purpura hemorrhagica
Moderators: Roguelet, hpkingjr, WaveMaster
purpura hemorrhagica
Anyone have any experience with this disease. We have a mare diagnosed with it and being treated. Not a good scenario but the vets also have limited experince with the problem.
A little info for those who were as confused as I by the Latin name...
Purpura hemorrhagica is an acute disease of the horse characterized by edema of the head and limbs, leucocytoclastic vasculitis, petechial hemorrhages in mucosae, musculature and viscera, and sometimes glomerulonephritis. It is usually associated with strangles, an upper respiratory tract disease of the horse caused by Streptococcus equi. We have detected and characterized immune complexes in the sera of horses with poststrangles purpura hemorrhagica by using PEG precipitation and Western blot analysis. The immune complexes contained IgA and S. equi-specific antigens similar to those found in acid extracts. We propose that purpura hemorrhagica is an immune complex-mediated disease.
Vaccinating a horse with a high titer can predispose the horse to Purpura hemorrhagica, a potential deadly consequence of vaccination or exposure to the Strep equi organism. The S. equi ELISA test will help you determine whether a horse has had recent infection or vaccination against Strep equi. The result can be helpful in five specific areas. It will show the need for booster vaccination against S. equi and can assist in the diagnosis of Purpura hemorrhagica, metastatic abscesses (bastard strangles) or Strep myositis.
Purpura hemorrhagica is an acute disease of the horse characterized by edema of the head and limbs, leucocytoclastic vasculitis, petechial hemorrhages in mucosae, musculature and viscera, and sometimes glomerulonephritis. It is usually associated with strangles, an upper respiratory tract disease of the horse caused by Streptococcus equi. We have detected and characterized immune complexes in the sera of horses with poststrangles purpura hemorrhagica by using PEG precipitation and Western blot analysis. The immune complexes contained IgA and S. equi-specific antigens similar to those found in acid extracts. We propose that purpura hemorrhagica is an immune complex-mediated disease.
Vaccinating a horse with a high titer can predispose the horse to Purpura hemorrhagica, a potential deadly consequence of vaccination or exposure to the Strep equi organism. The S. equi ELISA test will help you determine whether a horse has had recent infection or vaccination against Strep equi. The result can be helpful in five specific areas. It will show the need for booster vaccination against S. equi and can assist in the diagnosis of Purpura hemorrhagica, metastatic abscesses (bastard strangles) or Strep myositis.
If you can not laugh at yourself, you will not be able to take it when I laugh at you! 
Jean
I had one and she survived to have another 5 foals. The main thing is to keep them eating and the fluids up to them. We walked her every two hours to keep the swelling down as best we could. She popped out everywhere but don't worry about that. The seeping will heal. From memory our mare was treated with antibiotics and anti inflammatories. There were blotches on all her mucus membraines where the bleeding was occurring. Her whole body swelled up so bad she looked double her size. It is a very rare disease and we used our vet book to treat it along with our vet.
Her chance of survival rests in how much you can get her to eat and drink.
Exercise is also essental. We took turns at walking her every two hours as I said above.
Our mare had the scars from it until the day she died, a little like stretch marks.
I had one and she survived to have another 5 foals. The main thing is to keep them eating and the fluids up to them. We walked her every two hours to keep the swelling down as best we could. She popped out everywhere but don't worry about that. The seeping will heal. From memory our mare was treated with antibiotics and anti inflammatories. There were blotches on all her mucus membraines where the bleeding was occurring. Her whole body swelled up so bad she looked double her size. It is a very rare disease and we used our vet book to treat it along with our vet.
Her chance of survival rests in how much you can get her to eat and drink.
Exercise is also essental. We took turns at walking her every two hours as I said above.
Our mare had the scars from it until the day she died, a little like stretch marks.
Jean-
Good luck with this mare. Sounds like she is a fighter and has already started to respond to treatment. Keep us updated on her progress and what treatments work so we will all know for the future... and hopefully never have to use.
Good luck with this mare. Sounds like she is a fighter and has already started to respond to treatment. Keep us updated on her progress and what treatments work so we will all know for the future... and hopefully never have to use.
If you can not laugh at yourself, you will not be able to take it when I laugh at you!
you should have your mare on 15cc of dex twice a day by oral syringe...it works just as well as injections and doesn't put the extra stress on them..from so many injections espcially if you ar using pen the less in jecting the better as the injection spot could lead to another infection withher immune system being low...and smz twice a day with gentocin once a day...actually over the pen..even if the swelling goes down it will come back my friend spent $6500 at Oakland equine and her horse still died..after 2 weeks he looked way better was not seeping as much swelling down then the next day bam right backup..oh I also hope that you are not wrapping her legs. I could of offered advice if you would of called me.
My 24 year old thoroughbred got the perpera from strangles at our boarding barn. He survived without hospitalization when my friends horse after $6500 at a vet hospital who supposedly knew how to deal with it did not.
after a week you can start reducing the dex...until eventually after a couple of weeks she is off of it..she should be on higher doses of antibiotics during this time as Dex suppresses the immune system.
good luck and keep us all posted it is a rare and deadly infection if not treated properly...most vets have never dealt with it before.
My 24 year old thoroughbred got the perpera from strangles at our boarding barn. He survived without hospitalization when my friends horse after $6500 at a vet hospital who supposedly knew how to deal with it did not.
after a week you can start reducing the dex...until eventually after a couple of weeks she is off of it..she should be on higher doses of antibiotics during this time as Dex suppresses the immune system.
good luck and keep us all posted it is a rare and deadly infection if not treated properly...most vets have never dealt with it before.
Stccy, you are exactly right most vets have no idea what to do. The mare is doing better although she regressed one day when we cut her Dex but is back down again now. The biggest problem is we don't know how long to continue tne treatment. Her legs are almost normal and she is eating and drinking. Did your vet do some kind of test to know when to wean your horse off the meds?