Hi, my horse was the last 10 days not well, he had fever and lost a lot of weight. my vet got blood sample and after a week the lab found out he is positif on anaplasmosis 1/160. I want to treat the horse with antibiotics but my vet said it might not be necessary because 1/160 is not so high…i am perplex because my horse feels so bad i think he cannot recover just leaving him alone without treatment. Do someone have experience with this disease and how did you treat it? thank you
Although I don’t have any experience with Anaplasmosis, I do know listening to your vet is one of the best things you can do. They are professionals, and we, unfortunately, are often not. Make sure to examine your horse’s stall for ticks, and it would probably be good to find a fly spray that also repels ticks and such, I use Farnam Repel-X Emulsifiable Fly Spray. This is in undiluted form, so you’re going to have to purchase a spray bottle and mix the Repel X with water in a 1 part spray, 4 parts water solution. You can apply this as often as needed, and it will prevent more ticks from nibbling on your horse. If you really do feel as though you would be more comfortable putting your horse on antibiotics, you should bring it up with your vet again.
I’ve never heard of a vet not treating for anaplasmosis. My vets have treated my horses without testing because they can be so inconclusive and tickborne illnesses are so common. My vets have seen situations where the bacteria was visible in a blood sample and the test result was still negative.
10 days of fever is inexcusable, in my opinion. And now that it is conclusive that it was anaplasmosis, I don’t understand why not treating an active infection is acceptable.
I would get the horse on doxy today, if not a dose or two of IV oxytet followed by doxy.
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HAD a fever, or still has one? What is his temperature today?
Prolonged fever can induce laminitis, so at the very least, that needs to be addressed. Banamine is usually the drug of choice for that.
I do think that most horses will get past anaplasmosis without antibiotics, but all will get better faster with them. I’m not sure what the 1/160 scale really means, but if 1 is the lowest possible exposure number, it doesn’t make sense that he still feels this badly after 10 days. Something isn’t adding up.
the horse does not have fever anymore, the vet told me to wait to do the injections because he also found an abcess in his throat and took sample of it. He told me that it is better to know the cause(bacterial) of the abces because that could be the cause of the fever. JB i also think like you, I don t understand why he just keeps telling that it is better to wait the result of the abcess sample. Anyway the horse feels better and he started eating so i hope that i get him soon the injections done
If he has an abscess near his throat it sounds more like strangles than anaplasmosis.
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I have had two with anaplasmosis, both had high fevers, were not eating and were very lethargic. It came on very fast with both of them. Vet put them on IV oxytet for 7 days. Both were anemic from the disease process.
As an aside, my mother seriously sick from anaplasmosis this summer. She was in the hospital for 5 days on IV antibiotics and it wiped out her blood counts also. It hit 48 hours after a tick bite and hit hard and fast.
Anyways, If your vet thinks its anaplasmosis they can start treatment for it while waiting for the test results to return, they can always stop treatment if it proves to be something else. That’s what they did for mine anyway. And come to think of it, that is what they did for mom, too.
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Agreed, the anaplasmosis itself is not necessarily the concern but the other effects of a high fever, especially colic because the horse feels so poorly they do not eat or drink normally. I have had two horses and one dog treated for anaplasmosis, and none had a positive test before treatment. One of my mares was so ill that the vet tubed her with fluids because there was grave concern of colic even after 2 days of IV oxytet Treatment was then successful but even during treatment it is concerning that other issues may present.
In my area, where tickborne illnesses are common, fevers of unknown origin are treated as tickborne unless the physical signs point specifically to something else.
My dog was treated for anaplasmosis even though his 4DX was negative…responded immediately to doxy. His 4DX shows positive now though. So the tests for tickborne diseases are not the greatest. I also have never heard of 1/160 scale - but as I say, my vets don’t always even test because the results are too slow and unreliable.
OP in what area of the country do you live?
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Yes, this new information is critical. Antibiotics for strangles is not a good idea.
If there’s no more fever, then I would say that’s a sign the bacterial infection is on its way out. If it’s a virus, antibiotics won’t help, though some vets will prescribe them if they feel an opportunistic bacterial infection may take hold.
If there’s any indication it’s strangles, no antibiotics.
Any chance of Potomac Horse Fever? Pigeon fever? Any recent vaccinations, especially the strangles vaccine?
“Antibiotics for strangles is not a good idea”
This is a very board statement of fact. If you are going to make this sort of statement of fact. You should include all the details. No snark intended, how many cases of Strangles have you dealt with?
I have dealt with it a number of times over the years. Just about anybody that manages a large farm, large population with have to deal with it at sometime or another.
My last time was 2 years ago. 15 horses. Resident horses, no “ship ins” in quite a long time.
Some horses will show very little sign and go full blown in a matter days. Others will show signs and progress very slowly. In short there is a time and place when antibiotics are needed and used and when they are not. I’ve used both courses of action. Anybody that wants to learn about the protocol can look it up.
The “new information” you reference is not all that new. My farm vets are with the New Bolton Center one the most respected in the world. I think it is safe to say they stay current and have written more than a few pages in the “book”.
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I’ve dealt with a few cases of Anaplasmosis. Even though I am located in “tick central” PA its not all that common. I say this considering I have only had 3 cases in the 15+ years on that farm. Out of a population of over 50 at times. 90% of which lived out 24/7.
