Progression of the Ohio EHV-1 Outbreak

Beginning Jan. 12 many horses at the University of Findlay’s James L. Child Jr. Equestrian Complex developed fever and depression, and some had nasal discharge and wouldn’t eat. Within 48-72 hours, 85% of the horses showed similar signs.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

There were 138 horses stabled at the University of Findlay James L. Child Jr. Equestrian Complex when the equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) outbreak hit. Beginning Jan. 12, many horses began showing non-specific symptoms, including fever and depression. Some horses also exhibited mild nasal discharge and would not eat. Within 48-72 hours, approximately 85% of the horses showed similar signs.

Over the weekend of Jan. 18, neurologic signs surfaced in many of the horses, and the virus was suspected to be EHV-1. The virus was confirmed to be EHV-1 on Jan. 24 through tests completed with the Ohio Department of Agriculture and The Ohio State University (see article #4084).

Rick Henninger, DVM, a veterinarian at the University of Findlay, treated horses in the outbreak. "No horse necessarily went by the book," he said. The horses typically developed fevers, followed by mild nasal discharge, and the worst ones developed neurologic signs. "Typically they'd have a fever for four to seven days," he said. "If the horses developed neurologic symptoms, they'd usually start on day six, seven, or eight.

"Why did we have some horses that never suffered at all?" asked Henninger. "It was not a large percent, but there were some. We have some horses that got fevers and then did not develop (further symptoms)

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:

Stephanie L. Church, Editorial Director, grew up riding and caring for her family’s horses in Central Virginia and received a B.A. in journalism and equestrian studies from Averett University. She joined The Horse in 1999 and has led the editorial team since 2010. A 4-H and Pony Club graduate, she enjoys dressage, eventing, and trail riding with her former graded-stakes-winning Thoroughbred gelding, It Happened Again (“Happy”). Stephanie and Happy are based in Lexington, Kentucky.

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!