This Nov. 8, 2011 photograph provided by the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine shows a horse with “pigeon fever,” a bacterial infection named for the “pigeon-breasted” appearance given by large abscesses on the chest, at LSU Veterinary Hospital in Baton Rouge, La. Experts say last year’s drought has expanded the reach of the bacterial ailment. It has long been common in California, and has been reported in the past decade at least in Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, Montana, Kentucky and Oklahoma. It’s usually not fatal but can be an expensive annoyance.
Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, Rebecca McConnico, Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — Agriculture officials in Arkansas and Louisiana are warning veterinarians to watch for signs of a potentially fatal horse disease if there's another drought this year.
The disease is often called pigeon fever because basketball-sized abscesses in the chest and abdomen can give horses a pigeon-breasted look. It's also called dry-land strangles, as cases seem to spike in dry weather.
Louisiana usually has fewer than three cases per year, but the state veterinary lab confirmed 33 during last year's drought. And Louisiana State University veterinarian Rebecca S. McConnico says the number could be as high as 300, based on what veterinarians have told her.
Colorado veterinarian Brian Miller says he believes outbreaks increase when dry weather turns the ground to dust that carries disease-causing bacteria into scratches and other wounds.
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