Page 19 - WCA July Ketch Pen 2020

Legislative Action Donations
John Warta
Sam Ledgerwood Roxanne Baxter/Osiris Ranch
Public Lands Donations
John Warta
Sam Ledgerwood
Carl Magee & Susan Willard
Jenny Stiles Hudson Scholarship Donations
John Warta
Carl Magee & Susan Willard
Litigations Donations
John Warta
Thank You for your support!
Remember to Vaccinate Your Horses for West Nile Virus
By Dr. Ben Smith, WSDA Region 4 Field Veterinarian
With all the chaos we are experiencing because of coronavirus, please don’t let protecting your equines for West Nile Virus (WNV) get lost in the commotion. Remember to vaccinate your horses for WNV, and don’t forget to update them before the start of mosquito season.
The neurologic disease caused by WNV can have a range of signs from non-existent to flu-like to death. The ataxic/neurologic horse can be particular- ly difficult and expensive to treat. Horses that get neurologic signs have up to a 35 percent chance of death. Once this happens, euthanasia is a common out- come. Equines that recover often have lifelong neurologic issues.
Mosquitoes transmit WNV to humans and horses, which can be, quite liter- ally, dead-end hosts. Keys to mitigation include getting rid of mosquito habitat (such as old tires with standing water or stagnant ponds) and vaccination. The vaccine works well to prevent this devastating disease and can be combined with vaccines recommended for other diseases.
The WNV vaccine used in each case should be administered according to vet- erinary directions. Initial vaccination is usually two injections 21-28 days apart, then annually. It is important to give the second or annual vaccination near the start of mosquito season.
Please don’t let your equine friends contract this easily preventable disease. In the past, Washington State has held the unwelcome distinction for having the most WNV cases in the country. All the cases reported were in unvaccinated or under-vaccinated equine. If you have a suspected case, please report to WSDA Animal Services immediately. We will engage the Department of Health to fol- low the disease’s progression and investigate the possibility of associated human sickness.
The disease cycle for the mosquito-vectored West Nile Virus. Diagram adapted from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
July 2020 - KETCH PEN 19