Equine Health: 4 H Horse Project Manual ~ Health

Here is another great PDF document I came across online: Equine Health

This document was not created by me, it can be found and downloaded online: some IMPORTANT facts it covers are diseases and illnesses found in horses, whether transmitted by bug bites, exposure to other horses or not sterilizing tack and equipment when using on multiple horses. Here is an example:

Rhinopneumonitis (Equine HerpesVirus  I and EHV IV). A less common form of  Rhino is the neurological form (EHV 3). It attacks the brain and usually the horse will eventually die. It may occur alone or with the respiratory form. A vaccine is available for rhinopneumonitis. The vaccine may be given to horses over three months of age. Pregnant mares should be vaccinated at five, seven and nine months. The initial two doses should be given four to six weeks apart. Make sure to use the right vaccine for the type of Rhino you are
trying to protect against (or a combination of 1 and 4).

Sleeping Sickness (encephalomyelitis) Sleeping sickness is a virus carried by biting insects that affects the central nervous system of the horse and man. The horse and man are the final host in the life cycle of  the sleeping sickness virus. The virus starts in birds, rodents and reptiles, then it is passed on to biting insects. The number of cases of sleeping sickness that occur each year is affected by the size of the bird and mosquito population. There are different strains of sleeping sickness. We are mainly concerned with the Eastern and Western strains in Western Canada. People often question the value of  innoculating for sleeping sickness. However, the mortality rate for Western Sleeping Sickness is 30 per cent and 80 per cent for Eastern Sleeping Sickness. Horses that do survive may have permanent brain damage, leaving them disabled. Multiple vaccines against both strains are available. They should be given several weeks before mosquitoes become a problem. Immunity is not immediate, so it is several weeks before it will be effective. Because immunity is short lasting in the first vaccination, a second vaccination (booster) is given three weeks after the first vaccination. After that, one vaccination per year is given. A horse with sleeping sickness will show some of  the following symptoms:

• persistent fever
• eyesight problems
• inability to swallow
• depression
• paralysis
• drooping lower lip