Health Alert: Pigeon Fever Cases Increase in Colorado

Horse owners should be extra vigilant for signs of pigeon fever in their horses, according to Colorado State University veterinarians at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. A spike in reported cases of this infectious disease has been reported in the state's Front Range region.

This highly contagious disease is also called pigeon breast, breastbone fever, false strangles, dryland strangles or dryland distemper. Signs of pigeon fever can initially resemble those of other diseases such as strangles. Sometimes the only initial signs are lameness and a reluctance to move.

Other signs include lameness, fever, lethargy and weight loss. There may also be very deep abscesses and multiple sores along the horses’ chest, midline and groin area. Abscesses in other areas such as the back, flank or ears have been seen but internal abscesses are rare. Horses can be infected for several weeks before developing signs of the disease, especially abscesses.

The disease, which can be fatal, is caused by bacteria called Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. The bacteria live in the soil and can enter the animal’s body through wounds, broken skin or mucous membranes. Research also indicates that the disease may be spread through flies, especially cattle horn flies. These are biting flies that tend to feed under the belly of the horse. The flies transmit the bacteria from horse to horse when they have been in contact with pus draining from abscesses. Bacteria in drained puss can survive up to 55 days in the environment.

Pigeon fever can affect a horse of any age, sex or breed, but it usually attacks young adult animals. Humans cannot catch pigeon fever, but they can spread it from horse to horse because the bacteria can be carried on shoes, clothing, hands or barn tools. Any horse showing signs of pigeon fever should be isolated to prevent spread to other animals. Areas where infected horses are held must be properly cleaned and completely disinfected.

The disease is treated with hot packs or poultices that are applied to abscesses. Open abscesses are drained and regularly flushed with saline. Veterinarians may need to lance deep abscesses. Veterinarians will also prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs to control swelling and pain and sometimes an antibiotic will be prescribed. Antibiotic usage before the abscesses have been drained may prolong the course of the disease.

Horses with the disease usually recover within a few weeks with proper treatment. If caught early and treated properly, horses usually make a complete recovery, although the disease may reoccur in some horses.

Thanks to Colorado State University for their diligence in alerting horse owners in the area to health risks and concerns.

Colorado State University Announces Highest Honor Will Go to Equine Researcher McIlwraith

by Fran Jurga | 29 April 2009 | The Jurga Report

Equine researchers may be horsehold names among readers of magazines like EQUUS, but it is not every day that they receive high honors for their work in the larger sphere of academia. But that is exactly what is happening today at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.

If you read EQUUS or any of the Equine Network publications, you have read about the research of Colorado State's remarkable orthopedics lab and its prolific director, C. Wayne McIlwraith BVSc, PhD, FRCVS, DSc, Dr. med vet (hc), Diplomate ACVS . There's even a good chance that your own horse may have benefited from techniques and studies that began in Dr. McIlwraith's lab...or in his fertile mind.

Today, Dr. McIlwraith is one of three science professors at the huge university who will add yet another title to his list: University Distinguished Professor.

Collectively, the university told us today, these three world-renowned professors have made great strides in diverse fields of science, while simultaneously garnering more than $100 million in research grants, teaching hundreds of students who now make contributions around the world, and influencing scientific thought in their field.

The rank of University Distinguished Professor is a lifetime award and carries over into retirement as an Emeritus Professor.

Dr. McIlwraith is professor of surgery and director of Colorado State University's Gail E. Holmes Equine Orthopaedic Research Center. The center, which is part of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, treats orthopedic injuries of the world's finest horses and investigates orthopedic treatments and preventative medicine. Many of the innovations at the Equine Orthopaedic Research Center also can be applied to human medicine.

Dr. McIlwraith joined Colorado State in 1979 in the Department of Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences as an equine surgeon with a research focus in orthopedics. He is a native of New Zealand, and is currently active in almost every area of orthopedic research, from studying treatments for surgical repair of bone and tendon injuries, to the treatment and prevention of arthritis to the study of racetrack surfaces and even to statistical studies of breakdown injuries in racehorses.

Michigan State Vet School Opens New Clinic for Horses with Back Pain

Sport horse specialist Rob Van Wessum DVM will direct diagnosis and treatment at the new back pain clinic for horses at Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. (MSU photo)

In mid-June, Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine will officially open the McPhail Equine Back Pain Clinic to meet the needs of horses with problems in their spines and back muscles. The clinic has a unique combination of professional expertise and state-of-the-art technology that holds great promise for horses with back pain.

According to the clinic’s director, Dr. Rob van Wessum, at least ten to fifteen percent of equine lameness problems can be traced to problems in the back. “If we did more research, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the percentage is actually higher,” he says. “People will often try to treat the lameness as a problem in the leg, when the problem is really in the back.”

Other performance issues, such as bucking, rearing, stiffness, and a general resistance to work can also be signs of a back problem, even if there are no overt signs of lameness, he adds.

In the last three years, Van Wessum has worked with about 500 equine back pain cases at the MSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) and reports that nearly all are now performing at their original level or higher. By opening a clinic at the VTH specifically devoted to this area, he hopes to bring this success to a wider audience.

Van Wessum himself is part of the formula for success. In addition to his 17 years of clinical expertise as a sport horse lameness clinician, he has experience as an internationally known rider, trainer, and judge in the sport of dressage.

Van Wessum uses several types of imaging to help pinpoint problems and treat them more accurately – fluoroscopy, Doppler ultrasound, bone scans, and (soon) MRI. Treatment is followed with a tailor-made rehabilitation program that is designed to increase the horse’s range of motion and speed gradually.

Client education is an essential part of the program.

“We show clients anatomical models and videos of how horses move and give thorough explanations during the clinical exam. If they understand why we are prescribing certain rehabilitation techniques they can, and do, become really committed partners in the rehabilitation process.”

He also will work with the client’s local veterinarian during the horse’s rehabilitation and will provide the vet with a video of the exam and all the information learned during the horse’s visit.

People are already bringing their horses from around the country to meet with van Wessum, and he makes it as easy for them as possible.

“We can help arrange transportation with a certified transporter and arrange hotel accommodations,” he says. “We do all the diagnosis and treatment in a reasonable amount of time, two or three days, so that clients don’t find it too hard to stay here with their horses.”

To schedule an appointment at the McPhail Equine Back Pain Clinic, contact the MSU Large Animal Hospital at (517) 353-9710.