The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
Issue link: https://thehorse.epubxp.com/i/526167
8 TheHorse.com THE HORSE July 2015 Keep in touch! @TheHorse facebook.com/TheHorse TheHorseMag I was optimistic that I'd have a nice grace period consisting of preventive care only, given his appearance. But knowing that long-distance shipping stresses the body, which can weaken the immune system, I took Happy's rectal temperature, thinking I would establish a normal baseline for him. I was surprised to find it too high for my own comfort (and likely his as well). Suspecting it might be a fluke, I took it again and also with another thermometer. When I asked his former rider and caretaker about Happy's tempera- ture, she was also stumped; it had been normal when the health certifi- cate was issued and when he loaded. None of his stablemates in Arkansas had shown signs of any illness. My singular focus became WTF (I'm reclaiming the acronym as "Why the fever?"). I called the veterinarian, and the barn manager and I began handling Happy with biosecurity in mind, in case we had something infectious going on. (Nobody wants to be dubbed Typhoid Mary upon arrival at a new barn!) An intern from the equine hospital came to conduct a basic assessment and bloodwork. Happy, still cheery and apparently healthy, rang in the New Year with the first dose of an anti-inflammatory to bring down his fever. The bloodwork came back sug- gesting he was fighting something, but we weren't sure what. And so began a routine of the barn manager and I using two or three different thermometers on my horse twice daily and averaging the readings. Happy, who was proving to be a very sweet and tolerant patient, would look back as if to say, "What did I do to deserve this?" A few days later, my veterinar- ian came out and performed more bloodwork and an endoscopic exam of Happy's airways and guttural pouches. The results didn't sug- gest strangles or anything else that should cause concern. He also or- dered a fecal test—could it be para- sites? Nope. Not that either. Happy was entirely free of clinical signs aside from the puzzling numbers on the beeping thermometer(s). Happy's temp finally dropped after two rounds of antibiotics, and eventually we were able to turn him out and let him truly settle in. I learned a lot in my first month with Happy: Sometimes we get clear answers (see some potential causes of fevers on page 16). Other times, we err on the side of caution, rule out the bad, and remain vigilant, caring for our horses the best way we know how with the information we have. h WTF: Why The Fever? VIEWPOINT STEPHANIE L. CHURCH Editor-in-Chief @TH_StephLChurch W hen my new horse, Happy, arrived in Kentucky from Arkansas a few months ago, I marveled at my clean slate. He had been well-managed, carefully conditioned, and had all his vaccina- tions on board. Happy was alert, engaged with the goings-on around him, and as cheerful and relaxed a horse I'd ever seen after a nine- hour trailer ride. Publisher: Marla Bickel Editor-in-Chief: Stephanie L. Church Managing Editor: Alexandra Beckstett News Editor: Erica Larson Digital Managing Editor: Michelle N. Anderson Art Director: Brian Turner Digital Producer: Jennifer Whittle Brand Manager: Shawna White EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Scott Anderson, DVM Jerry Black, DVM Anthony Blikslager, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS Tom Brokken, DVM Ann Dwyer, DVM Benjamin Espy, DVM, Dipl. ACT Margo Macpherson, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT; Kyla Ortved, DVM, Dipl. ACVS Debra C. Sellon, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM Debra Taylor, DVM Educational Partnership Disclaimer: The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), one of The Horse's partners in equine health, has no involvement regarding editorial management or advertising content within this publication and thereby does not endorse any editorial or advertising content unless so acknowledged within the individual article or advertisement. ADVERTISING SALES AND SERVICES advertise@TheHorse.com West Coast Advertising Executive: Yvonne Long, 859/276-6701 ylong@TheHorse.com East Coast Advertising Executive: Leigh Walkup, 859/276-6710 lwalkup@TheHorse.com Sales Support: Kelly Stephens, 859/276-6740 kstephens@TheHorse.com PUBLISHED BY THE HORSE MEDIA GROUP LLC For up-to-date news, in-depth horse health articles, and more, go to TheHorse.com MEDIAGROUP LLC