Many people breed horses. Some for the soul, and others for profit. However, these animals are very capricious in care, and are also prone to many diseases. One of these is the accidental illness of horses. This ailment has an infectious origin and with untimely diagnosis can lead to the death of the entire livestock. Therefore, every lover of artiodactyls should know how to detect pathology in order to start treatment on time.
The main causes of the disease
For a long time, scientists could not establish the nature of the origin of durin. The first assumptions were made only at the end of the XIX century. Today, veterinarians identify the following causes of an accidental horse disease:
- too frequent mating with a large number of queens;
- excessive body weight;
- poor feed quality;
- repeated flobotomy;
- lack of mobility;
- consequences of colds.
As already mentioned, a study on a random horse disease showed that it is of an infectious origin, so one sick animal is enough to make the entire stock infected. Therefore, it is very important to detect the problem in time and quarantine the carrier of pathogenic microorganisms.
Causative agent of the disease
Accidental disease in horses is a fairly common occurrence, especially if the animals are kept in inappropriate conditions. Its causative agent is pathogenic microorganisms of the trypanosomose group. Most often, individuals living in the wild are susceptible to infection, but domesticated stallions are also affected. The virus first became known at the end of the 19th century. It affects the genitourinary system, as a result of which various structures appear on the skin, and in the later stages of the disease, the motor pathways of the nervous system begin to function incorrectly, and limb paralysis develops. All this is a consequence of the inflammatory process taking place in the central nervous system.
In most cases, a random horse disease (trypanosomiasis is its second name) proceeds secretly and eventually acquires a chronic form. In the absence of treatment, the disease progresses and develops into an acute stage, accompanied by intense and pronounced symptoms. As a rule, this happens 2-3 years after infection. Throughout this time, the animal infects the other inhabitants of the stall. Foals also suffer, in which the pathogen enters the body along with breast milk. Moreover, the main problem is that in approximately 25 percent of cases, the pathology proceeds without any clinical manifestations, which greatly complicates the diagnosis.
According to the vet. Legislatively, a contingent horse disease poses a great threat, so if outbreaks of the epidemic are detected, prohibitions fall under the ban. This is especially true for thoroughbred animals, since it is they who are most often susceptible to disease.
Epizootological data
There were no outbreaks of durin epidemic in the territory of the CIS countries and the former Soviet Union. This is due to frosty winters, which the pathogen is simply not able to tolerate. However, in veterinary practice, cases of the disease were recorded when the pathogenic microorganism entered the country from abroad. Fortunately, this rarely happened, so there shouldn’t be much cause for concern.
Symptomatology
Once in the urogenital canal of the stallion, the virus begins to multiply actively, which is accompanied by a strong inflammatory process. In this case, the pathogen enters the bloodstream, along with which it spreads throughout the body. In the process of propagation, trypanosomes secrete waste products that cause severe intoxication. In this case, the nervous system suffers most of all, so the symptoms are manifested precisely from it. In most cases, durin is accompanied by the following clinical manifestations:
- rashes on the skin throughout the torso of the animal;
- "taler plaques";
- paralysis of certain parts of the body;
- chills.
Also, infected mares and stallions lose their appetite and develop various health problems, because they disrupt metabolism and change the chemical composition of the blood.
Pathology development
Accidental horse disease is progressing slowly. Skilled professionals distinguish several stages. Depending on immunity, the incubation period can last from several weeks to three months. Then the main symptoms begin to manifest, the severity of which will increase depending on the period.
They are distinguished by three:
- The period of edema. Inflammatory lesion extends to the internal organs of the genitourinary system, which is accompanied by an increase in the abdominal region. This stage lasts about a month and a half, after which the condition of the animal worsens.
- The period of skin manifestations. On the skin of mares and stallions, third-party formations resembling an allergic reaction become noticeable.
- Period of paralysis. It develops due to a prolonged lack of treatment. Horses lose their ability to move due to the failure of any parts of the body. At the same time, signs also appear on the face: lips curvature, ears sag and eyelids droop. As practice shows, if the diagnosis was not completed on time, accidental horse disease at this stage ends in death.
