Because two horses recently tested positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA) in Montana, the Montana Department of Livestock's Animal Health Division has scheduled a May 17 meeting in Gallatin county to update local horse owners on the situation.

EIA, also called swamp fever, was reported in Gallatin county April 26 after a horse tested positive following a routine Coggins test.

"The horse was going to be traveling out of state, which is how the positive came up," said Tahnee Szymanski, DVM, a staff veterinarian for the Department of Livestock. "As a result of the positive test, two more horses on the premises were tested, and we found one other positive."

Fifty nearby horses were also tested. As of May 13, about 45 of those tests had come back, all negative, said Szymanski. She expected the rest of the test results in the next day or so