WNV in Kentucky Horses: 2018 Case County Reaches 16

A 5-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse mare from Rockcastle County was euthanized and a a 12-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse mare from Hardin County is recovering.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

WNV in Kentucky horses
West Nile virus is transmitted to horses via bites from infected mosquitoes. | Photo: G. Bohne/Wikimedia Commons

The positive West Nile virus (WNV) tests keep rolling in. Two more Kentucky horses have been confirmed as WNV-positive, E.S. Rusty Ford, equine operations consultant for the Kentucky State Veterinarian’s Office, said in an Oct. 30 statement. There are now 16 confirmed cases of WNV in Kentucky horses this year.

He said the University of Kentucky’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, in Lexington, confirmed the diagnoses Tuesday.

The first horse, a 5-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse mare from Rockcastle County, developed neurologic spasticity (contracted muscles) on Oct. 24, Ford said. Her condition worsened, and she eventually went down. She was euthanized

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:

Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

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?
30 votes · 30 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!