After wreaking havoc in the north of France, the often fatal condition, atypical myopathy , has now claimed the lives of yet another five horses within a few days in the area of Ham (Somme). Two cases were reported in Saint-Gobain and a third suspected case is near-Frières Faillouël.

Affected animals exhibit symptoms such as weakness, stiffness, difficulty or refusal to move, stand up, sweating localized or generalized, abnormally dark urine, difficult breathing, temperature below 37 ° C. Foals and young horses are most susceptible.

Dr Catherine Neve explained  “I think the disease will still develop. We are in the red zone. All equine professionals are alerted. It is very cold at night and very hot during day, this may be a vector for the disease. “
In the night from Sunday through to Monday, Anne Tardieu from Monchy-Lagache, was forced to have her three horses put to sleep because of this condition. If you notice abnormal behaviour in your horse like the above, or as mentioned in our earlier blog post on Atypical Myopathy and you are in any doubt, call your vet.

French news article