Prescott Forge & Farriery, LLC

Huge shout out and THANK YOU to LL Farms for letting us meet an out of town client to shoe their horses! We really appreciate you!!

Here is another great source of information about the EHV-1 and EHV-4 outbreak.

Edited to add:
BVEH NAVASOTA HAS NO CASES ONSITE IN NAVASOTA. It is safe to bring your horse for their normal appointments, we will have additional biosecurity protocols before and in between appointments. We are working to set up an offsite location to triage potential sick horses. We will have updates tomorrow for you. Dr. Buchanan will go live here on Facebook at 8:15am tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.

BVEH Advisory:

EHV-1 Cases in Horses Returning From a Recent Event

Brazos Valley Equine Hospitals wants to notify horse owners that we are aware of multiple confirmed cases of EHV-1 in surrounding hospitals, and several suspected cases including several horses with neurologic signs (EHM) currently being diagnosed in the barrel horse community. BVEH has not admitted and is not treating and EHV or EHM cases.

The State of Texas Animal Health Commission is aware of the outbreak.

At this time, 5–10 horses are known to us to be sick, but the true number is likely higher as many cases go unreported.

________________________________________

What Horse Owners Should Do Right Now:

1. Keep all horses at home!
Please avoid hauling, clinics, lessons, shows, or mingling horses for the next several weeks until more information is available.

Movement is the #1 factor that spreads EHV-1.
________________________________________

2. Check temperatures twice daily!
Fever is usually the first sign (often before nasal discharge or neurologic symptoms).
• Temp at or above 101.5°F = call your veterinarian.
________________________________________

3. Notify your veterinarian immediately if your horse exhibits:
• Fever
• Weakness or incoordination
• Standing with hindlimbs wide
• Tail tone changes
• Difficulty urinating
• Lethargy or decreased appetite

Early intervention improves outcomes.
________________________________________

4. Discuss treatment options with your veterinarian.

For febrile or exposed horses, your vet may recommend:
• Valacyclovir
• Aspirin or other anti-thrombotics
• Anti-inflammatories
• Supportive care

(These should only be used under veterinary direction.)
________________________________________

5. Biosecurity matters.
• Do not share water buckets, hoses, tack, grooming tools, or stalls.
• Disinfect trailers, thermometers, and crossties.
• Isolate any horse with fever immediately.
________________________________________

About Vaccination.

Current evidence shows vaccines do not prevent EHM, but they can reduce viral shedding and shorten viremia, which lowers barn-wide spread and is important to the community.

Boosters are helpful when:
• A horse was vaccinated > 90 days ago, or
• You are preparing for high-risk environments (events, hauling, mixing populations).

What the research shows:
• Booster vaccination increases IgG1 and IgG4/7, the antibody classes linked with limiting viremia.
• Reduced viremia = reduced likelihood of severe disease and decreased transmission.
• Boosters are most effective in younger horses, previously vaccinated horses, and non-pregnant horses.

Vaccines do NOT stop a horse already incubating EHV-1 from developing signs, and they do not eliminate the risk of neurologic disease. For horses already exposed or febrile, do not vaccinate until cleared by your veterinarian.
________________________________________

We Will Continue to Update You!

BVEH is actively monitoring cases and communicating with veterinarians across Texas and neighboring states. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. If your horse is showing fever or any neurologic signs, please contact your veterinarian or call BVEH immediately.

Please ask any questions in this post and we will work to answer them quickly. Stay tuned for additional updates, including a Live Q and A with Dr. Ben Buchanan tomorrow (Wednesday).

We have documents on our website www.bveh.com specific to EHV and biosecurity. Additional resources included below.

Stay safe, monitor closely, and thank you for helping limit the spread.

— Brazos Valley Equine Hospitals

Link to BVEH documents regarding EHV-1:
http://www.bveh.com

Link to ACVIM consensus statement: https://www.acvim.org/research/consensus-statements

Link to AAEP EHV documents:https://aaep.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/EHV1-4-guidelines-2021.pdf

Link to Equine Disease Center:https://aaep.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/EHV1-4-guidelines-2021.pdf

Ok! We all know there is a situation right now with the recent outbreak. At the moment Jeremiah and I are going to keep our schedule as is and address any client concerns as they come up. The safety of our clients horses and our own are our top priority. If anyone has any horses that they suspect may have been or are confirmed exposed please notify us privately so we can take the proper precautions. I am sharing this information with links to the most current websites or Facebook groups so each if you can see for yourselves what is going on.

Attention: EHV1 / EHM Outbreak in Texas

Info is still coming in and the rumors are FLYING. Please refrain from spreading info that has not been confirmed.

See here for information about EHV1 / EHM:

EDCC: http://www.equinediseasecc.org/

EDCC: https://www.facebook.com/EquineDiseaseCC?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr

Q&A:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BUEb9k9YA/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Brazos Valley Equine Info: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1VqCMCD9v8/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Outlaw Equine info: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1aDd9yedJA/?mibextid=wwXIfr

AAEP info: https://aaep.org/resource/ehv-faq-for-owners/

Had a great day yesterday at our first, of hopefully many more, Farrier Get Togethers out in Greenwood! Thanks to Burr Vandewart for letting us hang out in his shop!

When we talk about horses there are so many things that go on that we are completely ignorant of.