Recent equine rabies cases should serve as reminders that the disease is a real threat to the lives of horses, and that the disease can surface at any time. While the total number of equine cases is still being tallied for 2013, the number of confirmed equine cases in 2012 reached 47.
“We know there were dozens of cases of equine rabies throughout the country in 2013, including cases from as far east as Vermont, as far south as Texas, as far north as Minnesota, and as far west as Colorado,” says Megan Green, DVM, Large Animal Veterinary Services maanger for Merial. “It is heartbreaking to see a horse suffering from rabies, especially since there are relatively low-cost vaccines widely available. Rabies is completely preventable if the proper steps are taken, but it is 100% fatal if preemptive action is ignored.”
Besides the cases in horses, thousands of other animals have been diagnosed with confirmed rabies over the last few years, 92% of which were wild animals.
"The numbers of rabid animals in the wild should be concerning to horse owners because all it takes is one bite from an infected animal for a horse to contract the fatal disease,” says Green. “Most horses are kept in areas where it’s impossible to prevent every skunk, fox, or raccoon from wandering near enough to come into contact with the horse."