Kentucky Provides Updates on EHV, Movement Protocols From Gulfstream Park

Ten days after Gulfstream Park identified a horse who was displaying signs of EHV, Kentucky's Department of the State Veterinarian issued new guidelines on protocols for horses moving from Florida to Kentucky

Current guidelines require that all horses entering a Kentucky racetrack or sanctioned training facility meet the additional requirements of having a 72-hour Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) and also meet the state's EHV-1 vaccination requirement of having been vaccinated a minimum of 14 days and no more than 120 days prior to entering the stable area. The 14-day minimum applies only to horses that have not been vaccinated during the preceding 120 days.

“There has been no change in the status at Gulfstream Park,” Rusty Ford, Kentucky State Veterinarian Office's Equine Operations Consultant, said. “One case of a neurologic horse has been confirmed positive for EHV1. The horse became recumbent and was euthanized [and] 174 horses remain housed in the affected barn and are under an official quarantine. Florida state veterinary officials have been conducting the epidemiologic investigation as well as managing and monitoring the quarantine. I have also received notification that a review of the records of horses moving out of the affected barn during the 2 weeks preceding the diagnosis did not identify any horse moving to Kentucky.

“At this point-in-time we understand there has been no testing of the 174 exposed horses and lacking additional symptomatic horses being reported there is currently no plan to test. My understanding is the horses in the quarantined barn may qualify for release following 21 days of no additional cases being reported or diagnosed. Though these 174 horses are under quarantine and have not since January 21 had direct contact with other horses on the grounds at Gulfstream, the lack of testing these exposed horses has raised our concern.

“Movement of the non-quarantined horses currently stabled, or horses that had been on the grounds of Gulfstream Park since January 20th, can continue to be conditionally allowed entry onto a KY track/training facility and be stabled on the grounds.”

Horses moving from Gulfstream (or having recently been on the grounds) can be allowed entry if the horse meets the published requirements for entry in addition to the modification listed below:
– Prior to a horse destined to a KY track/training facility departing, the horse's trainer or veterinarian is to contact the equine medical director, or his designated person, and provide required information on each horse that is seeking approval to move to the track.
– Approval of a designated horse to enter the Kentucky destination track by that track's equine medical director is based on the condition that the horse is to be temperature monitored and recorded twice daily for seven (7) days post arrival with the temperature logs posted on the stall. Any elevated fever or other sign or suspicion of illness shall immediately be reported to the equine medical director.
– The horse is to travel on a Health Certificate showing examination and issuance of the certificate performed the day of departure or during the 12 hours immediately preceding the departure. The certificate shall have the EHV vaccination recorded on it as well as the date the equine medical director approved the move and the estimated time of departure and KY arrival.

“These requirements are being adjusted in consultation with the track's equine medical directors and are subject to change without any advanced notice being provided should the disease event at Gulfstream Park change,” Ford said.

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Blea on Del Mar’s Churchill Shippers, Wakanaka Scratched from Matriarch

In the midst of the Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) outbreak at Churchill Downs, Del Mar had accepted three shippers from the Louisville track Tuesday, Nov. 29, the same day a horse at Churchill first showed symptoms of the contagious disease. One of the horses, Bill Mott's MGSW Wakanaka (Ire) (Power {GB}), had a suspicious test and will not be permitted to start in Sunday's GI Matriarch S. She was 5-1 on the morning line.

Dr. Jeff Blea, the equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), released the following statement Saturday:

“Three horses arrived at the Del Mar Race Track from Churchill Downs on Tuesday, Nov. 29. Due to the recent EHV-1 issue identified at Churchill Downs, the horses were placed in a quarantine barn with biosecurity measures implemented upon arrival, which continue to remain in place. Since their arrival, all three horses remain healthy and show no clinical signs of illness. Furthermore, bloodwork has been and continues to remain normal.

“The horses were tested for EHV-1 at UC Davis and all horses were negative for EHV-1 in blood. However, one horse, Wakanaka, was mildly positive on a nasal swab sample with a very low viral load. The viral load was too weak to differentiate between neuropathogenic and non-neuropathogenic EHV-1. This is only one test at a single time point, so we will continue to monitor the situation. Out an abundance of caution, Wakanaka will not be allowed to compete in the Dec. 4 Matriarch S. as planned.”

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Six Horses at Churchill Test Positive for EHV-1

Five additional horses stabled at Churchill Downs have tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) after an initial case Tuesday of a horse showing symptoms consistent with the contagious disease. Churchill immediately quarantined the barn of the horse in question and 13 exposed horses also stabled in the barn were tested, with their confirmed positives returned Thursday morning. The initial horse, reportedly trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., has also tested positive and is being treated at a Lexington-area clinic.

Several tracks across the country have banned shippers from Churchill and the Louisville track itself is restricting movement out of the backside. Churchill is working with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to ensure maximum effectiveness of its health and safety protocols.

The five additional horses testing positive for EHV-1 are asymptomatic. EHV-1 is a relatively common viral disease that can be managed and is treatable. Clinical symptoms include fever, hind limb ataxia, and dripping urine.

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Fonner Barn Quarantined Following EHV-1 Positives

Barn R on the backstretch at Nebraska's Fonner Park has been placed under a 21-day quarantine after a pair of horses tested postive for equine herpes virus (EHV-1). Both horses were subsequently euthanized.

On Wednesday, Mar. 9, a horse residing in Barn R had a high temperature and was displaying mobility issues. A first round of testing at NVLS in Ames, Iowa, returned results that were inconclusive, requiring an additional sample to be drawn. A second horse began displaying similar symptoms the same day. On the evening of Mar. 11, lab results were released and proved positive for EHV-1.

Horses stables in Barn R are restricted from having contact with the rest of the horse population and any horses entering Fonner Park will not be able to leave the stable area until the quarantine is lifted. The track has begun sanitizing the paddock, starting gate and other common areas for horses.

“We enacted immediate protocol and now we must adhere to and increase our measures of safety,” said Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak. “Everyone knows they have a role to play in our return to normalcy. Sadly, there are many in the stable area now shut down from earning a paycheck to feed themselves and their horses.”

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