WSDA: Vaccinate Your Horse Against West Nile

With temperatures slowly warming up, mosquito season is just around the corner.  And according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, that means it’s time to get your horse vaccinated against West Nile.  WSDA said most cases of West Nile in both horses and humans are reported in Central and Eastern Washington.  WSDA Veterinarian Dr. Thomas Gilliom said the vaccination regiment is very easy.

“If they’re real young or just starting out, say if they’re like six months old, or if a horse has never received West Nile Vaccine they should get one vaccination of West Nile, a booster in a four to eight week time period, and then all it is after that is a yearly vaccination after that.”

Gilliom says there is no reason for a horse owner not to vaccinate.  And for those that don’t the consequences are heartbreaking.

“If you’ve ever seen a horse, that has developed West Nile clinical signs, that is the neurologic signs where they go down in the rear legs and can’t get up.  Usually if they do start or do have neurological signs almost 30%-40% of these horses will not make it, and they’ll need to be euthanized because of the inflammation in the brain.”

Last year, nine horses were diagnosed with West Nile in Washington, but in 2015 the state reported 36 cases, with many of those horses dying.

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