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Teri L Collins
New Member
Username: Boxt
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, Oct 23, 2005 - 8:23 pm: |   |
Need help ASAP. I have a 3 yr old driving horse that became sick at the AMHA World Championships. We left early to get him home to our vets. First symptoms were "I hurt everywhere" low grade fever stopped drinking. Nibbling at food. Vet started him on IV fluids and pulled Blood work everything normal but Calcium, and slight dehydration, HR 80 temp normal after fluids and HR 54 started on low dose Banimine 2x gut sounds busy diperone givin. This is Sunday no diarrhea. Mon same HR 66 feaces smell, but not like Samanilla. Still formed properly. Tues HR 70 Temp 101.9 Still running fluids depressed, busy gut sounds Added Indroserum Gentocin Temp 103 still good stools Gastroguard started 1 liter fluids every 6 hrs HR down to 60 getting 120 cc peptobizmith every 4 hours and probios. Still very depresed no foods tempt him grazes a little, vet added at 10.45 pm temp at 104 400cc? Metronidazole we do this for four treatments. He breaks with diarrhea day two Wed. sent to be cultured. Seems better had to pull catheter Sat. Eating grain and grazing four times aday just nibbling at hay. Stop gen Sat. Sun HR raising again Still eating Temp normal still has diarrhea. still doing everthing above,but fluids and gen Vet starts treatments for Potomic Horse fever cultures neg for gut problems. Monday week two HR 66 getting more depressed but stools firmming up Dioxdiocyclline pills too harsh on him starts diarrhea again. Switch to IV tettracycline (sp) start on fluids run blood again Was doing great on this treatment but stools still smell really bad could be a key but are better formed HR Great Temp normal eatting good and even drinking day four on this treatment starts getting depressed, stresses out when ever we work on him (shaking ect ) still grazing. Today HR Raising very depressd stools slightly loose still formed grazing nibbling on hay. Not doing good Stools Smell like a dariy cow is my only weird clue, that I keep coming back to. Thank-you |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 13969
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Monday, Oct 24, 2005 - 8:56 am: | |
Certainly until the cause of the return to depression and increase HR is determined, balanced polyionic fluids need to be administered IV. If the fever is going back up wide spectrum antibiotics should also be started. I would also be looking for a good quality live culture probiotic, for more see Care for Horses » Nutrition » Probiotics and Yeast Culture Products. Lastly to prevent founder following toxic episodes we have been wrapping feet in ice bags (cut out IV bags work well) until the toxic even passes. Following a thorough physical exam, chemistries and CBD may be needed to determine the cause.
Though your history is consistent with colitis from various causes, often illness precedes the diarrhea and the diarrhea is not always watery, the colitis could be the secondary to the antibiotic administration. I do think it would be unusual for the initial blood work to be normal for colitis or any infectious cause of serious illness that is nearly a days duration before bloodwork so be sure the history and clinical signs are throughly reviewed for other possible causes of illness besides a primary colitis. For more on diagnosis of colitis see Equine Diseases » Colic and GI Diseases » Diarrhea in Horses » Initial Evaluation of Colitis in Horses.
DrO |
Wanda Martinez
Member
Username: Sonoita
Post Number: 12
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Monday, Oct 24, 2005 - 1:42 pm: | |
Any time my horses are given antibiotics I give them probiotics it has helped every time.My older horse especially . Hope your horse if feeling better soon. |
Shawna G
Member
Username: Qh4me
Post Number: 56
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, Oct 24, 2005 - 5:07 pm: | |
I had a mare that I lost back in February. Tests came back negative for Patomac, but her necropsy came back as Colitis X.
Another horse came down with similar symptoms a few days later. We had heard about Bio-Sponge from the U of Guelph, so got some and administered doses every 6 hours. This mare recovered.
I would highly recommend having a look at the following product from Platinum Performance. It saved one of my horses and studies claim it absorbs 99% of Colitis Difficile and Perfringens.
A cut from the web site:
Bio-Sponge
entero-adsorbent
Bio-Sponge is an intestinal protectant designed to help support healthy intestinal function. Bio-Sponge has substantial capacity to adsorb and absorb toxins, viruses, bacteria and free radicals. A university study showed that Bio-Sponge™ adsorbed 99% of clostridium difficile and clostridium perfringens toxins in vitro.
http://www.platinumperformance.com/animal/equine/products/productcategories/prod uct.cfm?
www.platinumperformance.com
Sending you healing thoughts for your mini! |
Teri L Collins
New Member
Username: Boxt
Post Number: 3
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005 - 12:52 am: | |
Thank -you for the info. Yes we are using the bio-sponge, yogurt live culture, probios, gastro-guard,and peptobizmith. We switched him back to metronidazole oral on the 23rd, seems better but that has been his M.O. before he goes back down hill. Temp normal, but HR 60 - 64 eating his grain wet , stools okay but not right. Vets still can not get a handle on him . We are still grasping at straws, blood work and cultures are not reveiling anything to us. Still not wanting to eat costal hay nibbles at his alfalfa.
Thanks for the thoughts |
Shawna G
Member
Username: Qh4me
Post Number: 57
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005 - 9:18 am: | |
I hope you get to the bottom of it and your little guy recovers soon. I know how frustrating it can be to not know the reasons or origin of the sickness.
I know they were stumped with my case as well, as all blood tests came back normal. My mare went down hill really quick however. She was 100% normal at 11:00pm check and the next morning she was down and out. We did very similar treatment as you did, but we unfortunately lost her that next night. With blood and other tests coming back normal, The vet asked if I was willing to do additional Clostridium tests - I thought that that would be included in the normal blood work, but apparently not. I gave the OK and it came back positive.
Unfortunately, Clostridium Perfringens was not the cause, something else caused that bacteria to overgrow and we never did find out what that was. My vet swore it was Patomac by all the symptoms, but because of the time of year, and then the negative results on the blood test, she was at a loss. |
Teri L Collins
New Member
Username: Boxt
Post Number: 4
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005 - 5:10 pm: | |
Hello, the mini is holding his own no better no worse. I am trying to locate Saccharomyces boulardii live culture. Do you have any ideas? I have added a member of that family of yeast to his treatments, but I am trying to locate the exact one as they all work at a little different. Thanks for your help |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 13999
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Saturday, Oct 29, 2005 - 9:12 am: | |
Teri, I would try to google it searching for a human health food site.
DrO |
