Random horse disease: causes, diagnosis, treatment

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Many people are breeding horses. Some for the soul, and others for profit. However, these animals are very capricious in care, and are also prone to many diseases. One of these is the accidental disease of horses. This disease has an infectious origin and, if not diagnosed in time, can lead to the death of the entire livestock. Therefore, every odd-toed ungulate lover should know how to detect pathology in order to start treatment on time.

Main causes of disease

For a long time, scientists could not establish the nature of the origin of dourine. The first assumptions were made only at the end of the 19th century. Today, veterinarians identify the following causes of horse accidents:

• too frequent mating with a large number of queens;
• excessive body weight;
• poor feed quality;
• repeated phlobotomy;
• lack of mobility;
• consequences of colds.

As mentioned earlier, a study on horse douria showed that it is of an infectious origin, so one sick animal is enough to infect the entire livestock. Therefore, it is very important to detect the problem in time and quarantine the carrier of pathogenic microorganisms.

Pathogen

Missing horses is a fairly common occurrence, especially if the animals are kept in poor conditions. Its causative agent is pathogenic microorganisms of the trypanosomiasis group. Most often, individuals living in the wild are susceptible to infection, but domesticated stallions are also affected. For the first time, the virus became known at the end of the 19th century. It affects the genitourinary system, as a result of which various formations appear on the skin, and in the later stages of the course of the disease, the motor pathways of the nervous system begin to malfunction, and paralysis of the limbs develops. All this is a consequence of the inflammatory process occurring in the central nervous system.

In most cases, the accidental disease of horses (trypanosomiasis, its second name) proceeds secretly and eventually becomes chronic. In the absence of treatment, the disease progresses and develops into an acute stage, accompanied by intense and pronounced symptoms. As a rule, this happens 2-3 years after infection. Throughout this timethe animal infects other inhabitants of the stall. Foals also suffer, in whose body the pathogen enters along with mother's milk. At the same time, the main problem is that in approximately 25 percent of cases, the pathology proceeds without any clinical manifestations, which greatly complicates the diagnosis.

According to vet. law, mating horses poses a big threat, therefore, if outbreaks of the epidemic are detected, mating falls under the ban. This is especially true of purebred animals, since they are the most susceptible to the disease.

Epizootological data

In the CIS countries and the former Soviet Union, there were no outbreaks of an epidemic of durin. This is due to frosty winters, which the pathogen is simply unable to endure. However, in veterinary practice, cases of disease have been recorded when a pathogenic microorganism entered the country from abroad. Fortunately, this has rarely happened, so there should not be much cause for concern.

Symptomatics

Once in the urogenital canal of the stallion, the virus begins to multiply actively, which is accompanied by a strong inflammatory process. In this case, the pathogen enters the blood, with which it spreads throughout the body. In the process of reproduction, trypanosomes secrete waste products that cause severe intoxication. In this case, the nervous system suffers the most, so the symptoms appear precisely from it. In most cases, Durina is accompanied by the following clinicalmanifestations:

• rashes on the skin throughout the torso of the animal;
• "thaler plaques";
• paralysis of some parts of the body;
• chill.

Infected mares and stallions also lose their appetite and develop various he alth problems as their metabolism and blood chemistry change.

Development of pathology

Random horse disease progresses slowly. Qualified specialists distinguish several stages. Depending on immunity, the incubation period can last from several weeks to three months. Then the main symptoms begin to appear, the severity of which increases depending on the period.

There are three of them:

• Period of edema. The inflammatory lesion extends to the internal organs of the genitourinary system, which is accompanied by an increase in the abdominal region. This stage lasts about a month and a half, after which the animal's condition worsens.
• The period of skin manifestations. On the skin of mares and stallions, third-party formations resembling an allergic reaction become noticeable.
• Period of paralysis. Develops due to prolonged lack of treatment. Horses lose the ability to move due to the failure of any parts of the body. At the same time, signs also appear on the muzzle: lips are curved, ears sag and eyelids droop. As practice shows, if the diagnosis was not made in time, the accidental illness of horses at this stage ends in death.

