Joseph: Horses Owners Need To Keep Vaccinations Up To Date

With several cases of West Nile reported in mosquitos in southern Washington recently, the state Department of Agriculture is reminding horse owners to be proactive when it comes to their animal’s health. Washington state Veterinarian Dr. Brian Joseph said one of the most important steps is mosquito control, which means removal of standing water and the use of fans in barns or other covered areas.

The other important step is immunization. Dr. Joseph noted the West Nile immunization is an easy and efficient way to protect your animals.

“What we see sometimes during economic downturns, is that people are on just low margins that they neglect immunizations because they just can’t afford to do it.  And that’s when we tend to see cases.  We will see a few West Nile cases, people who have horses that get infected.”

Dr. Joseph noted West Nile is a very devastating neurological disease in horses, leading to staggering, confusion, convulsions and even death. He added it’s also important to vaccinate your horse for Equine Influenza.

Dr. Joseph added while you’re dealing with mosquito control, it’s also a good idea to control your fly population, which can be done with pest strips, insecticides on your animals as well as manure control.

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