Recognize and treat herpes in horses promptly
How can you recognize herpes in horses?
A veterinarian can tell whether a horse has herpes based on the symptoms. This is done with the help of a suspected diagnosis of a herpes infection. The veterinarian takes a swab from a horse's nose or throat, which can detect the animal's herpes viruses through a targeted laboratory test. Antibody detection is also available. A blood sample detects infection with herpes viruses.
How dangerous can horse herpes be?
Horse herpes is not only highly contagious, but also very dangerous. If a horse has caught the herpes virus, it must necessarily be isolated from other animals and absolutely quarantined. There are different types of herpes. As a result, the symptoms are also different. For example, the horse infected with the virus may have a cough or its respiratory tract is diseased. Herpes can also manifest itself in horses due to eye inflammation and even neurological deficits.
How long herpes disease remains contagious in horses depends on how high the amount of viruses is in the body. The majority of the incubation period is between two and ten days. But even after this time, horses are sometimes still contagious. Herpes viruses can be stable for around three weeks and spread among animals. Once a horse has herpes, it will remain a virus carrier forever. Even if the horse is not permanently contagious.
How is herpes treated in a horse?
It's no secret that many horses carry herpes viruses. However, this disease rarely breaks out. Unfortunately, there is no proven effective therapy against herpes viruses. Herpes viruses cannot be treated directly because they sometimes retreat into the nerve cells and are not really vulnerable to the immune system or medications.
This leaves only the most important and preventive control measures that you can use to benefit your horses.
To make the warm summer days bearable for your horse in the pasture or when riding,...
- Vaccinate the entire animal population.
- Avoid stressing horses.
- Help strengthen your horses' immune system.
In addition, symptomatic treatment in the form of anti-inflammatory medications is common. Preparations to support the immune system and circulation are also used. For example, vitamin B preparations for supplying the nerves. If there is also a bacterial infection in horses suffering from herpes, additional antibiotics are administered.
How long does a herpes infection in horses last?
If a horse has herpes, the viral disease usually heals in two to five weeks. During the disease phase, the horse excretes large amounts of the virus. If the infection affects a pregnant mare, a miscarriage can occur between the seventh and eleventh month.
Assume that a large proportion of European horses carry the inactive virus. In this respect, you can hardly avoid contact with potential carriers. Stress or a weakened immune system can cause latent viruses to be reactivated. Horses can become carriers of herpes. Unfortunately, a herpes virus in horses cannot be detected in the latency stage. There is one thing to keep in mind: the higher the viral load in the stable, the more likely it is that other horses will be infected.
