We had three horses (out of thirty on the place) who gave indications that WNV might have visited us: (Each, as you will see, presented differenctly)
Horse 1: Dragging back feet when he walked. That was it, not other "active" pathology. We gave Banamine IV and then took him to the vet where they hooked him up with IV DMSO, Dexamethasone and Banamine for three days and he came home. We tapered him off the Banamine over the next six days. Now, three weeks later, he appears to be fully recovered.
Horse 2: Flapping lips, muzzle twitch and hypersensitivity to flies and touch. Same protocol as Horse 1, after three weeks he is doing really well, seemingly fully recovered.
Horse 3: I watched him and he seemed to always be walking (wandering) in a left hand turn...suspected WNV when he evinced hypersensitivity to touch, flies, etc. Same modalities as above and after three weeks, seemingly fully recovered.
I had found one dead crow on the property a week or so before.
We are home witht the horses usually 24/7 and usually note any changes in behavior in them. Had we NOT noticed the subtle first telltale signs, well, here in western Nebraska alot of horseowners waited too long. Our local clinic had eighty horses test positive for WNV and 34% never went home again.
Our horses became symptomatic a week before their second vaccination.
My personal belief is...do not wait to vaccinate for WNV...it was heartbreaking to see the horses who suffered and then had to be euthanized at the clinic.
Fortunately, our three made it and no others have become symptomatic.
BABIES: We have two two-month old foals on the property and our vet recommended not vaccinating them. Within a two-week period, he had changed his tune and recommended to vaccinate them.
Good luck,
Frank.
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