Fella's condition worsens

[Tootsie4U]

He was diagnosed with Purpura hemorrhagica, a rare complication from Strangles - it is potentially fatal.

I know you've been crossing all apendiges thus far, but if you have any to spare, we could sure use them.

:(

[Gracie]

Aww Im sorry Tootsie.
Still keeping you & the ponies in my prayers!
Lots of love

[KarinUS]

Oh no. Poor Fella. What can be done for this?

[Scarlett 001]

No way, this is terrible to read - poor boy and poor you. I just looked it up on the internet. I am sending so many warm thoughts across the miles.

How is Bonfire?

[Silvia]

Sending good vibes to you and your horses.

[Bay Mare]

Oh no :( I'm so sorry :(

Crossing fingers, toes, eyes and everything else that can be crossed.

(((((To you all))))) x

[bexj]

Oh No Toots, I must have missed this first time round. I am so sorry. {{hugs}} to you and Fella.

[Montana]

Oh hell Tootsie, I'm so sorry. Keeping everything firmly crossed for you and Fella.

[Est]

Sorry to hear this :( Sending very best wishes for Fella X

[Denbenj]

sending hugs n hope x

[Iron Maiden]

Trying to look on the bright side - my old yard had 2 strangles outbreaks & a mare came down with HP. She was really sick but has since made a full recovery, so all digits & other body parts crossed for a good outcome for Fella.

[Wally]

I feel dreadful for you. Keeping everything crossed.

When we got strangles here (not us but it came to the Islands) the attitude was, let them catch it, and then at least they'll be immune!

Frances and I put up foot baths, asked folk to come in freshly laundered coats and clothes, foot baths and hads were washed before they were allowed on the premises.

Other folk with ponies nearby thought we were mad. They just suffered the losses, they see the ponies like any farmer would see individuals in a flock of sheep.

Frances and I quite like all our horses and would have been really upset to lose one through complications and for want of a bit of bio-security..

Looking on the bright side too, I knew a horse who came out and survived bastard strangles.

[Mehitabel]

oh no, i hope he makes it. everything crossed and all good vibes possible being sent.

[Bobbin]

Oh hun.

He WILL be ok, He WILL be ok.....

Are there any reiki people on here? Anythings worth a try.

xx

[lisae]

more hugs and prayers coming your way....

[Tootsie4U]

Bonfire is still doing well. His jaw is twice the normal size and a few half inch abcesses have formed but aren't draining too well. The vet is going to come out again tomorrow and try to lance him, as well as take another look at Fella.

Fella is now officially on the antibiotics. I had no choice since he started with the Purpura complications. I just hope adding the Penicillin to his growing list of medications wont come back to bite me in the butt. :(

Karin, for now, he's on an aggressive dose of steriods for the Purpura, along with the antibiotic. According to the vet, he could be on this 'long term'. Fortunately, she warned me about the Purpura so I had my eye out for it. She thinks I may have caught it in its earlier stages so that it wont get too bad. The poor boys lower half of his muzzle is swelled up - he looks like an elephant. He's still eating his small meals and finishing about a flake of hay a day so I still have those good notes to go on.

Incidently, the steroid comes with a high risk of founder. If its not one thing, its another..... :(:rolleyes:

[LokiSofi]

aww poor little man I've got everything crossed for you. When we bought my mums mare 10 years ago she had been left at the sales with strangles it took months of intensive care but she is still going strong today and is a happy healthy little mare so there is still hope.
Really hope Fella gets better soon. xx

[Tootsie4U]

BTW, this is Purpura http://merckvetmanual.com/mvm/htm/bc/immid13.htm http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/servlet/CVMHighLight?file=htm/bc/immid14.htm&word=Purpura,hemorrhagica


According to the vet and what I've read, the capillaries beneath the skin can burst and cause swelling. The skin can stretch so badly that it will literally just fall off. The swelling is in the face, mouth and legs. It can render the horse completely immobile. If there is enough swelling in the face, the horse can suffocate. If too far gone, you can get blood poisoning and the horse will die. My vet said she's had horses die, so this is not too far removed.

Blatantly, the horses have an allergic reaction from the strangles bacteria. Their immune system just cant handle the bacteria...

[KarinUS]

I am so sorry. I never knew all of this could happen! Hopefully you caught it early enough to where in a few weeks all of this will just be a bad memory and everything will be back to 'normal'.

[Gill]

Oh so sorry for you.
We lost a special pony in his prime this way and I know what you are going through. Few people have even heard of it, but it strikes dread in me to read this. Kind thoughts for you, Gill

[Scarlett 001]

good that bonfire has stabilized. just curious, did your boys have the strangles vaccine or not (the one that goes up the nose - I don't think they can get that in uk, but it is available in canada). Just curious if it is does any good or not in cases like this. have the horses who did have the vaccine shown less symptoms or get over things more quickly?

fingers and everything else crossed for all of you.

