05/25/2023
Information regarding Vesicular Stomatitis Virus! Please read!
***HEALTH ALERT***
There is currently a veterinary alert across the state of California regarding VSV (Vesicular Stomatitis Virus) which can affect horses, donkeys, mules, cattle, swine, and new world camelids. There are now 19 affected premises in Riverside and San Diego counties.
Any property found to have VSV infected animals will be quarantined for 14 days following the onset of the last case on that property.
Incubation period (time from exposure to first symptoms): 2-8 days
Signs/symptoms: fever at onset, blisters on tongue, gums, and possibly coronary band, sloughing off of surface of the tongue. Drooling, frothing of the mouth, reluctance to eat due to mouth pain.
Treatment: feeding soft feeds to reduce mouth discomfort. Anti-inflammatory medications to minimize swelling and pain and encourage eating and drinking. If the horse becomes dehydrated, your veterinarian may need to provide additional supportive care using intravenous fluids. Ulcerated areas can become infected and use of antibiotics may be required. Flushing the mouth regularly with a dilute antiseptic solution may reduce the chances of infection and help speed healing.
Duration: VS generally runs its course in 2 weeks but healing may take months.
Transmission: while not fully understood it is known to be passed by flies, midges, and other insects as well horse to horse contact or horses coming in contact with surfaces that have been contaminated with saliva or fluid from blisters.
Prevention: quarantine any new horse away from others for a minimum of 21 days. Implement fly control to minimize spread by insects. Disinfect tools, buckets etc used between horses with chlorine bleach or septisol. If possible, have feed and water buckets for each horse rather than communal areas.
VS can be transmitted to humans. In humans, it tends to cause severe flu-like symptoms such as headache, fever, muscle aches, and extreme fatigue. People rarely develop blisters in their mouths.
This outbreak will cause delays in the ability to move animals between states. If you have an animal that needs to move in or out of California you will need to work with your vet to determine the guidelines as it varies from state to state.
If you have any questions or concerns please let us know and we will help answer your questions as best we can.
