Tropical Horse Disease Found In Northwest
When visiting horse and cattle operations in Costa Rica in March it was interesting that the tropical climate made for a wealth of animal health issues quite unlike anything we have here in the Northwest. When Open Range returns how one subtropical disease is showing up in Washington State, Arizona, and California. Equine Pythiosis a terrible disease that affects horses in the tropics has recently been diagnosed in Arizona, California, and even in my home state of Washington. Apparently any breed of horses are at risk and on a positive note the noncontiguous disease that also effects dogs cannot be transmitted animal-animal or animal –human but enters wounds from a caustic agent that resides in stagnant pond water or wet soil. While some veterinarians are calling this an emerging disease, According to the Horse.com animal health site it’s been documented as far back as 1884 in India. The symptoms are debilitating and painful as the horse becomes covered with large tumor like masses and sores. Thus if you notice any odd lesions on your horse contact your vet for a blood test or biopsy because the sooner it’s treated the more likely the animal will recover. There is a vaccine that has proven successful. In one study 72 percent of the 18 horses treated recovered completely. Because Equine Pythiosis is not a fungus but appears like one, it doesn’t respond to anti- fungal medicine. Like West Nile, the best prevention is keeping horses away from stagnant and standing water and treating wounds promptly and aggressively.
