Only One Test Detects This Deadly Disease. Yet Not One Horse Owner In 1000 Knows About It.
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Sierra Lynch
May 9, 2013, 5:50:10 AM5/9/13
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Article Title: Only One Test Detects This Deadly Disease. Yet Not One Horse Owner In 1000 Knows About It.
Author: Sierra Lynch
Word Count: 658
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=139516&ca=Pets
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=139516
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Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is also known by the term "swamp fever." The disease is also referred to as "equine AIDS" because the virus that causes it is closely related to the human HIV virus. That being the case, how can you tell if your horse has it? And do we humans need to be concerned about coming down with a deadly disease if one of our horses has swamp fever?
The short answer is no. It's true that Equine Infectious Anemia is viral disease. And it is transmitted by the blood of infected horses. However, humans cannot get the disease. But horses can. And when they do, it's not pretty.
EIA�Bad Stuff
EIA comes in three different flavors, but the most acute form of the disease will show up in the form of high fever, severe anemia, weakness, swelling of the lower abdomen and legs, weak pulse, irregular heartbeat,�you get the idea. There are a lot of horse diseases out there, but this one is bad stuff.
As a matter of fact, one of my veterinary manuals says "The mortality rate is high. Sudden death may be the first indication." Oh, and once a horse becomes infected, he's infected permanently. He either has to be put down or quarantined 200 yards from any other horse for life.
How Horses Get EIA
The blame for this awful disease can be laid directly at bloodsucking insects like the common horsefly.
Horseflies are big. Really big. And they bite really hard as they try to make a meal out of your horse's blood. Most horses won't stand for this painful bite. They'll shake their heads, flick their tales, and do pretty much whatever it force the horsefly to shove off.
So the unwilling horsefly reluctantly removes his proboscis out of your horse and takes his business elsewhere. And therein lies the problem.
The horsefly carries the EIA virus around to the other horses in the area. So his chow time may begin on one horse who is already infected. Then he may finish on one who isn't. That's how the horsefly transmits the EIA virus from one horse to another.
Thankfully, the disease is extremely rare in the United States and in other countries where animal health is taken seriously. However, that doesn't mean EIA is no big deal. It most assuredly is a big deal.
So big, in fact, that most states have laws on their books requiring documented proof that your horse is EIA-free before you can transport him across state lines. And almost every horse sale transaction requires the same proof.
The Test Your Horse Needs To Fail
So how can you prove your horse is not infected with EIA? Your vet will need to perform something called a Coggins Test.
The Coggins Test was developed in the early 1960's by a veterinarian named Leroy Coggins (image that!). The test basically detects the presence of certain antibodies in your horse's bloodstream. If they're within an acceptable level, your horse is fine. Otherwise, he is said to be "EIA-positive." Again, thankfully, very few American horses are.
A Coggins Test is quick, and relatively cheap. Any equine vet can do it. It's just a matter of drawing a blood sample and running a few chemical tests on it. Very simple.
Don't feel bad if you've never heard of a Coggins Test. Most horse owners haven't. But it is very important that you get your horse tested (and hope it comes back negative). And it's absolutely crucial to check for it if you're buying a horse.
I know I'd pay a little extra for the peace of mind knowing my next horse is EIA-free.
Yours For Better Horse Care,
Sierra Lynch
About The Author: Sierra Lynch makes it easy to keep your horse healthy and happy. With over 16 years experience riding and caring for horses, Sierra will make sure your horse is always ready to ride. Visit Sierra on the web at http://www.horseiq.com
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=139516
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Message delivered directly to members of the group:
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*****************************************************************
Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Sierra Lynch
*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms
- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.
- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.
- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.
- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.
- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=139516
- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=139516
- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.
The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************
Article Title: Only One Test Detects This Deadly Disease. Yet Not One Horse Owner In 1000 Knows About It.
Author: Sierra Lynch
Word Count: 658
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=139516&ca=Pets
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=139516
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=139516
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is also known by the term "swamp fever." The disease is also referred to as "equine AIDS" because the virus that causes it is closely related to the human HIV virus. That being the case, how can you tell if your horse has it? And do we humans need to be concerned about coming down with a deadly disease if one of our horses has swamp fever?
The short answer is no. It's true that Equine Infectious Anemia is viral disease. And it is transmitted by the blood of infected horses. However, humans cannot get the disease. But horses can. And when they do, it's not pretty.
EIA�Bad Stuff
EIA comes in three different flavors, but the most acute form of the disease will show up in the form of high fever, severe anemia, weakness, swelling of the lower abdomen and legs, weak pulse, irregular heartbeat,�you get the idea. There are a lot of horse diseases out there, but this one is bad stuff.
As a matter of fact, one of my veterinary manuals says "The mortality rate is high. Sudden death may be the first indication." Oh, and once a horse becomes infected, he's infected permanently. He either has to be put down or quarantined 200 yards from any other horse for life.
How Horses Get EIA
The blame for this awful disease can be laid directly at bloodsucking insects like the common horsefly.
Horseflies are big. Really big. And they bite really hard as they try to make a meal out of your horse's blood. Most horses won't stand for this painful bite. They'll shake their heads, flick their tales, and do pretty much whatever it force the horsefly to shove off.
So the unwilling horsefly reluctantly removes his proboscis out of your horse and takes his business elsewhere. And therein lies the problem.
The horsefly carries the EIA virus around to the other horses in the area. So his chow time may begin on one horse who is already infected. Then he may finish on one who isn't. That's how the horsefly transmits the EIA virus from one horse to another.
Thankfully, the disease is extremely rare in the United States and in other countries where animal health is taken seriously. However, that doesn't mean EIA is no big deal. It most assuredly is a big deal.
So big, in fact, that most states have laws on their books requiring documented proof that your horse is EIA-free before you can transport him across state lines. And almost every horse sale transaction requires the same proof.
The Test Your Horse Needs To Fail
So how can you prove your horse is not infected with EIA? Your vet will need to perform something called a Coggins Test.
The Coggins Test was developed in the early 1960's by a veterinarian named Leroy Coggins (image that!). The test basically detects the presence of certain antibodies in your horse's bloodstream. If they're within an acceptable level, your horse is fine. Otherwise, he is said to be "EIA-positive." Again, thankfully, very few American horses are.
A Coggins Test is quick, and relatively cheap. Any equine vet can do it. It's just a matter of drawing a blood sample and running a few chemical tests on it. Very simple.
Don't feel bad if you've never heard of a Coggins Test. Most horse owners haven't. But it is very important that you get your horse tested (and hope it comes back negative). And it's absolutely crucial to check for it if you're buying a horse.
I know I'd pay a little extra for the peace of mind knowing my next horse is EIA-free.
Yours For Better Horse Care,
Sierra Lynch
About The Author: Sierra Lynch makes it easy to keep your horse healthy and happy. With over 16 years experience riding and caring for horses, Sierra will make sure your horse is always ready to ride. Visit Sierra on the web at http://www.horseiq.com
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=139516
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
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