So, I started a thread about my mare’s inappetance. It now appears she may be suffering from PHF. We have her on OxyTet and Banamine. I know that the fever is bi-phasic, but the highest it has clocked is 101.4. I am trying not to freak out. She was vaccinated in March, what else should I be doing?
Edited: phasic, not physic.
Keep her eating at all costs. The sickness will eat her muscles if she has too little or no food intake. We had good luck with our horse recovering from PHF. She never quit eating, not a lot but steady food intake. She did eat the Calf Manna suggested by the Vet, who said most horses like to eat it. I had not fed Calf Manna in years, but she did clean up small servings.
We caught her VERY early with the sickness, had the Vet right out to medicate. Horse recovered well, did not lose much weight, no loss of muscle.
Best of luck with your horse recovering!
that is on the high side of a horse’s normal body temp range but not outside of the normal expectation
An adult horse at rest should have a body temperature of 99 - 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
consult with your vet
Thank you both! Vet considers anything over 101 to be low-grade fever. Good news is horse is back on her hay, has perked up, and has improved considerably. Temp was normal last night and this morning, she is no longer lethargic and anorexic (though still off her grain), and no signs of laminitis.
Vet’s coming out to recheck and give second dose of meds and re-check labs to see if the values have stabilized this morning. Fingers crossed…
Jingles
Thank you! We’ll take all the jingles you can muster!
Get icing the feet already. Usually by the time you know its Potomac its too late to stop founder. I would be icing them as much as possible starting now.
Thank you for the jingles and feedback!
An update: She was WORLDS better today when I was out to see her - bright, alert, responsive and munching hay (and grass when I hand grazed her), sneaking small bites of grain (has been totally off that since Saturday evening/Sunday), drinking plenty of water. Yesterday she was off hay entirely, off grain, and only gingerly nibbling at grass until the Banamine kicked in. She nickered at me a bunch, so that is improved too - she’s an affectionate, vocal gal and yesterday there were no nickers except one weak one for her best friend. I almost cried when she called to me.
She is definitely not 100%, but compared to how dull, listless, uncomfortable and inappetant she was yesterday - HUGELY improved.
@Jealoushe: We debated hospitalizing for cryotherapy (and other supportive therapy like fluids). Vet and literature seem to agree that it has to be continuous, 24/7 to make a difference and we can’t do that at home, obviously. If she was hospitalized, she would be in isolation pending the PCR result, which would also be stressful. Her clinical improvement also seems to bode well. So, we are holding off for now. We are, however, starting Pentoxyfilene as a precaution.
Vitals were improved… Her temps were normal, as was her heart rate. Respiratory rate still a bit elevated. Her poop was the nicest I have seen it in weeks - well formed balls. We have been dealing with diarrhea, so it was a relief on many levels that it looked good.
Unfortunately, they were unable to do CBC in house today so have to wait until the morning to get that back, but today her lactate was marginally better, but TP was slightly worse. Neutrophils were low end of reference range yesterday. We’ll wait on the CBC and how she seems tomorrow to make any other changes to treatment plan.
Continued jingles are appreciated! Many thanks!
I’m glad she’s feeling better 
Jingles!
You can fill a stall with ice water, trust me the icing of the feet is absolutely imperative.
Day 3 Update: Vet was out this afternoon for exam, OxyTet, Banamine and bloodwork. Horse is so improved that vet (an internist) said that if she didn’t know better, she would say my horse was normal on the clinical exam. We do know better, though, because the PCR came back positive for Neorickettsia risticii in both blood and feces. Houston, we have Potomac Fever.
Vet was right, despite what many wouldn’t consider a fever. I myself thought it was a mild colic. I swear that this vet is worth her weight in gold. She is heaven sent… and whip smart.
Today’s blood is back and neutropenia has resolved. I have never been so relieved in my life. (Neutropenia is correlated to endotoxemia, which along with fever is a major driver of laminitis complications. So, huge sigh of relief both have resolved.) Lactate still high, protein still low, but acceptable.
I can tell she still isn’t her usual self, but I don’t think a stranger could - aside from still being off her grain.
Given the clinical improvements and the labs, we are staying the course for now. Keeping a horse iced 24-7 at home isn’t feasible. I am hoping that her being vaccinated, us catching it early, and my vet presumptively treating will bode well for us. If anything changes, the hospital is 15 minutes away.
Continued jingles appreciated!! And thanks to those of you who have been keeping us in your thoughts!
ETA: I would not hesitate to hospitalize her for a minute if she wasn’t doing so well at home. I know icing (continuously) preemptively or immediately after any signs of laminitis show up decrease the founder risk by 10 fold, but given her labs and clinical progress, and weighing her happiness, I am currently okay with keeping her at home.
One more thing I would add is that I will do a few things differently moving forward:
Coulda, woulda, shoulda…
What a relief her blood work is showing good signs.
How would one continuously ice a horse anyways? The old fashioned way of someone holding the horse with it’s feet in a tub of ice water?
Is the issue with the night lights bc they attracts bugs that carry the disease?
FWIW I knew a horse that had Potomac Fever as a yearling and made a full recovery going on to a long career as a dressage horse.
Thanks for following along and being such a big support!! I am also immensely relieved. We aren’t out of the woods yet, but this is good news at the moment.
Continuous icing is a challenge at home. I have read that there are systems that veterinary hospitals employ to make this easier. I don’t have specifics, but I do know they have to change out the ice every 1.5 hours. Cryotherapy is very effective, but I can’t imagine how one would accomplish it at home. I have also read that a mixture of ice and water is most effective. It’s easiest to accomplish in a hospital setting and from what I have read and heard, it’s not worth icing if you can’t do it continuously for at least 48 hours.
Regarding the lights, some horses may become infected by eating the snails in pasture or grass adjacent to fresh water streams or ponds, but the snails poop out the flukes that contain the bacteria, which are then ingested by mayflies, caddisflies, dragonflies and other “aquatic insects”. Those insects are attracted to the light and then die in water troughs or buckets or get into the hay, and are eaten or drank. That can cause infection in horses up to five miles from fresh water rivers/streams/ponds. Who woulda thunk???
My horse goes out on dry lot. I did - once - hand graze in the last 2-3 weeks adjacent to a (currently dry) stream, but I think the light is more plausible.
I don’t doubt cryotherapy is ideal - but how would you accomplish this at home? Do you have a set up that works?
Oh goodness! I guess it’s always something to be scareful of!
I wonder if a hospital would use a straight stall or stock or something to try and ice that long. I would guess ice water gets a better contact bc it wouldn’t have air gaps and would stay colder longer. Based strictly on my experiences with beverages in coolers. I’m imagining a horse standing in stocks with its feet in a kiddie pool or something.
More Jingles!
I don’t doubt cryotherapy is ideal - but how would you accomplish this at home? Do you have a set up that works?
horse foundered, she stood in ice water for nearly two weeks with constant observation (hired some high schoolers to set with her… she had a large screen TV that she watched… really got to like the old Mission Impossible series as there was a lot of action.
We had Xrays of her feet from years before to compare witht hose taken afterwards, no rotation at all
My horse dances or shuffles in ties if you leave her there for longer than 10 minutes. How do you keep a horse in a muck bucket for 48 continuous hours? How do you hang hay in ties?
ETA: ignore the last question. I see you hung nets.
ETA 2: did horse have chemical assistance?
ETA 3: I love that she watched TV! Too funny.
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