Have you ever heard of something called travel sickness? Well, I hadn’t, not until it ­happened to a friend of mine’s horse. SA Horseman made some enquiries and ­discovered that this is quite a well-known disease, that it is extremely serious – even deadly – and that there are certain measures that can be taken to prevent it from happening to your horse. Please note that names have been changed to respect people’s privacy.

Lynne had to find a new home for her beloved mare, Misty, after Lynne’s husband, Peter, was transferred to Durban. After three months, Lynne managed to find a suitable stable yard and now had to get Misty down from Pretoria. She booked passage for her on a large carrier with a reputable company. She was assured that the trip would take eight-and-a-half hours – ten at the most.

On the 31st of the month, at about 14:00, she phoned the stables in Pretoria to make some last-minute arrangements, only to be told that the horse had already been ­collected early that morning – not the agreed time. Lynne phoned the courier company and was told that the driver had collected the horse and taken her to his depot to spend the night, so as to shorten the journey to Durban.

The next day was even more stressful. ­After being told on the phone that Misty had left the depot at 5:30 the next day (which meant that she would be arriving at around 15:30), the nightmare began. After numerous phone calls, Misty was eventually delivered at 19:15, ­fourteen hours later!

Lynne was horrified to see the small cramped berth in which her horse had been stuffed at the back of the truck. The courier remarked that regrettably she was the biggest horse in the smallest bay, as she was the last to be dropped off.

Misty seemed disoriented, swaying on her feet as she walked. But she ate what little supper they gave her, drank water and appeared to ­settle for the night. At 6:00 the next morning Lynne noticed that Misty had left half of her breakfast – unusual for her. All day Misty seemed quiet, but Lynne ascribed this to the travel experience and the new surroundings.

That night Misty would not eat at all. Yet her temperature was normal and she was ­drinking. But by the next morning something was clearly not right. Her temperature was 38°C. Lynne called the vet. By lunchtime Misty’s ­temperature had climbed to 40°C and she was sweating profusely.

When he arrived, the vet diagnosed ­travel sickness, a condition brought on by being cooped up in a small space for a long time with inadequate ventilation, which affects the lungs. This is exacerbated by the fact that in such small spaces in the backs of trucks, horses are often forced to breathe in exhaust fumes, and are unable to drop their heads sufficiently – their sinuses cannot drain naturally and can run into the lungs, causing pneumonia.

Misty’s white cell count was very high, ­indicating some sort of infection (viral and/or bacterial). The next day, two serious bouts of colic were added to the list of symptoms. The mare’s temperature continued to roller-coaster and her appetite was slow to return. As soon as the colic abated, her hind legs suddenly swelled making it painful for her to move – a complication of the pneumonia.

Fortunately, with early detection and ­superb veterinary care and a very dedicated owner, Misty recovered, but she was lucky, as many horses die from this condition.

Still the whole episode raises some ­pressing questions. Lynne wonders if she could have done anything to prevent this from ­happening? Would it not have been better if she had ­transported Misty down herself in her t­wo-berth horsebox? Could she have given the horse something before the trip to lessen the chances of this occurring?

Can the courier company be held accountable? Should they know about the condition and how to prevent it? What right did they have to fetch the horse a day early and keep it overnight? Why was such a large horse ­transported in the smallest berth? Can courier companies be trusted with our horses?

Veterinarian, Dr Paul van Dam, reacts:

Travel sickness (or shipping fever) is a ­common condition affecting all animals that are t­ransported over long distances and are closely grouped in small spaces. Travel sickness is a result of a number of factors, including:

• Stress of travelling, of being confined in a small space, and of having strange horses around
• Confinement in a small space with horses from other stable yards. Any of these could be carrying organisms that play a role in ­respiratory infections
• Lack of hygiene (the float not being cleaned and disinfected after each trip)
• Horses must be allowed to drop their heads, as this enables them to clear the respiratory passages of dust and other particles that are carried in the air. If he cannot do this, these particles end up going down towards the lungs, causing irritation and infection.

Let’s look at the questions

Owners are advised to make contact with the shipping company. Look at their ­holding ­facilities, inspect the float, and ask about cleaning and disinfection of the float before and after each trip.

These floats only travel when full and it is common practice to collect the horses the day before, otherwise the horse could end up standing in the float for 24 hours ­without a break. Also check how they load the ­horses. Do they tie the heads up, or do they allow enough movement for a horse to drop its head?

Yes, it would have been preferable to ­transport Misty in the two-berth. This would have allowed Lynne to control the trip and check on Misty every three to four hours, ­allowing her to empty her bladder and ­bowels, and take a sip of water. Off-loading also ­allows the horse to clear the nasal passages. It would have reduced the risk of exposing Misty to stress load and new challenges, specifically viral and bacterial.

It is a good idea to provide the horse with an electrolyte supplement before travelling. Start three days before departure, and continue for a day or two thereafter. Use something that contains sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and magnesium. Avoid products that ­contain long lists of additional items. Do not use ­antibiotics in a “prophylactic” manner – this has no real benefit.

The courier company

No, they cannot be held accountable ­(except if you can prove gross neglect). It is fair to ­assume that they should know about this ­condition, but even if they take all the possible steps to prevent it, some horses might still fall ill. They should clean and disinfect all vehicles after each trip and each float must have ­sufficient ventilation to assist in providing clean air to the horses.

Ideally speaking they should make sure that none of the horses they load are ill (especially respiratory conditions). This does not provide any guarantees, but can assist in reducing the bacterial/viral load in the float.

The actual trip probably took ten hours, but this trip appears to have had a number of ­individual (or small groups of) horses that had to be off-loaded at different venues. Collecting the horses the day before should have been communicated with the owner, but makes sense as it provides the horses with a break.

Loading a big horse in a small berth does not make sense, and should not happen. It is a problem for the courier company though – they normally load the horse that is to be off-loaded last, into the first berth. Otherwise they would have to off-load her to allow another horse to get off.

Courier companies provide an ­essential ­service, and most can be trusted with our ­valuable horses. Owners must take the ­responsibility of checking on the company and its procedures, and select a company that provides the best possible service.