6 Diseases you can Catch from your Horse

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Written by: Nicole Kitchener

Find out which gross and potentially fatal diseases you can get from your horse, and how to avoid them.

There are indeed some diseases that can be transmitted from horses to humans. Diseases that are communicable between animals and humans are called zoonotic. Luckily, most of those we can catch from horses are avoidable with good sanitation and biosecurity, although some can be quite dangerous.

ZOONOTIC DISEASES

People who work with or spend time around horses should be aware of the zoonotic diseases that exist and be ready to deal with them if necessary.

Leptospirosis

What is it?

A bacterial infection linked to abortion in pregnant mares and the chronic eye condition equine recurrent uveitis (ERU or moon blindness). The spiral-shaped bacteria, Leptospira, are highly capable of movement, allowing them to spread through the bloodstream and affect various organs.

Symptoms

Mild illness: fever, lethargy, loss of appetite
Rarely kidney and/or liver failure
Respiratory distress
Mid- to late-term abortion
Birth of weak foals
Eye swelling, light sensitivity, excessive tearing, discharge, cloudiness, redness, muscle spasms, blindness...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/magazine_articles/6-diseases-you-can-catch-from-your-horse/?utm_source=Enews+Jan+9%2C+2017&utm_campaign=EnewsJan92017&utm_medium=email