Two confirmed cases of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), a reportable animal disease, have been found in western South Dakota.

The USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory reported the disease to South Dakota state veterinarian Dustin Oedekoven, DVM, after testing samples that were submitted on July 28.

Thus far in 2015 VSV-infected horses and cattle have been identified in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, and Arizona. The virus can also threaten other livestock species, including sheep, goats, and pigs.

The main clinical signs of VSV include slobbering; blisters; sores; and sloughing of skin in the mouth, on the tongue, on the muzzle, inside the ears, and on the coronary band above the hooves. Lameness and weight loss can also occur