[Trewsers]

Sending lots and lots of good luck / healing vibes for you all. So sorry to hear about this terrible illness.

[domane]

I'm so sorry you have having to watch all this suffering.

My hopes and thoughts are with you xxxx

[Tootsie4U]

just curious, did your boys have the strangles vaccine or not . Just curious if it is does any good or not in cases like this. have the horses who did have the vaccine shown less symptoms or get over things more quickly?



I know it is a controversial vaccine, but I always give it.

I'll tell you what I know and then what I've experienced.

According to my vet and reading material available via the internet, the vaccine CAN NOT give your horse strangles. From what I understand, to make the vaccine, they use *part* of the pulverised bacteria, not *live* bacteria like many believe. Getting the vaccine does not guarantee your horse will not get Strangles if exposed to it, but they say it will lessen the duration and the severity of the disease.

Bonfire has had the vaccine all his life. And you know that while he officially has Strangles, it doesnt phase him at all. He has not had a fever, nasal discharge, or lethargy. He just has swollen glands.

Fella's previous owners did not vaccinate for Strangles. I gave him his first vacc last April and then he had it again this spring. But, based on what we think the timeline of exposure was here, Strangles was brewing on the farm before this years vaccine was given. So, in essense, he only had the vacc once and I guess that is why he is not fairing so well.

My horses are healthy, well off boys and I cannot understand any other reason why one of them is so bad while the other is not. (Or it could be that the stereotype of Morgans just being tough horses is to blame). Whatever it is, after this, I'll be an advocate of the vaccine.

Otherwise, the other horses on the farm who have had the vaccine did not either get any symptoms or just had flu like symptoms with the swollen glands. Nothing major.

[Grace O'Malley]

So sorry to read about this :( What a dreadful illness :(

Hope the poor guy makes a quick and full recovery.

[LMS]

My horses are healthy, well off boys and I cannot understand any other reason why one of them is so bad while the other is not. (Or it could be that the stereotype of Morgans just being tough horses is to blame).

So sorry about what's happening with your horses. Poor Fella!

Every horse is different, even if Fella would've had had the vaccine more then just the past two times, nothing can say that he would not have had this episode so strong.

Case & point: my mares were exposed to the same elements & why Ariel had a GPM episode & not Heidi? Ariel's immune was obviously weaker though she may have been exposed to the spore previous to me bringing her home, who knows.

Just like with fella, his system may be weaker in this instance to begin with. I guess it's like why some people get nasty flu while others, exposed to the same conditions only get mild sniffles.

Let's focus on the positive & hope Fella pulls through. If it has happened with other horses, it may happen with him. Stay positive!

[chev]

Good vibes by the lorryload coming your way.

Really hope Fella pulls through this. (((hugs)))

[shandy84]

Toots I'm holding out for some good news from you, all the best to you all :)

[Kalypso]

oh, tootsie, so sorry :( Poor Fella :( I really hope he pulls through.

I don't know all the ins and outs of the vaccine and how well it works, either, but I also give it - to my old horse Kalypso and to Mia now. No reason in taking chances, and it does sound to me like having the vaccine all his life might be helping Bonfire now.

Everything is crossed.

[Shadowlark]

of all the terrible terrible luck.

Wishing you all the very best for a speedy recovery - and a happy ending!

[NoviceNic]

Everything crossed for you.......

[Sooty]

I'm so sorry. Sending Reiki to both your guys...

[Tootsie4U]

The vet stopped by tonight.

Already there is amazing progress with Fella in response to the steroid injections. The swelling from the Purpura is gone. He is a little bit puffy around his eyes, but it is a 95% improvement from last night.

I wanted her to come out to lance Bonfire because his jaw is just so massive and the abcesses have 'ripened' but they arent really opening on their own too much. So he's lanced now and officially on his way to recovery! :D Good thing too, with three weeks off now and the spring grass, he's growing scarily fat!

Fella got lanced too! He had just one tiny marble sized nodual but it drained so much! Since he was just put on the antibiotic, which will supress abcess formation and drainage, its really good to be able to have him shed the bacteria and not have to worry about the antibiotic prolonging the strangles!

Ah, maybe we'll all be ok afterall. You guys really were sending us your vibes! :)

[Scarlett 001]

Good to read. Let's hope this great progress continues. :)

[LMS]

OMG My stomach is in knots reading about Fella & Bonfire! It must be such a relief for you to have some bit of good news!

