Sarah Cotton of rural St. Joseph is concerned for the health of her family’s two horses as a contagious and fatal virus plagues Western states.
Her concern might be shared by other nervous horse owners. Missouri is third in the number of horses in the United States, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture puts the number of horses at 12,500 for 15 Northwest Missouri counties.
As of Thursday, USDA reported 84 cases of a mutated form of an equine herpes virus in 10 Western states that trace back to late April. The virus forced organizers of the annual Pony Express Re-ride to reschedule the Wednesday event to August. Tests conducted on several exposed Missouri horses have turned up negative.
Meanwhile, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica in St. Joseph markets four vaccines that have various applications toward the disease. However, there is no vaccine approved by the USDA to prevent the neurological form of the virus. Read More…
Discover more from Ebarrelracing.com
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
