Staying put till EHV-1 outbreak is over

The headlines have been filled with reports of equine herpes virus in the Midwest, as well as in the Upper Northwest and even in Canada.

EHV-1 is nothing new, and it's nobody's fault. But it can be dangerous and deadly to horses, particularly in its neurological strain.

Equine veterinarians continue to issue warnings, as well as advice for prevention and protection.

The University of California at Davis offers a very informative white paper for free downloading.

Here's another helpful piece, titled "10 Ways to Minimize Your Horse's Risk of EHV-1 or Equine Herpes Virus" and published a few years ago during another EHV-1 outbreak.

Plenty of horse owners and equine professionals (and their mounts) are attending equestrian events and traveling to various facilities for horse shows, expos, and other highlights. Hopefully, they are taking extra precautions against viral transmission and keeping traveling horses apart from their herds and barn mates for appropriate times after returning home.

Other events have been canceled, and certain barns and venues have closed their doors to wait out the EHV-1 outbreak.

A fair number of other equine enthusiasts are simply keeping their horses safely stowed in their home barns, hoping to wait out the viral storm, so to speak. If barn managers/owners and boarders/participants follow common-sense biosecurity precautions, their horses' odds of infection may be minimized.

Several veterinary experts, like the UC-Davis white paper authors, suggest a two-week separation / avoidance period after the latest known case may be a good precautionary guideline.

Some folks are displaying the accompanying graphic on Facebook and other social networking profile pages. Want to make it your profile photo? Feel free to grab it and use it. (This is a freebie.)

Let's keep the horses safe!

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