Rhodococcus equi

[ropenride]

Good post Carrie12. Lots of helpful info! I had never heard of this until a few years ago when I took a wet mare to a breeding farm and she ended up staying all summer! I had bred to this farm's studs before and have since with no problems, but evidently the foal that year was a bit more vulnerable. They did catch it early since all the mares were brought up and checked every day and they noticed right away that the baby was "off". It took 8 weeks of EXPENSIVE antibiotic and regular blood tests to check the white count, but when Mom and Baby came home she was healthy again. It is my understanding after much reading and talking with vets and breeders that this lives in the soil, and seems to be more prevalent in dry years. Because the breeding farm could provide better monitoring and treatment I decided to leave them there rather than bring them home and treat them myself. The vets were concerned about lung damage, but I kept this filly until she was 4, and even when worked hard she never showed any signs of damage or had trouble breathing.