I think I've got it!
Well, I THINK I've got the dreaded lurgy! There was an official Infected Property declared on the 9th October about 1km from me as the crow flies. The owner of the property across the road from that one spoke to me on 11th October, to say that her horses also had the virus. The wind has been blowing straight to me from these two properties ever since! Since the 9th, I have kept daily records of all 28 horses here.
I got really concerned when an older gelding (15 years) laid down in the middle of feeding time on the 11th October. This was most unusual for him, and I was quite surprised. But he just lay there for about 10 minutes, then he got up again and started eating. Also I noticed on the 11th and the 12th that quite a few of the horses were chewing and swallowing as if they were trying to clear something. Like you do when you've got that ticklish feeling in the back of your throat from a nasal drip.
The biggest finding I have had is that for days and days I wasn't really sure if I had the thing or not! By the 13th October, all the horses except 2 had a little clear moisture in their nostrils. I mean a very small amount... if you didn't know that there was EI around you wouldn't even notice it! Just the tiniest glitter of moisture, in either or both nostrils.
On the 14th October, 5 of the horses had the tiniest little bit of white moisture in their nostrils... again, so small that you'd probably not even notice it if you weren't looking for it. One 4 yr old filly got a little bit colicy, just stamping one hind leg a bit, but after about half an hour she stopped and started eating again.
The next day another 3 horses had the white stuff. But on the 16th October, none of the horses had the white stuff, but all had gone back to just clear moisture, but a little more of it this time. In all of this time, I had one high-ish temperature (38.2) but that was in a heavily-pregnant TB mare on a hot day.... so, again, I wasn't sure if this was a fever.
BTW, I did report to the DPI on 14th October, but they don't want to know me.
On the 17th October 2 horses coughed. On the 18th October 3 horses coughed. I heard these coughs about 2 or 3 times a day.... very mild, the kind of cough you hear when a horse has a bit of hay stuck somewhere and they're trying to clear it. One or two coughs, then nothing more. On the 19th October I heard a few more coughs, and 5 of the horses were obviously a little depressed... off their feed (a little, not much), and just standing around. One 9 yr old gelding did the stamping his hind foot thing for about 20 minutes, then he was fine.
This morning the two horses who had previously not shown any signs have suddenly got the white stuff in their nostrils. So I think I've got it! All are eating today, none seemed depressed, haven't heard any coughing so far, and most of them have got the clear moisture, with about 8 having the white stuff.
I have 20 horses aged from 1 year to 16 years in one 20-acre paddock, and they all come down to be fed twice a day. I have 3 broodmares (one with a foal) in another 10-acre paddock, also being fed twice a day. I have a 2 yr old colt and a 7 yr old gelding together in a third paddock of about 1 acre, with two mares together in a fourth paddock (1/2 acre), and a stallion in his own large yard. All are fed twice a day, and these paddocks are all around the house so are in clear view at all times. The stallion and one of the mares in the small paddock were the last two to succumb to the snotty nose symptom.
The two-week old foal has only had the clear moisture, as has his mum. He has not been depressed at all, and is a bundle of energy. There have been no further temperature spikes in any of the horses.
So, do I have it? I still am not sure. Going on reports from others I really thought the symptoms would be a lot worse. But maybe my horses have a mild case? Honestly, if I didn't know that there was EI so close to me I wouldn't be in the least bit worried. Hopefully it won't get any worse.
I must say that I am very surprised at how long it's been since I first noticed the slight moisture until today when I first really thought that I MUST have it! It is not at all surprising to me now that people could be carrying the virus without even knowing it. If it wasn't for the fact that I have been very careful, and that I have been house-bound since it all started, and that I have banned anyone from coming here since before it started, then it would have been extremely easy to transport the virus BEFORE any horses started really showing any symptoms. So don't automatically think that your horses don't have EI if they're not coughing or have high temps.
But then again, maybe my horses just have a cold, and it's not really EI? I don't know! The DPI won't come and check.... they just assume I've got it because it is confirmed at a property so close to mine.
This is a really confusing virus!
J, Queensland
I got really concerned when an older gelding (15 years) laid down in the middle of feeding time on the 11th October. This was most unusual for him, and I was quite surprised. But he just lay there for about 10 minutes, then he got up again and started eating. Also I noticed on the 11th and the 12th that quite a few of the horses were chewing and swallowing as if they were trying to clear something. Like you do when you've got that ticklish feeling in the back of your throat from a nasal drip.
