Horse Care For Beginners

Is equine influenza likely to affect my horse?

A horse showing indications of equine influenza.

This is a question I cannot answer, but I should state that equine influenza ( often known as EI) is not the most common disease that may affect your horse, but it is essential that horse owners remain vigilant to any of the disease symptoms which I’ll cover in this post. Should you suspect that your horse may have contracted the disease it is vital that you immediately report this to your vet.

Equine influenza is one of the most contagious and debilitating  respiratory diseases to affect horses and your horse is as susceptible to this viral disease in the same way as any other animal. Taking good care of your horse isn’t always going to prevent him from becoming sick. Your horse, no matter how well you care for him may simply fall ill.

Equine flu is characterised by a very high rate of transmission among horses and has a relatively short incubation period of around one to five days.

How horses catch equine influenza.

It is thought that the disease is not passed from horses to humans which is good to know. In the horse world it can be passed from horse to horse and through the air in particles from discharge released from a horse’s nose. Also your horse can get it from other sources, such as food that is contaminated for example.

If you are a typical horse owner you’ll know your horse very well, and you’ll know his general patterns of behaviour and the things that he does. So it’s important that you are always paying close attention to your horse and always observe how he’s acting. This is the first step in making sure that he doesn’t get sick as you’ll be able to tell the minute that he isn’t feeling well. You’re going to want to be sure to watch him very closely and to make sure that he continues to do the things that come naturally to him, and that his behaviour doesn’t change.

Equine influenza symptoms to watch for.

If your horse is sluggish, or if he doesn’t eat or drink for several days you’re going to want to pay attention to this. These are things that indicate your horse might be sick. So be sure that you  pay very close attention to your horse and everything about him. In particular watch out for a high fever and a nasal discharge that may start out clear and thin and then develop into a thick discharge.  Also it is common for affected horses to develop an dry hacking cough.

As soon as you notice that something is wrong with your horse, call your vet. With horses, sicknesses like equine influenza come on very quickly, and your horse can get very sick very fast. It may not be equine influenza, but don’t take the risk. Calling your vet is simply the best way to make sure that your horse has every chance to get and stay healthy.                                                                                                                            

Treatment for equine influenza.

A vet is going to be able to treat equine influenza in the best way possible so call him if you suspect anything.  This is important as, just as with humans, complications and secondary infections can lead to pneumonia and a persistent cough that may hang on for many weeks. However, unfortunately there is no specific treatment for the disease. It is likely that your vet will administer drugs to keep the airways open and to kill off any secondary infections that may develop.

Prevention.

This will be dependent on the country in which you live. In some countries a vaccine is available which your vet may recommend be used.

However, in some countries you may find that equine influenza has been officially declared free of the disease. This is the case here in Australia. Back in 2007  we had a major outbreak of the disease. A national response involving the Federal and State Governments and a number of industry organisations was launched and disease eradicated. And June 2008 Australia was once again able to declare official freedom from equine influenza.

Recommended reading:  Complete Horse Care Manual

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Related posts:

1. Colic in horses ~ how to understand and cope with it.
2. Navicular Disease (or more accurately, Navicular Syndrome) and your Horse
3. Facts About Rain Rot (dermatophilosis)
4. Facts About Teeth Floating.

Tags: Australia, Cough, equine influenza, Fever, Horse, horse care for beginnners, Pneumonia, Respiratory disease

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