# Pseudomonas - uterine infection



## coedcae (5 June 2007)

I posted a couple of days ago about my mare with a uterine infection. The swab has come back with what the stud vet described as an extremely difficult infection to treat, if at all, called pseudomonas. The vet at the stud was quite negative at the prospect of getting my mare in foal. Is this type of infection common in maiden mares, who has never been covered naturally? She was scanned after being insemminated and there was no build up of fluid. Just wondering now whether to cut my loses and to bring her home and forget the whole idea


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## airedale (5 June 2007)

it's a gram negative bacteria family which means it's resistent to penicillian and some other anti-biotics but can be treated with some more aggressive antibiotics

do you know the full history of your mare from birth. If not then she could have run with an infertile young colt or a rig in the past and contracted the infection or of course there was a lapse of infection control at the time of insemination. 
Unless you know her full history from birth then it is possible she could have picked this up on the way thru life.

not a nice bacteria - a google of it for equines turns up that it is a bacteria involved in CEM as well. 

You might miss the season for breeding this year but I'd definitely try to treat the infection and get rid of it and then you could try again next year.


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## coedcae (5 June 2007)

Thanks Airedale, that does sound more positive, maybe the vet at the stud was being overly negative.
Yep, I do know her history as I have had her since she was a yearling, she's now 11. The only 'colt' she has ever been with, was a Section A yearling, that we had gelded as soon as it arrived with us. He did jump on her a couple of times after he was gelded but at 11.2 and she was 16.2, but it was only jumping at her, he was never able to do anything. She was only a yearling herself at the time. She has been insemminated twice at home this year, the 2nd time she probably had the infection already, as at the 15 day scan the vet thought she had conceived but was losing it. Do you think she may have been infected at the 1st insemmination?
I'm debating whether to carry on trying with her, as she doesnt have much future. She is riddled with melanomas and the vet thinks she may only have a couple of years left.


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## airedale (5 June 2007)

in view of your last paragraph I wouldn't continue and nor would I take on the expense of the antibiotics and swabs.

google the bacteria without the equine bit and you'll see that the infection is prevalent in humans and hospital infections - not a nice 'bug' but it is odd that she's contracted it as a maiden mare.......

with the melanomas as well I'd not continue tbh as you could be passing down to a foal the cancerous cells she is carrying in respect of the melanomas.

what a shame.

did you have her CEM swabbed before starting to try to have her in foal ? if she was clear then the only way the bacteria could get in is via the AI

if you didn't have her swabbed first - then next time I'd advise it. Although I have all mine AI'd at home by a cracking vets that have experts in this field although they are 'general' vets I have any mare I'm going to breed from have a CEM swab and test late March before I even start. That way if there is any bug there it can be dealt with before trying to get the mare in foal.


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## coedcae (5 June 2007)

Thanks again. I didnt have her CEM swabbed prior to breeding from her. I had her tested for Equine Viral Arteritis, which the stud asked for and she was negative.  But it was never suggested that I should have a swab done. I'm a bit cross with my vet tbh, cos I took her down in March and asked for her to be thoroughly checked over, scanned etc to check that she would be suitable, with her melanomas and the fact that she has never showed when she is in season. I would have thought he would have suggested doing a swab then, if its pretty much routine. Hey ho, you live and learn, unfortunately it's been a very expensive mistake


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## airedale (5 June 2007)

not showing when in season isn't uncommon - my mare that has just gone in foal has to have regumate to drop her definitely out and then an injection to bounce her back in and then scans before AI as she is so 'unshowing'

it would be expensive to clear this up and no guarantees that foaling would work.

such a shame for you as well as you obviously wanted a foalie from your mare after all those years

I'm surprised the stud didn't ask for CEM check as well - mmmmm - I always asked for full swabs when standing my (ex) stallion


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## maestro (5 June 2007)

If clittoral CEM swab had been done the infection would have shown up and is treatable at a clittoral level by removing the clitoris and treating with antibiotics then a bacterial broth with little possibility of it transferring to the uterus.  A mare of our neighbours swab came back positive last year having been negative the year before, we think due to her losing her foal, being low and the infection creeping in as in is in the ground. Anyway she was treated successfully and took first time this year. 
Shame it got as far as a uterine infection cos that is more tricky.


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## shells (9 July 2007)

my mare had this i was gutted that the year she was due to be covered the swab came back positive we didnt have a clue but months later she foaled this is why the swabs came back positive


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