joreth: (Misty in Box)
I have some Constant Readers out there who share their lives with animals, hence today's postings about dogs and horses.

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2009/07/003.shtml

Apparently, horses can catch HPV. It's known as aural plaques and is spread to them through biting flies and affects their ears (the link has a picture). It is extremely resistent to treatment and causes some horses to become very head-shy and difficult to bridle.

But in a recent study, doctors used 5% strength imiquimod cream (marketed as Aldera) to treat aural plaques (which is typically used on humans to treat HPV warts) on 16 horses and the lesions cleared up on all 16 horses.  They were treated 3 times a week on alternate weeks for 6 weeks to 8 months and the lesions only returned on 2 horses after 12 months.

Unfortunately, it's expensive.  A 2-month supply costs $250.  The horses ears became sensitive during treatment and they didn't like the crusties scraped off, and the cream caused an inflamatory response.  However, after treatment, the horses' whose ears were bothering them before treatment all improved, got less head-shy, less ear-sensitive, and easier to bridle.  

Says one doctor, "Luckily they seem to forgive us!"

Date: 7/2/09 10:46 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] summer-jackel.livejournal.com
Awesome!

hope none of my ponies ever get this. Doing things to a horse's ears that she doesn't approve of is no simple task, to put it mildly.

Date: 7/3/09 12:19 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] zaiah.livejournal.com
It is common for horses to get facial warts around age 2. It generally clears up in a couple months and they have no further issues with it. I did not really know this when my gelding showed up with them and I was devastated that I might not be able to again kiss his velvet soft nose or nuzzle into him as sweetly without the feeling of the warts being there. :(

I did a little research - didn't try any of the extreme versions of getting the warts off - and he cleared all up in about a month. The led me into a lot of study with HPV in general.. UNgh. Our medical science should be SO much better than this! We are so much in the dark ages still!

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