Horse News & Views - November 2004

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Ontario Association of Equine Practitioners

• The first case of the year for Ontario of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) was detected in September 2004. The horse was an unvaccinated horse from the Kingston area. The horse died. In addition, as of October 8, 2004, nine (9) cases of West Nile virus have been detected in Ontario horses. Of the 9 cases, 7 were unvaccinated, one was vaccinated previous to this year and one was vaccinated in April and May of this year. Of the 9 horses, 7 are still living. Four cases were located in the District of Nipissing, one in the District of Muskoka and the remaining 4 cases occurred sporadically, one in each of Lambton, Elgin, Brant and Durham Counties. These cases were investigated as part of an Ontario government surveillance project. The project supported laboratory testing of horses from across Ontario that were exhibiting neurological signs. As of October 8th, 66 neurological cases in horses have been monitored. For further information, view the OMAF website
  
• It is "bot check" time. We have had several hard frosts, so it is time to worm all horses on which bot eggs were observed. Gasterophilus intestinalis is a large bee-like fly that lays its yellowish eggs on the hair of horses in the late summer. The eggs hatch into larvae that invade the tissues of the mouth. Eventually, they migrate to the stomach where they develop into grubs attached to the stomach lining. They grow in size until the spring, when they discharge from the horse and complete their life cycle into a botfly. Only products containing ivermectin (e.g., Eqvalan®) and moxidectin (e.g., QuestJ) are licensed for the treatment of bot larvae and grubs.

Related Links

• West Nile Virus - Surveillance Statistics

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