The biggest finding I have had is that for days and days I wasn't really sure if I had the thing or not! By the 13th October, all the horses except 2 had a little clear moisture in their nostrils. I mean a very small amount... if you didn't know that there was EI around you wouldn't even notice it! Just the tiniest glitter of moisture, in either or both nostrils.
On the 14th October, 5 of the horses had the tiniest little bit of white moisture in their nostrils... again, so small that you'd probably not even notice it if you weren't looking for it. One 4 yr old filly got a little bit colicy, just stamping one hind leg a bit, but after about half an hour she stopped and started eating again.
The next day another 3 horses had the white stuff. But on the 16th October, none of the horses had the white stuff, but all had gone back to just clear moisture, but a little more of it this time. In all of this time, I had one high-ish temperature (38.2) but that was in a heavily-pregnant TB mare on a hot day.... so, again, I wasn't sure if this was a fever.
BTW, I did report to the DPI on 14th October, but they don't want to know me.
On the 17th October 2 horses coughed. On the 18th October 3 horses coughed. I heard these coughs about 2 or 3 times a day.... very mild, the kind of cough you hear when a horse has a bit of hay stuck somewhere and they're trying to clear it. One or two coughs, then nothing more. On the 19th October I heard a few more coughs, and 5 of the horses were obviously a little depressed... off their feed (a little, not much), and just standing around. One 9 yr old gelding did the stamping his hind foot thing for about 20 minutes, then he was fine.
This morning the two horses who had previously not shown any signs have suddenly got the white stuff in their nostrils. So I think I've got it! All are eating today, none seemed depressed, haven't heard any coughing so far, and most of them have got the clear moisture, with about 8 having the white stuff.
I have 20 horses aged from 1 year to 16 years in one 20-acre paddock, and they all come down to be fed twice a day. I have 3 broodmares (one with a foal) in another 10-acre paddock, also being fed twice a day. I have a 2 yr old colt and a 7 yr old gelding together in a third paddock of about 1 acre, with two mares together in a fourth paddock (1/2 acre), and a stallion in his own large yard. All are fed twice a day, and these paddocks are all around the house so are in clear view at all times. The stallion and one of the mares in the small paddock were the last two to succumb to the snotty nose symptom.
The two-week old foal has only had the clear moisture, as has his mum. He has not been depressed at all, and is a bundle of energy. There have been no further temperature spikes in any of the horses.
So, do I have it? I still am not sure. Going on reports from others I really thought the symptoms would be a lot worse. But maybe my horses have a mild case? Honestly, if I didn't know that there was EI so close to me I wouldn't be in the least bit worried. Hopefully it won't get any worse.
I must say that I am very surprised at how long it's been since I first noticed the slight moisture until today when I first really thought that I MUST have it! It is not at all surprising to me now that people could be carrying the virus without even knowing it. If it wasn't for the fact that I have been very careful, and that I have been house-bound since it all started, and that I have banned anyone from coming here since before it started, then it would have been extremely easy to transport the virus BEFORE any horses started really showing any symptoms. So don't automatically think that your horses don't have EI if they're not coughing or have high temps.
But then again, maybe my horses just have a cold, and it's not really EI? I don't know! The DPI won't come and check.... they just assume I've got it because it is confirmed at a property so close to mine.
This is a really confusing virus!
J, Queensland
posted by Horse Deals at
2:45 pm
2 Comments:
Hi
i know how you feel my horses have had clear runny noses since 27/9 and still have them but no cough etc and I still don't know if they have it and I have been getting the same response from DPI.
Leslee
Yeah, you've got it, you have described the progress of the illness very well - it appears that it is a mild strain, and paddocked horses in good health can show quite mild symptoms. The performance horses in lockdown in the early weeks were in stables or small yards often without the opportunity to get the light exercise they needed and to get their heads down to clear their passages, and thus got sicker than horses living in more natural conditions. Watch out for colic, and for secondary infections, and give the horses at least a month after the disappearance of the cough to allow them to properly recover before returning to light work. Immune systems may also be depressed after flu, susceptible to other unrelated illnesses. Hope all continues to go reasonably smoothly,
KM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home