Rhinopneumonia of horses is a dangerous contagious disease, accompanied by pronounced symptoms and which can lead to very serious consequences. If timely treatment is not started, then mares may experience a miscarriage, and in the later stages, in the vast majority of cases, a respiratory infection can be fatal. To prevent this, each breeder should have an idea of the main clinical manifestations of sexual exanthema and existing treatment methods.
A bit of history
There are a huge number of diseases from which artiodactyl animals suffer. Rhinopneumonia of horses is one of the most dangerous. For the first time in veterinary practice, pathology became known at the beginning of the 20th century in the USA. Then, many heads died from sexual exanthema, which caused great alertness among specialists. After several decades, an epidemic outbreak was recorded in Germany, and then in Austria. The cause for concern was the massive incidence of miscarriage in mares. In the middle of the 20th century, a viral disease was rampant all over the world, including in Russia.
The origin of the disease was able to establish and describe the American veterinarians Dimok and Edwards. They are considered to be its discoverers and authors of the first works. Subsequently, the study of the virus and the development of methods to combat it were carried out by many scientists around the world. Work does not stop today, because rhinotracheitis can dramatically reduce the number of animals and cause enormous economic damage not only to individual enterprises, but also to entire countries.
general information
The main danger of sexual exanthema is that representatives of absolutely all breeds and age categories are affected by the disease. At an increased risk group are young individuals. As for other species of cloven-hoofed animals, to date there has not been a single recorded case that cows, sheep or other domestic animals fell ill with this disease.
Infection occurs by airborne droplets, as well as through contaminated feed, water and care items. If the carrier of the infection is not quarantined in time, the virus will spread quite quickly throughout the livestock. Aborted fruits must be burned because insects and carnivores can carry the pathogen in the upper layers of the soil.
Etiology of the disease
Let's dwell on this in more detail. The causative agent of equine rhinopneumonia is herpevirus, which has its own DNA molecule. Once in the blood, the virus spreads throughout the body, affecting the soft tissues and internal organs. Pregnant mares also infect the fetus through the placental barrier. As a result, growth and development ceases, and eventually a miscarriage occurs. Young stallions most often die from the pathogen, since they still have poorly developed nervous and reticuloendothelial systems, so antibodies to herpevirus are not produced, which creates ideal conditions for the life and reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms.
As mentioned earlier, the virus infects soft tissues and internal organs, and also destroys the walls of blood vessels, which, in turn, entails internal bleeding and swelling. In addition, he highlights the waste products that cause intoxication of the body. Many horse breeders are interested in the question of how many years a horse has lived with this disease. It is rather difficult to answer it unequivocally, since everything here depends on many factors. If the pathology proceeds in a chronic form, then it develops slowly. But in the acute course, the central nervous system is damaged and soft tissue necrosis of such vital organs as the brain, liver, lungs and spleen occurs. In addition, concomitant infectious diseases may develop along the way, which only exacerbates the condition of a sick animal and complicates treatment.
Classification
Veterinarians identify several forms of equine rhinopneumonia. Each of them has its own characteristics and clinical manifestations, so you need to consider them in more detail. The general classification is as follows:
- Respiratory form - it is characterized by a very high body temperature in animals, a complete rejection of food, a strong cough and other pronounced symptoms.
- Abortive form - a mare has a spontaneous abortion. Clinical manifestations can be either intense or completely absent.
- Genital form - horses behave as usual, and the only sign of a herpes virus infection is characteristic vesicles in the genital area.
- Nervous form - is extremely rare, but is one of the most severe. In 99% of cases, animals cannot be cured, and they die.
Depending on the type of rhinopneumonia, treatment is selected, therefore, sick animals must be examined by a qualified specialist.
Clinical manifestations
So what do you need to know about this? As previously noted, herpesvirus infection is intense and pronounced. In this case, the symptomatology depends on the form in which the disease occurs. The first symptoms of equine rhinopneumonia become apparent approximately 10 days after infection. If the animal is ill for the first time and does not develop immunity to the virus, then the disease is acute and intense. In the absence of timely treatment, it acquires a chronic form. Among the main clinical manifestations, the following can be distinguished:
- fever;
- KVPD;
- inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyes;
- fever;
- lack of appetite;
- cough;
- discharge from the nose;
- depressed state;
- hyperemia of the oral cavity.
As the disease progresses, the following symptoms appear:
- laryngeal edema;
- follicular inflammation;
- enlargement of the cervical lymph nodes;
- purulent discharge from the nose;
- heart rhythm failure;
- vesicular rashes in the genital area.
