I've been having some great rides on Quaid. it seems that the holes we identified earlier were getting filled in nicely. Case in point: here we are enjoying Cordelia having a blast in puddles:
I had my lesson last on Carmen so this weekend it was going to be his turn. Unfortunately, this was not to be. It all started with Quaid not being too enthused about eating his grain. He was fine with his hay and he always finished, it just seemed to take a bit.
Then Wednesday morning I noticed he hadn't eaten all his night feed (I feed 3 times a day). I gave him hay and he dove in. Hmm. Then at supper he was refusing to eat his grain but not his hay. I took his temperature and it was 38.8. So up a little. His heart and respiration was normal. His eye was bright and alert. I gave him 10 ccs of Flunixin paste (banamine) and decided to monitor him overnight and call the vet in the morning.
The next morning his temp was 37 (normal) but he had no interest in his grain. I called the vet and she came out. We both were pretty sure we knew what it was. Her exam showed normal temperature (a little higher then when I had taken it), heart, respiration and jaundiced gums. She drew some blood and we talked about a plan. In the exam she found 2 ticks on him.
While she wanted to run tests on the blood but we decided that it was likely anaplasmosis (possibly Lyme). So we decided to start him on the treatment and she would run the bloodwork back at the clinic. When she called it was positive that he was fighting an infection. He was showing increased bilirubin but no other liver signs (juandice is a sign of anaplasmosis).
He's been on meds for 24 hours and his appetite is markedly improved.
If you're thinking, hey didn't he have anaplasmosis last year? You would be correct. Pretty much 12 months ago he was sick with it. I know that immunity doesn't last forever but it's typically 2+ years. Le sigh. Any advice for boosting his immune system is welcome.
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| I'd prefer him to a chick magnet instead of a tick magnet. |
Carmen remains totally fine. Which I'm grateful for (especially for my bank account). I joke that the ticks wouldn't dare. And now she's on deck for the lesson this weekend. It is nice to have the option. I'm sure she's thrilled as well.
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| Carmen: 'say what now?' |
Blargh bummer about the illness, glad you caught it and treated quickly. I have no idea how anaplasmosis immunity works but I feel like with Lyme it’s kinda just always with you…
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that the treatment kills the bacteria and they’re clear. But I could be wrong.
DeleteWe're really lucky out here that it's too cold for the ticks to get settled (I don't know if that's really lucky or not), but I suspect that will be changing over the next few years. I've not known of any horses in my area with tick borne diseases.
ReplyDeleteIs the infection due specifically to the anaplasmosis or is it a secondary thing?
I hope he gets over it quickly!
It’s a bacterial infection. I can honestly say that I hate ticks.
DeleteAw Quaid! Thunder had babesia - also tick-borne and very similar to anaplasmosis - three or four years in a row. Interestingly, we did a round of ulcer treatment because his weight was a little poorly, and he hasn't had it again in three years since then.
ReplyDeleteWe actually have theileria equi here, which remains in the horse's system for years and years, causing occasional flare-ups. If Quaid was at my yard, that's what we'd be testing for. But I don't think you have that nasty bug on the literal other side of the world!
I have not heard of that one! Ugh.
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