biosecurity for horses Archives

September 6, 2018April 18, 2019

Biosecurity Considerations for Reducing EPM Risk

Reducing EPM Risk EPM (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis) is a moderately common neurological disease.

In the late 1980’s the parasitic organism was identified as Sarcocystis neurona and an antibody test was developed. Sarcoscystis falcutula has also been identified as potential cause of the condition and is less common.

Sarocystis neurona is now known to be present throughout the Western Hemisphere. The opossum has been determined to be a host within the cycle, with birds acting as intermediaries for the parasite. The incubation period for the disease is still unknown.

EPM affects different neurons throughout the neurological system and can result in dragging or spastic gaits. One side of the body may be affected, but not the other. If it affects the cranial nerves, the horse may have problems eating or drinking, have facial twisting, or undergo changes in the position of the eyes and ears.

Severely affected horses may become recumbent and have seizures.

Diagnosis of EPM is based upon finding antibodies or a DNA detection test from either blood or cerebrospinal fluid. There are still some challenges with accurate diagnosis.

A vaccine was developed, but has not been verified as effective at last report.

Biosecurity and Feed Security

It is very important to reduce the risk of horses consuming forage, water or feed that has been contaminated by opossums or any animals that may have consumed opossums.

Forage should be stored as securely as possible to minimize risk of contamination by fecal material and feeding management should be designed to reduce risk of contamination by opossums.

Pelleting and processing feed reduces/eliminates the risk of EPM transmission in feed or supplements. The feed should be securely stored in covered containers to prevent contamination on farm as contamination on the farm is a real risk.

To the degree possible, water sources should also be secure. A challenge with natural water sources!

Avoid having cat food or other food sources that attract opossums in the barn and stable areas.

Good biosecurity and sanitation are keys in reducing the risk of EPM for horses.

June 5, 2018April 19, 2019

Diseases at Horse Events? Help! (Ask The Expert)

Question:
I have seen posts all over social media about horses getting sick after attending competition events. How can I protect my horse?

Answer:
It is critical to practice biosecurity measures. If you breakdown the word biosecurity, bio means “life” and security means “protection”. Life protection!
Another way to define biosecurity is to prevent or reduce the introduction of disease. In other words, you want to keep the disease away from your farm, or if you do have a sickness, keep it from spreading.

Biosecurity measures to practice include:

Work with your veterinarian to ensure horses are current with recommended vaccines.
Keep sick horses at home. Watch for signs of fever, nasal discharge, and diarrhea.
Wash your hands frequently!
Clean and disinfect stalls at fairgrounds and show facilities. Spray-on commercial disinfectants are readily available. Diluted bleach (8 ounces bleach to 1 gallon of water) is an inexpensive disinfectant; it works best on a surface that has been thoroughly cleaned.
Do not share feed and water buckets, hay bags, grooming tools, tack, or manure forks. Disinfect these items after arriving home from an event.
Limit exposure. Do not allow horses to have nose to nose contact. Limit the general public’s contact with your horses and your contact with other horses.
Upon returning home from a show, wash your hands, shower, and change clothing and shoes before working with horses kept at home.
Isolate returning horses from resident horses for 14 days. Monitor horses daily for signs of fever, nasal discharge, and diarrhea.

Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Written by Abby Neu, MS, University of Minnesota. This and other horse nutrition articles can be found at http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/horse/nutrition/.

February 1, 2017April 22, 2019

Biosecurity for Cabin Fever Candidates

In cooler seasons, such as winter, often horse owners travel to warmer climates with their Equine companions. Many important considerations should be made prior to traveling. One of the most important is biosecurity. To better understand biosecurity, it is important to understand the meaning: “Bio” means life, “security” means protection. As horse owners it is important to prevent horses from contagious diseases. These diseases can be transmitted from place to place by other horses, people, insects, equipment, and trailers. Good biosecurity is an excellent habit to make at home and take on the road.

Preparing Your Horse For Travel

Talk to your veterinarian about your travel plans and considerations for a vaccination protocol well in advance of travel, giving your horse’s immune system time to build up protection. Many veterinarians will suggest a herd health program appropriate to your specific lifestyle needs, including travel and awareness of geographical diseases to be aware of. If your horse will be transitioning to different forage or feed, it is helpful to pack enough “transition forage and feed” to last the duration of the trip and enough to transition once you arrive at your destination. Forages vary between geographical regions, it may also be helpful to get a forage analysis ahead of time to be prepared with your transition feeding program.

