Respiratory disease outbreaks at facilities such as boarding barns present unique challenges for veterinarians, horse owners, and farm managers. Disease can spread quickly through a property’s equine population and beyond, and treating veterinarians must cater services to a diverse group of horse owners and their varying budgets.

To ease the process, Philip Ivens, MA, VetMB, CertEM(Int. Med.), Dipl. ECEIM, MRCVS, with Buckingham Equine Vets, in the UK, presented his suggestions for handling these outbreaks while at the British Equine Veterinary Association’s 51st annual Congress, held Sept. 12-15 in Birmingham, UK.

Infectious diseases to watch for include equine influenza, equine herpesvirus 1 and 4, strangles, and equine rhinitis virus. Clinical signs such as fever, nasal discharge, coughing, depression, anorexia, conjunctivitis, and submandibular (under the jaw) lymph node enlargement are often overlooked and are only the tip of the iceberg