Hi, My horse has been dx with Lyme disease 2yrs ago. I have treated him 3x's with doxycyclin, and I have also used ledum 1M. I have heard that copper water is a great treatment for the lyme. My 11yr gelding is now starting to show signs of "lyme-y ness" again. Being girthy, sensitive, and pinning his ears when being ridden bareback. The big sign is the girthyness. Anytime his lyme is reacting he will get girthy. He has never been lame from the lyme, it is mostly an attitude change. I really want to see this infection be gone for good. Is there anything I can do to really kill the bacteria? I do not want to go the antibiotic route anymore. He needs to be sound and happy for the show season.

Hello....what`s your name, please ???

It sometimes occurs that Lyme Disease causes complaints such as behavioural problems/abnormalities or irritability and/or changes in attitude.

Are there any other (physical) symptoms ?

What were the other (physical) symptoms in the past ?

Wim

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Hi Wim,
This is Cyndi from Ravenview Farm. Toby right now only shows signs of girthyness and the pinning of ears when being ridden bareback. In the past however (when his lyme titer was high) he had been VERY grithy... to the point of not letting me put the saddle on, ears pinning and bucking when I jumped on him bareback, and sensitive to the touch, and depression. Toby has never showed signs of lameness, lethergy, or fever. He would also be difficult to load on the trailer. Toby in general is a very mild, mellow, layed back QH that willingly does ANYTHING for me. HE is 11yrs and is a bombproof kids horse. I just want my boy to be happy and comfortable and to get this lyme under control without the use of Doxy. Thanks so much! Cyndi

Hi Cyndi,

You can try the special Lyme Disease nosode which is called :

Borrelia burgdorferi nosode 30c (sometimes called Borrelia burghdorfia nosode 30c).

Give one dose twice daily for 5 days. One dose is 4 tablets (or 6 larger pellets).

If you can`t obtain this nosode in your vicinity you can order it online from :

Helios UK, or Ainsworths UK, or Remedia in Austria.

(If there are any other horses at risk they should be given Ledum 1M, one weekly dose and Borrelia burgdorferi nosode 30c, also one weekly dose.)

Wim

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Thank you Wim. Lyme disease is an epidemic here in New England. About 70% of the horses here at my barn have lyme disease. I also see dogs with positive snap tests several times a day (I worked as a vet tech). I will try that! I'll let you know on the update. I will have to order that homeopathic. Thanks - Cyndi

Hello Cyndi,

Perhaps you and the other horse owners at your place need to take more preventative measures to avoid infection.

Our horses are properly groomed every day which is essential along with looking for and removing ticks. This method works effectively as the ticks need to feed for 12-24 hours before transmitting the organism. Tick repellents can also be used and are best applied in the early part of the spring and in the autumn, because these are the periods ticks are most active.

Also mowing pasture to keep it short helps because the pasture becomes thus an inhospitable habitat for ticks. Dealing with rodent infestations will also be helpful.

So apart from homeopathy a lot can be done to prevent Lyme Disease !

Take care !

Wim

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Bumped up for Tracy

W.

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

I wonder whatever happened in this case.....

I have never heard the term "girthyness" before now, and by reference, I assume it means nasty or unpleasant behavior.

I just wonder if this "girthyness" was because the gelding was experiencing pain from being handled or ridden, or if it was because of a real change in the horse's attitude?

I couldn't help but recall many people with Lyme - mostly men - who experience something called "Lyme Rage". They say it is an uncontrollable anger that is as frightening to the Lyme sufferer as it is to their family.

Perhaps in the horse world, this Lyme Rage is more of a prevailing or indicative symptom than the rheumatic or neurologic symptoms we hear more about in human or dog cases.

Tracy

Yes, it refers to unusual behaviour.....sometimes we see iritability and/or changes in attitude. Easy to spot for the owner who has had his/her horse for years.

W.

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Is "girthyness" a term used only in the horse world then?

Funny, I had horses most of my younger years and never heard the term. But then, that was a very long time ago.

Tracy