The cases bring Wisconsin’s confirmed equine cases this year to 20. | Photo: Thinkstock

Officials at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WDATCP) have confirmed four horses with Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE): two in Taylor County and one each in Sheboygan and Lincoln counties. All four horses were unvaccinated.

The Taylor County horses were confirmed positive on Sept. 17. The first, a 9-year-old pony mare, experienced onset of clinical signs on Sept. 10. Signs included ataxia (loss of muscle control), depression, disorientation, shallow respiration, minimal reflexes, recumbency (down and unable to rise), and near-coma condition. The second, a 10-year-old Paint mare, experienced ataxia and depression progressing to recumbency beginning Sept. 11. The pony mare died, and the Paint mare was euthanized. The cases brought Taylor County’s tally of confirmed equine cases to three.

On Sept. 17, two additional horses, one in Sheboygan County and one in Lincoln County, began showing signs