b'Lyme DiseaseA master of disguise, this tick-borneMore Infections, Sequelae to Consider disease continues to burden the equine community. Clinical signs of LymeAny disease that impairs organ function has negative side effects, says Nicola Pusterla, disease (borreliosis) can be frustratinglyDVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor in equine internal medicine in the University of California, vague because the causative bacteria,Davis, Department of Veterinary Medicine and Epidemiology. This is true for pulmonary, Borrelia burgdorferi, can set up camp any- neurologic, renal (kidney), hepatic (liver), and other types of disease, he says.where in the body, including the eyes andTherefore, in addition to the conditions mentioned in this article, a slew of infectious the central nervous system, where theydiseases can cause long-term illness in horses. Consider, for example, Potomac horse fever, essentially hide from the immune system.which results in an acute enterocolitis (inflammation of the small intestine and colon), and This explains why two of the clinicalother diarrhea-causing diseases, such as Salmonella spp and Clostridium spp. Even though presentations veterinarians associate withhorses might recover from the gastrointestinal upset, acute and potentially chronic laminitis Lyme disease in horses are uveitis and(inflammation of the tissue that connects the hoof wall to the coffin bone within) can neuroborreliosis, the neurologic form.develop. If horses survive the diarrhea, the laminitis due to sepsis (bodywide infection) and Signs of uveitis caused by borreliosis in- inflammation might ultimately prove to be the patients demise. clude bilateral aqueous flare (cloudy eyes)Apparently healthy horses can also harbor infections such as strangles and equine her-and miosis. While these might soundpesvirus with no outward clinical signs. These so-called carriers can shed bacteria or virus. similar to leptospirosis-associated ERU,As a result, herdmates and in-contact horses can become infected.Stacey Oke, DVM, MScthe infections are quite distinct, says Tom Divers, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVECC, the Steffen Professor of Veterinary Medicinebetween the two infections clinicallyleptospirosis causes recurrent episodes and section chief of large animal medicinewithout testing intraocular fluid sam- that may eventually lead to blindness.at Cornell Universitys College of Veteri- ples, he says. Nonetheless, Lyme uveitisFurther, leptospirosis-associated uveitis nary Medicine, in Ithaca, New York. appears to be more severe and aggressive,appears to have a genetic component, One cannot actually distinguishcausing more rapid blindness, whereaswith some horses more predisposed to Fenbendazole Mode of Action:The Science ofDifferent mode of action is what makes Safe-Guard (fenbendazole) so effective against the most dangerous parasites of the horseDifferentDeepStarvesProtects CellsPenetration1 Parasites2 & Organs3See the DifferenceWatch our video and learn howSafe-Guard works differentlythan other dewormers atsafe-guard-mode-of-action.comConsult your veterinarian for assistance in the diagnosis, treatment and control of parasitism.Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. When using Safe-Guard (fenbendazole) Paste10% concomitantly with trichlorfon, refer to the manufacturers label for use and cautions for trichlorfon.1 McKellar QA., Gokbulut C., Muzandu K., Benchaoui H. FenbendazolePharmacokinetics, Metabolism, and Potentiation in Horses. Drug Metabolismand Disposition. Vol. 30, No. 11: 1230-1239, 2002.2Lacey E. Mode of Action of Benzimidazoles. Parasitology Today, vol. 6, no. 4, 1990.3SAFE-GUARD (fenbendazole) Paste 10% equine dewormer product label.2 Giralda FarmsMadison, NJ 07940merck-animal-health-usa.com800-521-5767Copyright2019 Intervet Inc., d/b/a Merck Animal Health, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.All rights reserved. 18-Merck-MOA SG ADUS/EQD/0119/0001TheHorse.com | The HorseSeptember 201921'