A report by Nathan Vickers in Rogersville, Missouri, cites a horse owner who isn't taking any chances with her horses when it comes to protecting them from West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne diseases.
Vaccines and Coggins tests for horse protection
The vaccine and Coggins test take just two quick pokes and just minutes to administer and it will protect horses from mosquito-borne diseases for the next year.
The horses on Lauren Newman's farm know when they're about to be caught.
"They're my pleasure horses. We do some cattle work on them and just have fun," Newman says.
But with a little coaxing, Newman can halter and bridle them with out too much of an incident. "I work hard to have my horses caught up. I make my list, which is in my back pocket today."
She's rounding up her herd for a checkup from the vet. An annual blood test called a Coggins test checks for mosquito-borne illnesses. "Equine Infectious Anemia can be spread by blood-sucking insects. So i feel like I have no control over that, but I want to be responsible to the horses," Newman notes.
The vet is also giving Newman's horses a vaccine to protect them against the West Nile virus. "Just because we don't have a lot of mosquitoes doesn't necessarily mean that we're not going to have problems," says Michael Spragg, DVM.
The West Nile scare isn't just for humans. Horses spend their days exposed to mosquitoes that can also carry the virus. "The mosquito goes up and bites the bird, becomes infected, with the virus, then takes it and bites the horse. That's how it is transmitted."
And it's just as deadly for horses. "It will have muscles that tremor, it will have twitches, all the way to in-coordination, where the horse can't stand," Spragg explains.
Mosquitoes also carry a disease that give horses a type of anemia. "Horses in Missouri that leave the premises need to have a current negative test once a year," says Spragg.
So Newman can't be too careful; "It can be spread to other horses. He might not be feeling well and you don't realize it."
The vaccine and Coggins test take just two quick pokes and just minutes to administer. And it will protect them for the next year. And that's Newman's preference. "I want to be responsible in that way."
Because when her horses are happy, Newman is happy.
Published on Ozarks First.com