Minnesota Confirms First Equine WNV Case of 2018

A 3-year-old unvaccinated Miniature Horse stallion from Pine City presented with acute neurologic signs. He is currently receiving supportive care.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

WNV in minnesota
West Nile is transmitted to horses via bites from infected mosquitoes. | Photo: iStock

A 3-year-old Miniature Horse stallion from Pine City, Minnesota, tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV) on July 27, which marks the first equine WNV case in that state in 2018, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health reported Aug. 1.

The attending veterinarian reported that the stallion presented with acute neurologic signs, exhibiting profound weakness in his front limbs, tripping and falling, and requiring assistance to stand. The horse has no documented history of vaccination against WNV and is currently receiving supportive care. A mare and a foal also live on the property and are healthy at this time.

“This case is an unfortunate reminder of why it is so important that owners vaccinate their horses against this disease,” said Minnesota Equine Program Manager Courtney Wheeler, DVM

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Which of the following is a proactive measure to protect your horse from infectious equine diseases while traveling?
16 votes · 16 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!