Maryland Owners Urged to Keep Horses’ Vaccinations Updated

Preventing disease is less expensive than treating it, so officials are encouraging horse owners to be proactive.
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The Maryland Department of Agriculture is strongly encouraging horse owners to make sure their equine friends are vaccinated against West Nile virus (WNV) and Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE), two potentially fatal diseases that are spread by mosquitoes.

“Preventing a disease is always less expensive and traumatic than treating it, so we urge horse owners to be proactive and vaccinate their horses now that mosquito season is in full swing,” said Maryland State Veterinarian Michael Radebaugh, DVM. “Your veterinarian is the best source of information and advice for your horse and its health. We also remind veterinarians across the state that they must report any cases of equine arboviruses to the department.”

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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