The tell-tails are usually fairly obvious to a tied eye and to someone who keeps that eye on the look out for changes in mood and demeanor. Lethargic at feed time, lagging behind their paddock mates, somber, slow when being lead etc. Subtle at first, progressing quickly with in 24-48 hours. If they are showing a fever say, 101-102+ it generally will spike to well over 105-106 in 24-48 hours. The whites of their eyes will have/show a tinge/shade of yellow at first. Gum will be “flush” whitish and will also be on the yellowish side of things. Generally within 24-48 hours both will be obviously “yellow”.
Easily identified with blood test. Esp when showing signs of yellow. I am near a major clinic so any and all blood testing, and pretty much any “tests” are run the same day and results are had the next if not the same day.
Injectable medication is given and within 12-24 hours their temp drops dramatically. Clears up quickly. This is all based on direct hands on experience in my neck of the horse woods. Others may have had different experiences.
Ticks are not a barn loving insect. Their favorite way to get on horses, animals is positioning themselves on long grass and tree limbs. Waiting for a warm body to pass by. Horses that stand under trees are easy targets. Ticks have excellent heat sensors. They will sense and drop on to horses standing under tree limbs. Quite a few of them at times.
IME there is little to nothing similar between this and Strangles.
I think the “new information” was to mean it was not in the original post, not that it is new medical science. E.g. the OP’s first post did not include information about an abscess, so possibly the reason for the vet’s advice was because it was not clear that the problem was anaplasmosis.
Which blood test? Yes, it can usually be shown that an infection is present, but it is not always obvious that it is anaplasmosis. My vet clinic will run a blood count, but will not wait for confirmation of anaplasmosis before treating with antibiotics. Usually without other reasons to think to the contrary they will treat for tickborne and then run labs.
As I tried to explain IME anaplasmosis and strangles have little to nothing in common when it comes to what the horse is exhibiting when looked at/examined. Other then elevated temps. IME with anaplasmosis when the horse shows the “signs” as I explained their temperature will spike quite rapidly. Considerably higher then any of the horses I have found and treated for strangles. IME horses coming down with strangles have not exhibited the same signs as those with strangles.
IME horses that had anaplasmosis all had the “yellow” going on within a short time of spiking a temp. Maybe there are different “types” and signs of anaplasmosis? I thought I was pretty clear that what I explained was based on the horses I dealt with. Any horse that has temps of over 105++ should be treated pretty aggressively, quickly IMO and experience.I would like to think any competent general practitioner will be able to identify the signs of anaplasmosis from the signs of strangles. I have had enough experience with both to have a pretty good idea of what is going on before blood work is performed if it has progressed that far. Anaplasmosis goes full blown in a mater of days. IME with strangles it progresses much more slowing by and large.
You are correct, I should have added “usually” to “not a good idea”.
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/respiratory-system/respiratory-diseases-of-horses/strangles-in-horses
“Antimicrobial therapy is controversial. Initiation of antibiotic therapy after abscess formation may provide temporary clinical improvement in fever and depression, but it ultimately prolongs the course of disease by delaying maturation of abscesses. Antibiotic therapy is indicated in cases with dyspnea, dysphagia, prolonged high fever, and severe lethargy/anorexia.”
But generic strangles as typically presented, antibiotics are usually going to not help, and might hurt.
The “new information” you reference is not all that new. My farm vets are with the New Bolton Center one the most respected in the world. I think it is safe to say they stay current and have written more than a few pages in the “book”.
I was referring to all the new information the OP gave which was not in the OP.
It has also been my personal experience that anaplasmosis ramps up very quickly - mine went from “he doesn’t look quite right” to “holy cow you look like you got hit by a truck” overnight. From other stories, it seems that the spiked fever (spiked as in not just 103) is the most common symptom, and others, such as stove pipe legs, are not consistent. Mine had no other outward symptoms, for example.
I hope the vet has the results of the culture of the lump by now.
The one horse I dealt with this summer that had anaplamosis ate 80% of his dinner, I turned him out, he trotted off and was grazing. I noticed that he had not quite finished dinner which is not like him- think labrador about his food. So I brought the last of his food to his field to see if he would finish. He walked up (not trotted) and was picking at it. His fever was 105.2 with the first thermometer and 105.1 with the second one. He was so close to normal I could not believe it was really that high.
He was eating and trotting and seemed normal except not quite finishing his grain. My first thought was due to the excessive rain that week he had not been out for a couple of days so didn’t finish his dinner in his eagerness to go out. He is the first one I turn out. Nope that was not it.
He kept spiking a fever over the next day or so once the banamine would wear off so they gave him antibiotics before the test results were back. He stood in buckets a ice water for large portions of a few days. He is fine and back in work.
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Yes, I get that part. I was questioning the “easily identified with a blood test” comment because that has not been my experience with anaplasmosis.
https://thehorse.com/118809/equine-anaplasmosis/
A veterinarian should suspect anaplasmosis in a horse based on season, clinical signs, and bloodwork abnormalities such as decreased white blood cell count, red blood cell count, and platelet count. He or she can make a definitive diagnosis via blood buffy coat (white blood cell) smears showing at least three inclusion bodies called morulae in the white blood cells. However, since these are only visible about three days after onset of fever and can be missed on the smear, a negative blood smear does not necessarily mean the horse is uninfected. A more sensitive tool for diagnosis is a molecular test called a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. This can detect disease as early as three days prior to clinical signs appearing and as late as nine days after signs resolve (Franzen P, et al. 2005).
