My niece's horse has contracted West Nile and is in pretty bad shape. He can stand and walk slow. If he tries to go faster his back legs cross and he goes down. I would like to know if anyone has had a horse recover from being this bad off with West Nile.
CPH
Favorite Answer
I have never personally had a horse with West Nile, but I have seen many cases that come to the vet school where I work and also a case at my old barn. A lot of surviving West Nile comes with how fast the horse is diagnosed and how bad the brain swelling is. Money, unfortunately, also has a lot to do with it. Most horses that are brought in and end up having West Nile are put down because of the sheer cost of treating the horse, keeping them comfortable, etc. The surviving horses tend to have lingering coordination issues.
The horse at my old barn has turned out completely fine. He was treated for around 3 months and has a little hind end weakness when first taken out of his stall. Other than that, he can be ridden just like before.
Unfortunately, the kindest thing to do is put the horse down, unless the horse is insured or your niece can afford it. Like I'm sure you know, WN is very painful for the horse.
Sorry to hear this, and I hope it helps some.