'I can’t even tell you how devastating it was': Equine herpes kills several horses at Wellington County farm
More than 20 horses are in quarantine at Irish Creek Stables in Wellington County, after ten were infected with equine herpes last month.
The virus known as EHV-1 was detected at the farm in early January.
Irish Creek Stables owner Liz Lewis said the virus had killed four horses and forced the farm to euthanize a fifth.
“I can’t even tell you how devastating it was. It was terrible,” Lewis told CTV News.
Equine herpes is a respiratory and neurological disease that horses can acquire at a young age.
Irish Creek Stables sent three infected horses to the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph to be better monitored. Lewis said two of the horses returned to the farm, the other died.
University of Guelph associate professor Luis Arroyo said a horse can go his whole life without spreading the disease or showing symptoms, but once a horse sheds the virus it can be easily transmitted.
“There are some horses that will be shedding the virus without showing any clinical signs,” Arroyo said. “That’s how it spreads just like the cold or the flu.”
Arroyo added that the virus can spread from horse to horse through direct contact, contaminated utensils, or from people who had been in close contact.
Equine herpes isn’t dangerous to humans.
Arroyo said most infected horses don’t die from the disease, but it has been known to cause abortions as well as limiting their overall quality of life.
“The virus spreads in the system and affects the cells that line the blood vessels,” Arroyo said. “When that happens in the spinal cord for example, there’s no blood supply to that tissue so the neurons start to die and that’s why they show neurological signs and that’s why they go down and cannot get up.”
Lewis said one of the infected horses that did recover from the virus has been showing signs of neurological trauma.
“He had a little difficulty with walking on his hind so you can tell that it’s affected his left side,” Lewis said. “I think of it as having a stroke.”
Irish Creek Stables said it has paid around $20,000 for medication and veterinary care.
The farm will remain under quarantine until at least Feb. 14. No horses are permitted in or out of the property until each is tested and the quarantine is lifted.
Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture confirmed Irish Creek Stables is the only facility with reported EHV-1 infection in 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.