The unvaccinated Ashtabula County horse succumbed to the deadly EEE virus. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) confirmed on Aug. 29 that an Ashtabula County, Ohio, horse tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).

The unvaccinated yearling Morgan cross’s clinical signs began on Aug. 25 with abnormal stance, ataxia (incoordination), depression, fever, and reluctance to move without stimulation. Veterinarians treated her that afternoon and collected blood samples, but she was found deceased the morning of Aug. 26. Two other horses on the premises became ill on Aug. 26, one of which also died spontaneously. No horses on the premises had been vaccinated for EEE.

State veterinarian Tony Forshey, DVM, of the Ohio State Board of Animal Health, wants horse owners to contact their veterinarians to ensure their animals’ EEE vaccines and boosters are up to date