Local veterinarian discusses virus that could pose danger to area horses

Following a recent outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) in Texas and Oklahoma, both the Arkansas and Missouri Departments of Agriculture issued warnings to horse owners to be cautious and avoid horses that have been at equine events in those states. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture on Nov. 20 recommended postponing all equine events for two weeks as a precaution to protect the health of horses across the state.Local veterinarian Rob Conner from All Creatures Veterinary Hospital in Mountain Home says EHV is highly contagious among horses.

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He says for local horses being together, the risk is a lot lower of catching the virus than being with horses from out of the area.

Conner says most of the time EHV doesn’t look like anything bad, but it can become very serious.

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Hind end weakness, toe dragging, sitting like a dog, problems urinating or having a bowel movement are also other symptoms to look for.

If you are looking at purchasing a horse from the areas where the virus is prevalent, Conner has these tips and warnings.

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Conner says if you think your horse has EHV, call your vet so they can test for it. He suggests to not take your horses far away for big events or have anyone come in and have their horses comingle with horses locally for a while until this dies down.

The virus is not a risk to humans.

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