Oh Mary Lou, I am so sorry. I haven’t been here in awhile and am now reading this. Thank you so much for posting to help others.
Terri
Yesterday evening I got a message from a fellow breeder in VA that this thread may have saved her filly from the same fate my colt suffered. She had a filly who had an umbilical abcess and diarrhea sent home from the clinic with metronidazole and clarithromycin meds. She put filly and mama ot with their buddies and when she checked a few hours later filly was panting like a dog and drenched with sweat. She put her in under fans and went i and looked up clarithromycin. Bingo. It is the same as Rifampin. Her filly is fine now. One save, hopefully many more saved. Please everyone spread the word. Let’s not lose any more foals to something so preventable.
That is great that this has already saved someone of the same sort of thing. This may not be a lot of comfort but you saved a life !
I kind of wish we could make this a sticky.
Gosh Mary Lou, I just can’t believe this. Thanks so much for getting this message out. So sorry.
[QUOTE=Home Again Farm;5604809]
I kind of wish we could make this a sticky.[/QUOTE]
If you pm the mods, they probably will do so
mary lou, i am so sorry to hear about your filly. the vet i work for tells all of her clients NO turnout while on meds. i am sorry your vet did not advise you of this.
we have one farm that those drugs do not work on, a very resistant strain of rhod. we have to use vancomycin, so they have cath’s in and stay in a stall as well.all 3 are very good drugs, just have to know how to be used. and trust me, rhod. is a very nasty problem here in fla. once it is in your soil, it is there forever.
I am sorry to hear about your filly.
Unfortuately, I think this is going to be a banner year for Rhodcoccus in Florida. It has been so hot and dry here this year and from what I understand – good conditions for Rhodoccoccus. 
I had a TB colt with Rhodococcus in 2005 (he got it in KY where he was foaled out) and we diagnosed it the week after he was shipped back to us in FL. Fortuately my vet alerted us about the sun/heat precautions. We hosed him off several times daily and gave him alcohol/water “baths” to keep him cool. We kept several fans going in the stall. He recovered nicely and went on to be a multiple winner on the racetrack.
SFstable, I agree that this is likely to be a terrible year for rhodococcus. So, I am bumping this up again.
[QUOTE=Home Again Farm;5606016]
SFstable, I agree that this is likely to be a terrible year for rhodococcus. So, I am bumping this up again.[/QUOTE]
Agreed. The year the filly here got it, a scary number of other foals around here got it. Mary Lou, I think you are very near me. I’m almost glad that I don’t have any babies due this year. The conditions are just right for the bacteria.
I, too, think that this warning ought to be made a sticky!
Maybe you could make it part of the Breeding FAQs sticky – with the title of the post in bold – “WARNING!!”
Luckily, we don’t have rhodo in my area, but it seems the antibiotic is used for other conditions, so nice to have a heads up on that. Again, thanks!
Very good idea. I put it on the breeding FAQs sticky. Thanks.
Mary lou…don’t you dare give up! You are very good at what you do! Many years ago we had a horse come in to the farm that had the new “Rhino virus” . (Since then we have a new Rhino vaccine.) All the mares had had their three series of shots. We lost foal after foal…pre term and full term. Dead.
I was toast!. We had a foal pool going that year…the barn waging $$ on gender and date. So sad. It was a really bad year! Lost 90% of the foal crop,
I am still going…you can too!
I am soo sorry. You must be extra sick knowing it could possibly have been prevented if only you had been told the proper protocol!
I used Rifampin many years ago, but no one told me of this either. LUCKILY for me I kept the foal and his dam in my FEED ROOM…with 2 airconditioners (added a second window unit - stripped it and put stall mats in it) for six weeks (with only night turnout) because it was one of those summers with 100+ weather. My husband thought I was being silly at the time, but now I realize my micromanaging may have saved this fantastic now ten year old’s life!
I post this incase anyone reading it has to deal with Rhodococcus Equi and treat with Rifampin.
Thank you for sharing this warning with us…Mary Lou!
Up here our vet gives Azithromycin to foals. My vet did not tell me of the side effects but a fellow breeder did. Link here and it lists keeping the kids out of the sun. http://equimed.com/drugs-and-medications/reference/macrolide-antibiotics
Again so very, very sorry for you loss…
After reading this my impression is to keep foals on any antibiotic in a cool stall/night turnout until they’re not taking it any longer.
I realize my micromanaging may have saved this fantastic now ten year old’s life!
There’s nothing wrong with micromanaging. lol Won’t hurt them if you do, will probably help if they did need to be micromanaged.
No, I don’t believe this is true. Depends on the antibiotic.
I’ve had foals on sulfa drugs & Uniprim and never took any special precautions.
Always ASK your vet, and if you’re not sure, you can go to a board like this or call your closest vet school.
I have a friend who lives in PA and she is ALWAYS calling the vet school at UC Davis…says they are always helpful.
If nobody said anything about mixing heat into the equation you sure don’t want to turn them out until you find out first. I had no idea heat would matter for any medication. Sunlight yes, but heat no.
After reading this thread yesterday, I had to go visit an older aunt in Alabama and took lots of magazines to read. I read the latest “the horse” AAEP wrapup which had a big article on Rhodococcus (printed largely for vets). It didn’t mention any of the side effects talked about on this thread! It did talk about medicine protocol and the use of Rifampin with the other antibiotic combinations…
That is very unfortunate. Perhaps someone should write a letter to the editor and ask them to be sure this issue is exposed well!!!
I got a call from a close friend who is a foaling attendant at a couple of TB farms in KY. She pulled out a bottle of one of the drugs mentioned above and right on the bottle it has a huge red warning label describing all of the side effects. Do the vets who prescribe these drugs not understand what it is they are prescribing? If a MD did this and the result was an adverse outcome a lawsuit would of been quick to happen.
I’m so incredibly sorry for your loss. It’s just tragic.
