Horse & Rider USA – September 2019

How to Establish an

Isolation Protocol

When a horse fi rst shows signs of

disease (such as a fever), the most

important action you can take is

to isolate him from the rest of your

herd—and the sooner the bett er

to avoid the spread of disease and

a potential outbreak. Here are the

steps to take.

Step 1. Assess location. Find the

location of the sick horse’s stall. If

he’s well isolated in a back corner of

your barn and has limited contact

with other horses, it might be

acceptable to leave him there, but if

it’s in the middle of the barn, move

him out.

Step 2. Select an isolation stall.

If you do need to move out the sick

horse, select an isolation stall that’s

as far away from other horses as

possible and where you’ll be able

to limit access. The fewer people

passing by, the bett er. Don’t forget

the barn pets. Cats and dogs can

spread disease just as easily as

humans. Ideally, fi nd a stall near a

water source (in addition to the sick

horse’s waterer) for cleanup.

Step 3. Identify equipment. Iden-

tify any equipment that the horse

has been in contact with —including

brushes, buckets, and cleaning

implements—to scrub and disinfect.

Step 4. Establish a footbath. Set

up a footbath and handwashing

station outside the isolation stall.

Designate stall-cleaning utensils for

that stall only. Use a separate trash

can for manure and other waste.

Step 5. Cordon off the area.

Cordon off the area to prevent access

by anyone other than the veterinar-

ian and designated caretaker. Mark

a boundary around the stall with

brightly colored duct tape. Put up

visible signage at every access point

to keep out all unwanted visitors.

Step 6. Assign a caretaker. Assign

one person to care for the horse.

Make sure this person understands

the importance of using a footbath,

washing hands (or using sanitizer),

and keeping all equipment separat-

ed. Always handle healthy horses

fi rst, sick horses last.

How to Disinfect Grooming

Equipment

An important part of barn bio-

security is regularly cleaning and

disinfecting grooming tools, not

only during a disease outbreak but

also for routine prevention of skin

diseases caused by microorganisms

that can easily be passed from horse

to horse. Here’s how.

Step 1. Prepare disinfectants. For

a large set of brushes, bleach is an

excellent disinfectant option. Use

hydrogen peroxide on very dirty small

tools, as it’s eff ective against all micro-

bial organisms, including spores. (It’s

limited only by volume because it’s

best used directly out of the bott le.)

Step 2. Remove debris. Physically

remove all hair and other debris. Use

your fi ngers, or run a comb through

the bristles.

Step 3. Scrub. Scrub the brush-

es with soap and water. If they’re

exceptionally dirty, use detergent to

loosen caked-on dirt.

Step 4. Soak. Soak the brushes

in disinfectant for a half-hour or

longer, even if the disinfectant has a

shorter eff ective contact time—that

is, the time it needs to be in contact

with the organisms to get a good kill.

This will ensure the liquid pene-

trates the brush bristles and diffi -

cult-to-reach nooks and crannies.

Step 5. Allow to dry. Remove

the brushes from the disinfectant

solution, shake them out, and allow

them to dry completely before

using. Lay the brushes on their

sides to protect the bristles, rotating

them as necessary.

Disinfectants 101

As you clean, you’ll likely come

across the statement, “Apply

eff ective disinfectant, following

the manufacturer’s label instruc-

tions.” But what disinfectant should

you choose? And how should you

use each product? You might be

surprised to learn that common,

inexpensive household products

are excellent disinfectant options.

Here’s what you need to know.

Option 1: Lysol Brand Concen-

trate. (Active ingredient, o-ben-

zyl-p-chlorphenol). This phenol-type

disinfectant is eff ective against

bacteria, fungi, and most viruses.

Not all Lysol Brand cleaners are

the same, so read ingredient labels

carefully. Lysol is slightly bett er in

the face of organic material than

other disinfectants, making it a good

choice for footbaths and for spraying

down stall walls.

How to use it: Dilute 2.5 table-

spoons of Lysol Concentrate in

Quick
tip: C
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from^ other^ horses.

100 / HorseandRider.com