Pleurisy: a Silent Killer in Horses

Feb 20, 2012
Chris Thomas

A Healthy Horse Should be Alert to its Surroundings - C. Thomas

Pneumonia can cause distress to horses and horse owners alike. Pleurisy can arise secondary to pneumonia in the horse and should be dealt with promptly.

Otherwise known as pleuritis, pleurisy is a severe respiratory condition that horses can suffer from. The pleura is the membrane that covers the lungs and lines the chest cavity. ‘Itis’ refers to inflammation, hence the term pleurisy for this condition.

Causes of Pleurisy

A commonly recognised cause of pleurisy in the horse is bacterial infection, whilst severe stress has also been identified as a possible determining factor. This stress may arise from the horse being transported over a long distance or from experiencing a sudden change in environmental temperature.

Pleurisy becomes an issue when bacteria access the pleura inside the horse. As the bacteria increase in number, this membrane becomes swollen and as the body works to fight the infection, pus is formed. Because of the anatomy of the horse and the chest being a cavity that is enclosed, the increasing amount of pus has nowhere to go and so accumulates.

Aside from this causing difficulty for the horse with regards to breathing – due to space within the lungs becoming smaller – the pus in itself can affect the horse’s condition. Toxins within the pus can be absorbed by the horse’s body and taken into the bloodstream. Once here, these toxins are able to be transported throughout the horse’s body and can affect the horse’s health negatively.

Signs of a Horse with Pleurisy

The horse that is suffering from this respiratory condition may show signs of an increased respiratory rate and shallow breathing. The early stages may also show a horse that:

has an elevated temperature
displays a lack of appetite
appears listless

Because horses are generally alert and ready to flee at any sign of danger, a horse that appears dull and uninterested in its surroundings should raise alarm bells for any horse owner. Likewise, the equine that is off its feed should be monitored closely. The horse’s digestive system is built such that the horse should be eating little and often, consistently.

As the condition grows worse, the horse’s breathing will become more evidently affected. For any horse that is showing signs of respiratory distress, veterinary assistance should be sought as soon as possible. When it accompanies the above signs, pleurisy or another lung condition should be suspected and a vet contacted to give a diagnosis. As always with the health of the equine, prompt recognition and action can result in a better prognosis than leaving things to see if they improve on their own.