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Common Names: Pigeon fever, pigeon breast, breastbone fever, dryland distemper, dryland strangles, false strangles, false distemper (2,3,4)

Geographic Incidence: Endemic to California, but now found in most Western states. (2){mosimage}

Season: Usually appears in late fall but can appear sporadically at any time of year. (2,3,4)

Mode of transmission: Can live in the soil and enter the horse's body through wounds or broken skin and through mucous membranes.

May possibly be transmitted by flies, including the common housefly and horn flies. (3)

Disease is usually highly contagious and can easily infect multiple horses on the premises.

Bacterium in the pus draining from abscesses on infected horses can survive from one to 55 days in the environment. It has also been shown to survive from one to eight days on surface contaminants and from seven to 55 days within feces, hay, straw or wood shavings.

Lower temperatures prolong the survival time. (2)

Clinical signs: Early signs can include lameness, fever, lethargy, depression and weight loss.
Infections can range from mild, small, localized abscesses to a severe disease with multiple massive abscesses containing liters of liquid, tan-colored pus.
External, deep abscesses, swelling and multiple sores develop along the chest, midline and groin area, and, occasionally, on the back. (2)

Incubation period: Horses may become infected but not develop abscesses for weeks. Animals affected: The disease usually manifests in younger horses, but can occur in any age, sex, and breed.

Disease forms: Generally 3 types: external abscesses, internal abscesses or limb infection.
The limb infection is the most common form worldwide and rarely involves more than one leg at a time. Usually, multiple small, draining sores develop above the fetlock.
The most common form of the disease in the United States is external abscesses, which often form deep in the muscles and can be very large. Usually they appear in the pectoral region, the abdomen and the groin area. After spontaneous rupture, or lancing, the wound will exude liquid, light tan-colored, pus.
Internal abscesses can also occur. (2)

Treatment: #25 INF-X combined with #24 Immune Support.  Do not lance abscesses.  Double doses as needed if horse is in more advanced stages. (1)

Recovery time: Usually anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks. (1)

Sources:

1. Silver Lining Herbs Catalog

2. Pigeon Fever in Horses, http://www.completerider.com/ucolorado/PIGEONFEVERINEQUINES.html

3. Pigeon Fever in Horses, Clell V Bagley, DVM, Dennis Hinkamp, M.S.  http://www.emeryanimal.net/PigeonFeverFactSheet2.pdf

4. Pigeon Fevr, The Stud Farm Diaries, Cindy Reich, http://www.exposureplus.com/health/pigeon_fever/pigeon_fever.html