Mark Russell, assistant professor, Extension equine specialist at the University of Arkansas says the horse disease pigeon fever seems to be found in those areas of country where it’s hot and dry or experiencing a drought. While no vaccines are available, the equine specialist says the disease in often not fatal, but it can be.
Audio: Mark Russell, Extension equine specilist, Univ. of Arkansas (3:00 MP3)
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We’ve had horses for about 40 years, and this past year when the drought and high temps were so bad in Oklahoma and Texas, we knew of three horses in separate locations that had pigeon fever (abscesses in their chest). All recovered just fine, thankfully. We were told it is a type of distemper, but it didn’t appear to be readily contagious as other horses in the area showed no symptoms at all.