I WAS APPROACHED BY THE ARABIAN HORSE SOCIETY TO WRITE THIS ARTICILE, AND I WAS ENCOURAGED BY MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO DO SO, IN THE EVENT THAT SOME GOOD MAY COME OUT OF WHAT I HAVE JUST BEEN THROUGH. BUT IT’S AWFULLY HARD TO WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING WHEN YOU CAN'T STOP CRYING AND YOU ASK YOURSEILF OVER AND OVER AGAIN -'WHY ME'?

I’ve decided to share my feelings and hopefully make people aware of the downside to breeding when information is not available, nor compulsory, to be supplied to breeders or the Society. At the time I decided to breed a foal I did not own a Purebred mare, so I advertised in the "Weekly Times" for a Purebred to lease for the breeding season. I couldn't believe my luck when I came across 'Misty'. She was everything you could want: sound conformation, graceful movement and the kindest disposition you could wish for. I leased her from her owners and virtually sent her straight to stud. Misty was a dream to serve and tested positive first time - I was over the moon.

We turned her out and nurtured her through her pregnancy, making sure she had whatever she needed to ensure a healthy foal. This foal was planned and was to be the foundation of my Purebred stud. Misty blessed us with a gorgeous colt foal in late October I997. We couldn't have been happier - my head was racing with all the shows and joy he would bring in the future years to come. Then only one week after Shar was born, our world and dreams slowly came apart. Shar got pneumonia, which we treated on vet's advice for two weeks with injections twice daily. Shar had such a sore behind that he hardly moved. We were fortunate to be introduced to a neighbor who happened to be a horse masseuse, who started treating Shar to make him more comfortable.

The course of injections seemed to lift Shar and he showed a slight sign of improvement, but we decided to also do a blood test. We found that Shar's white cell count was very low, and the veterinarian decided to keep the antibiotics going as the pneumonia was pretty bad, and pleurisy was also evident, and then follow up with another blood test to see if the blood count had improved at all. Thankfully, on the second test, the white cell count had almost doubled.

We continued to treat Shar with antibiotics, and in between my mum syringed yogurt into him, sometimes five times a day, and he was still being massaged every day. Upon finishing the next course of antibiotics it was suggested that we switch to a drug called Ventipulmin to help open up Shar's airways and help his breathing along as his lungs had no elasticity in them at all. The constant coughing and running nose was a sign that the pneumonia was at least breaking up. Unfortunately, the Ventipulmin increased his heart rate to such a state that he almost suffered a heart attack and he was taken off it immediately, and resumed the antibiotics that he was previously treated with. From this stage on, Shar's breathing was labored day and night and the nose kept running. When massaged he would cough as though he had something caught in his throat. It broke our hearts to see him in fighting so hard to beat this infection.

As his breathing never improved after ceasing the Ventipulmin, we decided to take him down to the Werribee Veterinary Clinic for another assessment. We were hoping to have an ultrasound or x-ray done to determine whether or not the damage Shar's lungs had suffered was repairable. Upon arriving there we were advised by the resident vet that Shar was more than likely a CID foal Combined Immunodeficiency Disease (now called SCID - Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease). This diagnosis was based upon his examination and the information supplied by my vet, combined with the previous pathology report. He also advised us that Shar had severe pleuropneumonia. The vet gave him a one in ten chance of survival.

We'd had our suspicions about ClD over the past few weeks prior to taking Shar to Werribee, as did our vet, but we were hoping that maybe this time they were wrong. We went further and had an IGM test carried out through the Murdoch Institute, which, unfortunately, confirmed our worst fears - Shar was diagnosed as a CID foal. I couldn't believe my ears, I just couldn't believe that this could happen to him or my family. I only had one decision left to make - when to have him put down. On January 19th 1998, Shar was laid to rest on our property, one week short of three months of age. With Shar went my dreams, my hard work and my faith. My mother had worked endlessly on him, determined that we wouldn't lose him - we just couldn't, he meant too much. His masseuse, who had been massaging Shar religiously every day free of charge, was also devastated.

