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Step 1
Examine the horse's mouth and be on the lookout for blister-like lesions. You'll find them on the dental pad, lips, tongue and nostrils. While the precise cause of vesicular stomatitis in not known, one type of this disease is caused by phlebotomine sand flies.
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Step 2
Verify if there is blister involvement of the hooves and teats. Hoof involvement may mean the horse is unable to walk properly and may have an elevated temperature.
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Step 3
Ascertain if the blisters are just about ready to break, or have already broken and left raw tissue exposed. For either stage, the horse will be in severe pain and may not be able to eat or drink.
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Step 4
Check other horses in the herd for similar symptoms. Watch for excessive salivation, the first sign of this disease. Once it gets a foothold in the herd, it spreads like wildfire through exposure to saliva or ruptured lesions.
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Step 5
Call the veterinarian immediately, since untreated this disease will cause drastic weight loss. The only way to differentiate vesicular stomatitis from hoof and mouth in cattle and swine vesicular disease is through laboratory tests.
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Step 6
Identify a safe location away from the main herd to quarantine the horse(s) presenting symptoms and make sure they remain on your property. Begin a rigorous insect control program.
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Step 7
Utilize mild antiseptic mouthwashes to treat the lesions or a mild Betadine wash twice daily. The disease should run its course in about two weeks. Since this is a reportable disease, your veterinarian will take care of notifying state or federal authorities.
