FYI - Doesn't seem to have effected people I know directly, but I know we have a
lot of different horse disciplines here, so I'm sharing this, just the same.
Vikki

Virus infects 30 Arizona horses
Quarantines ordered; spread to cattle is possible

Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 8, 2005 12:00 AM

An outbreak of a viral infection has put 28 horse properties in the state under
quarantine, caused other states to block entry of Arizona horses and heightened
concerns that the virus could spread to Arizona's cattle industry.

Since late April, 30 horses have been confirmed with the virus, an untreatable
but non-lethal ailment that can cause painful lesions in the mouth area and can
spread readily to other horses as well as cattle and sheep.

The virus has also shown up in five horses in New Mexico, and two outside
Austin, but Arizona remains the biggest center of activity. advertisement




In recent weeks, the virus has cropped up in the Phoenix metropolitan area, with
reports from the far-west Valley (Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear and Tolleson) and
the north side, specifically Cave Creek. Earlier cases were mostly confined to
Yavapai County.

Most of the Arizona cases appear to involve "leisure" horses as opposed to
commercial riding operations, although state agricultural officials are not
disclosing details of the specific quarantined properties for privacy reasons.

"It's mostly to protect them from the stigma," said Katie Decker, spokeswoman
for the Arizona Department of Agriculture.

The virus, called vesicular stomatitis, has put a bigger burden on horse owners
and the organizers of equine events to ensure only healthy horses are traveling
about the state.

"If you have a horse show and you have 100 to 200 horses stable together,
something like this would spread like wildfire," said Diana Herman, owner of the
Flagstaff Riding Center.

The 15-acre center is the location for two Arizona Dressage Association shows
scheduled for later this month and early July. As a precaution, Herman is
requiring a health certificate for each horse, issued within five days of the
horse arriving at the riding center. The certificate must be issued by a
veterinarian stating the horse is healthy and not from a quarantined property.

Herman said the center normally requires health certificates but has tightened
up the reporting date.

The Dressage Association extended its entry deadline through Saturday to see how
reaction to the virus shakes out.

"Because of the scare, we have a lot of people who say they're not going to go,"
said Kay Lorenzen, president of the association, which counts up to 400 members.
Already, one barn in Tucson with nine horses has pulled out of the event, she
said.

Lorenzen said the quarantine of a stable in Cave Creek worries her, because it
indicates the virus is moving into the metropolitan area.

State agriculture officials say quarantines are the best method to stem the
spread of the virus. They're not sure of all the ways it travels, but small,
biting insects such as flies and gnats are suspect, Decker said.

There also is no treatment for the virus, other than to let it run its course,
she said.

"It's like chickenpox," she said. "You have to be tougher than it is. There's no
magic shot, there's no magic pill."

Veterinarian Ross Rich said the virus typically shows up as blisters and
ulcerations in and around a horse's mouth; lesions also can be found on the hair
above a horse's hoof and on the teats of female horses. It typically causes a
drop-off in the horse's eating, leading to listlessness and weight loss.

If spread to dairy cattle, the illness could lead to reduced milk production.
However, there are no reports of the virus spreading to Arizona cattle.

Rich, who operates the Cave Creek Equine Surgical Center, said he has yet to see
a case of vesicular stomatitis.

"It's hard to tell if this is going to be a huge problem," he said.

But some states aren't taking any risks. Kentucky is not allowing Arizona horses
to come in, Rich said.

In Prescott, organizers of the community's July 4 Frontier Days and rodeo say
long-standing state requirements for health certificates for horses from out of
state should provide adequate protection.

As for in-state horses, Prescott Frontier Days President Lindsey Mills said
she's not worried because the rodeo grounds are well-maintained.

"There is some minimal exposure in this area, but they're not rodeo animals,"
she said. "They're pleasure animals."

Steve Bess of Sedona is counting the days until Monday when the quarantine on
his property is lifted. One of his two horses contracted the virus. State
agriculture officials say that the owner of a horse property has to wait 21 days
for the end of the quarantine once a veterinarian confirms the lesions have
healed. So far, two properties, one in Camp Verde and one in Wittmann, have had
their quarantines lifted.

Bess said his horse had minimal problems, and the second horse didn't contract
the virus.

"The only burden has been that I've not been able to get off the property to
ride," Bess said.



Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@... or (602) 444-8963.


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