Information About Swamp Fever In Horses

Horses are beautiful animals that many people love

, and love to own. When you make the decision to own a horse you need to be prepared to provide the animal with all of the care it needs. Horses can be an expensive animal to care for, especially their health care. This article is going to discuss swamp fever in horses. We will discuss what causes swamp fever, the signs of the disease and what treatment options you will have.

Basic Information about Marsh Fever

Swamp fever in horses is also known as equine infectious anemia, or EIA. The disease is caused by a retrovirus called lentivirus, and is the same type of virus that causes HIV in people and FIV in felines. This fever not only affects horses, it can affect all members of the equine family including mules and donkeys. The virus that causes marsh fever is spread through bodily fluids. It can be spread through blood, saliva, feces, and urine. One of the most common methods that the fever is spread is through the bite of biting flies such as the horsefly. It is not transmitted by the bites of other insects such as midges or mosquitoes. Swamp fever can also be transmitted from horse to horse through mating, and a mare can transmit the virus to her colt during birth.

Symptoms of Swamp Fever

Swamp fever is a disease that has symptoms that are very similar to other diseases. This can make the disease hard to diagnose without the proper tests. The symptoms are:

Fever

Depression

Anemia

Lethargy

another of the things that can make swamp fever hard to diagnose is that it can take anywhere from a few days to a few months for the virus to incubate. This means you could have several sick horses, but only one may be showing signs of marsh fever. If you have one horse with marsh fever you should have all of your horses checked for the disease. Another problem is that the animal that is carrying the disease may not show any of the symptoms of infection. As if this were not enough, once infected, a horse will be a highly infectious carry for the rest of their lives.

Testing for Swamp Fever

The tests that are done to diagnose marsh fever are blood and serology tests known as the coggins test. These tests look for antibodies that the animal's immune system creates when it is fighting the virus. The antibodies will not show up until the horse has been infected for a minimum of seven days. If you think that a horse has marsh fever it should be quarantined immediately. If you think other horses have been in contact with the infected horse they should be quarantined as well.

Treatment for Swamp Fever

Unfortunately the only treatment for marsh fever is euthanasia. There is work being done to find a vaccine for swamp fever. There has been a vaccine created by the Chinese, but it can only be used in China at this time.

Prevention of Swamp Fever

At this time there is no sure way to prevent marsh fever, but there are precautions that can be taken. Restrictions on transporting horses, and having imported horses tested for the virus can lessen the possibility of infection. You can also help fight marsh fever by practicing proper hygiene with your horses. This is especially true for stables where many horses are housed, on stud farms, and around racing stables where it is common practice for horses to be imported and exported.

Keeping your horse properly vaccinated and under the care of a veterinarian can also help prevent swamp fever. Also keep your horses properly wormed, fed, exercised, and healthy. A healthy horse is much less likely to become infected with marsh fever.

by: Sandy Harris

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