Upper Respiratory Infection in Horses
Posted on Friday, December 2nd, 2011 at 9:25 am.
By Kentucky Equine Research Staff · November 21, 2011
Runny nose, cough, fever, listless, or depressed behavior…if your horse is showing these signs, there’s a good chance he has an upper respiratory infection. Fall, winter, and spring are prime time for diseases of the respiratory tract, and are often caused by one or more of four common pathogens. A study at the University of California, Davis looked at the prevalence of these pathogens and their seasonal relevance for horses.
When 761 horses with signs of upper respiratory disease were tested for various pathogens, equine herpes virus-4 (EHV-4) was found most commonly (82 horses). Fall and winter were the peak times for EHV-4 infection… Read More>>
Breathing Easy: The Key To Equine Health
Posted on Wednesday, July 20th, 2011 at 12:40 pm.
Women’s Pro Rodeo News,
December 2009
WPRN Dec 09 FLAIR Info-Editorial
FLAIR/Dutton Academy Power Point
Posted on Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 at 2:35 pm.
FLAIR, a Lunch-Time sponsor the 2011 Phillip Dutton Academy Summer Camp, presents this informative equine respiratory physiology PDF presentation produced by FLAIR for Dutton Academy campers, and the entire equestrian community.
Click on the link below to download this informative PDF presentation.
AHC, AAEP, USDA Facilitate EHV-1 Reporting
Posted on Friday, May 20th, 2011 at 2:18 am.
May 19, 2011
Horses exposed to the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) based on attending an event held in Utah will now be monitored through a national case reporting system. In addition, a guidance document was sent to State Animal Health Officials and Area Veterinarians in Charge (AVIC) in each state on Tuesday, May 17, 2011, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Service (VS).
In response to confirmed cases of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) and Equine Herpes Virus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) in horses that attended a cutting horse event in Ogden, Utah held from April 29 to May 8, 2011, the American Horse Council (AHC) and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) contacted the USDA:APHIS:VS and requested federal coordination for data collection, dissemination, and communication efforts among state and federal veterinarians. The purpose of collecting this data is to protect the health of horses and mitigate the economic implications of further EHV-1 transmission to horses not yet affected.
In response, USDA:APHIS:VS has reached out to State Animal Health Officials, federal Area-Veterinarians-In-Charge (AVICs) and private practitioners to collect current information on the EHV-1 disease incident and develop a coordinated response among state, federal and industry partners. The full scope of the current EHV-1 situation and a complete accounting for the number of horses affected and/or exposed is underway.
“We want to applaud the quick response and efforts of the USDA:APHIS:VS,” said William A. Moyer, DVM, 2011 AAEP president. “Having the support and coordination of this effort by the USDA:APHIS:VS working in collaboration with State Animal Health Officials, will be key in providing accurate and timely information to the equine and veterinary communities during this outbreak.”
“USDA can play a critical and timely role in collecting, verifying, and disseminating accurate information to state animal health officials and industry partners,” said Jay Hickey, President of the American Horse Council. “These efforts are essential to mitigating the health and economic implications of this current EHV-1 situation. Misinformation can often be an epidemic in and of itself. This latest disease incident only underscores the importance of implementing a pro-active national equine health program.”
USDA and State Animal Health Officials have initiated an investigation and incident response effort. The USDA plans to release the initial report through summarization of information provided by the State Animal Health Officials and AVIC’s including the number of horses suspected and confirmed as EHV-1 cases and EHM cases along with fatalities in the coming days. The USDA will update and release future reports on the current EHV-1 outbreak on a weekly basis. If the current incident results in wide-spread exposure or a large influx of infected horses, the USDA will provide that information as it becomes available.
Practitioners are encouraged to notify their State Animal Health Official of suspect or confirmed cases of EHV-1 and EHM. The State Animal Health Officials can assist with guidelines on diagnostic testing and management to reduce risk of spread of EHV-1.
There have been numerous scientific articles citing a wide variation in the number of suspect and confirmed cases of the EHV-1 and the neurological form of the disease (EHM) in horses. This large disparity in reported information underscores the importance of allowing USDA and State Animal Health Officials to collect data, based on the use of consistent case definitions, to then verify information gathered and disseminate factual summary information.
Until state and federal animal health officials are able to gather, verify and disseminate accurate information on the scope of the current incident, it is critical for individual horse owners and organizations to undertake appropriate and responsible actions to mitigate the welfare and economic implications of potential future transmissions.
At the time this release was issued, only Colorado and Wyoming had implemented enhanced state entry requirements in response to the on-going EHV-1 disease situation.
Additionally, if you anticipate transporting your horse across state lines it is recommended you contact each respective state/provincial veterinarian’s office prior to departure to determine if there are any restrictions or enhanced entry requirements due to the current EHV-1 incident. To find your state or provincial animal health office, visit www.aaep.org/us_canada_statehealthoffice.htm.
In the interim, the AHC and AAEP stress the importance of responsible ownership practices and informed communication among industry organizations. Please visit the AAEP’s website at www.aaep.org for additional information on these diseases, as well as updated horse owner and veterinary resources including an FAQ feature about the diseases, biosecurity recommendations, updates from various states and more.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, the AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its over 10,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.
As the national association representing all segments of the horse industry in Washington, D.C., the American Horse Council works daily to represent equine interests and opportunities. Organized in 1969, the AHC promotes and protects the industry by communicating with Congress, federal agencies, the media and the industry on behalf of all horse related interests each and every day.
The AHC is member supported by individuals and organizations representing virtually every facet of the horse world from owners, breeders, veterinarians, farriers, breed registries and horsemen’s associations to horse shows, race tracks, rodeos, commercial suppliers and state horse councils.
