09/28/2026
Well… because apparently we haven’t had enough tick-related nonsense lately. 😩
HollyB has now officially joined Easy in the double-positive club — she has tested positive for both Anaplasmosis AND Lyme disease.
And honestly? I’m frustrated.
Ticks are tiny. They’re incredibly difficult to find, especially before they’ve fed, and yet they can cause some pretty significant problems in horses. The symptoms can also be frustratingly vague and overlap with so many other things.
Common signs of Anaplasmosis in horses can include:
• Fever
• Lethargy/depression
• Reduced appetite
• Muscle soreness or stiffness
• Weakness
• Reluctance to move
• Swelling of the limbs
• Occasionally neurologic or other systemic signs
Lyme disease can be even trickier because the signs can be nonspecific. Horses may show things such as:
• Muscle or joint soreness
• Stiffness
• Lameness or shifting lameness
• Reluctance to work
• Changes in attitude
• Fatigue
• Sensitivity to touch
• In some cases, neurologic or ocular signs
And that brings us to HollyB.
She had actually come back into work really well. She was doing wonderfully with her groundwork as we slowly worked toward getting her fit again. But she just seemed… tight. Stiff. Not quite 100%. But she started back to work and under saddle well - no resistance no silliness.
So, as we normally do, we started looking at the obvious possibilities.
We had some bodywork done, and she showed improvements afterward, but she still wasn’t completely herself. Her feet were also sore, particularly on the hard ground.
Given the dry conditions we’ve had this summer, we initially had several very reasonable explanations for that. She had recently had a trim, was carrying a little less hoof than she was accustomed to because of the conditions (dry and chipping), and she blew a hoof abscess.
But even with all of that taken into consideration, HollyB still just seemed tight and tense through her body, and she was definitely tender when walking on the hard ground.
Then Easy tested positive for Lyme and Anaplasmosis. And we thought… well, maybe we should test HollyB too.
Sure enough. Positive for both.
Her SAA was also slightly elevated at 240, which tells us there is some inflammation going on, although it doesn’t tell us what is causing it.
And that’s the frustrating part.
We cannot say for certain that HollyB’s stiffness, body tension or foot soreness are related to Lyme or Anaplasmosis. There are still other perfectly plausible explanations, and we’re not going to assume that every symptom is automatically from a positive tick test.
For now, we’re going to treat the inflammation with Previcox, see if we can get her some additional comfort with glue-on shoes, and monitor her closely.
We’ll likely recheck her SAA to see which direction it’s going. If the inflammatory markers continue to rise, we’ll discuss starting doxycycline as well.
It’s another reminder of just how complicated tick-borne diseases can be. Sometimes there isn’t one giant, obvious symptom screaming THIS IS LYME! Instead, you have a horse who is just… not quite right.
A little stiff.
A little sore.
A little tense.
A little off.
And meanwhile, the culprit may be something smaller than a poppy seed.
I am officially SO over ticks. 😑
And yes, we will continue doing everything we can to protect these horses, but unfortunately even diligent daily tick checks don’t make them completely tick-proof. Those little things are ridiculously good at hiding.
