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The animals
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Surra - the facts
| What is Surra?
Surra is a debilitating and fatal blood disease affecting thousands of horses and donkeys in poor communities overseas. | | |  |
| How does Surra affect an animal? |
| Surra causes animals to shiver, lose weight and so grow weak and desperately emaciated. In the later stages their muscles become wasted, their hind legs can completely fail, and the end is death.
An animal suffering from Surra will find pulling or carrying their usual load very difficult, the disease having weakened them so much. Their thin bodies will also be much more prone to wounds and sores. | | |  |
| How is Surra caught?
Surra is spread by a tiny stable fly - Stomoxys calcitrans - which flourishes wherever horses and donkeys are kept, and injects the microscopic organism which causes the disease into the flesh through bites.
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| Why is the summer such a dangerous time for horses and donkeys?
In the summer time, when the temperatures rise, flies which carry the organism multiply by the billion.
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| Can Surra be treated?
Yes, if caught early enough, Surra can be treated by a trained vet. Antiprotazoan drugs are administered and at least two weeks of rest are necessary.
Last year, Brooke vets treated 1,600 cases of Surra in India alone. But we estimate that there are thousands more that we couldn’t reach.
To reach more owners, Brooke produces posters, which are put up in places where animal owners meet and which show photographs of the main symptoms of Surra. | | | %239%23.JPG) |
- Blood clots on the cornea of the eye
- Blood passing in the urine
- The animal turning in circles
- Loss of appetite and debility
- Vets can look at a blood sample under a microscope to find the Surra organism
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| What happens if Surra is not treated?
Sadly, in most cases, an animal with Surra will die if it is not treated, or become so thin and weakened that working becomes extremely difficult – in some cases this can even lead to beatings from owners who do not understand the condition of their animal. | | |  |
| How can Surra be prevented? |
- Increasing the cleanliness of an animal’s living environment, so flies are reduced.
- Using lime or fly repellent in stables to prevent flies.
- Improving drainage in marshy areas near stables (flies are attracted by the stagnant water)
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