New Horse Disease

[pappy19]

Anyone that owns or is around horses needs to be aware of this new threat-

Pap

There has been an outbreak of a horrid equine disease: Rhino EHV-1 (Equine Herpes virus).



This is a mutant strain of the neurological variation of Rhino, there is no vaccine for it, and it is lethal.

There are multiple confirmed deaths due to EHV in Arizona, California, Utah, Colorado, Canada, Idaho, and unfortunately, is spreading like you cannot believe. It is believed that a horse with the virus attended the NCHA Western National Championship cutting in Ogden, UT and has caused a massive cross contamination. All the horses that are dead or are being treated were vaccinated for Rhino, it doesn't matter, this strain does not respond to any vaccine.

The first death was a Canadian cutting horse that attended the Ogden show, there have been more in Weld County Colorado, there is a barrel racing stable in Colorado that has a confirmed case, which shows that it is rapidly and easily spreading through different disciplines and through many venues – CSU is now full and most Vets are not accepting Rhino horses, and have considered worldwide experts in this matter. This is considered an emerging disease. It is behaving in an extreme manor.

A similar outbreak occurred before, and at CSU, despite the fact the school runs one of the nation's top veterinary bio-security programs, the EHV virus spread to over 20 equine patients on the premises, and spread out of control. The EHV-1 organism spreads quickly from horse to horse and the neurologic form of the virus can reach high morbidity and mortality rates.

The incubation period of EHV-1 is typically 2-10 days, but there has been a case of a horse showing symptoms as many as 12 days after contamination. In horses infected with the neurologic strain of EHV-1, clinical signs may include: nasal discharge, dis-coordination, hind end weakness, recumbence, lethargy, urine dribbling and diminished tail tone. Prognosis depends on severity of signs and the period of the recumbence. There is no specific treatment for EHV-1. Treatment of symptoms may include intravenous fluids, anti-inflammatory drugs and other appropriate supportive treatment. Currently, there is no equine vaccine that has a label claim for protection against the neurological strain of the virus. Horse-to-horse contact, aerosol transmission, and contaminated hands, equipment, tack, and feed all play a role in disease spread. They cannot stress enough about the cross contamination, this deadly virus can be on anything – your steering wheel in your truck, door handles, trailer latches, your purse, your hat, sunglasses, cell phone, pop or food wrapper, bucket, feed pan, hay bag, rubber bands, brushes, tack, boots, clothing, ANYTHING you touch or rub against could have the virus on it!

PLEASE monitor your horses; the first symptom of this disease is a spike in temperature of 102 degrees. Horses with severe clinical signs of neurological EHV-1 illness are thought to have large viral loads in their blood and nasal secretions and therefore, present the greatest danger for spreading the disease. Immediate separation and isolation of identified suspect cases and implementation of appropriate bio-security measures are key elements for disease control. This is a serious matter that demands immediate attention, becoming aware and knowledge about this detrimental outbreak is a necessity and we ALL, as equine owners, trainers, and event producers MUST do our part to STOP the spread of this horrible mutant and deadly virus.

[scsmith42]

Pap, I'll check with the Doc and let you know what her response is. 

Scott

[scsmith42]

Pap, below is the response from the Doc.  

"There is a lot of info going out on the Internet that is inflammatory and just plain wrong or blown out of proportion.  I am attaching the link to the AAEP site so that you can read for yourself what the Amer. Assn. of Equine Practitioners and APHIS says about the disease.  

Note that there are no vaccines to completely protect your horses.  But, vaccination will likely lessen the severity of the disease.  I will vaccinate my horses that travel.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ehv/equine_herpesvirus_brochure_2009.pdf"

[pappy19]

Thanks for that info, I will pass it on to my horse folks here in Idaho and Utah.

Pap

[Woodwalker]

I'm waiting on confirmation that one of our shows this coming weekend has been canceled. There is some more information here http://reiner.nrha.com/?p=4450.
The seriousness of the disease has everyone's attention.

[northwoods1]

Thanks for that info, I will pass it on to my horse folks here in Idaho and Utah.

Pap

when you posted this info yesterday the 1st thing I did was go to the AAEP website and read what their recommendations were and the info on this link pretty much corresponds exactly with what you provided.  People who have horses and travel with them should be concerned, vaccination could reduce the severity of the disease but there is only one manufacturer of the vaccine and they make no claims that it will do so.

http://www.aaep.org/ehv.htm

[DouginUtah]

Here is a link to some more information about it...

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=15611045

Note that they say it is treatable if caught early.

(I live just forty miles from Ogden.)