Harrisburg, South Dakota

Excellence in Large Animal Medicine and Surgery since 1981!

A three-year-old pony stallion was presented early this spring with a history of being unsteady in the hind legs during the last two-three weeks. Vaccination history on the pony indicated that he was not vaccinated for Rabies, Sleeping Sickness, and Tetanus (EWT), or Rhino/Flu in the last six months to a year.

This pony was very weak on his hind legs ad would sway when bearing weight. Vital signs such as temperature, capillary refill, color, papillary light response and gut sounds were all normal, and he was in good body condition.

The pony was treated with anti-inflammatories and a complete blood count (CBC) and a chemistry panel were preformed. Serum was taken fro testing of EPM (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis) and Rhinopneumonitis (Equine Herpes Virus-10\). Theses samples were sent priority to the diagnostic labs in Colorado and Kentucky. The CBC and chemistry results were within normal limits.

The following day, the pony had a normal temperature, good appetite, and he appeared to show slight improvement in ataxia. We continued treating the horse with anti-inflammatories.

The pony continued to have a normal temperature and good appetite on Friday. Dr. Tornberg assessed him to be still ataxic in the hind-quarters, but was improving since his first day at the clinic.

On Saturday the pony was still ataxic in the hind-quarters. His appetite continued to be good with a normal temperature. We received our lab results and the Herpes test indicated exposure or infection. Since the vaccination history showed no vaccine given, we planned on doing a follow up paired sample three weeks form the first sample we drew in hope that the lab could differentiate exposure from infection.

The pony still showed signs of ataxia on his hind legs, but was moving around well on Sunday. He continued to be bright, alert, and responsive with a good appetite.

The owner picked up his pony on Monday, with instructions to monitor his recovery at home. We also made plans to draw another sample of blood in three weeks. Other test results showed that the West Nile Virus was negative and no antibodies against S. neurona were detected.

Three weeks later the pony was brought back to the clinic for the follow up blood work and exam. Results from the second sample sent to the reference lab confirmed diagnosis of Herpes Virus Infection.

Three weeks later the pony had showed significant improvement and should make a complete recovery. Dakota Large Animal Clinic recommended vaccinating the other horses owned by the client for Rhino/Flu every three months.

Send mail to dlacsd@midconetwork.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 02/13/08