Rabid Horse In Texas
A rabid horse has been identified in Bandera County, Texas - this is the first case of rabies in a Texas horse in almost 40 years. The horse started acting strangely, erratically and at times violently. Rabies was eventually diagnosed (diagnosis involves testing the brain after the horse dies or is euthanized) and the owners are undergoing post-exposure treatment.
Rabies is a rare disease in horses, but there is always a risk of exposure in regions where rabies is present in wildlife. The fact that equine rabies is rare is a good thing, but it can also breed complacency and lead to decreased vaccination rates.
Decreasing vaccination is a bad thing. Vaccination is cheap insurance for a very serious disease. Rabies is invariably fatal in horses. It's also a risk to anyone around the horse. Transmission of rabies from horses to people is theoretically possible through bites or other contacts that result in introduction of saliva into wounds, cuts or possibly the mouth, nose or eyes. I'm not aware of any documented cases of equine-to-human transmission of rabies, but given the severity of rabies, we need to be careful. Additionally, rabid horses have killed people because they can be unpredictable and aggressive. Based on all these factors, it's important that we not become complacent about rabies in horses, and a key component of rabies control is vaccination. However, vaccination is not the only aspect of rabies control. Using various management practices to reduce the risk of wildlife exposure and controlling rabies in wildlife in the area are other important measures, but individual horse owners can have the greatest impact on their horses' health by ensuring they are properly vaccinated against rabies.
If you own a horse, make sure it's vaccinated against rabies unless you live in a rabies-free region. More information about rabies in horses is available on the equIDblog Resources page.
Image source: www.bbc.co.uk
