Horse Conditions & Diseases

Tick-Borne Conditions

• Ticks transmit diseases to humans through a bite, and they can affect a horse in the same manner. Lyme disease is a common horse disease that occurs when a tick infected with bacteria bites a horse and the organisms gain access to the horse's body through saliva left on the horse's skin. Lyme disease comes with such problems as arthritis and pain in the joints, but most horses can recover once they are put on the proper antibiotics. A disease also transmitted from the bite of as tick is equne ehrlichiosis. The symptoms include a distinct lack of appetite and a fever. Again, antibiotics can usually cure the animal. Colorado tick fever is precipitated by a virus that ticks transmit through their bites; it is a dangerous viral infection that can greatly weaken a horse.

Strangles

• One of the most common diseases seen in young horses is called strangles. It affects the upper respiratory system of the horse and results from a bacterial infection. The signs of strangles include fever and a discharge that in the initial stages is watery and then turns thicker. Lack of appetite is often seen with strangles, which is extremely contagious. The condition gets its name from the fact that the horse's lymph glands will swell up under the lower jaw and make breathing difficult. Antibiotics are used in severe cases, but many horses recover on their own.

Mosquito-Borne Diseases

• Mosquito bites can bring about a viral ailment known as West Nile Virus in horses as well as human beings. Birds that carry the virus are bitten by mosquitoes, which in turn infect a horse when the insect bites it. This disease affects the brain and spinal cord and can cause trembling, lack of coordination, and fatigue. There is a vaccine available against West Nile Virus for horses. Mosquito bites are also responsible for three types of encephalitis in horses, which will cause a high fever and inflame the animal's brain. Eastern equine encephalitis is the most serious type of this condition, with high mortality rates accompanying it, as horses can gradually become paralyzed.

Cushing's Disease

• Horses commonly suffer from an endocrinal disease called Cushing's disease. Caused from a tumor that develops on the pituitary gland of the horse, this condition results in the horse making too much of a hormone called cortisol. This hormone regulates many of the horse's bodily functions. Symptoms of Cushing's include the horse being thirsty all the time, having a long and wavy coat, an increase in the horse's appetite, and a loss of weight, even though the horse is eating lots of food. Cushing's is mostly found in an older horse, and medications in most instances can keep the disease under control.

Botulism and Tetanus

• Horses are extremely sensitive to a disease known as botulism. It is caused by a bacterium known as clostridium botulinum, which is able to produce a powerful toxin that attacks the nervous system. Paralysis can result, killing the horse, because it is unable to breathe. Tetanus is also a concern for horse owners. Known by the name "lockjaw," tetanus is another bacterial condition, as organisms in the soil can infect an open wound or make their way from a mother to its foal through the umbilical cord. A horse with tetanus will develop stiffness in the legs, have problems breathing, and eventually be completely unable to open its mouth. Death results from respiratory failure due to paralysis.