Maine Horse Owners: Vaccinate Horses Now

State officials say now’s the time to vaccinate horses against rabies, Eastern equine encephalitis, and West Nile virus.
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The Maine state veterinary officials are reminding horse owners that now is the time to vaccinate their animals against rabies and mosquito-borne diseases such as Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile virus (WNV).

Two cases of EEE have already been diagnosed in the Southern United States this year. Maine officials said that vaccinating horses annually against rabies, EEE, and WNV is the best way to protect them from these dangerous diseases, which can cause neurologic signs and often lead to death in unvaccinated animals.

A viral disease, EEE affects the central nervous system and is transmitted to horses by infected mosquitoes. Clinical signs of EEE include moderate to high fever, depression, lack of appetite, cranial nerve deficits (facial paralysis, tongue weakness, difficulty swallowing), behavioral changes (aggression, self-mutilation, or drowsiness), gait abnormalities, or severe central nervous system signs, such as head-pressing, circling, blindness, and seizures. The course of EEE can be swift, with death occurring two to three days after onset of clinical signs despite intensive care; fatality rates reach 75-80% among horses. Horses that survive might have long-lasting impairments and neurologic problems.

West Nile is also transmitted to horses via bites from infected mosquitoes. Clinical signs for WNV include flulike signs, where the horse seems mildly anorexic and depressed; fine and coarse muscle and skin fasciculations (twitching); hyperesthesia (hypersensitivity to touch and sound); changes in mentation (mentality), when horses look like they are daydreaming or "just not with it"; occasional somnolence (drowsiness); propulsive walking (driving or pushing forward, often without control); and "spinal" signs, including asymmetrical weakness. Some horses show asymmetrical or symmetrical ataxia. Equine mortality rate can be as high as 30-40%

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