Tampa, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/25/2015 -- Ailment commonly known as pigeon fever can cause debilitating conditions in horses.

On March 5, 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture granted a conditional license for a vaccine to treat Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, more commonly known as pigeon fever, which has been afflicting a growing number of horses in the United States. However, only one month later, on April 9, the USDA placed a stop sale on the vaccine.

A soil-borne bacteria that can persist for months in different environmental conditions and primarily transmitted to equines through open wounds or flies, pigeon fever most commonly manifests itself in the form of external abscesses in a horse's pectoral region or ventral abdomen, but it can also trigger internal abscesses or even the severe limb swelling known as ulcerative lymphangitis. The disease, which had been largely associated with hot, dry climates in the American West, has been spreading to more humid climes in Florida and Kentucky.

Though not associated with fatality rates anywhere near as high as the up to 40 percent of horses afflicted with internal abscesses that die, lymphangitis is nonetheless a very debilitating disease that requires the administration of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories as well as extensive physiotherapy in order for the animal to fully recover.

"The legs are such a vital part of a horse's anatomy that must bear enormous weight while performing a variety of tasks, sometimes at a high rate of speed," said Greg Grambor, president of Vascular PRN, which is headquartered in Tampa, Fla. "Vascular PRN's horse compression system, which combines sequential compression and cold therapy for maximum therapeutic effectiveness, is a particularly helpful treatment for the rehabilitation of horse's limbs adversely affected by lymphangitis."

The USDA ordered a voluntary halt to sales of the vaccine, marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., after reports surfaced that some horses showed unexpected post-vaccination gastrointestinal tract events.

"Testing for the efficacy and potency of vaccines and medications can be a long, sometimes fruitless process," Grambor said. "Fortunately, horse owners whose equines are suffering from lymphangitis and other ailments can rely on our facilities for the proven, effective treatment that their equines need."