Ponies Can Suffer From Four Types Of Equine Herpes Virus

Horses can suffer from four types of Equine Herpes Virus, or EHV, and the one that you would want to handle the least, is the first type: EHV-1. Sadly, the most distortive of the strains is also the typically contracted. EHV-1, though originally a breathing illness alone, has a mutant strain that spreads its effects to become a neurological disease. Infected horses will be carriers of the virus their whole lives, effectively rendering them pointless for equestrian sport and too dangerous to expose to other animals.

When under stress a carrier would readily shred the virus, and most infected horses, though seemingly healthy, are occasionally shredding the pathogen thru breathing secretions. A steed can contract the illness from nose contact with an infected horse or thru sharing tools and aids like bits. Once infected, the blood vessels ferries the virus round the animals ‘ body. You may observe initial symptoms such as nasal discharge and mild, inconsistent fever that is tough to detect unless you check ever six hours. Veterinarians can check the discharge to see if it’s indeed EHV-1.

Six to twelve days after infection of the neurological strain, horses would start to show symptoms. The disease can progress in as little as 1 to 3 days with 102 degree F fevers and nasal discharge, loss of appetite, and depression as main signals. After 1st neurological symptoms start in a steed’s hindquarters, eventually the pony won’t be able to stand. If left that way, death comes in 24 hours.

The cause of the illness being a virus, there’s no known treatment for it. Vets may recommend immune modulator shots to boost the immune system of horses. If the EHV-1 respiration strain is afflicting them, they’d do well with just the shots. But there’s not much an equestrian can do except for relieve symptoms. There are vaccines that help minimize the dissemination of the virus and can even stop the breathing strain from infecting horses, but not the mutant neurological strain.

All steeds from those utilised for straightforward horse riding and those used for precise sport should go through a food vaccination scheme, and the equestrian responsible should also practice good herd management for multiple horses. Pregnant mares and newborns should be vaccinated regularly. Breeding horses are ideally immunized before their breeding season.

Barns should be kept clean and regular sanitation every 4 months is necessary. Barns that had once had an outbreak of EHV-1 should be sanitize each two months. This sanitation program helps forestall a handful of other equine sicknesses too. Quarantine any pony suspected of having EHV-1 for 21 days, and if you were on a show or competition and one of the horses aside from yours who joined is under suspicion of having EHV-1, take the lead to quarantine your horse for 21 days.

In the case of a flare-up, have all handlers and visitors wear leather boots and gloves—easily disinfected with bleach or chlorine. Other actions include adding a disinfectant tub in all entrances and exits of your barns. Sterilize everything: enclosures, tools, aids everything that horses use or stay in.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about riding hats