In late August, a horse was transported from Weld County up to Wyoming without finalized EIA testing (Coggins) - the result was pending and the horse exposed 41 horses at one facility and countless others during it's travels to WY and back. The horse is now under quarantine in CO and several facilities in Wyoming are under quarantine after being exposed to the infected horse for 6 days.
Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a blood borne virus that is generally spread by biting flies. This disease has now become rare because of the widespread ease of the Coggins test. Unfortunately the disease has no treatment and horses are life long carriers, meaning that the two options for an owner with an EIA positive horse is lifelong quarantine or euthanasia. Usually the latter is the only option.
Signs of EIA infection include lethargy, fever, anemia, edema, and muscle weakness. Routine (annual) Coggins testing is recommended. The movement of the positive horse across state lines was illegal; a great resource to check for what is needed for your horse to travel within the U.S. is here:
https://www.interstatelivestock.com/
If you ever have questions about what's needed to move your horse, please call us- we can help!
(303) 578-5898
