Circle R Equine

The Texas commissioner has issued a statement today about an EHV-1 outbreak linked to a barrel race in Waco, TX held November 5-9th. They are still investigating to determine the extent of the exposure. While there are accounts of those directly involved being shared on social media, there are also facts that have not been confirmed. The important thing is to not panic, take precaution, and be prepared.

❓What to Do Now
•If your horse has not been exposed, it is recommended to vaccinate and/or booster with a flu/rhino vaccine. Vaccinating now will decrease severity of disease if your horse does unfortunately come in contact with EHV. While the vaccine only protects against the respiratory and reproductive diseases caused by this virus and not the neurologic strain, it does help prevent the spread overall.
•Take your horse’s temperature twice daily, especially if your horse was at the Waco event or has attended any show, jackpot, rodeo, or clinic in the last 14 days
•Quarantine any horse that’s possibly been exposed for a minimum of 14 days (21 days is even better)
• Call if temp ≥101.5°F or if you notice fever, nasal discharge, cough, stumbling, weakness, or neurologic signs.

🦠 Biosecurity Matters
• Do not share buckets, tack, grooming tools, or thermometers
• Wash hands and change clothing/boots between horses

🧬 How EHV-1 Spreads
• Nose-to-nose contact
• Aerosolized droplets from coughing/sneezing
• Shared equipment
• People carrying virus on hands/clothing/boots
• Pregnant mares to unborn foals

❌ Reminder: Horses can carry latent EHV-1, and stress can trigger shedding even without symptoms. Limiting stress will help limit disease.

When in doubt, currently it’s recommended to limit interstate travel.

If you have any concerns or notice clinical signs, please contact me right away.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the two and four-legged moms out there! May whatever makes you a mom, whether that be your children or your pets, make you feel special this day and every day!

Picture of a recip mare that was a little tall for her QH baby. Special appreciation for the mares that put up with the adorable little terrors we all love 💕

Hey everyone! I will be out of town today-9/29. Non-urgent matters will be addressed when I return. Urgent matters will be addressed as I’m able to or referred if needed.

Hope everyone is having a great start to fall! 🐴

Contact dermatitis: inflammation of the skin due to contact with an irritant. Or in my horse Tater’s case - when you get a rash from rolling in something you shouldn’t.

Tater is a 25 year old QH gelding that gives a few beginner lessons every other week but is otherwise living the pasture life. On Monday, Tater was found to have a rash consisting of slightly oozing scabs along both sides of his neck, poll, and ears. The skin at the base of both ears was warm, and he was incredibly ear shy with the left being worse than the right. No discharge was noted directly from the ear, just the skin covering the ears.

Tater was diagnosed with contact dermatitis from most likely laying/rolling in some irritating weeds in his pasture. Treatment consisted of bathing with a medicated shampoo (Ketohex) every other day for a week and topical application of SSD (silver sulfadiazine) cream daily for a few days then switching to topical zinc oxide daily. Systemic antibiotics and anti-inflammatories were administered on the first day due to the amount of pain and inflammation present. The scabs were only removed once softened, nothing was actively picked off as that would be further irritating to the skin.

Tater has responded well to treatment and should be back to toting around 4 year olds soon. While dermatitis is manageable at home for most horse owners, a severe case like Tater’s definitely required veterinary intervention!