Equine Influenza at Byalee

For the past three weeks our old broodmare Virginia, 21, has been at Satur Vet Clinic (kerrrrrching!), still on bute and regumate and suffering from EI complications. She isn't due to foal until November 28. She has, however,made it through three weeks despite still having abnormal, exaggerated breathing. She did bag up and threaten to abort, but the vets upped the regumate and she unbelievably backed off. By November 1, I would think a premmie orphan foal might have a chance of making it, and the vets do think there is a slim chance she might live through the birth, since we have found out that she carried full term twins at 18 (she is now 21). She is one "tough old bird" as the vet put it. We can only wait and see how bad her breathing gets as the foal gets bigger ... complicating matters is news from the vets today that there is a "startling" number of red bag deliveries occurring on the TB studs up the valley, with a number of foals dead on arrival as a result. The red bag deliveries are in EI mares.

In layman's terms, a red bag delivery is when the (red) placenta comes away from the uterus and the foal is born right then and there, while normally, the foal is born in its white sac and the placenta (afterbirth) follows. The critical difference is that the placenta feeds oxygen to the foal, and when it rips away from the uterus wall the foal is oxygen starved during the birth. The foal also may not be turned ready for birth, because of the sudden decision to turf it out, and the foal might not be sustained enough to make it through the birth. A red bag delivery is bad news and time is of the essence.

We know all about it. Little Lucky (Byalee Remember) was our Romance colt born against the odds on October 1, to a beautiful Medallion/ Falkland/Contact mare with EI. He was Lucky we were home to hear the Magic Breed alarm go off at 6.15pm. He was Lucky he survived the birth, which was indeed a "red bag" delivery - we ripped it open, then the usual white sac, and wasted no time in dragging him out, despite the maiden mare's efforts to stop/start. He was oxygen deprived and barely breathing, and flopped on the ground like a dead fish. He had no condition on him at all, just fur over bone. If he were a human baby he would've been described as a "blue baby" and his APGAR score would've been lucky to be a two.

On top of that, Lucky was 29 days premature. He was Lucky that my husband Greg was home (public holiday) to carry him to the stables around his neck like a scarf. After 36 hours (of no sleep for our head groom, and very little for apprentice groom Dimity), one stomach tubing (with formula and another mare's milk) and two plasma infusions (kerrrching!), it was safe to leave him for a whole hour at a time. The mare had had no milk due to the unexpected delivery, so it took an all-nighter of oxytocin, finadyne and milking at 30-minute intervals to get her system going. Our palomino colt Byalee Believe - alias Toby - died at 12 days of pnuemonia (from EI) when Lucky was two days old. None of us could believe it was Toby dead and not Lucky - it seemed so wrong. It wasn't a memorable time.
At three days Lucky stood up alone for the first time - twice in 24 hours. He fell over a lot. At four days he no longer required assistance to get up and feed, but had to be checked every 90 minutes anyway to see if he had fed. At five days Rosebrook Diva (on a pupil's property 10 min away) died of pneumonia at less than 2 weeks of age. Hardly encouraging news when nursing Lucky. But by six days he was looking great.

At seven days ...Lucky developed pneumonia with both lungs congested. It seemed likely he would be the next statistic. At nine days one lung was slightly better. At 11 days the same lung was slightly better again. At 14 days he was "no worse" - but no better.

Today is day 16. It is cold today, and the weather is reflected in Lucky, who is bouncing around the box. For the first time, the vet said his improvement was "brilliant". This is a vet who usually uses expressions like "not bad"! So maybe we can dare to hope that he will beat EI. After surviving against the odds of red bag delivery and his premature birth, it would be such a heartbreak if the EI killed him now. He certainly is a fighter. Maybe his name should've been Muhammed.

Meanwhile, he is growing and putting on weight, his teeth have come through, and he doesn't seem to realise how Lucky he is to even be alive. We just hope against hope he continues to ignore the fact that he is sick and keeps improving against the odds. His mother still has EI, and Lucky's breathing is still exaggerated. There is no further treatment except to continue to give him double antibiotics to prevent the viral pneumonia from developing into bacterial pneumonia, and keep him in the box under pedestal fans to keep him cool.

Today, instead of having a gorgeous palomino colt to gloat over as I re-serve his mother, I have a faxed copy of autopsy results for Byalee Believe. It's official, he died of EI-developed bacterial pneumonia. It wasn't bacterial pnuemonia at 6pm when he had his last blood test, and he was dead before 6am. It happens that fast.

For those who need to know, in layman's terms, the pneumonia that kills them isn't when the airways of the lungs become infected, and it isn't when the blood vessels of the lungs become infected. Either would be better. What kills them is the infection of the interfacing between the two - so even when little "Toby" breathed, the oxygen didn't get taken up to go around his body.

On the broader scale, it was very exciting to be made a purple zone on Friday - not. An area stretching north and south about six hours (but very narrow) was declared but it has made no difference at all so far to our business. All of my pupils have sick horses, or if they are healthy, they are hanging out for vaccinations and won't come near the place in case they catch it. Many of them are not riding to give their horses optimum chance of getting lightly. I have had a few stallion inquiries, but the ones with clean mares don't want to come, the ones with sick mares don't want to risk their money, and the ones outside the purple zone are worried they will never get them home again if they send them in. Great!

We have two mares due to foal in three weeks' time, and another two mares due to foal two weeks after that. We are really hoping that the EI is no longer active by the time those foals hit the ground.

Cross your fingers for Lucky!!

Ann-Maree Lourey