Foggy Ridge Veterinary Service

Here in Oklahoma, we received an email from our state veterinarian letting us know that there have been many positive rabies cases in the state, including many involving skunks. He also let us know that there have been 4 cattle, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 1 cat and 1 goat test positive, plus a litter of piglets attacked by a suspected rabid skunk.

Even if you're not in Oklahoma, it's time to remind your clients to get their animals, including livestock, vaccinated against rabies. We are starting to see West Nile cases too, so it's time to get all vaccines caught up!

Here's a link to the Oklahoma data: https://oklahoma.gov/health/health-education/acute-disease-service/rabies/rabies-surveillance-data-and-statistics.html

This week, Kentucky saw not only a case of rabies, but also a case of West Nile Virus.

Although most horse owners have probably heard of West Nile, you may not know what to look for or how to ward off the virus.

West Nile virus (WNV) was first detected in North America in the late summer of 1999. Following its arrival in the states, a vaccine was developed and has since been a recommended annual vaccination following the initial series.

If you suspect your horse may have contracted West Nile, contact your vet for next steps. Fortunately, if your horse is vaccinated against WNV, they have a good chance of making a full recovery.

Jocelyn is doing cheerleading this year and we are raffling Bengals tickets as a fundraiser if anyone is interested! The team is entirely supported by donations and fundraisers.

These videos are hard to watch.

Yes, horses can get rabies. Yes, it happens. Yes, you should vaccinate for rabies at a minimum- there has never been a rabies vaccine failure.

For some reason this seems to be the vaccine people want to skip and I don’t understand. It is a 100% fatal disease that can be prevented with a vaccine.

RABIES This is a 5 year old Standardbred gelding in Virginia. The veterinarian was called when the horse was acting unusual and calling out every 30 seconds. The only assessment that could be done was a visual exam and a temperature check which showed a fever of 103.4 F. The horse quickly deteriorated into self mutilation as shown in the videos (more in comments). The horse was unvaccinated. Because of this and the signs shown, he was euthanized and tested for rabies which was positive. The owners are undergoing post-exposure prophylaxis under guidance of the health department. The rabies vaccine is VERY effective. Please talk to your vet about vaccinating your horse. Thank you to Southside Equine Services for the videos.