13 Kentucky Potomac Horse Fever Cases
- Topics: Article, Potomac Horse Fever
A few cases of Potomac horse fever (PHF) occur each fall in Kentucky. This year they were detected earlier than normal. Nathan Slovis, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Ky., said the early occurrence probably was due to the dry weather in July and August.
“It’s nothing new or crazy,” said Slovis. “We usually see cases this time of year (mid-August). We did, however, see cases last month (July), which is earlier than usual.”
Neil M. Williams, DVM, PhD, of the University of Kentucky’s Lexington Disease Diagnostic Center, who did his doctoral studies on PHF, said that at the diagnostic laboratory in Central Kentucky, “We usually have a few cases of PHF each year. For the most part, the number of cases has really fallen off dramatically since the 1980s. This year there have been 13 positive PHF cases, one in June, 10 in July, and two so far in August. The fact that it is not very commonly seen, and that the signs can vary greatly from case to case, makes it a diagnostic challenge.”
Typically, the first signs of PHF are lethargy, fever, loss of appetite, and often diarrhea. About half of the sick animals were vaccinated for PHF. Slovis said, “The efficacy of the vaccine is still in question.”
Owners and managers should watch out for high fevers (104-105º Fahrenheit) of unknown origin in adult horses. “Look for lethargy and inappetence,” he added. “They don’t necessarily have diarrhea, about 50% didn’t have it with the fever.”
His advice: “If you can’t find cause (for the fever), your veterinarian might want to use tetracycline and test for PHF until you know what is causing the problems.”
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According to data from the Lucy Whittier |
6 |
Number of states with confirmed cases of Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com. Start your free account today!Already have an account?
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 Written by: Kimberly S. Brown
Kimberly S. Brown is the editor of EquiManagement/EquiManagement.com and the group publisher of the Equine Health Network at Equine Network LLC.
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