In the late stages of the development of the disease, animals quickly and strongly lose weight, because they partially or completely refuse to eat.
Basic diagnostic methods
It is very difficult to identify the disease in the early stages of development, since in the vast majority of cases it proceeds secretly. There are no symptoms, so the only way to identify a pathology in a timely manner is to monitor the change in animal behavior. When the first clinical manifestations begin to be noticeable, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. The following methods are used to diagnose an incidental horse disease:
- clinical researches;
- complement fixation reaction;
- microanalysis;
- scraping;
- general blood analysis;
- epizootological study.
Based on the results obtained, a qualified specialist can not only make an accurate diagnosis, but also establish the exact cause of infection, as well as select the most effective treatment program.
Serological blood test
This type of laboratory research is based on the reaction of combining enzymes with an antigen. If it is positive, then the veterinarian can make a preliminary diagnosis and prescribe further examination methods. But here it is important to take into account the fact that in completely healthy animals the reaction can also be positive, therefore, only fresh material should be submitted to the study. In this case, horses are divided into four groups:
- sick;
- suspicious of infection;
- suspected of infection;
- healthy.
They are classified on the basis of certain signs, clinical presentation and test results. To minimize the likelihood of infection of the entire livestock, experts recommend testing for an accidental disease of horses at least 6 months before the intended mating.
The main methods of therapy
After the veterinarian conducts a full examination of the animals and receives the results of all the necessary laboratory tests, he will be able to make a diagnosis with 100 percent accuracy. If it is positive, then a treatment program for an accidental horse disease is selected. As a rule, sick animals are prescribed intramuscular injection of the drug "Naganin", the dosage of which is calculated based on body weight. After completing the course, take a short break, after which the therapy is repeated. Along the way, it is recommended to walk the stallions. Physical activity can reduce pain in the limbs, make clinical manifestations less pronounced, prevent the development of stagnant processes, and also minimize the risk of paralysis. The walk should be carried out several times a day and last at least two hours.
If the treatment program is successful and the disease can be completely defeated, then this is not a reason to relax, because it can recur. To avoid this, it is necessary to show the animal to the veterinarian one year after completion of therapy and undergo a second examination. If the infection is re-detected, then chemotherapy is prescribed. Also, throughout this time, sick animals need to provide good nutrition.
Pathological changes
In animal husbandry and veterinary practice, there have been no cases when a random horse disease caused any irreversible consequences. However, autopsy of dead animals showed severe depletion of the body. This is due to a critical decrease in red blood cells in the blood, as a result of which the internal organs and soft tissues do not get the right amount of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. In addition, the following pathologies were discovered:
- degenerative changes in the heart;
- liver dysfunction;
- enlarged genital lymph nodes;
- ulcers on the epidermis and mucous membrane;
- degeneration of muscle tissue of the torso.
But if a timely examination was carried out and treatment was started, then the animal fully recovers without any complications, after which it can return to normal life.
Preventive actions
It is very difficult to cure durin, since it is very difficult to detect it in the early stages due to the absence of symptoms. However, there are some ways to reduce the likelihood of developing an accidental horse disease. The instruction is as follows:
- regularly show animals to the veterinarian before the start of each mating period;
- if a disease is detected, isolate the infected horses from the rest of the stock;
- do periodic vaccination;
- sterilize stallions unsuitable for insemination;
- individuals of different sexes older than one year should be kept separately.
These recommendations will reduce the risk of developing an infectious disease, so you should stick to them when breeding and caring for horses.
Conclusion
Durin is a serious disease that occurs in all representatives of the class of artiodactyls. Therefore, each person involved in breeding horses should take their maintenance and breeding very seriously. If you first suspect a random illness, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. If treatment is started at the first stages of the development of pathology, then it will be possible to quickly defeat it. Otherwise, there is a high probability of not only the lethal outcome of the infected stallion, but also of the entire livestock. Do not neglect the health of your wards. Your life is in their hands, so you must carefully guard it.