On Feb. 4, officials at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) were notified that two horses at a private facility in the Regional Municipality of Halton had tested positive for neurologic equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). The horses had been tested as the result of and investigation into three other horses at the facility which had been euthanized between Jan. 29-Feb. 3 after displaying severe incoordination and inability to rise, symptoms common to EHV-1.
Enhanced biosecurity protocols have been enacted at the quarantined facility and includes restricted movement on and off the property.
EHV-1 infection in horses can cause respiratory disease, abortion, neonatal foal death, and/or neurological disease. Some infected horses may show no clinical signs, but still shed the virus. Neurological signs may include loss or balance, hind-limb weakness, recumbency, difficulty urinating, decreased tail tone and depression.