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Treating Smoky and owner communication

Given the presence of pyrexia you elect to administer 1mg/kg flunixin meglumine i/v before you and the nurse remove your kits appropriately (see links below) and decontaminate.

As the owner reports that she saw the horse drink prior to your arrival and there is no evidence of dehydration, you are happy to leave Smoky while the samples are being processed. However, you tell the owner to notify you if there is a change in the horse’s condition in the meantime. It is important to bear in mind that there are often a lot of tricky contingencies and complexities within this period that are often not possible to predict or fully discuss in advance.

Within this context and at this stage, for the following topics, what advice should you provide to the owner while awaiting test results?

  1. 1. Contact with the horse by the owner or other people

    2. Answer: Prevent contact between the sick horse and people

  2. 2. Contact between the horse and other animals

    3. Answer: Keep the horse isolated from other horses or other animals animals

  3. 3. Movement of the horse (within and off property)

    4. Answer: Do not move the horse off the property

  4. 4. What to do if humans show any clinical signs of disease

    5. Answer: Any person who previously had contact with the horse should seek medical attention immediately if they start to feel unwell, and make sure they tell the physician that they have had contact with a horse that has neurological signs who is being tested for Hendra virus.

  5. 5. What to do if other animals show unusual behaviour or clinical signs

    6. Answer:Any animals who previously had contact with the horse should be seen by a veterinarian if they develop clinical signs of disease.

  6. 6. Discuss the case with family, friends, other horse owners or neighbours, including social media

    7. Answer: You can discuss the case with family members, friends, neighbours or horse owners who might have had potential contact with the sick horse. Avoid discussing the case with anyone else and avoid posting any information on social media

  7. 7. Discuss the case with the media

    8. Answer: Avoid discussing the case with the media.