Protect Horses Against Potomac Horse Fever

PHF can have serious complications, and the fatality rate in untreated cases can be up to 30%.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

This summer, several cases of Potomac horse fever (PHF) were reported in central Virginia. Although the disease is not contagious, it can be fatal and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services made horse owners aware of the threat.

Megan Green, DVM, manager of Merial’s Large Animal Veterinary Services, advises horse owners, especially those in geographic areas where PHF is prevalent, to consult with their veterinarians.

“(Your veterinarian) will have the latest information about the cases in the surrounding community and help assess the situation,” Green says. “But since there have been cases reported, it’s very likely he or she will recommend vaccinating. It’s the only way to help protect horses against Potomac horse fever.”

PHF is most commonly found near creeks and rivers and likely caused when horses ingest infected aquatic insects such as damselflies, caddisflies, and mayflies. Named PHF because the initial 1979 outbreak occurred near the Potomac River in Maryland, the disease has since been identified in 43 states, three Canadian provinces, parts of South America, the Netherlands, and France

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?
294 votes · 294 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!