important it is to vaccinate their horses
against rabies.
Of the rabies cases confirmed in
animals in the United States, 44 of
6975 cases in 1991, and 49 of 8645
cases in 1992 were in horses: 27 of
these cases occured in Oklahoma,
Texas Minnesota, Iowa, and New York.
Although this may not sound like a lot,
90% of the other cases were wild
animals such as skunks, foxes, bats
and racoons. Because we have
personal contact with horses, and
rabies is a fatal disease in horses
and can be in humans, horses should
be vaccinated.
Symptoms: Initial signs include
intermittent fever, a personality change
followed by facial spasms or paralysis,
lameness, hindleg incoordination or
paralysis and usually depression or
stupor, occasionally viciousness
towards people or other animals.
Death can occur in as little as 12 hours
or as long as 12 days, most commonly
3 to 5 days after onset of clinical signs.
RABIES:
months of age, and annually there
after. Adult horses should be
vaccinated annually,
 |
 |