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[RC] Diceman has African Horse Sickness - Tracey LomaxTitle: Diceman has African Horse SicknessI’ve owned horses for ten years. For all ten I’ve worried about AHS and tried everything I can to prevent it. This year was no different : inoculate correctly, use tabard to keep midges away, burn drums of crap to keep them away, make sure horses are fit and healthy. For ten years I’ve successfully avoided AHS and now it’s hit one of mine. I rode Diceman this morning and he was absolutely fine. Full of beans, enjoyed his jumping. Lovely ride. Put him into the paddock and all was well. I’ve been in and out of the paddock all day as we’ve been doing stuff to the yard, and I’ve kept an eye on him all day. At about three, I said to Roderick that he looked “funny”. Roderick told me that he looked fine : he’s fat, shiny, was grazing happily with Harry. He even commented on the dapples on his neck….at 4 pm we brought them into the stables and I fed them all. Diceman cleaned up his supper as usual. At 4.30 I went in to pick out feet. As I put my hand on Dice’s rump I felt his temperature and he was HOT. I hadn’t noticed earlier as he put himself away. I got out my thermometer - 39.9C and climbing (I didn’t wait for the alarm to go off as 39 is high enough for me to call the vet!!) I immediately checked colour and he looked slightly jaundices so first thought was biliary. Phoned the vet who suggested I come in and collect some Foray. I asked Rod to go and I got Albert to hose Dice while I gave Jaime her bath. Half an hour later I went to check on him and his head was swelling up. He was still eating his hay but I phoned Rod and told him to get the vet to come out as it was AHS. Vet came out and confirmed it. He says that there is fluid round the lungs, but that there’s no reflux so it’s not critical. We’ve given him Vit B12 and BCo, antibiotic to avoid secondary infection in the lungs, cortisone for inflammation. Now I have to watch him as the next 24 hours are critical. Vet won’t give a prognosis yet, which depresses me as I really want him to tell me “of course your horse will be fine” but we’re hoping that we’ve caught it early and as it’s the dikkop and not the dunkop variety, his chances are better. I’m gonna be up ALL night, so if anyone’s lonely, drop me a line. I’ll be on-line off and on between checking on Dice. And please, if you can, say a prayer for Diceman. And for me, if you want, as I feel as if someone has poured ice down my back.
Regards, Tracey
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