Equine Anaplasmosis and Shivers?

[JumperMare]

Hey all,

Just last night my mare came in from the field with 4 elephant sized legs, the swelling was most prominent in her knees and hocks which scared the sh!t out of me to say the least. She had a fever of 103, and the vet was called out ASAP. She was diagnosed with anaplasmosis, given tetracycline, bute, and blood was taken. Being I have been a hard sufferer of the human version of this, I was a bit worried. Vet assured it would be cleared in about 10 days (I was told I will be sick permanently, so I hope this isnt a possibility for equines!)

My main question in this all is that my mare has mild shivers- I’ve been reading that lots of horses who have gotten the anaplasmosis had shiver like symptoms and shivers as a result. First, has anyone had experience with their horse getting this tick borne disease? And second, call me crazy but could this be something she’s always had and now is lashing out? The people I bought her from of course had no idea about that shivers. It’s mild and in the hind legs when her feet are picked up, but she’s always had constant diarrhea. Am I crazy for thinking she has always had this form of lyme and developed shivers this way? Blood tests come back tomorrow…
Thanks all!

[WNT]

My TB gelding has had shivers probably well before I got him in 2005. He has had anaplasmosis and/or tick fever twice: once he spiked a high fever and went off his feed, the other time lower fever but ventral edema and a little stocked up behind.

I never noticed a correlation between his shivers and tick-ick incidents. He has had cellulitis from other causes that caused the shivers to act up due to the discomfort related to that. Run of the mill stocking up doesn’t faze him.

[Dutchmare433]

Unfortunately, anaplasmosis is very common in areas with ticks, so most of us in those areas have had to deal with it at least once, if not more. It’s an acute illness, unlike Lyme, which can become chronic.

My youngster had it last fall and was hit particularly hard, such that the vet was looking into other possible causes. He had the high fever, depression, and all 4 legs swollen up to stifles/elbows…he could barely walk the first day b/c of the swelling. He never went off his feed, but did lose a decent amount of weight. My old mare had it once as well, much less severe, but she went totally off her food and lost almost 200lbs.

It didn’t take long for them to get back to normal…and they both gained the weight back quick enough, just be aware that weight loss is a possibility.

I worked with a horse with shivers, and like WNT, he was prone to cellulitis and that did make the shivers act up, but as far as I know, he actually never had anaplasmosis.

[JumperMare]

@Dutchmare433

Unfortunately, anaplasmosis is very common in areas with ticks, so most of us in those areas have had to deal with it at least once, if not more. It’s an acute illness, unlike Lyme, which can become chroniclarly hard, such that the vet was looking into other possible causes. He had the high fever, depression, and all 4 legs swollen up to stifles/elbows…he could barely walk the first day b/c of the swelling. He never went off his feed, but did lose a decent amount of weight. My old mare had it once as well, much less severe, but she went totally off her food and lost almost 200lbs.

It didn’t take long for them to get back to normal…and they both gained the weight back quick enough, just be aware that weight loss is a possibility.

I worked with a horse with shivers, and like WNT, he was prone to cellulitis and that did make the shivers act up, but as far as I know, he actually never had anaplasmosis.

Ouch im sorry it got that bad atleast I do know the possibilities now. I honestly first thought, “shit, cellulitis,” but all 4 was strange to me but her legs were that large. Good to hear that you and WNT didn’t see a correlation with the shivers! I appreciate the responses.

[JB]

Nov of 2015 my big WB contracted anaplasmosis, presented with a fever of 107, and it took quite a few days to get that down and keep it down to more normal levels. Thankfully he never swelled. He also never developed any shivers symptoms. I can’t say I’ve read any correlation between the 2.

[beowulf]

Welcome to COTH.

As far as I know, there is no correlation between shivers and anaplasmosis as the two have entirely different pathologies, treatments, and origins. Shivers is a progressive neurological/motor deficit caused by lesions and defects in the cerebellum. At this time, shivers is considered to be genetic/hereditary as it has been documented in certain families and breeds. It is not something I have ever heard has been “contracted”, but rather, something that was always there that slowly (or rapidly, depending on onset) progresses.

Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease, caused only when an animal hosts an infected tick.

When my gelding contracted anaplasmosis for a few days we did not think he would make it. Massive fever, complete lethargy, equine balloon… heavy courses of antibiotics to control his wild fever. It took him several weeks before we saw a glimpse of his normal self - but once he was completely recovered it never bothered him again and he went on to be a good eventer.

Sorry to hear about your horse. Sending jingles your way.

[JB]

Shivers comes in 3 forms - as a primary disease which is hereditary, as a symptom of EPSM/PSSM, and as a symptom of eating a few types of plants, such as false dandelion.

The disease can’t be cured, and is progressive, maybe quickly, maybe so slowly as to never really be a real problem.

As a symptom of PSSM, it can be managed, even to the point of not being an issue, by managing the PSSM, but it all depends on severity.

As a result of eating false dandelion, treatment is obviously removing from the cause, and using therapeutic doses of magnesium, and it will go away.

I wonder if a given horse might develop some shivers-like symptoms if he had a high enough fever, for long enough? That could certainly start to cause issues with the brain, I would think. But that would be a function of the fever, or any cause, rather than anaplasmosis in particular.