On Friday May 13, 2011, the Colorado State Veterinarian's Office announced that two confirmed case of EVH 1 were discovered in horses that had attended the Western National Cutting Show in Ogden, Utah. One of these horse has already been euthanized due to severe neurological distress. Neither case has been confirmed by the Utah State Veterinarian's Office as the State Veterinarian's Office will not complete its testing until Monday,May 16th. However, as a result the Utah Quarter Horse Association has canceled there weekend show.
EVH 1 is a serious disease which can cause horses to become ataxic (in-coordination), inability to empty bladder, and weakness of the tail. Some horses will become completely paralyzed; the prognosis for these horses is poor. In a small number of cases, horses can
show abnormal mentation and develop cranial nerve signs. Most horses become mildly to moderately neurologic and
stabilize rapidly. EHV-1 is most commonly transmitted by horse to horse contact but can be spread through the air or by contact with contaminated surfaces (hands, clothing, etc.)
At this time Dr. Sam Hendrix, of the Utah Horse Council is recommending that you keep your horses away from the Golden Spike Events Center until at least Monday when we should have more information from the Utah State Veterinarian. If you have recently attended an event at the Golden Spike please pay close attention to your horses. If your horse shows any signs of abnormality (typical initial signs are a fever which willl cause a horse to go off feed) please DO NOT TRAVEL and contact your local veterinarian IMMEDIATELY!
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