Glad to hear she seems to be doing better. How scary not knowing what caused this!
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Such a scary thread!
Thanks for all the updates, OP. Wishing you the very best!
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Yes thanks for updating. Did you end up doing water or feed testing at all? I would think those would be cheap things to do to completely rule them out.
Salmonella test was positive. The burros had it and brought it to our farm . The burros got it from horses at another farm where the burros passed through. The source was NOT BLM mustangs.
I’m so glad we sanitized the barn before we brought Bitsey home.
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How awful. At my large self board barn, we lost one horse to e coli and one horse to salmonella, different buildings, owners, dates. Both cases presented as fast moving colic and were diagnosed post mortem. No other horses caught it. It’s possible the horses were NQR for some time before they got critically ill, but not sick enough for a vet call.
I’ve never been entirely clear what makes some horses get these and not others. Horses have very strong stomach acid, they can even eat manure with no bad effects, so what makes them suddenly get a systemic e coli infection isn’t clear to me. Maybe gut bacteria imbalance lets the e coli get out of hand?
Salmonella can come from spoiled feed, I believe. Anyhow, these infections scare me, and I’m glad your mare survived.
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So glad your mare is OK. Is there any way of finding out how the burros were infected?
I’m so sorry, but at least you know what it was. Glad you fully sanitized the barn before you brought Bitsey home. Best wishes for Bitsey to have a full recovery.
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The burros got it from a group of stressed horses. Stress triggers Salmonella carriers to begin to shed it.
One burro had pre-existing health issues, which we were working through. He likely had a relapse of his infection. The second burro watched his buddy get very sick, which stressed him out. My mare had just finished a steroid treatment for her allergies, which could have depressed her immune system enough to be vulnerable.
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Thanks for the explanation. I’m so sorry about your burros. 
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Oh gosh, I’m so sorry for all you have been through and thankful you have an answer.
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Thank you to everyone for all your ideas and suggestions. I read them all and did not take offense, or take them as a hit against my abilities to care for our equines. I just wanted an answer. I have never seen, or heard of, an animal dropping so fast from colic. To have it happen twice felt like a lightning strike. To find my mare off four days later was absolutely awful. To find out that it wasn’t my fault and there was nothing I could have done differently is good to know, but I still made the decision to bring outside animals home. I waited 30 days before contact with our herd, which seems to be the magic number. In the future, I’m not sure what I’ll do if we want to add to our herd again. Sometimes you can do everything right and it still turns out so wrong.
A word of warning to all: diseases are out there. Think hard before you bring home an animal from auction or rescue. BLM animals are supposed to be safe, but make sure you adopt directly from the BLM and pick them up directly from their auction or facility.
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I just want you to know, I’m very sorry for your loss. I don’t think you could have done anything differently. There’s no way you could have known.
I would probably wait to ensure your property is free of the disease before purchasing or rescuing another animal…but this should not discourage you from doing so. This was a heartbreaking and tragic accident- a relatively rare event.
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I’m so sorry. That’s just horrible luck. I’m glad you were able to figure out what it was though so you’re not left terrified trying to figure out what happened and hoping it doesn’t get worse.
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We’re waiting at least a year. I would love to rescue another BLM burro, but I need to know exactly where the animal has been and ensure there was no mixing of different groups of horses and burros. The BLM is much more careful than contractors. Never, never adopt from a contractor holding pen!
My poor mare has to test negative before she’s allowed back on our barn. Her test is next month.
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I’m so sorry you lost both your burros, but am glad that your mare is better and that you found out what the cause was. Poor Bitsey, having to quarantine!
Many hugs to you and Bitsey. Give her a (safe) treat from me.
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this is a good overview on Salmonella. Bacterial sepsis is fast and deadly. It is a sneaky pathogen as horses can shed without symptoms. When I did my internship at vet school, Salmonella control in the horse barn was monumental
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UPDATE: My sweet Bitsey is out of quarantine in the round pen! They retested her manure and she is clear. She is back in the barn… The barn is incredibly clean, for now. I rode yesterday and it was lovely. While she was locked up, I cut a new trail in the woods. It was great to finally show it to her.
I heard rumors about other animals being sick, but the contractor denied everything and went on with her horse show. I don’t do Facebook, but word got back to me. I’m not done raising a stink. This needs to never happen again to anyone else. I’m still heartbroken and sad for my family. Those were our pets. We trusted that they were healthy when we picked them up. We see donkeys everywhere this time of year and it makes us sad. This the first time in many years that we haven’t had a donkey on our farm. We won’t even look for another one until spring or summer.
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Thank you for the update on Bitsey. I don’t blame you for seeking justice! It’s not easy, losing two beloved animals at one time. I wish you luck and hope you can find a solution that gives you some much needed peace of mind. HUGS
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So glad Bitsey is safely home! I hope you can find some resolution for your poor donkeys. Good luck! Please post if you can.
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For anyone wondering how to safely adopt a wild horse or burro in Florida, the best place I know of is the Wild Horse Rescue Center. They work with the horses they rescue and they are in various stages of training. I think she has international students working with the horses, so a variety of disciplines are available.
Other than that, an actual BLM Auction is safe because they have to follow procedures. Although I don’t see one scheduled this year for this area. With any luck, the excessive removals will slow down with a change in administration. For the first time ever, a Native American will be running the Department of the Interior.
