Here’s What An Arizona Equine Vet Says About The EHV-1 Outbreak

An outbreak of EHV-1 among horses across the country has led to a panic in the rodeo community. An Arizona Equine vet tells Rodeo on SI what can be done to prevent further spread.

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The rodeo community is shrouded in uncertainty as an ongoing outbreak of EHV-1 continues to spread through horses across the country. As athletes remain uncertain as to whether they will see the National Finals Rodeo with their horses, vets are doing all they can to minimize the damage that can be done from this virus. 

EHM is a mutated version of EHV-1, the neurological form of the virus. This means that horses that begin to show symptoms are very quickly impacted. As of now, there are many horses that have already had to be humanely euthanized due to the virus. 

Tresha Robinson, a vet with Arizona Equine told Rodeo on SI,

“Symptoms include fever, runny nose, lethargy, muscle weakness, instability, difficulty urinating, and in severe cases, horses become recumbent and unable to get up.”

Confirmed cases across the country have led to multiple rodeos being cancelled or postponed, and the NFR still hangs in the balance. Although all sources indicate the show will go on.

Travel restrictions have been put in place to minimize the spread, but with a two-week window between when a horse can contract the virus and when they show symptoms, owners and vets are still uncertain about how many horses could be affected.

These restrictions are currently in place throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada, and Arizona. Even if your horse isn’t showing symptoms, it doesn't mean they aren’t a carrier,

“These horses can carry the virus. They can be shedders of the virus. They can lay dormant for a while, and then a stressor makes them come out and that's how that probably can get started,” Robinson told Rodeo on SI,  “Then if it gets into another horse that maybe was unvaccinated and what I mean by that is it's kind of confusing because we have vaccines for this disease, I mean the answer is yes and no.”

Different forms of the disease can impact a horse in different ways,

“We have a vaccine for the respiratory condition and we have a vaccine for the abortogenic condition, like causing pregnant mares to abort their fetuses,” Robinson said, “So we have vaccines for those, but the neurologic form, so the equine herpes myeloencephalitis, the EHM, is the one that we do not have a vaccine for, and that's the concerning part.”

Can The NFR Go On If Too Many Horses Are Impacted?

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In order for the NFR to proceed, horses that have been around those affected have been placed under a 21-day quarantine, but owners will still have to be vigilant. Robinson recommends, 

“Quarantining horses, avoiding mingling with new horses, not sharing buckets, preventing nose-to-nose contact, changing clothes, disinfecting with bleach or Clorox wipes, taking temperatures regularly, and avoiding travel.”

As of right now, Robinson told Rodeo on SI that there are no confirmed cases of the virus in Arizona, and that it is mainly isolated to Oklahoma and Texas. Rodeo on SI will keep you updated as this catastrophic event develops further. 

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