Page 650 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

is important if the horse is going to be used for breeding or be exported. For this reason, a

blood test is taken prior to vaccination to establish that the horse is seronegative. A second
VetBooks.ir test is taken 3 weeks later to measure the stallion’s response to the vaccine. The date of
testing, the test result and the vaccination date must be recorded in the horse’s passport.

Notification

Under the 1995 Equine Viral Arteritis Order, EVA is a notifiable disease. This means that if

the disease is even suspected in a stallion or in a mare that has been mated or artificially
inseminated in the previous 14 days, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA
www.gov.uk) must be notified immediately. Failure to do so is an offence. The use of the

stallion and its semen for breeding will immediately be prohibited and tests will be carried
out. If the disease is confirmed, further samples will be taken from other horses to see how

far it has spread. The relevant breeder’s association should be informed.
If you are suspicious that a horse in your care may have EVA, call your vet

immediately.

Prevention

For detailed instructions and advice, refer to the Code of Practice published by the Horserace
Betting Levy Board (www.hblb.org.uk). The aim is to prevent horses with active infection
from being used for breeding or being imported into this country.

ROUTINE TESTING OF BREEDING ANIMALS

It is important to establish whether an animal is infected at the beginning of each breeding
season. The blood of all unvaccinated stallions and teasers should be tested after 1st January

every year for antibodies to EAV. They must not be used for breeding activities until the
results are available.

Ideally all mares used for breeding should be tested after the 1st January and within the
28-day period before mating is planned. Your vet will advise on your individual situation.

With both stallions and mares, if the result of the blood test is negative, the horse is not

infected and may be used for breeding. If the horse is seropositive, further tests are carried
out (see Code of Practice).

Horses that are imported from countries known or suspected to have cases of EVA should
be tested prior to import. If the test results are satisfactory, they are isolated for a minimum of

21 days on arrival in the UK and further tests are carried out. This is as important for a horse
going abroad for a single competition and then returning as it is for a new horse being