[Tommy's Girl]

We don't know what he's got, but he's on IV antibiotic - the banamine knocked his temp down to 99.6, but before the vet left it was back up to 104.5. I have to wait until 6:30 to give him more.

He's my new guy, and I am worried!

[Highflyer]

FWIW, I've only ever seen temps that high with a tick-borne infection, and all of the ones I've seen have made a full recovery pretty quickly when treated w/ tetracycline and banamine. Hopefully yours will do the same!

[showidaho]

FWIW, I've only ever seen temps that high with a tick-borne infection, and all of the ones I've seen have made a full recovery pretty quickly when treated w/ tetracycline and banamine. Hopefully yours will do the same!

Yes, tick diseases would cause a really high fever like that (I speak from experience) and this is the time of year they are out for their last feast. Doxy might be your friend. Obviously, you are working with a vet - what does he/she say? Have you voiced your concern?

[Tommy's Girl]

He had his first go of Doxy today, and will have two more. My vet also suspects tick infection of some sort - she pulled blood samples in the event this doesn't knock it back.

Is there any after effect of tick diseases? Where I grew up, in Kenya, tick diseases could have long lasting cardiac effects...

[Robin@DHH]

Other possibility would be pneumonia which can also cause
high temperatures. Usual there would be penicillin.

[EqTrainer]

Any other symptoms at all?

[Freebird!]

We don't know what he's got, but he's on IV antibiotic - the banamine knocked his temp down to 99.6, but before the vet left it was back up to 104.5. I have to wait until 6:30 to give him more.

He's my new guy, and I am worried!

New guy, as in just shipped in from another barn? I ask, because when my horse and I went up to Ct for a year, several of the horses got sick - I guess mine was a carrier? The only symptoms they showed was high fever, lethargy and lack of appetite All got Banimine, Antibiotics, stall rest, and we made sure that they were drinking enough fluids - if the weren't, we syringed water/gatoraid orally. All removed just fine, after a few days to a week.

[Chall]

Did the vet do a blood draw to test for all those things we vaccinate for?
That would seem to be a smart thing to do if he hasn't.

[SAcres]

It sounds like a tick-borne infection to me. The only time I've seen a fever that high is with a TB mare at my barn. She got better with doxy.

Jingles for your boy!!

[Tommy's Girl]

Thanks everyone. The vet did draw blood to get it checked if he doesn't respond in the next 12 hours to the doxy. No other symptoms besides half-cast eyes, lethargy and off his feed. He did have a nasty abscess under his jaw two weeks ago, but that tested negative for strangles (he didn't run a fever then, either). Other than that, he's had off-and-on snotty nose since he arrived, but nothing copious or alarming, and no cough.

Temps have been: 6:30PM - 103.5 (gave 1000lb dose banamine) and 11:00PM - 99.7 I will recheck him at 2:30PM when I will give him a 500lb dose of banamine if his temp is above 102.5


I bought him at the end of August. He's a 7 yr. old Australian bred OTTB imported from Hong Kong in the middle of June, where they don't have Eq flu or strangles - I re-vaccinated him when I bought him, as the dealer I got him from didn't booster the vaccine they gave him and according to the vet, that negated some of the efficacy of his first vaccine (the 5X). The dealer has about 500 horses or more on his property, so he would have been exposed to a host of US horse bugs.

Other than that? I've been getting weight on him as he was about 150lbs under weight. He has been in good spirits, a sweet horse to handle, sound, curious and willing.

[Chall]

500 horses on his property? Wow that's a big chunk of land. I only imagine that setup in the west on some humungous ranch, but on the east coast, wow.

[2boys]

A horse at our barn spiked a temp last week, reaching 106 at points. They think he has erlichia (tick borne), and he went on doxy. He improved a ton as soon as he went on the doxy. He also only went off feed and became lethargic.

[Tommy's Girl]

He has 2000 acres, and he does actually call it a ranch. They have a large western rodeo set-up etc.

[Tommy's Girl]

2Boys, do you recall how long it took the Doxy to knock back the fever? I just temped him, and he's 103.8. I gave him a 500lb dose of banamine, but he has only gone through half of his bucket of water for the whole night, and the vet mentioned concern of banamine's impact on the kidneys. I'm hoping the Doxy starts working soon!

[Outfxed]

My QH had Erlichia this past June. Came home to a very lethargic, depressed, non eating horse. Temped him at 105.6. He was acting, eating normally in the morning when I did barn chores.

Called the vet, but I also gave him 10ccs of Banamine IV while I was waiting for the return call. Vet was in the area & came out, gave him 25ccs of Oxytet IV after a preliminary exam with instructions to check temp again in AM. His temp was down to 103 by morning, still not acting normal. Vet said give another 10ccs Banamine, then came out gave another 25ccs of Oxytet. By evening temp was down to 101. Vet administered another 25 of Oxytet. By AM he was completely normal in temp and attitude. Has been fine since with no side effects.

Same horse was also treated 2 yrs. ago for Lyme with both Doxy and IV Oxytet. Titered negative this past spring with the Cornell multiplex draw.

[trubandloki]

I dealt with 105.8deg temp last spring. Never determined what caused it though blood samples were taken and sent out. Tick was the assumption.
I do not remember what antibiotic my mare was on but it was given IV by the vet. Temp dropped quite a bit after the first dose and by the third day was back to normal.

Jingles for your boy!

[ActNatural]

Because of the fact that they dont have strangles in Hong Kong, followed by the nasty abscess, im wondering if he was exposed to strangles at the ranch and Id suggest asking your vet if it could be purpura hemorrhagica....Im not up-to-date on my info anymore and am wondering the blood test that showed negatvie for srtangles rules purpura out. But worth asking.

I leased a OTTB once. Brought him to his new barn where an unknown strangles carrier had arrived just the week before. Whole barn came down with strangles except my TB; We thought I was so lucky and that he had been exposed on the track and was immune or was able to fight it off better. Well, about 4 days later, purpura hemorrhagica set in. I was NOT the lucky on. Poor boy. Nasty stuff. Catch it early.

[GaMare]

Tommy's Girl- Has he had any interest at all in treats if offered? Below are a bunch of things I've tried to get my mare to drink more. All have worked at some point but since she's a mare, I've got to keep changing it up. If you can't bribe him into drinking more & better hydrated, I'd be pretty assertive about having the vet come back to run IV fluids.

1. Warm up the water either with a bucket heater or just add some hot water.
2. Flavor it with any of these: 5-6 peppermint candies, apple juice, Gatorade (orange is my mare's fave), root beer, molasses.

jingles

[Tommy's Girl]

Thanks again, everyone.

His temp this evening after two doses of Doxy and once the banamine was past 8 hours climbed again to 103.7. The doctor said it might take more than three doses of Doxy to combat this. He does think it is tick related, and is anticipating the symptoms will be gone for the most part in 5 or so days.

As this practice has seen him since his arrival, complications from strangles has always been part of the discussion, but the vet doesn't see anything right now that would point to anything other than tick diseases.

Thanks for the suggestions for flavoring the water - he is drinking more, but I may throw some gatorade in there if I see him slow down again.

The vet recommended probiotics, and has given him some ulcer guard just in case (with the flights, changes of homes & diet, etc.) - he's started yawning and eating the sides of the stall. Also gave him a B12 shot.

Will update tomorrow if there are any major developments! I appreciate all the jingles!

[FineAlready]

I actually think this sounds a lot like strangles. Was he swabbed?