb 2009 Posts: 78

So our vet says no to lyme. She actually showed us that he has the symptoms of IR... well, there's plenty of info about that topic around here that we'll be looking up!

Regarding lyme, the vet said it is not actually proven that horses can get lyme disease. I didn't realize that! She said lots of people will swear that their horses have it, but the scientific studies and research shows that horses can't be infected with lyme. Anyone know about this disparity of opinions?

Blue Flame · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:10 am Post subject:

I don't know about lyme - but many will also say that horses cannot get grass tetany - calling it staggers instead, since both share the same symptoms and are prevalent during the same climactic conditions. Unfortunately, the treatment for tetany versus staggers is not the same.

Me n' Dakota · Member Joined: 11 Oct 2011 Posts: 7

Hey - I thought my horse had Lyme as well and my vet told me the same thing. However, they do actually have a Lyme test for horses. My vet said they can get the disease, because if a tick bites somethings, it transfers what's in it. However, they haven't seen enough research that it can survive in a horse as host animal.

I still had the Lyme test done on my horse to check and find out his titer levels. He had levels in the positive range for a Lyme infection, but on the very low end (enough that my vet doesn't think it worthwhile to treat him for it). He did not come back positive for the acute/recent infection or slightly recent, but the positive level was for the long infection - i.e. his antibodies were reacting mildly to it but the bite could have been up to 2 years ago.

I have a friend who swears her horses get Lyme every year (and she has the tests run on them and their antibody titers are high). Personally, I don't see why they couldn't and why it wouldn't affect them in the same way as humans, but I also see value in respecting that there really isn't definitive research either way. The one remedy highly recommended to me was Ledum - I'm still thinking about trying, it can't hurt your horse. I haven't figured out where I can buy it yet and what amounts to give a horse, but if I do, I'll post it up here. Hopefully this helps and I gave a balanced viewpoint:-).
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Colleen/Mn · Member Joined: 01 Aug 2011 Posts: 8

From;http://www.canlyme.com/

HORSES

Horses most likely have a higher infection rate than humans for Lyme Disease as attached ticks are probably unnoticed for a long period of time. Horses used for equestrian events are no doubt scrutinized more often due to the frequency of grooming. Infection of horses in the northeastern US is widespread with almost 50% of adult horses having been infected at some point.

Adult ticks, which are present in fall and spring, are the stage most likely to feed on horses. As such, the tick is usually large enough to be detected during grooming. Ticks are often found about the head, throat latch area, belly, and under the tail. Prompt removal minimizes the risk of Lyme disease infection.

The symptoms of Lyme disease in horses are: chronic weight loss, sporadic lameness, laminitis (inflammation of the tissues inside the hoof wall), low grade fever, weight loss, swollen joints, muscle tenderness, eye inflammation, and stiffness. Neurological signs are depression, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), head tilt and encephalitis, and can be observed in chronic or late stage cases. Behavioral changes are more difficult to determine, but can present as a "changed attitude", unwillingness to work (perhaps due to pain), and irritability. Foal mortality is a possibility.

Equine disease is diagnosed by determining if the animal is living in an endemic area, history of actual tick exposure, elimination of other ailments, tests and consideration of the above symptoms. In 2004 a new test called the Snap 3DX was developed by IDEXX Laboratories in the US. The test requires only a few minutes wait for results. This test may not yet be available in Canada.
Treatment with antibiotics is often required for several weeks. Some animals may experience a "herx", a temporary worsening of symptoms, as the bacteria are killed. If laminitis is suspected, a veterinarian should be consulted to initiate preventative treatment.
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