It is very important when boarding several animals together to make sure one illness doesn't spread. Here is a slide show about keeping horses healthy. Diana Stolba, http://lbemc.com, Loomis, California.

1. Maintaining the health
of your barn
Diana Stolba DVM
May 18,2014

2. Goals of todays talk
• Learn about steps necessary to protect your horse at a boarding facility no
matter the size
• How preventative health care and having one veterinarian overseeing the
barn can keep your horse healthier
• Decrease the risk of an outbreak at your barn
• Stay awake 

3. Barn size…. Does it matter?

4. Before you move your horse
• Acquire vaccine records from your veterinarian or make sure your horse is
really “up to date”
• Ask about quarantine
• Is your horse up to the move?
• Discuss requirements of moving with barn manager

5. Common Requirements
• Deworming
• Bloodwork (Complete blood panel)
• Nasal swabs
• Health certificate/ coggins ( equine infectious anemia)
• Proof of ownership or registration papers
• Vaccines

6. Arriving to a new place…..
• Have everything organized before
you load your horse
• Allow time to have your horse
settle and adjust to new
environment

7. Quarantine
Some boarding facilities have quarantine for new horses
ranging from 14-28 days
Requirements include:
• Confinement to a paddock/stall away from general population
• Limited/ no access to communal areas ( cross ties, round pen,
arena)
• Monitoring temperature twice daily

8. Biosecurity
• Reasons to consider quarantine
• Contagious/ infectious diseases
• Safety of introducing new horses to a
herd
• Minimizing the chances of an
outbreak

9. Monitoring temperature
• Often the best method of detecting early disease
• Rectal thermometer, digital is fastest and more accurate
• Fever is defined as
• >101 degrees
• 1.5 degrees above that horses normal temperature

10. Infectious/contagious diseases to watch for
• Respiratory diseases
• Equine herpes virus (EHV-4, EHV-1)
• Equine influenza
• Strangles
• Neurologic conditions
• Equine herpes virus (EHV-1)
• Rabies
• Diarrhea
• Salmonella
• Clostridium
• Vesicular diseases
• Vesicular stomatitis
• Other
• Corona Virus

11. Respiratory Disease
Equine Herpes/ Influenza
• Viral
• Transmission- direct/ aerosol up to 50 yards
• Clinical signs
• Fever, cough, Nasal discharge, limb edema,
conjunctivitis
• Incubation period
• 24hrs to 21 days
• Shedding up to 10 days
Strangles
• Bacterial
• Transmission- indirect/ fomites
• Clinical signs
• Fever, cough, nasal discharge, difficulty
breathing, swelling under jaw
• Incubation period
• 3-14 days
• Shedding up to 6 weeks or longer in silent
shedders

12. Contagious/ Infectious disease
Neurologic Diseases
• Equine Herpes ( Rhino/ EHV-1)
• Rabies
• Viral
• Ataxia, fever, dog sitting
• Incubation 6-10 days, Up to 6 months
Diarrhea
• Salmonella
• Clostridium
• Bacterial
• Soft/watery manure, +/- fever
• 12hr incubation can shed up to 30
days

13. Don’t try this at home

14. Coronavirus
• Hot off the press
• Equine corona virus ( ECV) is historically a cause of foal diarrhea in foals < 2 weeks of age
• In the past year several cases and outbreaks in adult horses at racing facilities/ boarding facilities in
California and Idaho
• Clinical signs range include fever, lethargy, inappetance, difficulty walking, head pressing and
neurologic signs and diarrhea (non-specific)
• Increased Ammonia levels produced by the gut flora is suspected to cause neurologic signs
• Shedding 2-11 days, confirmed but recent case of animals becoming sick after 14 days
• Manure can be tested for he virus

15. Vaccinations
• Core vaccines
• 3-way (tetanus, eastern and western sleeping sickness)
• West Nile Virus
• Rabies
• Optional vaccines
• Strangles
• Influenza
• Rhino pneumonitis( herpes)

16. Vaccine Clinics
Discount for multiple horses Immunization Guarantee

17. Deworming
Rotational Deworming
• Rotating between different
anthelminthic every 2-3 months
• Alternate Adult Schedule (every 3 months)
• January: Pyrantel pamoate
• April: Fenbendazole (Pancur Power Pak)
• July: Ivermectin
• October: Ivermectin/praziquantel
Strategic Deworming
• Collecting a fecal sample and
submitting for a fecal egg count
• Strategically deworming each horse as
an individual
• Low Shedder (< 200EPG)
• Medium shedder (200-500 EPG)
• High Shedder (>500EPG)

18. Lab work
• Coggins blood test ( required for
movement of a horse out of state)
• Equine Infectious Anemia Virus
• Fever, Anemia, thrombocytopenia
• CBC Complete blood count
• Comprehensive assessment of red blood
cell count, white blood cell count
• Most contagious diseases will have
indications on bloodwork
• Nasal Swab
• PCR allows results often within 24 hours
• Test for Rhino/Herpes, Influenza or
Strangles
• Manure Sample
• PCR testing and snap tests for most
contagious GI pathogens

19. LBEMC Health care program
What are the benefits to this Program?
• No emergency fees for after-hour appointments
($95-$135 savings per visit)
• $5,000 credit towards surgical treatment of colic
performed at Loomis Basin Equine Medical
Center
• Additional discounts on specified medication
purchases (i.e. Adequan, Gastrogard, Legend)
• Additional discounts on specific elective surgeries
What are the requirements for enrollment?
• One scheduled veterinary appointment per year
to include:
• Routine physical exam – $80
• Routine teeth float (exceptions for younger horses) –
$240 or sedated oral exam
• Annual required vaccinations (possible
exceptions): a. 3-Way w/ West Nile – $43
• Deworming: Recommend Fecal egg count yearly
(Spring and Fall) – $26 per fecal

20. Precautions for taking your horse off the
property
• Clean/ disinfect any stall, water buckets, feeders before moving them in
• Monitor your own horses temperature daily
• Make sure all vaccines are up to date
• Do not use public water troughs ( bring your own water)

21. Feed
• Good quality forage hay ( oat, alfalfa, three grain,
meadow, orchard, teff)
• Adequate supply for the number of horses
• Observe flakes/bales for sun damage, water
damage, mold, toxic weeds
• If traveling bringing our own is best.

22. Disinfectants
• What is a fomite?
• Any object or substance capable of carrying infectious organisms ( i.e. Brushes, wheel
barrows, shoes, humans, feed buckets, water troughs… etc.)
• Viruses can live for several weeks and some bacteria several years
• Disinfectants- bleach, betadine, chlorohexadine, hydrogen peroxide based
cleaners, alcohols. ( most inactivated by organic debris)
• Water troughs/ feeders
• Have a cleaning day at your barn 

23. Fly control
• Flies are a fomite
• Traps
• Predators
• Spray systems
• Manure control is essential

24. Fencing/ Housing
• Regular fence/ stall inspection
• Type of fencing, is it safe for
horses
• Look for loose boards, rusty nails
etc.

25. Involve Your Friendly Veterinarian
• Having regular visits allows the vet
to develop a relationship with your
horse when it is healthy
• Allow us to customize vaccine and
deworming schedules for your barn
• Healthy horses = More Ride time

26. Outbreaks are devastating to everyone
• Economic loss
• Emotional loss/ stress
• Business reputation
• Life threatening to horses

27. Questions????