New Jersey horse has to be put down after contracting equine herpes

🐴 A horse in New Jersey has tested positive for equine herpes

🐴 The gelding was put down due to the risk of spread and further infection

🐴 How this illness can affect horses but other animals as well

An 8-year old gelding horse in New Jersey has been euthanized after contracting equine herpes.

In addition, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture announced that a property where the horse lived in Hunterdon County is in quarantine as are the other horses there.

Those horses are being monitored and having their temperature taken twice a day.

The horse developed acute clinical symptoms on May 12 of the highly infectious equine herpes myeloencephalopathy and had to then be put down, according to the NJDA.

This tragic illness doesn't affect humans or other domestic animals, officials said, with the exception being llamas and alpacas.

As a precaution, the NJDA said they're looking into where the horse had been and letting anyone know about the horse.

“The Department took swift action to prevent the disease from spreading to other horses by enacting a quarantine, which stops movement of horses in and out of properties and puts in place preventive measures to contain the virus,” New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Doug Fisher said in a written statement.

Get our free mobile app

According to the NJDA, "the EHV-1 organism spreads quickly from horse to horse and can cause respiratory problems, especially in young horses, spontaneous abortion in pregnant mares, and the neurologic form of the virus can result in death."

Some of the symptoms, according to the NJDA, include respiratory disease, fever, nasal discharge, depression, cough, lack of appetite, and/or enlarged lymph nodes.

You can learn more about what to do if you have horses by visiting the NJDA Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory website at www.jerseyvetlab.nj.gov or discuss with your veterinarian.