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Regional,
Monthly All-Breed Horse Magazine • Since 1993 |
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Copyright 2011 Rocky Mountain Rider. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reproduction of any editorial material, artwork and photos is strictly forbidden without express written permission of the publisher. For information about reprint rights, please contact the editor; editor@rockymountainrider.com.
Just as RMR’s June issue was about to go to the printer, we received
the news that some of the horses which had been entered in the National Cutting
Horse Association Western National Championship in Ogden, UT, April 29—May 8,
2011, had been diagnosed with a neurological form of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1).
Although seven (to date) of the horses which contracted the disease in
the
We received many statements from State Veterinarians in affected states
throughout the
We have fielded phone calls with veterinarians, state officials and
concerned horse owners. Jim Harvey, director of the Golden Spike Arena in
The Equine Herpesvirus called EHV-1 is one of nine types of herpes found
in horses worldwide. EHV-1 is better known as Rhinopneumonitis, and can manifest
in four ways: abortion, a neurologic form, respiratory disease and neonatal
death. Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is another name for the
neurologic form. Veterinarians in our area tell me that the most common form of
herpes in equines they see is EHV-4 which causes nonfatal upper respiratory
tract infections.
Most horses have been infected with EHV-1 by the age of two, getting the
herpes from their mothers. Usually, it becomes latent (inactive) in their bodies
until they get under stress. This latency can be compared to many humans who
periodically break out with a cold sore on their lip (herpes simplex) or with a
case of shingles (herpes zoster). In fact, if you had chicken pox as a kid, that
is herpes zoster and once it is in your body, it is there for life. Herpes in
humans tend to become active when you are under great stress and your immune
system is depleted. The same goes for horses.
Although there is no vaccine for EHM, one veterinarian told me that
“every horse, at some point, is going to face this virus. If they are in good
health and well-nourished, they are likely to withstand it. For the average
horse, the risk is no higher today than it was a year ago. Your horse is more
likely to colic or have a musculoskeletal injury than it is to contract EHM.
“In the case of the outbreak of the disease from the Odgen event, the
infection rate is pretty small. If it was highly contagious, more than a small
percentage of horses would have gotten it.”
He advises caution if your horse was at that event. Follow the guidelines
of keeping the horse separated from other horses and closely monitoring its
health for 21 days.
He stresses that horse owner education is the best means of understanding
this disease. “If we all cancel shows and stop competing, or stop going to
clinics, trail rides and other horse events, it’s going to hurt the horse
industry. We have to learn to live with EHV-1, not in fear of it.” Readers: during the next few weeks, as more details emerge, we will be updating RMR’s EHV-1 webpage. Please check for updates, and please contact us if you know important information not listed. on that page.
Please
click here to go to EHV-1 page. Copyright 2011 Rocky Mountain Rider. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reproduction of any editorial material, artwork and photos is strictly forbidden without express written permission of the publisher. For information about reprint rights, please contact the editor; editor@rockymountainrider.com.
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Rocky
Mountain Rider Magazine • Montana Owned & Operated |
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