Wet Weather Leads to Thriving Mosquito Populations

Rain can result in an abundance of mosquitoes, which can transmit serious diseases to your horse.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Many parts of the United States experienced above-average rainfall this year, with May being the wettest on record in more than a century. This trend is expected to continue through the summer and fall.

For equestrians, the rain that can help encourage pasture growth and reduce dust can be an annoyance, creating mud in outdoor arenas, turnout pens, and pastures. The rain can also result in booming mosquito populations that can transmit serious diseases, which is why it is important to make sure your horse is protected.

Mosquitoes require standing water or moist soil to breed and they thrive in wet weather. These pests can transmit Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), Western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE), and West Nile virus (WNV) to horses. These potentially deadly diseases affect the central nervous system and can result in clinical signs including facial or limb paralysis, muscle twitching and impaired vision.

Horse owners should consult their private practicing veterinarian to determine an appropriate disease prevention plan for their horses. Vaccines have proven to be a very effective prevention tool. Horses that have been vaccinated in past years will need an annual booster shot. However, if an owner did not vaccinate their animal in previous years, the horse will need the two-shot vaccination series within a three to six week period

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:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
300 votes · 300 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!