Owners Urged to Check Horses’ WNV Vaccine Status

Owners are urged to ensure their horses’ vaccination status is current for maximum protection against WNV.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

As the weather warms up and mosquitoes become more prevalent, California animal health authorities are urging horse owners to consult their veterinarian to ensure their horses’ vaccination status is current for maximum protection against West Nile virus (WNV).

Even though the disease peaked in California a number of years ago, it remains a risk. In 2012, WNV infection was confirmed in 22 California horses, eight of which died or were euthanized. The number of detections was the highest since 2008. In addition, WNV infection was confirmed in 479 people in California, also a significant spike over recent years.

“Outbreaks of West Nile virus are still a risk for horses,” said California State Veterinarian Annette Jones, DVM. “Horse owners should contact their veterinarians as soon as possible to make sure their animals’ vaccination status is current. Vaccination will provide optimal protection against the disease.”

Signs of West Nile virus include stumbling, staggering, wobbling, weakness, muscle twitching, and inability to stand. Horses contract the disease from carrier mosquitoes and are not contagious to other horses or people. Over the past 10 years, approximately 40% of horses infected with WNV died or were euthanized

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How much time do you usually spend grooming your horse?
440 votes · 440 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!