I just found out that there has been an outbreak of Pigeon Fever at a farm in South Eastern Washington from which I had been planning on purchasing a mare. It is now end of September. How long should I wait in order to be sure that she does not have the disease or should I just forget about her and look elsewhere? She is a rarebreed and so there aren't to many to choose from.

I was wondering what causes Pigeon Fever and what can be done to prevent it. Also, is it contagious? Do the affected horses have to be quarantined?

Every year about this time my horse is susceptible to abscesses. He lives outside in a corral with sand and shavings. The corral is partially covered where his feedtub is and there is a thick smooth rubber matting in that area as well. I live in a temperate climate with periods of moderate to heavy rain throughout the winter.
Is there anything I can do to prevent the abscesses?

We go to big shows quite often were we stay a few days at a time at unfimilar places ,is there any precautions to take to help decrease our risk of exposure? Is it true that horses the age of 6-12 are less likely to come down with it? Thank you for your time.

I have had a tick problem and my vet had me mix water and ivermectin warmed together. Then wipe the ticks a couple of times in 4 days and that seemed to work. By the way I think it's a great new topic with "Ask the vet".