I will never forget the look in his eyes when we took him away from his mother for the last time, asking me "Where am I going, and why?', calling for his mum but willingly walking away. I felt so helpless, I could not do any more for him, and kept questioning myself as to where I went wrong -what else should I have done? I now believe that Shar was brought to me to teach me something, something I knew nothing about before October last year. I am now aware that the mare I leased is a Carrier of CID, likewise is the stallion - hence the CID foal.

Unfortunately for the breeders out there, there is no system in place to ensure CID is avoided, and now, today, it can be. I personally have lost my faith in breeding a Purebred, based on my experience. Some stud owners are aware that they stand CID Carriers and withhold the information because they believe it will damage their stallion's reputation; others, as in my case, don't know until something like this happens and research proves the fact.

The AH SA are not at liberty to disclose information to anyone enquiring about which mares and stallions carry the disease, even though they have records on file. So you rely on honesty from those who know they have a Carrier, whilst realizing that many breeders are not even aware that they have the problem. I think that to some extent, some breeders forget why they got into breeding Arabians in the first place - for the love of the animal. It's now such a lucrative business for some that dollars and cents can get in the way.

I hope by writing this article that studs standing stallions, and mare owners, may start to take advantage of the DNA test which is readily available to test their horses, and if they do test positive it's not the end of the world like was form my foal. It simply means that breeders need to educate themselves as to which horses to breed their horses with, but we can't do this unless the information is freely given and horses are advertised as 'CID Free' when promoted for stud, or Carriers disclosed so that they are not bred to other Carriers. Breeders MUST realize that having a horse identified as a Carrier does not mean gelding or the end of a broodmare's career, it simply means that they must not be bred to another Carrier.

I would hate for anybody to go through what my family and I have suffered through the last few months. I have been fortunate in one aspect to have met some wonderful people during these hard times, including Val and Ron Males who were endless in their supply of information and experience on the subject. With their insight into the disease I was prepared and able to understand the results of tests and the symptoms to look for. I will say that at no time during Shar's illness did we allow him to suffer any pain at all. Shar at almost three months of age looked like a six week old foal and had no energy. He was so docile that my two-year-old daughter could lead him to his paddock with no worries, he became more like a well trained dog than a colt foal, which in turn, made the final day even harder as we were extremely close to him.

For me, my breeding future has ended and I will more than likely not breed my dreamed of Purebred foal. I just cannot take the risk again, nor can I financially afford it after Shar's medical expenses. But hopefully someone out there will read this and take the next step and do something positive. The DNA test kits are available from GenTest in Sydney, and all you need to do is call or alternatively your vet can conduct a blood test. Make sure you notify, the AHSA so they may update their records. I look forward to the next edition of AHN or Studs & Stallions and hope to see an advertised 'CID Free' horse because he/she has been tested. Don't forget - just ask, "Is your horse CID free?"

I would also like to thank Richelle Thompson, Shar's masseuse, for her constant and committed effort to help Shar - you have become a good friend and I was fortunate to meet you. To Ron and Val Males, thank you for your support and encouragement, and being there to shoulder my feelings - being able to talk to someone who has been through the same ordeal was comforting during a difficult time. To Christine Forde, Shar's vet, and the team at the Macedon Ranges Veterinary Clinic, I know the loss was as difficult and frustrating professionally for you as it was for all of us. Your kind nature and the care you provided Shar was second to none. But most of all to my family, especially my parents - I, better than anyone, know what he meant to you both, and he wouldn't have lived as long as he did without your constant care and love - I am eternally grateful to you both for all that you have done, and l know Shar was too.

Reprinted with the permisson of the Writer and
THE AUSTRALIAN ARABIAN HORSE NEWS (Publisher)- March Issue 1998

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