Still thinking of you all & sending good healing thoughts & all. I know vets don't like to give false hope but did your vet say anything?

[Ptaty70]

I am so very pleased for you! what an enormous relief!!!!!

Best wishes to all of you AND MAY THE RECOVERY CONTINUE :D :D

[Bay Mare]

Fantastic news :D

I'll still keep my fingers crossed for a full recover though (just not as tightly) :D

[Montana]

Great to hear Tootsie, keeping fingers still crossed for a quick and full recovery:D

[HairyCob]

So glad to hear that there has been some improvement in both of your babies Toots.... got everything crossed that it continues.

We had strangles at a yard I was on years ago, and sadly lost three of the ten horses there to bastard strangles, but they were all very very young as far as I remember- one of them was less than 6months... heartbreaking.

Sounds very much like your two are definitely on the mend now though, thank god!:)

[NicP]

I've only just seen this - thank heavens there is an improvement and ALL good wishes/healing vibes that this continues.

[Sooty]

What fantastic news .... will continue sending Reiki until they are completely out of the woods :)

[NoviceNic]

Great news. Keep going boys, nearly there.....:)

[Lgd]

Fingers crossed that the improvement continues.

Don't know if they use the same strangles vacc over the pond as was available here. It was withdrawn here recently because of issues around inadequate potency and a poor immune response as a result.

[Tootsie4U]

They looked wonderful tonight. :)

Vet said that Fella might be falsely giving good signals due to the steroid and antibiotics but it does my heart good nonetheless to see him trotting around his quarantine paddock to avoid the needle Im carrying :D

I will ask my vet this but does anyone know if you have to continually lance them after they've been done once? Im trying to keep the lances open so they continue to drain but Bonfire still has a massively swollen jaw. Will new abcesses form or will they just continue to drain from the lanced opening?

[Shadowlark]

phew - sounds like good news!

Usually if you keep the lance open and draining you shouldn't need to relance. With splash I would give it a good scrub and a squeeze (cause I am sick like that) to keep the gooo coming out. mmm goooo

[Cupcake]

Tootsie that's such a relief. The colour was draining from my face as I was reading this, so glade it turned out ok.

Normally the lance stays open, but if it does close a new one will have to be made. Your vet will tell you if that is the case.

[Jessey]

Oh lordy, glad they are on the mend now, poor boys :o
When my friends horse had an absess on his face the vet lanced it then said to just keep using hot compresses (as hot as he would tolorate and very salty water) to keep it open and clean and also the heat draws the gunk out too.
I'll be keeping eveerything crossed for you :p

[Tootsie4U]

Good! Im cleaning it twice daily (and squeezing too :D) so it better stay open!

Thanks guys, you've been such a help through all this!

[Iron Maiden]

Maybe you should start a new thread in a day or 2 - 'Fella's condition improves' maybe? I keep seeing this thread title and thinking 'oh no' but then it's gooood neeeews! Hope things keep heading the right way for you all. I've lived through 2 nasty strangles outbreaks so big empathy & positive vibes coming your way.

[chev]

Glad to hear they're improving - fingers are still tightly crossed for you all :)

[Montana]

Hi Tootsie,

No update for a while, I'm hoping no news is good news?:) How are they doing now?

[KarinUS]

I hope they are doing even better this weekend. Give them a squeeze from us. :)

[rocco1981]

Tootsie,

I really hope everything turns out fine. I've got my fingers crossed for you.

On a positive note a friend of ours had an in foal mare come down with strangles, the mare was very, very ill for quite a few weeks, they really thought they would lose them both, but somehow she kept going and produced an absolutly perfect filly foal 5 months later. A year on mother and daughter are both doing well.

[Tootsie4U]

Life's been very busy lately. Im spending about 4 hours a day over at the barn dealing with the whole strangles & Purpura thing.

There is a bit of good news. Despite being on the antibiotic, Fella has formed *another* abcess (just started draining today) so it seems that being on the Penicillin hasn't supressed the bacteria. The steroid completely took all the symptoms of the Purpura away and I gave him his last dose two days ago. He still seems fine so hopefully that is done and over with too. The vet had mentioned that the steroid might mask the Purpura and once off the drug, it might come back. So, definately thumbs up about that.

Bonfire is over it. There is no more swelling and the abcess has finished draining. I'll have to make a vid, but during his sickness and subsequent lack of riding, I took the time to teach him a new 'trick' (ie. groundwork). I can lead him around by his tail! :D I pull the bottom of his tail and he walks backward following the feel of my pull. Nifty! I got the idea at that NH seminar I was at in February.

Anyway, thanks for asking everyone and sending all your well wishes and words of encouragement. You've been my shoulder through all of this! Still not completely out of the woods, but well on our way ;)