'Extremely special' mare and unborn foal survive sepsis thanks to Ryedale equine hospital

Parlington Flair, a seven-year-old pregnant mare, was rushed to Rainbow Equine Hospital in Malton suffering from life-threatening sepsis triggered by an infection in her abdomen that was so severe it had spread to her eyes.

Flair was referred to Rainbow Equine Hospital, one of the biggest veterinary centres in the north of England, which is part of VetPartners, when she stopped eating and showed signs of being in discomfort.

A peritoneal tap, where a sample of fluid is taken from the abdomen, had been performed by her usual vet and revealed she was suffering from bacterial peritonitis which led to sepsis - a life-threating reaction to an infection and causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissues and organs.

Rainbow Equine Hospital vet Lizzie Cullen, a European specialist in equine internal medicine, said when Flair arrived, she was seriously ill and had to be carefully guided off the horsebox because the infection in her eyes was affecting her vision.

Due to how poorly she was, the veterinary team could only give the pony a very low chance of

survival and, even if she recovered, she was in danger of losing her foal.

However, thanks to intensive treatment and round-the-clock care by the Rainbow team, Flair has made a full recovery and is still carrying her unborn foal.

Lizzie says Flair was a particularly challenging case because as well as peritonitis and sepsis, she had uveitis affecting both eyes, inflammation in her colon (colitis) and high levels of fat in her bloodstream.

After discussions with her owner, the decision was made to treat her medically, to avoid performing surgery that the unborn foal would not survive.

Flair was given pain relief, intravenous antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and anti-thrombotics to prevent blood clots forming. Intestinal adsorbents were used to soak up the toxins in her gut and she was given intravenous fluids fortified with glucose and vitamins to keep her hydrated.

Progesterone was administered to support the pregnancy and a topical antibiotic cream applied to the eyes to treat the uveitis.

Lizzie said: “When Flair arrived at Rainbow she was very ill and the odds were stacked against her.

"She had a number of complications and the fact that she developed septic uveitis is very unusual.

"It’s something that is often seen in critically ill foals, but it’s rare in adult horses and means that Flair was so sick there had been a breakdown of the protective blood-eye barrier, leading to inflammation inside the eye.

“Flair was at Rainbow for 10 days and our focus was on giving her the best possible supportive care.

"She had vets, nurses and the yard team monitoring her every day and throughout the night, and it was a real team effort to save her.

"Everyone was absolutely delighted when she turned a corner and felt well enough to eat again.

“We’re still not sure what initially caused Flair to fall ill, but she’s incredibly lucky that her condition responded to medication.

"Some of the common causes of such severe peritonitis, such as a penetrating wound or a leak in the gastrointestinal tract, would require surgery and the foal wouldn’t have been able to survive, and such causes are also commonly fatal for the horse.

"We don’t know if the foal has been affected by the medication Flair received, but when we gave her a final check before she left the hospital it had a strong heartbeat, which is positive.”

Flair is now home in Leyburn,with owner Di Johnston of Parlington Miniature Shetland Stud.

Di said when she was told how ill the pony was, she was faced with the difficult decision of putting "extremely special” Flair to sleep or transporting her two hours to Rainbow for treatment.

Di adeed: “ We bred her, as well as her mother, grandmother and great grandmother and her line goes back six generations.

"She was very sick, but I knew I could trust the team at Rainbow to give her the best chance.

"It was my mum, Barbara Johnston’s 95 birthday, and she set up our stud in 1956, so hearing that Flair was getting better made it an extra special day.

“I’m also very grateful to our usual vet Ellie Keightley of Bainbridge Vets who saw Flair when she was first unwell and diagnosed her quickly and referred us to Rainbow.”

Rainbow Equine Hospital provides first-class care to horses and ponies at its purpose-built surgical and diagnostic centre in Old Malton and has as a team of vets who go out on the road to visit patients.