The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has confirmed July 10 that additional horses on two premises have tested positive for vesicular stomatitis (VS).

The newly identified premises—one located two miles east of Webberville in Travis County and the other located four miles east of Webberville in Bastrop County—are currently under TAHC quarantine, and the affected horses will be monitored by regulatory veterinarians. Premises are eligible for quarantine release 21 days after all lesions have healed. There is no known exposure to other horses around the state, or at any equine events.

The current VS situation in Texas began in late May, when a horse residing in Kinney County tested positive for the disease; that property has since been released from quarantine. Since then, equine VS cases have been confirmed in Hidalgo, San Patricio, and Nueces counties. On July 8, the TAHC also reported that cattle residing in Jim Wells County had also tested positive for the disease.

The viral disease can cause blisters and sores in the mouth and on the tongue, muzzle, teats, or hooves of horses, cattle, swine, sheep, goats, llamas, and a number of other animals. Lesions usually will heal in two or three weeks. Because of the contagious nature of VS and its resemblance to other diseases such as foot and mouth disease, animal health officials urge livestock owners and caretakers to report clinical signs to their veterinarian immediately. Most animals recover well with supportive, but some lesions can be painful