Is Your Horse at Risk for Infectious Disease?

Horses are at risk for contracting a number of diseases that can have mild to devastating consequences.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Is Your Horse at Risk for Infectious Disease?
Horses are at risk for contracting a number of common diseases such as mild respiratory ailments (colds) and flu, along with others that can have mild to devastating consequences. | Photo: Photos.com

Like colds and the flu in humans, horses are at risk for contracting a number of common diseases such as mild respiratory ailments (colds) and flu, along with others that can have mild to devastating consequences. Fortunately, most of these diseases can be prevented or the symptoms reduced through preventive management. Here are the diseases you should watch out for.

Respiratory Infections

By far, the most likely infections a horse might get are respiratory diseases. “They are still the number one problem as far as contagious diseases go,” says Robert Hertzog, DVM. “It’s an ongoing, year-round problem.”

Of these, influenza and Streptococcus equi (strangles) are frequent assailants. Horses most at risk are those exposed to transient populations, those stressed by shipping or heavy training schedules, youngsters, and seniors

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:

Marcia King is an award-winning freelance writer based in Ohio who specializes in equine, canine, and feline veterinary topics. She’s schooled in hunt seat, dressage, and Western pleasure.

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!