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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.
As
we were going to press for the October 2011 issue, we received word from the
Montana Department of Livestock that “a 32-year-old mule in
“Also known as ‘swamp fever,’ EIA is a potentially fatal viral
disease of equines spread by biting insects. No vaccine or treatment is
available for the disease, which is characterized by fever, depression,
progressive weakness, weight loss, edema (fluid under the skin or in body
cavities) and anemia. “The
infected mule was discovered when a Coggins test — a screening test required
for equine movement into or out of the state — was performed for out-of-state
movement. The test was positive, and was confirmed by the USDA-APHIS National
Veterinary Service Laboratories (NVSL) in “Follow-up
testing on two other equines located at the premises, which is currently under
quarantine, is underway. The premises is located in a remote area with limited
potential for exposure to other equines. “Due
to strict regulations, owners of EIA-infected equines have few options. Those
options include a lifetime quarantine with a minimum of 200 yards distance
between the quarantined animal and other equines, euthanasia, and donating the
animal for EIA-related research. “For
additional information about EIA or testing requirements, please contact
MDOL’s Animal Health Division at 406-444-2043.” Additional information is
also available at: Current
status of history of EIA in the Dr.
Jim Logan, DVM, Wyoming State Veterinarian
—”We haven’t had any EIA cases recently. It’s fairly normal for us to
get about one case a year; sometimes two or three, which is probably due to no
active surveillance.” Dr.
Bill Barton, DVM, Idaho State Veterinarian
— “We haven’t had any cases in three years. We do a lot of testing of
animals crossing borders. I guess we’ve been fortunate.” Dr.
Martin Zaluski, DVM, Montana State Veterinarian, was unavailable for comment. Steve
Merritt, Montana Information Officer, said: “We have had 169 cases [of EIA]
since 1979, but that has decreased dramatically over the years. We had one case
in 2007, and one in 2010.”
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Rocky
Mountain Rider Magazine • Montana Owned & Operated |
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