We’ve been hearing that there have been EVH-1 outbreaks at Pimlico, Laurel & Charlestown (WV). What’s the word on this?
Apparently, the Middleburg Training Center is closed to horses coming in from Maryland and possibly WV as well, but that status seems a bit questionable.
Any info would be appreciated.
Originally posted by SeaOat:
JaGold: <BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-title”>quote:</div><div class=“ip-ubbcode-quote-content”>Nonetheless, quit swearing at me
You question my moral integrity (now edited) and you have the nerve to ask me to stop swearing at you? Piss off. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Sea Oat
I am confused about what good a health certificate would do. Don’t they last for two weeks? That’s enough time for a healthy horse to be exposed to Rhino & start showing symptoms.
Looks like other tracks have joined the ranks of restricting entries from Pimlico. Also putting Pimlico on quarantine
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=59989&subsec=1
someone on the event forum just heard on the news today that a horse was positive for EHV at Fair Hill -
Horse & ponies at Bowie cleared as are barns 5 & 8 at Pimlico. Hoping rest are soon to follow.
For the most part, MD was able to keep racing up and control the outbreak fairly well, w/ only a few bloops (lessons learned).
Hats off…
I was going to run last Sunday at Laurel before they decided to shut the track down at Pimlico. Then it became a moot point, but I will share my plan anyway.
Obviously I never got to implement my plan, but I really think that I reduced the risk to near zero. I was the fave in the form in a msw with a first timer that I bought for a dollar. I tell you, I wanted to cry when it went off as a three horse field.
LGW: You’re off the hook 
Candle: Your comments along w/ a few other posters have been presumptuous and accusatory…making those of us dealing w/ this to feel as if you think we are heartless to the plight of the horses lost (putting words & thoughts into my posts that were far from how I obviously intended). Like our pockets were all we were concerned about through this! Yes, these horses are only a livelyhood to many but to most they are that AND very much loved critters. We too often have pet horses that snuck home with us so could only imagine the horror (of Pets Mom) had we taken the virus home as well.
Some people actually stayed up all night for weeks either guarding, treating or re-thinking what, in terms of quarantining, needed to be done. Forget running jugs into sick horses w/ fevers for other reasons & trying NOT to create panic while answering phone calls & questions all day at the same time. It wasn’t being gaffed off or mishandled & certainly not for lack of efforts!
If you (Candle) could/would read you’d get it; that NO ONE was blaming Kim for an error in taking in a high traffic horse w/out proper quarantine (something many of us risk everyday w/out consequence)…just pointing out a HINDSIGHTED mistake. Just as we have been discussing HINDSIGHTED mistakes made w/in racing confines. There was (here) a lot of early on blaming racing folks from ground up for being selfish & crimminal in our negligence. Hopefully now you may have learned there were MANY minds w/ MANY ideas on how it was to be handled best w/ the State Vet, I believe, making the final call using very good input. It doesn’t matter WHAT I think about should or shouldn’t have Pimlico shut it’s doors (I never said what I thought personally)…I just was laying out some facts as I understand them. While Pimlico could have shut it’s doors, Laurel would have stayed open w/ ponies going in & out & then we had the one euthanized there. Had Kim’s ship-in come from that Laurel barn who would you blame & what 20/20 advice would you throw in?
Also pointed out: while we also isolated barns, here it was handled much tighter than when there is an outbreak beyond our gates where horses are much more scattered into smaller facilities (showing for example). Our horses also leave a better paper trail…but w/ Health Certs all could be followed/tagged a bit better. I have expressed (sincerely) deep symathy for Kim’s loss so kindly knock off the Seaoat’s so cold-hearted crap.
Lastly, on a note of expenses, I have found that many of the people (who scream loudest in these ordeals) are often people who fall short on vaccinations and even consider taking 2bid temps to be too much effort. Forget talking them into staying put. Curious if those folks w/ mobile ponies would want that extra monthly Health Cert expense for the saftey/knowledge of all? Pffft, forget it, I already know the answer.
i just read a news article in today’s paper that said the florida horse was a carrier of the virus - i wonder about the other horses on the transport truck - or ones that got on the truck since that horse got off - wouldn’t that also be a concern? doesn’t the virus live for a couple of days on equipment and other objects?
Originally posted by SeaOat:
“And THAT is why I think there should have been a rule in place to prevent horses from leaving. To keep people from making either poorly informed or selfish decisions that have consequences for others. --Jess”
Is that what they do with the show/event/hunt/endurance horses? Everyone stops moving/competing that has been exposed? Nope…and you don’t see them begging the State Vet to stop movement. Impossible and not scientifically feasable!
Um, the state DID close the eventers barn.
Most horse shows don’t last long enough to have an outbreak. And a lot of shows get cancelled when there is an outbreak in the area. And a lot of people choose to stay home.
As I recall, Findlay closed their doors when they had their outbreak.
I’ve been in 3 barns where a horse came in with something contagious (strangles and shipping fever). In 2 of 3 barns, the BO closed the doors from 1st diagnoses to 90 days after last horse recovered. No horses in; no horses out. And these were little people with shoestring budgets who could least afford it.