Transportation: Horses

If possible transport your horses in your own trailer. You will be more aware of what kind of exposures exist in your own trailer.

If you must transport in a shared trailer or with other horses, be sure to clean and disinfect prior to loading your horse.

It may also be helpful to request proof of health records of horses traveling with your own or a reputable transporter who requires proof of vaccination and health certificates for all horses being transported. Some horses are more stressed by travel, be sure to pack plenty transition forage and feed for the duration of the trip and for transition.

Hydration and enough periodic rest is beneficial. Once you arrive at your destination, inspect the location for hazards. Do not unload your horse until you are comfortable with the biosecurity and safety of the location.

Some things to consider:

Are other horses healthy?
Have there been any recent health issues on the property or nearby?
Are there any insects or pest issued to control prior to your horse unloading?

Clean and sanitize all buckets, ensure water sources are in clean and working order, fencing is safe and appropriate and hand washing before handling your horse.

Prevention: A Clean Environment

If a horse is sick, isolation and a stall notice or special collar will help others know not to handle the sick animal to avoid disease transmission.

Basic hand washing is important between handling more than one horse even if the horses are healthy. It is best to have equipment for each individual horse, however if some equipment must be shared it is important to wash and sanitize between horses to prevent disease transmission.

Clean footwear is important. After walking in pastures, alleyways, and yards it is important to wash the bottoms of your footwear prior to getting into your vehicle, trailer or stalls/pastures when traveling from farm to farm or any animal environment. Keep weeds and grass cut to prevent insects and pests.

Prevent and remove any standing water from puddles, buckets, or old equipment. Use of equine safe fly control program will help control fly populations. Store horse feed and supplements in a cool, dry, well lit, rodent proof, limited access area. Inspect water access daily, clean and empty any water buckets or troughs at least once weekly.

September 15, 2016

Biosecurity for Horses at Home

Participation in horse shows, trail rides or other equine events is frequently a key reason why people own horses and owners generally like to show other people their horses when guests visit their farm, ranch or stable. This also means that that the horses are at risk, even when at home, from potential biosecurity breaches.

Biosecurity simply means life protection.

The following steps may be useful guidelines as you think about biosecurity at home:

Work with your veterinarian to establish the appropriate vaccination program for horses your home herd and horses that travel. This may vary around the country, but will generally include Equine Influenza, Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE, WEE, VEE as appropriate), Tetanus and Strangles. Additional vaccinations may be recommended by your veterinarian. Equine Herpes Virus (EHV1 and EHV4) has become a major concern. If you have new horses coming to your barn, you may want to make certain they have been vaccinated as well. Many states or events require a current negative Coggins test (Equine Infections Anemia or EIA) and a current health certificate when horses are shipped. This may be a requirement for horses arriving at your facility.
If possible, have a visitor parking lot and unloading area that is separate from your barn area. Try to avoid spreading manure that might come off trailers on your pastures.
Consider having a disinfectant footbath for all visitors to walk thru before they enter your barn. Have waterless hand solution available as well.
If you have planned guest visitors, graciously suggest that they not wear the same clothes, particularly boots, as they wear in their home barn, particularly if you are aware of any outbreaks in your area. You may want to have disposable plastic boot covers available.
If possible, have an isolation area where new horses are stabled for 30 days before they are introduced to the herd or have nose to nose contact.
If you groom or handle horses from other farms or stables, wash your hands thoroughly before you handle your own horses.
If you travel with horses, consider how your home facility is laid out so that when you return home, you minimize risk to your other horses, particularly young horses and breeding animals.
Biosecurity can be particularly important if there are reported outbreaks of strangles or Equine Herpes Virus in your area. Be aware of any recent reports as appropriate.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners has useful Biosecurity Guidelines at their web site www.aaep.org. You can also contact your local veterinarian or local extension office for additional information. The United States Department of Agriculture also has a web site which provides very good information at www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-health/equine-health

Being aware of good biosecurity practices can help reduce the risk of introducing diseases to your horses at your facility!

July 27, 2016

Biosecurity for Horses When Traveling

HorseBlanket Participation in horse shows, trail rides or other equine events is frequently a key reason why people own horses. Proper attention to biosecurity can help make certain that all are able to enjoy the events all year around.