The Story of BB Buttons and Rhodococcus equi-pneumonia!

BB was born on May 13th, 2007; she was healthy except for some dwarfism traits.
She was down on her leg, which straightened out in a few days.
She had an under bite, dome head and short neck.

July 7th- I notice she was breathing with a little labor, no Temp.
And was acting fine and eating fine. But it was extremely hot out.

July 11th- She was almost panting and had Temp of 102.2.
Called vet. Put her on Amikacin Sulfate 125mg. and Naxel 4Gm. 2 times a day.

July 16th- No improvement did full blood work and started Dexamethasone to help breathing.
Blood work was really bad, even thing that should have not been were out of wack.

July 17th- took to hospital to x-ray lungs. That showed Pneumonia.

July 20th we switched to Clarithromycin Past.

July 26th- More blood work. No changes

July 30th- more blood work.
No changes Vet consulted with vet at Virginia Tech
possible abcess in the lungs or liver.
(That is were the Rhodococcus come in) Did a liver function and that was good so
they figured it was in the lungs. Changed her to chloramphenicol as her antibiotic.

Aug 7th- did blood work again. It showed that things were getting normal.
Continued Chloramphenicol.

Aug19th did blood work again and bad news it went bad again.
Started on Rifampin with the chlorramphenicol. As directed by the internal medicine vet at Virginia Tech.
He says that the rifampin helps the chloremphenicol absorb into the tissues and bones better.
Also made Appointment to go to Virginia Tech to see internal Med. Vet.

Aug 30-Virginia Tech X-rays show that there was a possible abscess and
the blood work showed that the 2 anti biotics together were working.

You can imagine how attached we were of this little girl.
And the more she grows the more normal she looks, except for her under bite,
and short neck, and she is only 22inches tall.

Sept4th-blood work shows that she is getting better.

Sept18th-blood work shows some more improvement

Oct 02- Blood work is finally normal. Yah!


Oct 15- x-rays and blood are normal. We finished antibiotics for a couple of day.

Here we are at Nov. 19 all is well and I say that with my fingers crossed because
if I lost little BB Bottons now it would be devastating!

One other thing I would like to mention is the cost was a lot I quit counting at $3000.00.
So before you start to get involved with treating a horse that is this ill know what to expect.
And if my husband did not love the horses the way I do I would have been fighting him the whole way!
And also BB fallows him around like a dog. Her and her buddies
Trinket and Bunny have the run of the whole place except the stallions pen and the big horse pen.


Also Rhodococcus is bacteria in the soil and some horse carry it in their intestines,
and when a curious foal eats moms manure or the soil, this is how they get it.
I think the vet told me it is so bad in some farms in Kentucky that they vaccinate all foals born.

 

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