Posted on 03/02/2005 5:50:42 PM PST by mommadooo3
The harness race track was closed in Northville Michigan (Northville Downs) for a several days for precautionary measures. A number of race horses had died. I thought the radio report stated equine herpes. Don't remember much more about it. Just relying on memory of a radio report I heard in the car.
Good morning. We have just called our vets who have no knowledge of this outbreak with horses at all. Deaconjim has e-mailed him links to the info on freerepublic.
They are going to get back to us after some investigation as to whether this is a hoax or a problem.
Sharn
My vet tech is unfamiliar with this, also. She's going to ask the vet this morning and get back to me.
Something's fishy here.
I have spoken with the State Veterinarian's office in Tennesee, and they have heard nothing about it. I just spoke to the State Vet in Kentucky, and he told me that all he is aware of is 4 cases of neurological herpes at a facility in Michigan where 4 horses had to be put down, and possibly some cases in Canada. He also told me that this was not uncommon, especially at this time of year. I have sent them both a link to this thread so that they can investigate further, and they are going to let me know if there is anything to this.
Deaconjim
Thanks for that info.
I also feed coastal bermuda, mostly round bales. It's clean, dry, not dusty and has never been a problem. I don't know anyone who pastures their horses that does't feed round bales in winter.
Whoever said round bales are only ok for cattle, must have only seen cow quality hay. There is a big difference. I can find cow quality hay for $10 a round bale. My horse hay I pay $55 per round bale. The quality of the horse hay is vastly different than the cow hay.
Way to go!
It may also be a regional bias... Here in Western Wa... people only make round bales as silage for cattle. The trouble here may be that there is not often enough dry heat for the hay to dry and cure properly before baling, and they end up moldy, rotten, or just plain explosive. I suppose the same risks would be seen with fresh square bales stacked tightly, but round bales for horses just aren't seen, so it must be worse for them. Eastern Wa, that is both hotter and drier, may be different.
deaconjim just wants to know if it is a hoax or not. All of the good folks on here could be worried for nothing.
The alarms rang when our vet didnt know about it. I am sure they are alerted if something like this was to happen. I hope it is a hoax.
Well we are going to get some more feed, ping me please if anything new turns up. Have a great day.
Sharn
Yes, it needs to be nailed down. The guy may honestly believe he's onto something, but that doesn't make him right. I was willing to buy in to the idea that it needs to be verified, after all, for every new epidemic, someone had to be the first to notice connections.
I'd think if it can be backed up, we'd hear it from an 'official' source soon.
That could be true. Even here, as dry as it is most of the time, you still have to have a dependable supplier. My round bales are kept in a barn but I store them outside. They are wrapped with a mesh wrap and are baled so tightly that you can't even stick a finger in them.
Round bales are perfectly safe to feed to horses, if you follow a few precautions. Cows will eat anything.
LOL, Forgive me for the reaction, but round bales are not clean or dry. They are left in the field around here, that is why we only use them for cattle.
The round/square debate has nothing to do with shape, it is the size and how they are stored.
Horses are very sloppy eaters. They drag the hay all over the place, then shat on it etc. They can also eat too much.
Weather rot and mold can cause colic, mortality and huge vet bills.
I never fed mine anything other than square baled hay that I culled for possible mold. I used Bermuda whenever possible.
Same here.
There is a smaller version of the round bale that I have seen recently that may well be suitable for stacking and storage. We get too much rain here to leave them outside.
Also, horse hay is preferably grown in small controlled acreage that is fertilized and weed controlled. Ideal for a square baler.
It's too wet here, too, to consider leaving a round bale outside and calling it good. It would all end up wasted.
Exactly. Unless they don't have any way to haul em and move em.
Whoever said round bales are only ok for cattle, must have only seen cow quality hay.
Or just don't know any better.
I can find cow quality hay for $10 a round bale. My horse hay I pay $55 per round bale
The guy I get hay from stores all his hay, even cow hay, in a couple of large steel sheds. $30 a bale and he hasn't gone up in 3 years. That price includes loading. He'll deliver for a small delivery fee.
We use square bales only. We are hoping to buy enough acerage to bale our own and possible sell in the future. If we find the right place, we have already decided to square bale.
We havent heard anything back yet from the departments of Agriculture in Tennessee or Kentucky, but when we do, we'll post it, if they dont already on here.
Sharn
PS. our portable electric fencing has just arrived (MAX FLEX has a good online web site, and are very friendly) so we are going to be busy putting it up. We should be able to enclose another 2 acres this way.
Just as an aside, West Nile was a problem here last year with several horses lost to it and running wild in three counties before the state vet's office acknowledged it publicly.
I didn't know West Nile had come as far west as where you are. We don't have cases here yet that I know of, but we started vaccinating last year.
Found this update on another board:
UPDATE!
Several of you have posted about related diseases in goats and even humans. I missed this at first because there is a fungal disorder that sounds very similar and I knew that this was a gram positive bacterial disease and not fungus.
Kyle S. just helped me hit the jackpot because he recognized the symptoms from his goats. Amy in Texas was the first to put the disease out as something to look at.
There is very little information on this in horses. This is a rare and often fatal bacterial infection that is known in Icelandic horses.
We have all speculated Whisper Syndrome is an import! Bingo
http://www.cavalor.com/nutritionitem.php?id=175
It was very prevalent in PMU horses which came from Canada. It occurs in Winter from feeding grass silage on the ground! Bingo It causes gastroenteritis and septicemia.! Bingo
It is gram positive (thus penicillin would not be effective but Naxcel would) Bingo
Survival has been reported now with Tucoprim which is also effective against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Another survivor had was treated with SMZ (Spectrim or Bactrim) which is also effective against gram positive bacterium. Bingo!
It causes stiff necks in humans and similar symptoms in goats. This explains the Whisper twist.
Interestingly, not a single case of Whisper syndrome was reported to me as being diagnosed as Listerosis.
Washington already had reported cases I'm pretty sure.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.