Saskatoon area stables are cancelling events after an outbreak of equine herpes at one site.
Thirteen horses were affected by a neurological strain of EHV-1, with 11 recovering inside barns at Willow Ridge Stables and the other two remaining at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
That has prompted E and J Racing Stables and Sandhills Stable to cancel upcoming clinics and limit horses coming onto their grounds.
Dr. Katharina Lohmann, WCVM associate professor, said such biosecurity precautions are the best defence.
“Washing hands between handling different horses can go a long way,” she said.
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Equine herpes is not transmissible to other species or to humans but handlers can carry the virus from one horse to another by touching the animals.
WCVM is accepting only emergency cases at its large animal clinic.
“We’ve done that as a precaution to try to do the best we can to not compound the problem,” she said.
Lohmann believes the virus infects young horses and remains dormant until “a perfect storm” of events erupts.
That can include stresses like transportation to and participation in races, events and clinics. It can be transmitted from horse to horse by snorting and through shared feed bunks.
“It’s not a disease that comes from somewhere but more of a disease that is present in horse populations,” said Lohmann.
It is neither a new disease nor a reportable one, with typical symptoms ranging from fevers and swollen limbs to co-ordination and bladder problems.
Lohmann said it is similar to the herpes simplex virus that causes cold sores in humans.
The affected horses are being treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and are all improving, said Lohmann.
Bonnie DeWitt of Sandhills Stable is advising her clients to avoid visiting other operations and to keep horses from travelling to reduce the risk.
“You can’t be too careful,” she said.
DeWitt recalled a horse boarded at Sandhills contracted the virus about three years ago. It was contained to the one horse. It was treated but could not be ridden again due to a weakened neurological system, she said.
Vaccines are available to guard against the herpes virus but not against its neurological form.
More information on EHV-1 and vaccines are available at www.usask.ca/wcvm/collegenews and at www.aaep.org.
