Horse Health

Equine Infectious Anemia - Madera County

Good morning California Practitioner,

A 24-year-old Paint mare in Madera County has been confirmed positive for
Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA). The mare had been tested to travel out of
state, and was euthanized on January 24, 2020 after infection was confirmed.
There are no exposed horses on the horse's home premise and an
epidemiological investigation is ongoing to determine if any horses were
exposed. This is the first confirmed case of EIA in California since 2017.

Contact your veterinarian if you have questions.

Equine Herpesvirus-1 - Santa Barbara County

January 10, 2020: A 21-year-old Quarter Horse gelding in Santa Barbara
county displaying neurologic signs and fever has been confirmed positive for
Equine Herpesvirus-1. On January 9,2020, the gelding was euthanized due to
severity of signs. The index premises with two remaining horses has been
quarantined with requirements for enhanced biosecurity measures including
twice daily temperature monitoring. There has been no recent movement of
horses on or off the property. CDFA will continue to monitor the situation.

Extended Equine Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (EECVI) (AKA Equine Passport)

Please find below two important updates regarding the Extended Equine
Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (EECVI) (AKA Equine Passport) and the
changes related to Equine Infectious Anemia Testing. 

NOW Available - Extended Equine Certificate of Veterinary Inspection 
Global Vetlink's recently released an updated Extended Equine Certificate of
Veterinary Inspection (EECVI) system which meets California interstate
movement requirements. Effective January 1, 2020, California Department of
Food and Agriculture will accept Global Vetlink's EECVI documents for equine
interstate movement.  Through the GVL software system, veterinarians can
create an EECVI online, submit it to their state animal health official
electronically and provide owners with online access to retrieve the
required travel permits for each interstate movement. For more information
visit https://www.globalvetlink.com/eecvi/

Important Changes to EIA Testing
USDA APHIS Veterinary Services implemented new requirements for approved
laboratories conducting Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) Testing. Changes
affecting the submitting veterinarian are
.       Laboratories can only accept samples from federal accredited
Category II Accredited Veterinarians. Laboratories are to confirm
accreditation status prior to testing the sample.
.       By April 15, 2020, veterinarians must use the current federal
approved forms or approved systems (i.e. VS Form 10-11 dated Feb 2018 or
Global Vetlink form) 
.       At the discretion of the laboratory amended forms can be processed
as long as they are received within 30 days of blood draw date, all previous
distributed copies are returned to the laboratory and change of ownership is
not one of the items being amended.
To ensure timely testing of the sample, ensure test forms are complete,
legible, and accurate at time of sample submission to the approved
laboratory.

Vesicular Stomatitis has been confirmed in Texas and Kansas

Good morning California Equine Practitioners,

Vesicular Stomatitis has been confirmed in Texas and Kansas.

Below are the case details and new entry requirements for horses, cattle, sheep, goat and swine entering California from a VS Affected State.

Situation Update

On October 23, 2019, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa confirmed a finding of VSV infection (Indiana serotype) on a premises in Sherman County, Kansas. Three of 5 horses on the premises are showing clinical signs of VSV and one of the horses has met confirmed case definition of an index case in a new state with a VSV-positive complement fixation titer of 1:40 or greater. Two of the affected horses are also PCR-positive for VSV-Indiana. There are 14 cattle on the premises that are clinically unaffected and the premises is currently under state quarantine. This is the 2019 VSV index case for Kansas.

Additionally, during the last week, a new confirmed premises has been identified in Collin County, Texas. Note, Texas entry requirements had been rescinded on Monday October 21, 2019, as the state had released all quarantines and had no confirmed cases in the prior 30 days.

Current, VS Affected states include: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

Vesicular Stomatitis Requirements for Importing Horses, Cattle, Sheep, Goats and Swine into California

All horses, cattle, sheep, goat and swine *originating from any state where vesicular stomatitis (VS) has been diagnosed (except cattle and swine transported directly to slaughter) must be accompanied by a health certificate (certificate of veterinary inspection) and signed by an accredited veterinarian that includes the following statement:

“I have examined all the animals identified on this certificate within 72 hours of shipment date and found them to be free from signs of Vesicular Stomatitis (VS). During the last thirty (30) days, these animals have not been exposed to VS nor located on a VS confirmed or a VS suspected premises.”

*For purposes of this requirement, “originating” means horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and swine that initially leave the VS infected state and come to California, or those that leave any state, visit an infected state, and then return to California.

The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has no additional requirements, at this time, on horses coming from a VS-infected area to enter race tracks and/or CHRB-approved training centers. For more information, contact CHRB at 916-263-6000.

ALERT: Vesicular Stomatitis Confirmed in 2019

By Katie Flynn, BVMS, MRCVS

On June 21, 2019, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, confirmed vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection (Indiana serotype) on a premises in Kinney County, Texas. VSV-Indiana serotype has not been diagnosed in the U.S. since 1998; all VSV cases from 2004-2016 have been VSV-New Jersey serotype. Since this detection, the virus has been confirmed in Tom Green County, Texas and Sandoval County, New Mexico. For the latest information and VS Fact Sheet visit: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/VS.html

Any animal displaying signs compatible with vesicular stomatitis should be reported to your local CDFA AHB district office for investigation. A foreign animal disease diagnostician will be sent to the premises to examine the animal, collect appropriate samples, and conduct an epidemiologic investigation. The suspect animal will be quarantined until laboratory results determine the vesicular stomatitis status.

Requirements for Importing Horses, Cattle, Sheep, Goats and Swine into California from a Vesicular Stomatitis Affected State: All horses, cattle, sheep, goats and swine *originating from any state where vesicular stomatitis (VS) has been diagnosed (except cattle and swine transported directly to slaughter) must be accompanied by a health certificate (certificate of veterinary inspection) and signed by an accredited veterinarian that includes the following statement:

“I have examined all the animals identified on this certificate within 72 hours of shipment date and found them to be free from signs of Vesicular Stomatitis (VS). During the last thirty (30) days, these animals have not been exposed to VS nor located on a VS confirmed or a VS suspected premises.”

*For purposes of this requirement, “originating” means horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and swine that initially leave the VS infected state and come to California, or those that leave any state, visit an infected state, and then return to California. The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) currently has no additional requirements on horses coming from a VS infected area to enter race tracks and/or CHRB-approved training centers. For more information, contact CHRB at 916-263-6000.