The vets refusing to talk to the trainer or whoever is really just to streamline things. When you’re talking to 5 different ppl about the same thing multiple times a day it’s 1)exhausting and 2)difficult to make sure you’re relaying everything. 1 point of contact is easiest particularly in a situation like this where there has already been too much confusion.
6 Likes
Right… but it tested negative 8 times on what is widely accepted as the more reliable test.
10 Likes
This whole situation is just really weird. I absolutely understand the strict protocol on preventing glanders from coming back into the US, but something about the way this has all gone down just really bothers me. I think it’s that the horse was isolated for so long with no treatment for anything, not even the possibility of treatment (like, we can treat for this and then retest in X time), and if they are doing hardcore quarantining the horse was probably only handled by people wearing that quarantine gear. I’m sure he was super stressed out by all of it, which you know doesn’t help anyone get healthy.
I don’t think they should have just said “oh well, he tested positive on our tests that we are legally required to go by but negative on others so we should just let him go free”. But I also don’t think an apparently sick horse should go that long without treatment, or that a possibly perfectly healthy horse *I dont count a momentary fever during a period of high stress as being unhealthy) should just be euthanized without even trying to treat him.
And that this was all dragged out with the family footing the bill for it all? There has to be something illegal about that. Or at least a way for them to get something back for all of that.
Agree that the letter from the trainer was entirely too emotional. If I were the vet I probably would have just rolled my eyes at it and then ignored it.
4 Likes
Crossing fingers that he passes the test today.
1 Like
Agreed. I initially stopped reading after the fifth exclamation point out of annoyance.
Terrible situation all around, though.
1 Like
If the family has retained a lawyer, it might be wise to run things by them before sending them to the USDA or reposting correspondence authored by another party, with names, on this very widely read board. May not doing anybody any favors in possibly getting to a solution.
5 Likes
I have been following this horrible situation from the beginning. What a nightmare for all involved.
I am curious why you decided to bump the test forward a couple of days? Is he done with antibiotics?
Jingles for a miracle test result today.
From what I understand, they have given up hope and don’t want to waste even more $$ postponing the inevitable.
People mention the military thing to garner sympathy and/or special treatment. It drives me nuts.
10 Likes
So the horse isnt sick but should still get antibiotics to treat some imaginary illness to pass a test? Or is the horse actually sick in which case there is a concern the test isnt a false positive?
As an owner you assume the price of quarantine and following the requirements that go along with it. There’s a flowchart I posted above that goes over testing protocol. It’s the USDA document easily googled. Why shouldn’t the family foot the bill? Nobody is drawing anything out. You have to wait several days/week between tests.
The USDA vet could love this horse, this family, and probably feels absolutely broken up by this but he/she is not losing their job/license/reputation over it. If they release this horse without proper testing results and it infects other horses causing the US to lose its negative status hell will break loose.
14 Likes
I’m very sad for this family and this horse, but I understand why the horse is not being allowed in. Glanders in horses is typically a chronic or latent infection - they don’t necessarily show clinical signs but they are infected and can infect others. It’s easy to reintroduce the disease into a disease-free population.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0214963 I found this article quite helpful for explaining the difference in the CFT versus the Western in terms of their sensitivity (ability to correctly detect a negative result) and specificity (ability to correctly detect a positive result).
10 Likes
First off, I feel horrible for this family and for this horse that has been stuck in a quarantine stall for 8 weeks. They probably thought they were safe importing a gelding vs a mare, much less to go wrong. The money that has been sunk into this horse beyond the initial purchase and import is likely going to severely hamper this family for many years.
I’d be pretty tempted if I were the family to question whether all the requirements that the USDA put forth to move the horse to Chino are being met at Jetpets.
About the above quote - it’s definitely designed to garner additional sympathy. My cynical side sees plenty of horses being offered to the girl to ride/show if this horse does not get out of quarantine/goes back to Europe.
4 Likes
When’s the test? Holding my breath
Correct me if I’m wrong but if there is a true case of Glanders isn’t that horse’s country of origin banned from exporting until the disease is isolated and eradicated within the country? Wouldnt it be in both countries interest to prove this isn’t glanders, preferably with the horse still alive? I would try reaching out to the appropriate European representatives and equine lawyers in Europe to try to get the horse back on his own turf, where he has passed their tests and they can prove he doesn’t have it, if they are willing to do it without autopsy, which seems likely since they have more thorough animal welfare laws than the US (see correspondence with european Glanders expert a few posts above) Is the agent still willing to take the horse back? Still not convinced Europe will not grant the horse access into the country. At least, when our horse was a 1 and we were looking at possibly sending him back, he would have been allowed reentry had he not finally tested negative on the CFt here.
If the family is not still in touch with Chapman, now would be a good time to reach out to him to try to ensure the horse’s return to Europe…if its financially feasible, that is.
1 Like
Was he on antibiotics at the time his CFt was going down and his status was in question?
No antibiotics, however this horse wasn’t started on SMZ until very late and the game and the offer to return to Europe was still on the table before then, when he was a 3 on the CFT, and the USDA did not believe it was Glanders then. So why would it suddenly no longer be an option?
Maybe it’s my ignorance on the topic, but I feel like we are not getting the whole story.
7 Likes
But it still tests positive on another test, to my understanding.
I’m also not sure why they would continue to hold the horse and retest and retest over and over with the same end result.
If a horse tests positive, what is the official protocol? One and done? How many retests? Tests negative on which tests?
Yeah, didn’t want speak up directly but…nobody personally involved has been on here and that trainer letter that was posted was…weird and rambling. We can’t really do anything about this except offer sympathy to the owners and recommend the OP here, who I assume is in close, daily personal contact with tthe owners to tell them to hire a lawyer and do as directed by said lawyer.
2 Likes
I can’t imagine the USDA would act in such a manner as is being presented without a reason. I understand others have had struggles with imports but this seems even beyond that.
The whole “military family” thing made me think about it.
2 Likes