In the later stages of the development of the disease, animals quickly and stronglylose weight because they partially or completely refuse food.

Basic diagnostic methods

It is very difficult to detect a disease in the early stages of development, since in the vast majority of cases it proceeds secretly. There are no symptoms, so the only way to timely detect pathology is to observe changes in the behavior of animals. When the first clinical manifestations begin to be noticeable, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. The following methods are used to diagnose accidental disease in horses:

• clinical research;
• complement binding reaction;
• microanalysis;
• scraping;
• complete blood count;
• epizootological study.

Based on the results obtained, a qualified specialist can not only make an accurate diagnosis, but also determine the exact cause of infection, as well as select the most effective treatment program.

Blood serology

This type of laboratory research is based on the reaction of the combination of enzymes with an antigen. If it is positive, then the veterinarian can make a preliminary diagnosis and prescribe further examination methods. But here it is important to take into account the fact that in completely he althy animals the reaction can also be positive, so only fresh material should be submitted for research. In this case, horses are divided into four groups:

• sick;
• suspicious for infection;
• suspected of infection;
• he althy.

They are classified based on certain signs, clinical presentation and test results. To minimize the chance of infection of the entire herd, experts recommend that horses be tested for mating disease at least 6 months before the intended mating.

Basic Therapies

After the veterinarian conducts a complete examination of the animals and receives the results of all necessary laboratory tests, he will be able to make a diagnosis with 100 percent accuracy. If it is positive, then a program for the treatment of horse accidental disease is selected. As a rule, sick animals are prescribed intramuscular injection of the drug "Naganin", the dosage of which is calculated based on body weight. After completing the course, take a short break, after which the therapy is repeated. Along the way, it is recommended to walk stallions. Physical activity can reduce pain in the limbs, make clinical manifestations less pronounced, prevent the development of congestive processes, and also minimize the risk of paralysis. The walk must be carried out several times a day and last at least two hours.

If the treatment program is successful and the disease can be completely defeated, then this is not a reason to relax, because it can recur. To avoid this, it is necessary to show the animal to the veterinarian one year after the completion of therapy and undergore-examination. If the infection is re-detected, then chemotherapy is prescribed. Also, throughout this time, sick animals need to be provided with quality nutrition.

Pathological changes

In animal husbandry and veterinary practice, no cases have been recorded when the accidental illness of horses caused any irreversible consequences. However, the autopsy of the corpses of dead animals showed a strong depletion of the body. This is due to a critical decrease in red blood cells, as a result of which the internal organs and soft tissues do not receive the right amount of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. In addition, the following pathologies were found:

• degenerative changes in the heart;
• liver dysfunction;
• enlarged genital lymph nodes;
• ulcers on the epidermis and mucous membranes;
• degeneration of the muscle tissues of the torso.

But if a timely examination was carried out and treatment started, the animal recovers completely without any complications, after which it can return to normal life.

Prevention measures

Durina is very difficult to cure, because it is very problematic to detect it in the early stages due to the lack of symptoms. However, there are some ways to reduce the chance of developing a mating disease in horses. The instruction is as follows:

• Regularly show animals to the veterinarian before the start of each mating period;
• in case of disease detectionisolate infected horses from the rest of the herd;
• do periodic vaccination;
• neuter stallions unsuitable for insemination;
• separate individuals of different sexes older than one year old.

These recommendations will reduce the risk of developing an infectious disease, so you should adhere to them when breeding and caring for horses.

Conclusion

Durina is a serious disease that occurs in all representatives of the class of equids. Therefore, every person who breeds horses must take their maintenance and breeding very seriously. At the first suspicion of dourine, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. If the treatment is started in the first stages of the development of the pathology, then it can be quickly defeated. Otherwise, there is a high probability of not only the death of an infected stallion, but of the entire livestock. Do not be negligent about the he alth of your wards. Your life is in their hands, so you must guard it carefully.