A pair of racing Quarter Horses in Barnwell County, South Carolina, were euthanized after testing positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA), reports the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC).
The two horses were a 3-year-old Quarter Horse filly and a 3-year-old Quarter Horse gelding, and both were used for bush track racing. The two positive horses likely contracted EIA from shared needles, and Clemson Livestock Poultry Health and South Carolina USDA veterinarians are investigating any other potential cases.
The horses mark the fourth and fifth EIA cases in South Carolina in 2022. An official quarantine is in place.
Equine Infectious Anemia is a virus is a bloodborne disease that can be transmitted via bites from contaminated deer- and horseflies; from pregnant mares to their foals in utero or via milk; via breeding, from stallions to mares; through the use of infected blood and blood products; or through contaminated equipment like needles.
A horse with EIA can be asymptomatic, or it can have a fever or die suddenly. Horses that are chronically infected with EIA can be weak or anemic, lose weight, or have swelling in the legs, abdomen, or chest.
A Coggins test can confirm whether a horse is positive for EIA. There is no known treatment and infected horses pose a risk to all other horses. Horses that are positive for EIA can either be placed in lifetime quarantine or euthanized.
There is no vaccine for EIA, so prevention relies on quality fly control and sterile equipment for injections and treatments.
Updated alerts will be posted on the Equine Disease Communications Center.
The post Two Racing Quarter Horses Euthanized In South Carolina; Equine Infectious Anemia Tied To Unsanctioned Racing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
