Maintaining the health

of your barn

Diana Stolba DVM

May 18,2014

Goals of todays talk

• Learn about steps necessary to protect your horse at a boarding facility no

matter the size

• How preventative health care and having one veterinarian overseeing the

barn can keep your horse healthier

• Decrease the risk of an outbreak at your barn

• Stay awake

Barn size…. Does it matter?

Before you move your horse

• Acquire vaccine records from your veterinarian or make sure your horse is

really “up to date”

• Ask about quarantine

• Is your horse up to the move?

• Discuss requirements of moving with barn manager

Common Requirements

• Deworming

• Bloodwork (Complete blood panel)

• Nasal swabs

• Health certificate/ coggins ( equine infectious anemia)

• Proof of ownership or registration papers

• Vaccines

Arriving to a new place…..

• Have everything organized before

you load your horse

• Allow time to have your horse

settle and adjust to new

environment

QuarantineSome boarding facilities have quarantine for new horses

ranging from 14-28 days

Requirements include:

• Confinement to a paddock/stall away from general population

• Limited/ no access to communal areas ( cross ties, round pen, arena)

• Monitoring temperature twice daily

Biosecurity

• Reasons to consider quarantine

• Contagious/ infectious diseases

• Safety of introducing new horses to a

herd

• Minimizing the chances of an

outbreak

Monitoring temperature

• Often the best method of detecting early disease

• Rectal thermometer, digital is fastest and more accurate

• Fever is defined as

• >101 degrees

• 1.5 degrees above that horses normal temperature

Infectious/contagious diseases to watch for

• Respiratory diseases

• Equine herpes virus (EHV-4, EHV-1)

• Equine influenza

• Strangles

• Neurologic conditions

• Equine herpes virus (EHV-1)

• Rabies

• Diarrhea

• Salmonella

• Clostridium

• Vesicular diseases

• Vesicular stomatitis

• Other

• Corona Virus

Respiratory Disease

Equine Herpes/ Influenza

• Viral

• Transmission- direct/ aerosol up to 50 yards

• Clinical signs

• Fever, cough, Nasal discharge, limb edema, conjunctivitis

• Incubation period

• 24hrs to 21 days

• Shedding up to 10 days

Strangles

• Bacterial

• Transmission- indirect/ fomites

• Clinical signs

• Fever, cough, nasal discharge, difficulty breathing, swelling under jaw

• Incubation period

• 3-14 days

• Shedding up to 6 weeks or longer in silent shedders

Contagious/ Infectious disease

Neurologic Diseases

• Equine Herpes ( Rhino/ EHV-1)

• Rabies

• Viral

• Ataxia, fever, dog sitting

• Incubation 6-10 days, Up to 6 months

Diarrhea

• Salmonella

• Clostridium

• Bacterial

• Soft/watery manure, +/- fever

• 12hr incubation can shed up to 30

days

Don’t try this at home

Coronavirus

• Hot off the press

• Equine corona virus ( ECV) is historically a cause of foal diarrhea in foals < 2 weeks of age

• In the past year several cases and outbreaks in adult horses at racing facilities/ boarding facilities in

California and Idaho

• Clinical signs range include fever, lethargy, inappetance, difficulty walking, head pressing and

neurologic signs and diarrhea (non-specific)

• Increased Ammonia levels produced by the gut flora is suspected to cause neurologic signs

• Shedding 2-11 days, confirmed but recent case of animals becoming sick after 14 days

• Manure can be tested for he virus

Vaccinations

• Core vaccines

• 3-way (tetanus, eastern and western sleeping sickness)

• West Nile Virus

• Rabies

• Optional vaccines

• Strangles

• Influenza

• Rhino pneumonitis( herpes)

Vaccine Clinics

Discount for multiple horses Immunization Guarantee

Deworming

Rotational Deworming• Rotating between different

anthelminthic every 2-3 months

• Alternate Adult Schedule (every 3 months)

• January: Pyrantel pamoate

• April: Fenbendazole (Pancur Power Pak)

• July: Ivermectin

• October: Ivermectin/praziquantel

Strategic Deworming

• Collecting a fecal sample and submitting for a fecal egg count

• Strategically deworming each horse as an individual

• Low Shedder (< 200EPG)

• Medium shedder (200-500 EPG)

• High Shedder (>500EPG)

Lab work

• Coggins blood test ( required for movement of a horse out of state)

• Equine Infectious Anemia Virus

• Fever, Anemia, thrombocytopenia

• CBC Complete blood count

• Comprehensive assessment of red blood cell count, white blood cell count

• Most contagious diseases will have indications on bloodwork

• Nasal Swab

• PCR allows results often within 24 hours

• Test for Rhino/Herpes, Influenza or Strangles

• Manure Sample

• PCR testing and snap tests for most contagious GI pathogens

LBEMC Health care program

What are the benefits to this Program?

• No emergency fees for after-hour appointments ($95-$135 savings per visit)

• $5,000 credit towards surgical treatment of colic performed at Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center

• Additional discounts on specified medication purchases (i.e. Adequan, Gastrogard, Legend)

• Additional discounts on specific elective surgeries

What are the requirements for enrollment?

• One scheduled veterinary appointment per year to include:

• Routine physical exam – $80

• Routine teeth float (exceptions for younger horses) –$240 or sedated oral exam

• Annual required vaccinations (possible exceptions): a. 3-Way w/ West Nile – $43

• Deworming: Recommend Fecal egg count yearly (Spring and Fall) – $26 per fecal

Precautions for taking your horse off the

property

• Clean/ disinfect any stall, water buckets, feeders before moving them in

• Monitor your own horses temperature daily

• Make sure all vaccines are up to date

• Do not use public water troughs ( bring your own water)

Feed

• Good quality forage hay ( oat, alfalfa, three grain,

meadow, orchard, teff)

• Adequate supply for the number of horses

• Observe flakes/bales for sun damage, water

damage, mold, toxic weeds

• If traveling bringing our own is best.

Disinfectants

• What is a fomite?

• Any object or substance capable of carrying infectious organisms ( i.e. Brushes, wheel barrows, shoes, humans, feed buckets, water troughs… etc.)

• Viruses can live for several weeks and some bacteria several years

• Disinfectants- bleach, betadine, chlorohexadine, hydrogen peroxide based cleaners, alcohols. ( most inactivated by organic debris)

• Water troughs/ feeders

• Have a cleaning day at your barn

Fly control

• Flies are a fomite

• Traps

• Predators

• Spray systems

• Manure control is essential

Fencing/ Housing

• Regular fence/ stall inspection

• Type of fencing, is it safe for

horses

• Look for loose boards, rusty nails

etc.

Involve Your Friendly Veterinarian

• Having regular visits allows the vet

to develop a relationship with your

horse when it is healthy

• Allow us to customize vaccine and

deworming schedules for your barn

• Healthy horses = More Ride time

Outbreaks are devastating to everyone

• Economic loss

• Emotional loss/ stress

• Business reputation

• Life threatening to horses

Questions????