Daffodils like spring weather break through the cold in many parts of the country in February. String a few warm sunny days together and many mares decide that it is time to start thinking about breeding season. These thoughts and wild temperature swings seem to contribute to bouts of colic. Many of these colics seems to be related to cramps. Yes, mares, like ladies, can be prone to abdominal cramping.

This cramping is particularly evident in young fillies that are just coming into their estrus cycles. This cramping has symptoms very similar to colic. Dropping onto the ground. Looking at their sides. Rolling over. General Distress.

At the first sign of colic, be sure to call your vet. Colic is the leading killer in horses. While many cases are mild, the ones that are serious have the best outcomes when they are treated EARLY.

Also a note about giving Banamine prior to the arrival of a vet. We don't advise it unless the vet recommends it. Banamine is a powerful pain killer. It can control severe pain which may make it more difficult for your vet to diagnosis the degree or extent of the colic.

It would be good if we could develop a pain scoring chart for horses. "On a scale of 1- 10 , with 1 being the least and 10 being the most 10, how bad do you hurt?" Colic can be excruitating!

If you haven't done your yearly inoculations, it is getting late especially for encephalitis including West Nile. The following is a message that we received from the Texas Department of Animal Health about the current state of these diseases.

"The shots are of are no value if they aren't given prior to disease exposure," said veterinarian Terry Conger, state epidemiologist for the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state's livestock health regulatory agency. "These vaccines require two doses, administered several weeks apart, and full protection doesn't develop until four to six weeks after the second dose. Realistically, then, it can take up to 10 weeks for the horse to be disease-resistant. That's why it's so important to start the round of vaccinations now."

Transmitted by mosquitoes that have fed on diseased birds, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE) causes swelling of the brain, resulting in staggering, convulsions, and fever. Although horses do not transmit the disease to humans, equids are "sentinel animals," or indicators that infected mosquitoes are in a specific area.

"Veterinarians can administer an effective 'two-way' vaccine to protect equids against EEE and WEE," said Dr. Irby, TAHC equine specialist. "Two injections, 30 days apart, are required, and the animal will need a 'booster shot' annually or biannually."

"Another form of sleeping sickness, Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE), is a foreign animal disease that originated in South America. In l971, a VEE outbreak swept northward through Mexico, threatening horses in the southern U.S. In two years, due to an all-out effort, more than 2.8 million animals in l9 states were vaccinated against VEE," Dr. Irby said.

Another mosquito-borne, encephalitic disease causing concern is West Nile Virus (WNV). Dr. Irby said WNV was unheard of in the US until l999 in New York, where seven persons died from the infection and at least 25 equids were infected.

Epidemiologists are still uncertain how or when an infected person, bird or mosquito entered the country, initiating the bird-mosquito WNV disease cycle in the US. First isolated in 1937 in the West Nile District of Uganda, the disease now has widespread distribution, including Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and West and Central Asia, As the virus has moved across the U.S., the U.S. Department of Agriculture changed WNV's designation from a "foreign animal disease," to an "emerging disease."

"Many horses infected with WNV won't appear to be ill, while, others become debilitated and too weak to rise," he said. "About 20 percent of the horses infected with WNV in 2001 either died or were euthanized because they were so ill."

"A WNV vaccine has been approved for equids, and like many other encephalitic vaccines, two injections are needed. For WNV vaccine, the injections must be three to six weeks apart. Since immunity may not develop for four to six weeks after the second dose, owners should have their animals vaccinated now, so they'll be protected by the time mosquito season begins this spring."

Dr. Irby reminded owners to reduce mosquito populations by draining stagnant water from birdbaths, flowerpots, troughs and other containers, and by keeping pools properly chlorinated. Insect repellents and insecticides should be used only according to directions, he said, and owners may want to stable their animals at night, to provide added protection.

The Texas Department of Health as well as many other state Department of Health for testing for infected mosquitoes in dead crows, bluejays and hawks. It is thought that the WNV is lethal to these species. If you find one, you may want to call your local vet so that they may submit the animal to the Department of Health for analysis.

There is new research available about vaccinating suckling. It is now recommended that foals do not receive vaccinations tillafter 5 to 6 months of age. The immune system of the young horse is not capable of responding properly to vaccinations until after that age. Our experience supports that research.

One foal came in from West Texas that had been given a strangles vaccination at 2 days of age - it died of strangles.
Another filly was vaccinated for encephalitis around 4 months of age. She died of encephalitis.

While we are on the subject of foals. Expectant mare owners need to familiar with a condition referred to as Hemolytic Icterus or Milk Fever. This is where the foal is allergic to its dam's colostrum. It can be lethal but it can also easily be managed - if you recognize it EARLY.