Posted Thursday, August 21, 2014, 1:03:06 PM - Vesicular stomatitis (VS), a highly-contagious disease of horses and other livestock is spreading throughout Central Texas and Colorado. VS is similar to Foot and Mouth disease in that
clinical signs include major swelling; shedding of skin on the muzzle, tongue, teats and above the hooves; and severely painful oral blisters and sores. While seldom fatal, recovery is prolonged and affected animals may be infectious to other animals for as long as three weeks. Flies are thought to be involved in the transmission of this disease.
Texas Animal Health Commission has announced that outbreaks of VS have occurred in at least 21 different locations in eight Texas counties, 27 equines were affected, including 22 in Texas and five in Colorado. Concerns about this infection have resulted in the cancellation of several horse shows and some equine ranches have closed their facilities to outside horses until the current outbreak abates.
In Minnesota there are reports an outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1, or EHV-1. According to Dr. Paul Anderson from the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, EHV-1 is a common virus in the horse population. What is a little unusual is this case is the number of horses with severe neurological damage, leaving horses unable to get up and walk. At least three horses have already had to be euthanized with four other horses, being tested after showing signs of the virus.
ABC COMMENT:
It’s a good thing to avoid exposure to infected animals in these sorts of disease outbreaks. Unfortunately, in their haste to limit exposure by killing flies and avoiding other animals owners often fail to ask the question – "Why is my horse more susceptible to these diseases and what can I do to make my animals more resistant?".
Consider this – the immune systems of our animals (and us too) are under daily attack by the myriad of GMO’s, insecticides, herbicides and other environmental toxins foisted upon us by the greedy biotech industry and complacent government regulator agencies.
Case in point is Monsanto’s RoundUp. The main ingredient, glyphosate, and the accompanying adjuvants are known to be toxic at levels far lower than the government's safety standards. GMO’s and glyphosate are used on the majority of crops such as corn, soy, beets and alfalfa in this country. These crops are deficient in trace minerals and are toxic to the beneficial gut bacteria essential for health in any animal. The immune systems of animals fed these crops suffer from the effect of mineral depletion and intestinal damage and thus they are very much more susceptible to any virus or bacteria they are exposed to.
The bottom line: To have healthy animals you must limit feeding these toxic crops, you must provide balance minerals, and you must nourish the beneficial gut bacteria. The only sure way to do this is to feed Organic feeds or add one of our G.R.P Products to address Glyphosate contamination in the feedstuffs.
If you are concerned about the health of your animals, give us a call --- We can help!
Horrific horse virus spreading like crazy across Central Texas
From Natural News - Posted Friday, August 15, 2014 - A strange disease that leaves horses with raw tongues, oral blisters, skin lesions and other horrific symptoms is spreading throughout Central Texas and Colorado, according to new reports. The spread of vesicular stomatitis (VS), a highly-contagious disease that usually requires quarantines in order to be mitigated, has resulted in the cancellation of several horse shows, as well as major economic losses for some ranchers.
An announcement issued by the Texas Animal Health Commission on July 25 explains that outbreaks of VS have occurred in at least 21 different locations in eight Texas counties, including in Austin’s Travis County. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) added around the same time that at least 27 equines were affected, including 22 in Texas and five in Colorado.
Similar to foot and mouth disease, VS typically shows clinical signs that include major swelling; shedding of skin on the muzzle, tongue, teats and above the hooves; and severely painful oral blisters and sores. In severe cases, otherwise healthy animals will simply stop eating, sometimes for days at a time, requiring their owners to put them under quarantine for at least three weeks while they recover so as not to infect other animals.
"It transmits so easily," stated Si Jarboe, a horse trainer from Central Texas, to KEYE-TV News, noting that she initially thought little of the disease. "The flies [from] what I understand are the transmitter."
Vesicular stomatitis leaves animals ‘miserable,’ say experts
Though the risk of death from VS is relatively small, horses that contract it can take weeks to recover, leaving them miserable in the meantime. And if they aren’t eating during this time, then they’re losing weight and becoming weaker, which can be problematic for show horses that require strength and vigor to win competitions.
"I was planning on taking three horses and hopefully kickin’ some butt and it’s not going to happen now," added Jarboe about taking her veterinarian’s advice not to bring her horses to a recently scheduled play day.
With dozens of horses across the Lone Star State now having confirmed cases of VS, the risk of their spreading infection is simply too high in some areas. Rusty Edwards, a ranch owner near Bastrop, for instance, has shuttered his facility entirely until the current outbreak shows signs of retreat.
"We have 45 head here and I’m responsible for every horse on this place," stated Edwards to KEYE-TV. "And I don’t want any of them sick, so we shut the place down."Much more deadly disease spreading in Minnesota horses
Meanwhile, reports of an outbreak of equine herpesvirus-1, or EHV-1, have emerged in Minnesota, where at least three equines have already had to be euthanized. At least four other horses, according to the Star Tribune, are being tested after showing signs of the virus, which can cause severe neurological damage, leaving horses unable to get up and walk.
"This is a common virus that’s in the horse population normally," admitted Dr. Paul Anderson from the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. "What is a little unusual is this number of horses with central nervous system signs... such as problems with coordination and trouble urinating. Occasionally it gets bad enough where there is death."