Import restrictions on horses from the United States due to potential spread of vesicular stomatitis have been lifted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Equine Canada reports that the change was effective April 14 and was made “as a result of additional information (the CFIA) received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding recent cases of VS reported in the U.S.”
In March, the CFIA reduced VS restrictions to specific counties, but as of last week all had been lifted.
VS is a viral disease that affects a wide range of livestock including horses, ruminants, swine and camelids. It is spread through saliva or lesions from infected animals.
The disease causes mild fever and formation of lesions that break open, causing raw sores. Affected animals increase salivation and lose appetite. Most recover in three to four days, according to CFIA information.
It was last found in Canada in 1949 and is a reportable disease.
