Horse owners are urged to vaccinate their horses against the equine herpes virus, which spiked recently in New Mexico.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry released information last week about a recent rise in the equine herpes virus, or EHV1. Rod Hall with the department says the wild strain of the virus can affect horses in a few different
“The EHV1 virus, in its wild state, or what we call the wild state which is what we’ve seen traditionally, it’s not a real serious virus. It can cause an occasional abortion in pregnant mares but mostly what it causes is mild respiratory signs."
Hall says there is a more serious strain that can cause issues with coordination, bladder control and sometimes death. Hall says the best thing for horse owners to do is vaccinate against the virus and others, like rabies and tetanus.
“We can’t completely prevent it by vaccinating but a good vaccination program goes a long ways towards preventing the spread of the disease.”