The multi-millionaire that didn’t quarantine, continued letting horses out of his barn to spread the pain, and took in boarders (myself included) while hiding the sick horses on another part of his property, ended up with his reputation ruined, ostracized and driven off his beautiful bayview property within 2 years.
I was able to save my horse’s life only by extensive nursing, doing my own research, fighting like heck for appropriate medical treatment, racing to get my barn useable (and nearly destroying both elbows in the process), and finally getting my horse home to quarantine. Instead of my dream dressage prospect, I ended up literally with a goat so he’d have company.
So yes, Pimlico should have locked down immediately. ONly horses going to a the owner’s private property should have been allowed, but not to public places to infect the unsuspecting.
Would that have totally prevented the spread? Obviously not. But it would have kept it at an absolute minimum.
See Moesha’s post:
By Baltimoresun.com Staff
January 31, 2006, 12:10 PM EST
The Maryland Department of Agriculture confirmed today that Hey Ralphy, a filly trained by Rodney Jenkins at Laurel Park, was infected by the equine herpes virus (EHV-1).
The 3-year-old was euthanized Thursday with a suspected pelvic injury. A hold order has been placed on Barn 9 at the Central Maryland track. Jenkins has elected not to train any of his horses until the hold order ends.
But a barn with an infected horse IS quarantined
We did that.
It was interesting to see how badly Bush’s requested Avian Flu quarantine plan was received. That his financial request was billions short for vaccine production.
People said he was trying to creat Leper colonies when really the plans are to inforce quarantines of areas/neighborhoods w/ known outbreaks. The shortage of security boggles the mind on that one.
Would be great if people understood a bit more about how a virus, even well known ones, can be difficult to contain & what is reasonable & what isn’t.
What happened with the horses gives you an idea of how they can vary & change. I’m feeling feverish just talking about it here…g’night all.
Another Horse Stabled in Maryland Positive for EHV
by The Associated Press
Date Posted: 1/24/2006 5:21:04 PM
Last Updated: 1/24/2006 5:45:53 PM
A horse at Laurel Park has tested positive for the equine herpesvirus that has already claimed two horses at nearby Pimlico Race Course and prompted a state quarantine at the home of the Preakness Stakes (gr. I).
However, the Laurel horse has not shown any symptoms of the disease and it is not clear whether the horse is contagious, or merely has been exposed to the virus in the past like many other horses, said Guy Hohenhaus, state veterinarian for the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
The horse, an outrider used in training race horses, has been brought to Pimlico for isolation and further testing. The tests will most likely be in the form of nasal swabs that will be cultured to see if the virus is present in the respiratory tract as well as in the bloodstream.
If the swabs test positive, “then that horse probably needs to be restricted until it tests negative,” Hohenhaus said.
The disease, which does not affect humans, can cause upper respiratory infections in horses as well as neurological symptoms that may affect the ability to walk and run. At least 11 horses at Pimlico have shown signs of the virus this month and two horses have been euthanized.
Isolation at Pimlico is expected to continue at least until the middle of next month. Hohenhaus said state animal officials are looking for a three-week disease free period before they are comfortable that the outbreak has passed.
“We’re looking for an exit, at what point in time do we declare this over,” Hohenhaus said.
The first barn could be released from the quarantine order as early as next week and “the earliest we could be out of this is mid-February,” the state veterinarian said.
The Pimlico racing season begins in mid-April and includes the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, in May. The racing secretary for the Maryland Jockey Club, Georganne Hale, said the virus might affect racing dates.
Horses that race at Laurel are drawn from a pool of about 2,000 horses statewide, including about 500 at Pimlico, as well as horses from other states. The Pimlico horses are now unavailable to race at Laurel and some states are not allowing horses to travel to Maryland, limiting the number of horses available to race at Laurel.
David Zipf, a veterinarian for the Maryland Racing Commission, said the virus is normally not very contagious, but the strain or strains that have hit Pimlico appear to be more easily spread and more virulent.
One horse that tested positive at Pimlico, for example, was in a barn at the opposite end of the race course from the others.
“We can’t explain that and this is what makes it a scary situation,” Zipf said.
Why the outbreaks are occurring now is still a mystery, Hohenhaus said.
“There’s no smoking gun or leading theory coming out about what might have triggered this,” Hohenhaus said.
Copyright © 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Laurierace & others,
My apologies for writing a very quick respond without re-reading it for errors. The post was completely wrong, I meant to write about how much of a supporter I was of Governnor Erhlich when he campaigned for slot machines at tracks to boost the state economy and the race industry. There was nothing more than I wanted than for the horse industry to thrive and I thought the Governor’s position was a good one, or that is how it was explained to me. Of course, how it was explained to me and the benefit the state and tracks would receive was at a fundraising dinner so I am sure they had the Governor’s best interest in mind.
Notice would give the owners/trainers the opportunity to take their own risk by keeping or shipping a horse into that facility. In our case, I don’t believe that the owner of the filly would have sent her to Pim and certainly the farm would not have accepted her.
