|
Potomac Horse Fever Found in Summit County
Recently a horse in Summit County tested positive for Potomac Horse Fever (PHC). PHC is rare in Utah; it is present in parts of western Wyoming, Idaho, and Montanna. PHC is a warm-season illness that affects horses, donkeys, and mules that ingest adult aquatic insects infected with Neorickettsia risticii bacteria. Although horses can consume infected insects directly from streams and ponds, the insects can also fly into watering troughs and feeders. Horses can also eat insects that roost in pasture grasses during the day. Early detection and treatment with antibiotics are critical. Symptoms start one to three weeks after the animals consume the infected adult aquatic insects. Horse owners should be on the lookout for the following signs and seek veterinary care immediately:
· Depression
· Fever ranging from 102–107˚F
· Lack of appetite
· Watery diarrhea
· Mild colic
· Laminitis (founder) symptoms on all hooves
A vaccine for PHF is available, and horse owners can further reduce the risk for their horses by replacing white lights with yellow ones in barns, turning off barn lights at night, and checking water troughs and feeders for dead insects. More information on PHF is available on the Wyoming Extension fact sheet below.
| 
