Animal health officials in North Carolina have confirmed that a second Polk County horse has been confirmed positive for rabies. This follows another case confirmed in mid-August. 

A North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services representative told The Horse Aug. 31 that both horses were from the same Polk County farm. That facility has imposed a 45-day voluntary quarantine following the confirmed cases, the representative said.

Rabies—a zoonotic disease that can be spread from animals to humans—is caused by a lyssavirus that affects the neurologic system and salivary glands. Horses are exposed most commonly through the bite of another rabid animal.

In horses clinical signs of rabies are variable and can take up to 12 weeks to appear after the initial infection. Although affected horses are sometimes asymptomatic, an infected horse can show behavioral changes such as drowsiness, depression, fear, or aggression. Once clinical signs appear, there are no treatment options