Page 647 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

spread of the virus.

VetBooks.ir MANAGEMENT

Wherever possible, pregnant mares should foal at home.
On a stud, they should be kept in small groups, preferably with other mares due to foal at

the same time. They should be kept separate from young animals. The introduction of new
animals into the group should be minimized.

As horses can harbour the virus without showing any signs and shed it into the

environment if they are stressed for any reason, pregnant mares should be kept away from
horses regularly attending competitions or that have recently been in training.

HYGIENE

• The virus can survive in the environment for several weeks but is susceptible to

disinfectants and heat. Thorough cleaning of foaling boxes, equipment and vehicles is
essential.

• On studs, attention should be paid to hygiene at foaling. Disposable gloves should be

used routinely.
• If the same people handle different groups of horses, the pregnant mares should be

handled first.

Prognosis

Once a mare has aborted, the virus does not remain in the genital tract and she may be

covered on her second heat. She should be kept away from pregnant mares for 8 weeks.

The prognosis is reasonable for animals that develop neurological signs of weakness and
incoordination. However, once they are unable to stand up, the chances of recovery are very

small and the outlook is grave.

EQUINE VIRAL ARTERITIS (EVA)

Equine viral arteritis is a flu-like disease that affects horses, ponies and donkeys worldwide.

It is caused by the equine arteritis virus (EAV) and the incubation period is between 2 days
and 2 weeks. There have been a few isolated positive horses and an occasional outbreak in
the UK, but (at the time of writing) the UK has remained relatively free from EVA. This

means that the horse population has little immunity to the virus, so it is important to maintain