Nursing chronic grass sickness horses
| Nursing chronic grass sickness horses
‘Management of Chronic Grass Sickness Horses' was commissioned by World Horse Welfare and written by equine veterinary experts at the Dick Vet. It provides a wealth of advice and guidance on the diagnosis, treatment and risk factors associated with grass sickness. |  |
Clinical signs range from depression with difficulty eating and swallowing to reflux of stomach contents, weight loss and death.
The exact cause is unknown but researchers now know a lot about risk factors to be avoided and believe that that a type of toxin is involved. The disease occurs almost exclusively in horses with access to grass and kills horses of all breeds.
The Equine Hospital at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies has been at the forefront of managing grass sickness for many years. In the last 20 years, 627 horses with grass sickness have been admitted to the hospital for diagnosis and/or treatment. All of the acute and sub-acute cases were euthanised on humane grounds, because of a hopeless prognosis. However, 155 of the 252 horses with chronic grass sickness were successfully returned to their owners.
It is often said that survivors never fully recover and so are unable to perform athletic work. However, experience at the Dick Vet Equine Hospital indicates that most recovered horses can return to work as performance horses, and may even perform successfully as racehorses.
Professor Bruce McGorum, head of the hospital, said: "In the last 20 years, 61% of horses with chronic grass sickness admitted to the hospital have been nursed to recovery and the majority of these have even returned to work. Sadly, horses with the acute and sub-acute forms of the disease do not recover but the research continues."
For over 10 years World Horse Welfare has contributed towards the costs of employing a nurse at the Dick Vet Hospital dedicated to caring for the management and intensive nursing of these cases. The nurses provide ready advice to owners and veterinarians and they have developed a nursing protocol, which has greatly improved the survival rate.
World Horse Welfare Chief Executive, Roly Owers comments: "The World Horse Welfare nursing programme has provided unparalleled care for horses suffering from chronic grass sickness as well as considerable support to their distressed owners. In addition, the nurses help anxious owners anywhere who are caring for their horses themselves. We are delighted to have worked so closely with the Equine Grass Sickness Fund and the pioneering and dedicated team at the Dick Vet Hospital to produce this invaluable e-booklet that will be indispensable to anyone who is faced with the challenges of this appalling disease."
Professor Elaine Watson, head of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, said: "Great Britain has the highest incidence of grass sickness in the world, although the exact cause of the disease is still unknown. The e-booklet produced by World Horse Welfare and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies provides a thorough guide to those treating horses with the disease, to ensure the best possible recovery rates."
The e-booklet is available free online from World Horse Welfare's new websitehttp://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/
Reproduced with kind permission of Mark Andrews BVM&S CertEP MRCVS
© Copyright Mark Andrews - Equine Science Update 2009
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Added on: 14/03/09.
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