Equine Herpes Virus-1
You may call me and my horse "unlucky" because he is stabled at the barn where the first positive test result came back for EHV-1 in Montana. I honestly call myself lucky because I know they are taking care of all the horses in the barn AND keeping me up to date. Many of you may have gone to the fairgrounds last night for a discussion led by the Montana Department of Livestock. I, however, couldn' make it because I had puppy obedience class.
BUT because my horse is kept at the "infected" barn-we got to have a private chat with the State Veterinarian last Saturday. Is is weird that I'm not that scared? I don't think so. The "infected" horse has NO CLINICAL SIGNS of the virus and is healthy, as are the other horses the barn has been monitoring twice daily! Every piece of information I've collected seems to point to caution but not total freak out.
Here is a link from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle covering the meeting held last night.
Also check out a YouTube video put out by the Montana Department of Livestock about this case.
Here is a great informational paper prepared by the Center for Equine Health and the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital-School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis.......Please note "The finding of a positive PCR test result in an asymptomatic horse does not provide conclusive evidence of either active infection or the potential for disease transmission" on page 5.
Decide for yourself. But also know-I have a horse in the same barn as the infected horse and I'm not freaking out! It is going to be ok! If you have concerns-start temping your horse twice a day and call your vet. Don't start testing horses for no reason-you're more than likely to get a positive result because this virus is endemic in the horse population.
Now-I'm off to the Gardner Rodeo to perform with my drill team tonight-on a borrowed horse since Quinn is quarentined. Have a good weekend-take care-and enjoy your big four legged friends!
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