Horse owners urged to be extra vigilant in biosecurity
An outbreak of equine herpes virus (EHV) has been confirmed on the Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire border, prompting calls for horse owners to refresh their understanding of the disease.
Confirming the news on their Facebook page, Rossdales Equine Veterinary Practice in Hertfordshire said:
“There has been a case of the neurological presentation of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV) in the North Hertfordshire/South Bedfordshire area of the practice and sadly the horse has died. The yard is quarantined and all measures are being taken to contain this outbreak.
“Presently only this one horse has shown clinical signs. The signs were sudden in onset and the owner and yard responded very quickly. This horse was well last weekend and attended a local competition.”
The practice says it is important for all horse and pony owners to be aware of the outbreak and to be extra vigilant in biosecurity. This should apply both to their own yard and when away from home at competitions.
“Don’t allow your horse to graze or share water troughs, try to avoid direct horse contact and don’t share tack, rugs or equipment,” they add
Equine Herpes Virus is common in the UK and most mature horses will have the infection at some point in their lifetime.
Spread via the respiratory tract, even horses that look healthy can be latent carriers and may also shed the virus. Clinical signs include fever (temperature above 38.5C), incoordination and ataxia.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
