Horse clubs in Quesnel have paused all practices and events while veterinary clinics test horses for equine influenza.
The pause in activities stems from the news of current positive cases of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) in Prince George.
Vanderhoof had an outbreak of equine influenza last fall, which is also a cause of concern among horse owners.
“The outbreak of equine influenza in Vanderhoof was handled with excellent biosecurity measures in the fall. With appropriate handling it has stopped the spreading of equine influenza throughout the Prince George and Quesnel communities,” says Dr. Crystal Fisher, a veterinarian at the Quesnel Veterinary Clinic.
“We do have a small amount of horses in our community that have had a cough. We do have test results pending, and we’ll keep our community updated as we get more information on the situation.”
Dr. Fisher says EHV-1 primarily causes respiratory symptoms to show in horses. However, it can lead to late-term abortions or neurological symptoms. She says horse owners should monitor their horses for “roughly two weeks” if a horse has been in contact with another sick one.
“One of the first things that we’ll notice when a horse is starting to get sick is a fever. Give the clinic a call,” Fisher says. “Other symptoms of these diseases are coughs, nasal discharge, and the horse will often be lethargic. It may have Ataxia, which is a neurological form of the disease. The horses will look wobbly on their feet, or are ‘dog-sitting’.”
She says that these respiratory illnesses and symptoms are “not uncommon” at boarding barns through the winters.
“We do recommend that people keep their horses up to date on their vaccinations. That can lessen the severity of sickness if they do get sick,” says Dr. Fisher. “Maintain a safe distance from each other and good sanitation habits. These types of viruses in horses are spread through respiratory secretions, through things like nose-to-nose contact. Wipe down common areas with disinfectant.”
Dr. Fisher says there is no outbreak in Quesnel, and they won’t know until test results come back. She advises taking extra caution for the time being, and horse owners avoid traveling with their horses, and use extra sanitation practices.
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