Horses who have been to events in Texas, Oklahoma may be at risk for virus, officials say

Horse owners who have been to Texas or Oklahoma in the last three weeks for equine events are being advised to contact their veterinarian and isolate their animals, as an outbreak of an equine herpes virus there is being monitored, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry said Thursday.

Those horse owners should also “implement twice daily temperature monitoring, under the guidance of their veterinarian,” the ag department said. “If elevated temperature, respiratory or other (virus) clinical signs are noticed, owners should contact their veterinarian.

The Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 is a highly contagious virus that causes upper respiratory distress and abortions or stillbirths in horses.

The virus is spread from horse-to-horse through nasal discharge or droplets, and the incu