Warning for horse owners, especially in the west!

[Greycloud]

This was posted on a forum I belong to. Make sure you click on the link too. Very scary!

DEADLY EQUINE VIRUS - ALL HORSE PEOPLE PLEASE READ


Our ranch is CLOSED due to this, no horses in or out - no Vet (unless emergency), no shoers & anyone coming in MUST bleach the bottom of their shoes, and wear a full set of new clothes if they had any contact with any other horses or llams/alpacas. Most horse shows in our area are canceled, and those that are not should be!! It is NOT just in a certain state, mostly in western states - started in Idaho, but can easily spread. Apparently it has a short incubation period, so if everyone would follow these precautions and just sit tight it hopefully will pass. Horses testing positive are euthenized, so it is VERY Serious!! Please be safe everyone & pass it on to save your & others beloved horses!!


Here is a link to one of the articles. Deadly Equine Virus

 

[TextsFromParrots]

Oh..my....god.. This is seriously frightening. Calling my parents now about it, I know our stallion is due for studding sessions in the next few months and we really need to make sure none of the mares or farms are participating in anything out west.

THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!

 

[waterfaller1]

Oh how scary Judy!

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

How scary! I hope everyone on AA that has horses are able to keep them safe .

 

[Birdlover]

It is very scary. It seems to have started at a cutting event in Utah. There are multiple confirmed deaths due to EHV-1 in Arizona, California, Utah, Colorado, Canada and Idaho. We closed our place to be on the safe side - no one is coming in or out with horses.

Here are a few things about it.
CDFA > AHFSS > Animal Health > Equine Herpes Virus
The Horse | EHV-1 Outbreak: More Cases Emerging
Center for Equine Health UC Davis
CDFA > Public Affairs > Press Release

It had been brought way too close to home at another cutting show in Bakersfield, CA. Here is a FB page for the horse that died there.
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[TextsFromParrots]

Yeahhh I'm starting to think a wise idea to tell my dad that Angel needs to not be at stud this season. This is far too frightening for me to want to risk a mare or a horse in another stable has gone to a national show with infected horses. We offer frozen semen and shipping so I think that's what I'm going to suggest. Yeah we're not out west, but it's not worth the risk to me the more i'm reading through this. The first breath of rumor that there's been a case within two states and I'm going to tell my Dad to shut us down. Better safe then sorry in my opinion,especially with as much traveling as many people do with their horses to get to show to show.

 

[Birdlover]

My thoughts exactly! With this being such a recent thing, there is no telling how bad it could become. Hopefully people are smart and keep their horses at home to prevent picking it up and spreading it further. With something like this, I would rather be overkill and keep our herd safe than risk bringing something like that back home. Since you cant vaccinate for this strain and it has a high fatality rate... it is just not worth it.

 

[TextsFromParrots]

Exactly! If this is just starting and with the way horse people network...I'm really scared to think how fast and how bad this could get. I'm hoping it was caught early enough and horse owners are being wary enough that it won't be able to get a firm toe hold in. Still with all the trail meets, shows, bridle paths and the like that go on through this country, it's frightening. I just called my dad and he'd heard about it already and agreed completely about not setting Angel to stand at stud for the season and he's going to hold off on a few purchases he had planed for. And just shot an e-mail to the other horse owners I know. I'll be keeping a close eye on this.

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

I think it is a wise decision to keep your horses away for a bit. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Birdlover]

Thankfully with the networking we have now, the word is spreading faster so people can be safer. Still, there are still so many that dont know! I meant to post about it yesterday and was so wrapped up in dealing with everything here that I never had the chance. Im glad so many are keeping their places closed.I could not live with myself if something happened to our horses. What a horrid way to lose them

 

[TextsFromParrots]

Yeah. I can't imagine something like this loose in our herds. It's just frightening that it's out there now. And yes, thankfully the internet makes things go a lot quicker when it comes to knowledge. I'm hoping that with this as well as various breed associations and clubs that it'll get out even to people who don't come online. And I completely agree, if something happened to our horses I don't think I could deal with it. Especially something like this. The regular strain was horrible enough, to have it mutate into this is terrifying.

 

[GG.]

this is horrible and closing for safety and adhering to strict aseptic protocol is far from overkill, it is the only prudent thing possible with no vaccination available


sending positive thoughts to all of you trying to keep your big furbabies safe

 

[TextsFromParrots]

Definitely not overkill! My thoughts go out to every horse owner on the west coast and wish them well. If anyone has any questions about quarantine procedures when it comes to horses feel free to pm me. I know it's not something many owners have had to do before if they're a smaller farm.

 

[magni]

That is so sad for the horses that lost there lives. I hpoe and pray your horses Jill will stay safe

 

[Aleu]

I hope this wasn't too drastic, but I emailed this to everyone I know with horses, not just people on the west coast since infected animals can travel and horses especially travel far sometimes for shows and stuff.

 

[TextsFromParrots]

Not drastic at all Aleu. Everyone needs to know what's going on here, because you're right. Horses DO travel and the last thing any of us want is someone to NOT know. Thank you for passing it on!

 

[Greycloud]

Nope, not drastic. That is why I posted here. I knew we have many horse owners.

 

[SallyQZ]

This is so scary! Luckily my horses are kept in a pretty small private barn - although we have a few that go to dressage shows on a regular basis. The owner of the barn is super protective of her horses, so I'm sure she's going to take every precaution. My biggest worry is the few clients who trailer their horses in for lessons. Who knows where they've been recently?!

 

[Annamacaw]

Oh no.... When the horse down the road escapes ...... he comes straight to our house to get fed and try to play with our horses...... Uuuggggg