EHV-1/EHM) Info & Resources
Posted on Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 at 3:17 pm.
The following is an excerpt from TheHorse website:
by: The Horse Staff
May 18 2011, Article # 18258
Several horses present at the April 29-May 8 National Cutting Horse Association’s Western National Championship in Ogden, Utah, have since been diagnosed with the neurologic form of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), and many of the horses present at the event were apparently exposed to the disease. The disease has spread into several states as exposed horses traveled home and to other events, with cases currently being treated in equine hospitals including those at Washington State University, Colorado State University, the University of California, Davis, and likely several more. At least two horses have been euthanized because of severe disease… Read entire article on The Horse website, including links to other information>
We also have received the following information from the Kentucky State Veterinarian. It gives a general outline of what is currently known about this latest EHV-1 outbreak:
2011 Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) Western States Outbreak – Kentucky Perspective
The following information is from the Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian, Robert Stout, DVM. Unfortunately there are a great many rumors and unverified information circulating about the current outbreak of EHV-1. The information contained in this notice is current and has been verified by the proper veterinary authorities. The Kentucky Horse Council works closely with the Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian to ensure that all information related to disease outbreaks is factual and correct.
May 18, 2011 - In response to an inundation of calls – the Kentucky State Veterinarians Office is providing the following ‘preliminary’ information and our position in response to the diagnosis of EHV-1 having caused neurological disease in horses that recently attended a large cutting horse show in Ogden Utah. We are expecting to receive by the end of this week a report from USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that will better enable us to provide a factual description of the outbreak.
Following a National call of animal health officials last night, our understanding of the outbreak today is:
Disease information believed to be accurate includes:
Horses participating at the National Cutting Horse Association’s (NCHA) Western Championships show in Ogden, Utah during the period April 30 through May 8, 2011 are believed to have had opportunity of exposure to EHV-1.
There is credible evidence suggesting horses participating in a subsequent event in Bakersfield, CA may also have had opportunity of exposure. One or more horses that had participated at the Ogden event became ill after arriving at the Bakersfield facility. EHM in these horses has been confirmed.
Horses developing disease have shown variations of clinical symptoms that include neurological abnormalities.
Virus DNA from at least one (1) of the confirmed cases has been typed and found to be the neuropathogenic strain.
At this time, there are a limited number of confirmed cases of EHM in horses that participated in the event or were at the hosting facility during the event.
There have been ‘suspected’, ‘presumed’ or ‘probable’ cases of EHM reported from multiple western states. The horses involved had been at the hosting facility or have been exposed to horses that had been at the facility. As of last night, the majority of those cases remained unconfirmed.
There are reports of horses being euthanized after presenting with neurological abnormalities that were not tested for EHV prior to euthanasia and subsequent disposal. It is unclear at this point how many such cases this includes, but the reports reviewed last night suggested 3 to 5 cases.
The NCHA has provided a listing of potentially exposed horses to investigators who have, and are continuing to determine each animal’s disease status.
The NCHA has reportedly canceled their sanctioned events scheduled through this weekend. My understanding is the association will make a determination later this week whether to continue canceling events into next week.
Kentucky Position:
Reviewing the listing of entrants from the Ogden show, we have found no horses participating in the event that originated from KY or whose home stable is in KY.
In addition we have found no evidence and have no reason to believe horses participating in the Bakersfield event have Kentucky ties.
Looking at our scheduled equine events in Kentucky, we have not identified any event that would be perceived as posing a significant risk of having participants from the Ogden or Bakersfield events coming to Kentucky for exhibition during the next six (6) weeks.
Kentucky Response:
Appreciating we have not identified nor do we have reason to believe horses participating in the Ogden or Bakersfield events will be traveling to or participating in Kentucky events, we are not inclined to amend our equine health ‘requirements’ at this time.
We do believe though that as a result of the fast spread and apparent extent of this outbreak – extra biosecurity precautions need to be implemented by Kentucky facility managers and managers of shows/exhibitions held in Kentucky. The goal of a biosecurity plan is to prevent the transmission of infectious agents among individuals. The components of a successful program will include cooperation of management, facility layout, decontamination, and when applicable immunization. Each of these factors directly affects the success or failure of the program. Facility and show managers should immediately review their practices and if needed elevate biosecurity to minimize opportunity of horses having direct or indirect contact with one another. Indirect contact would include common water and feed sources as well as shared equipment.
Our additional ‘recommendation’ is that horsemen consult their veterinarians and after evaluating their animal’s vaccination status consider if there is a need to stimulate immune response by vaccinating against EHV-1. We acknowledge the available vaccines’ labels make no claim to prevent neurologic disease, but based on our successful experiences managing outbreaks of this disease, and in consultation with infectious disease experts and research scientist, we continue to be of the opinion the vaccine does have a meaningful level of efficacy and minimizes the impact of this disease.
In response to the increased risk, the state veterinarians office has elevated our regulatory surveillance and equine health inspection activity at equine events held in Kentucky. Exhibitors can expedite their passage through inspection points by having their health documents organized and horses loaded in a manner that will allow visual inspection.
In addition to the surveillance and inspection activity we will be working closely with show managers and veterinarians to insure immediate notification and quick response to any suspected communicable disease.
The Kentucky Office of the State Veterinarian will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates via their web page at www.kyagr.com/statevet/equine. As the Kentucky Horse Council receives information about the outbreak from the Department of Agriculture we will continue to notify you.
Contact:
Rusty Ford
Equine Program Manager
Rusty1.Ford@ky.gov
Office of Kentucky State Veterinarian
www.kyagr.com/statevet/equine
Kentucky Horse Council, Inc.
www.KentuckyHorse.org
info@kentuckyhorse.org
Phone: (859) 367-0509
