Three weeks after diagnosing a horse with equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) and suspending all elective surgical and medical services for horses and camelids, the Oregon State University (OSU) College of Veterinary Medicine announced Nov. 29 that it is resuming normal operations.

“There was no transmission of the virus to other horses within or outside of the hospital, so we are lifting quarantine and returning to normal operations effective immediately,” said Erica McKenzie, BSc, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVSMR, professor of large animal internal medicine. “The college thanks everyone for their patience and assistance during the quarantine period.”

Herpesvirus is highly contagious among horses and can cause a variety of ailments in equids, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and myeloencephalopathy (the neurologic form). In many horses, fever is the only sign of EHV-1 infection, which can go undetected.

In addition to fever, other common signs of EHV-1 infection in young horses include cough, decreased appetite, depression, and a nasal discharge. Pregnant mares typically show no signs of infection before they abort, and abortions usually occur late in gestation (around eight months), but can be earlier. Abortions can occur anywhere from two weeks to several months following infection with EHV-1

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