Vesicular Stomatitis Treatment
Methods of treating the disease.
There is no specific treatment or cure for vesicular stomatitis. Treatment of affected animals may involve treating the symptoms:
- Mild antiseptic mouthwashes may bring comfort and more rapid recovery to an affected animal.
- High-energy liquid gruel feed or electrolytes added to the water supply can be helpful for animals having difficulty eating or drinking.
- Oral ulcers can be swabbed with a 1% to 2% solution of Lugol's iodine.
- Foot ulcers can be sprayed twice daily with a saturated solution of copper sulfate.
- Teat ulcers can be treated with spray solutions of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Death loss can be avoided if ill cattle or horses are offered shade, fresh water, and soft feed (although keep infected animals separate from non-infected animals).
Debilitated animals may be aided by broad spectrum antibiotic therapy to control secondary bacterial invaders.
Vaccines for the prevention of VS are not currently licensed for use in the United States due to sporadic nature of the disease and the fact that most all affected animals recover.