We were in a full blown outbreak. NO ONE coming to or going from Pimlico was not aware of that. Everyone moving horse knew. I have no idea what promted the foolish move that exposed your horse. No matter what you were told. I’m sorry for your loss but there are some things you may not be aware of, like:
Taking temps is very important, but often the spike is brief and can be missed. Rodney Jenkins religiously (regardless of any outbreaks) takes a.m. & p.m. temps & he lost a horse.
Some show no signs off illness at all but do shed the virus to others. There were a couple of horses put in isolation, that had the first horse who died NOT shown such obvious symptoms, we’d have never known they were infected w/ herpes. Those horse not showing signs would have meandered in w/ the others. It is almost fortunate that Frock’s horse did show such obvious signs. No one suspected Herpes until it was too late to treat his successfully & it died. Others that became VERY sick made it thanks to very promt treatment. I can’t comment on what went wrong with your horse though I’m sure you tried your best. Again, we are sorry for your loss.
Ack, the horse from barn A was put down today. I have mixed feelings on that call, which I’ll not share (& are just my own thoughts), just giving an update. All the others are doing very well
Health Certs are good for 30 days in most states…while the overall health of a horse is usually noted as good, based on veterinary inspection before recieving, I think it’s real value with horses that ship a lot, is it gives you a better idea of where an animal has been.
A side note on quarantine mistakes: I paid dearly for one this past summer…we had a 30+ yr old box turtle named Bob who we’ve had free roaming our house forever (she slept in a terracotta pot that layed on it’s side in corner of my bedroom), & had been everywhere with us. We even hatched out & gave away her two babies years earlier, the result of her escape & meeting of a male some 5 years earlier than her egg laying!). If we ever rescued another box we never let Bob come in contact, we washed after handling, etc. Well on the way into Bowie I saw this spunky little young female box crossing the road. Since she was heading into developing area I decided her future wasn’t so hot there anymore & opted to keep her. I cut her quarantine (I’d decided on 2 weeks) short as she was so healthy looking… & she became ill (stress of new enviroment can trigger virus to become active, in horses also) a few days later & died quickly. I was mortified when a few days later Bob, w/ her unexposed system, got a runny nose. After $500.+ in vet bills, traumatic antibiotic injections (I later learned were probably a mistake), daily fluids…she died. It was horrible & Jordan (away at work out of state) wouldn’t speak to me for weeks. I also learned that quarantine for turtles & snakes is several MONTHS & even then at risk. So when it comes to quarantine mistakes I am queen as far as that goes.
Crike, here I go blubbering all over again.
Anyway, mistakes are made w/ living things that sometimes have awful endings whether in a hospital, riding stable, school or the educated guesses we make daily in our own households. Leaves people kicking themselves afterwards for want of doing it differently if given another chance.
No hard feelings Candle. I’m cranky these days (gee, there’s something new!).
Meanwhile a very big outbreak of Avian in Africa w/ 1 new human death. With every outbreak the closer this virus gets to human-human mutation. The odds greatly increase should a person having a bout of a flu that then comes in contact w/ bird flu wheras the two viruses in one body can swap & merge into a new deadly human transferable. I’m no henny-penny, this really is something to watch & educate yourselves on. Alaska is being watched closely as spring migrations are around the corner.
Apparantly there is a new vaccine:
A new drug by Pfizer has been created to protect against EHV-1. “I would recommend that healthy horses about to be shipped or exposed to unknown horses get vaccinated with Rhinomune,” said Holland. “This vaccine contains a modified live EHV-1 virus that triggers a very effective immune response.”
In a limited study by a professor of equine virology at Cornell, horses were vaccinated against EHV-1 and then exposed to a strain of the virus retrieved from a deadly 2003 outbreak at the University of Findlay in Ohio. Horses vaccinated against EHV-1 using the modified live vaccine Rhinomune consistently had lower fevers, no neurological disorders, and shed less virus in their nasal fluids compared to those vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine, which employs a killed virus to activate an immune response.
Doubtful anyone would want horses from any MD track… or training facility or farm that conducts work & go-s, or any horse that has run here recently.
This has shown to be a strain w/ neurological attacks only and the vaccines are pretty much useless. Your modified lives have a slightly better result w/ this strain if used BEFORE an outbreak w/ exposure. As well, a horse sheds the virus well before showing outward signs.
Really, your best shot is checking your horse’s temp twice daily, establishing a norm for each animal so should he/she spike (and you happen to notice) begin treatment for this virus ASAP. Meanwhile, you’ve drawn blood & sent it directly to the lab and can decide on continuing treatment pending your animal’s titer level (low, boarderline, high). Regular temp checks will not prevent your horse from getting ill but will definately ten-fold his odds of recovery through rapid response.
Updates include a pony/outrider horse testing positive from Laurel today and a horse at Penn Nat. (who ran here recently) falling ill prior.
You might note test results on different horses can vary and not always match the reality of a condition! So keep your eye on the temps and any unsteadyness in your horses.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
