VETERINARIAN
ACTHA Monthly | June 2015 | 44
The Other
4 Letter Word
By Dr. Mary Beth Hamorski VMD
Mixed Animal Veterinarian/Co-Owner Califon Animal Hospital
Califon, New Jersey
That other four letter word- Tick, reeks havoc on us as horse and dog owners. Honestly, I am still trying to figure out what purpose they have in our world. All they do is spread disease and most times are so small we cannot even detect their presence. At least flies help break down organic matter!
presence. At least flies help break down organic matter!
Certain areas of the country will see more cases of tick borne illness than others, though ticks can be found throughout most of the U.S. The most common tick diseases in horses include Piroplasmosis (aka Babesiosis), Anaplasmosis and Lyme disease. Currently, Piroplasmosis is not found in the U.S. due to strict importation requirements established by the USDA. So let’s concentrate on the other two.
horses include Piroplasmosis (aka Babesiosis), Anaplasmosis and Lyme disease. Currently, Piroplasmosis is not found in the U.S. due to strict importation requirements established by the USDA. So let’s concentrate on the other two.
Prevalence of tick borne illness is based on environment, hosts and weather patterns. The issues with ticks are they feed on different hosts (i.e. rodents and deer) during their life cycle. They are capable of carrying more than one organism and some stages are so small they are almost impossible to detect.
Tick habitats vary from tall grasses to forests to burrows in the earth withstanding a
Tick habitats vary from tall grasses to forests to burrows in the earth withstanding a variety of environmental conditions. They are hardy beasts! Ticks take multiple blood meals transmitting disease through their mouth pieces from one host to the next. Some horses will react intensely to bites forming a golf ball size mass with a central hole that oozes serum. But, in most instances you will not find a tick and disease will be transmitted.
to the next. Some horses will react intensely to bites forming a golf ball size mass with a central hole that oozes serum. But, in most instances you will not find a tick and disease will be transmitted.
Unfortunately, Lyme disease is one of those infections we are still finding out more about scientifically.
disease is one of those infections we are still finding out more about scientifically. Lyme is showing up more and more, in different parts of the country, not just Lyme, CT, where it was first recognized due to migration of the hosts. Whereas, dogs usually present with low grade fevers and painful joints, most horse owners feel that their horse is not right, slightly not normal. They cannot pinpoint what is wrong, maybe stiff, not forward, slightly depressed.
A good physical exam by the vet may not uncover any gross abnormality so a complete blood count (CBC), chemistry panel (CS) and blood work for Lyme (Elisa, Western blot, Multiplex test) may be run. I prefer the Multiplex test offered by Cornell as it checks for outer surface proteins indicating whether there has been no exposure, new infection with rising titers or an old infection that has resurfaced. After interpreting the results your vet may place your horse on Doxycycline or Minocycline for 1-2 months duration. I usually add a probiotic to try and keep the good organisms in the gut. Antibiotics, if used improperly can result in fatal colitis!
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