With the development of the third form of equine rhinopneumonia, muscle weakness can be observed, as well as limb paralysis. This is due to necrotic damage to the peripheral nerves.
Basic diagnostic methods
With 100 percent accuracy, only a qualified veterinarian can confirm or deny the fact that a sick animal has rhinotrachitis on the basis of a full examination and analysis results. Today, there are many methods for diagnosing equine rhinopneumonia. The most accurate and informative are the following:
- blood analysis;
- histological examination;
- analysis of epizootological data;
- postmortem autopsy of the aborted fetus;
- laboratory study of mucous secretions;
- differential diagnostics;
- serological tests;
- virological research;
- histological examination.
If a viral abortion is confirmed, then infected animals are immediately isolated from the rest of the livestock to prevent further spread of the virus. After that, the veterinarian selects the most effective treatment program based on the clinical picture and the animal’s health status.
The main methods of treatment
To combat contagious disease, a horse rhinopneumonia vaccine called Novarsenol is used.
In addition, an antibiotic course is additionally prescribed (in order to avoid the attachment of a bacterial infection). The most common medication is Amoxisan.
Immunization
Ill animals develop immunity to the herpetic virus, but over time it weakens. Therefore, in order to reduce the likelihood of relapse and re-illness, it is necessary to maintain the immunity of animals. Vaccinations are periodically recommended. Rhinopneumonia of horses is quite a serious ailment, which must be combated when the first symptoms are manifested. Today, one of the best for animals is a vaccine that is produced from cultured attenuated strains of the virus. It is pricked to animals twice with an interval of six months. Young animals are immunized in the third month of life, after which the procedure is repeated when the animals are 6 months old.
Fur mares need vaccination at an earlier age, as they are significantly more sensitive to conditions and more susceptible to various diseases than other individuals. Veterinarians recommend using French vaccine Pnevmekvin or the Dutch drug Equilis for immunization.
In our country, hyperimmune serum is more common. It is used not only for the purpose of prevention, but also for the treatment of sexual exanthema in the early stages of the course.
Preventive actions
The development of any disease of horses can be prevented by providing them with exceptionally high-quality nutrition, proper conditions of detention and good care. In the case of sexual abortion, it is very important to prevent the further spread of the virus, which is highly survivable. Experts recommend following the treatment of sick animals to carry out the following activities:
- place the mare who had a miscarriage in a separate room;
- closely monitor the condition of the rest of the livestock;
- aborted fruits are burned, and all horse care equipment is disinfected;
- animals receive preventive vaccination;
- premises, equipment and equipment are treated with special solutions.
In addition, it is forbidden to export horses from the territory and transfer sperm to other farms, as this can lead to the spread of the virus to other farms and contribute to the development of the epidemic.
A few words about the slaughter of animals
If the farm breeds horses in order to obtain meat, then when rhinopneumonia is detected on it, it is forbidden to sell or eat products for human consumption. However, it can be used for the following purposes:
- meat is allowed to be fed to other animals, since only horses can get the herpes virus;
- bones and internal organs are burned;
- the skin can be used after a 12-hour disinfection in a solution of lime milk of a weak consistency.
It is also recommended that you call a veterinarian to examine the animals and complete all necessary laboratory tests. This will make sure that the rest of the horses are completely healthy.
Life span of sick horses
Despite the seriousness of the disease, it does not always lead to death. How many years does a horse with rhinopneumonia live? If it proceeds in a chronic form, then there will be no particular health problems, however, it is impossible to keep a sick animal in the general pen, since it will be a carrier of the virus.
In acute course, the horse can be cured if therapy is started in a timely manner. But with the acute stage of the pathology, things are not so rosy. With necrosis of the soft tissues of the internal organs of the stallions, it is not possible to save the stallions, and they die in severe torment in just a few weeks. Therefore, to alleviate the suffering of animals, it is recommended to euthanize them.
Possible complications
If a stallion or a mare is ill with sexual exanthema, then almost never any complications are observed. Animals return to their usual way of life, and they also retain reproductive ability. Therefore, horse breeders should not have any cause for concern. However, care should not be taken to such a problem. In the advanced form, the disease is difficult to treat and can be fatal.
Conclusion
Rhinopneumonia is not a sentence for horses. If you quarantine sick animals in time and start therapy, they can be completely cured without any consequences. Therefore, the breeder should closely monitor the health status of his wards and, if the first symptoms occur, immediately call the veterinarian.