Clarke Equine Wellness and Performance

11/23/2025

By now, I'm sure you have all heard or read about the EHM (Equine Herpesviral Myeloencephalitis) outbreak originating in the Texas/Oklahoma area. Initial reports spread on social media indicated up to a couple dozen horses had died and hundreds were affected. While this is indeed a very serious outbreak, the reality of horses affected is significantly less. It's serious, but let's keep thing in perspective.
As of today (11/22/25), there are officially 21 reported cases of horses testing positive and exhibiting clinical symptoms of neurologic disease associated with this outbreak. There are many hundreds of horses potentially exposed, but that is not the same as affected.
Horses have been allowed to leave the affected facilities and events. The owners have been instructed to take the horses home, quarantine them for 14 days and monitor their temperatures daily. These horse have traveled to multiple "home" areas, so the potential for spread of the outbreak does still exist. If everyone follows the guidelines (Go home, go straight home, do not pass go, do not collect $200) and when you get home, isolate these horses for 14-21 days, don't take them anywhere and monitor their temperatures daily.
Currently, there is no increased risk for EHM in our practice area. If you have not had your horses vaccinated for the fall yet, we encourage you to do so. (Yes, we know that vaccination does not protect against the neurological form of this disease. But what it does do is lower the load of virus in the environment. Think about it mathematically. If one viral particle out of a million carries the gene mutation for the neurological disease and there are 100,000,000 viral particles in the environment, that's 100 chances of inducing EHM. If regular vaccination reduces the number of viral particles to 10,000,000, that's only 10 chances of the disease occurring.)
A number of events throughout the horse world have been canceled or postponed. If I was hosting a large event and horses were coming form a variety of areas around the country, I would cancel, too. But there is no reason to change plans for exclusively local shows or get-togethers. (Vaccinate!)
The AAEP is presenting a Zoom webinar on Tuesday, 11/25 at 8 PM and we have posted the information for this webinar here on our page. We encourage you to register. Another useful site is www.equinediseasecc.org. If you have specific questions about your horse or your situation, please feel free to ask them here.

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11/03/2025

10/29/2025

https://events.zoom.us/ev/Ah5yOsCebSifxMhDsKU4IL28l58V2uXLCCZy2BJfr1cVGkPrhte-~AkTrbyktZL-X6LN0LpntEqMChUPte_sAlD_Vc22m-q6fZUf_K_Bby90XhQ

09/17/2025

In the past 2 weeks, 20 horses from 12 different states have been confirmed positive for West Nile Virus. Of those cases, only one was a confirmed vaccinated horse (and that one is alive and recovering). All of the other affected horses were either unvaccinated or their vaccination status unknown. And 9 of those are confirmed either deceased or euthanized at this time. We strongly encourage everyone to vaccinate for West Nile Virus, even at this time of year. It's still out there; and the only thing keeping it from becoming a really, really serious problem is vaccination.

08/01/2025

As many horse owners start the process of planning out their fall and winter hay supply, many may be considering purchasing round bales for their equine companions due to cost-effectiveness and greater convenience for feeding pastured animals. However, it's important to remember that there are a few things to consider when choosing between square or round bales.

• Are you equipped/prepared to store your hay correctly?
Improperly stored round bales can lose much of their nutritional value and are also more susceptible to mold, dust, and bacteria growth, which can cause respiratory issues and even colic.

• Are your horses protected from botulism?
Round bales provide an optimum environment for the development of the botulism toxin. This toxin is produced when "Clostridium botulinum" is exposed to the right environmental conditions — such as when forage materials are baled and stored while still damp, or when they include the carcasses of dead animals, like birds and mice.

Prevention of this disease through vaccination is critical, especially in areas where the condition is prevalent (such as Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, California, and Tennessee).

• Are round bales a good choice for your horse?
Horses prone to respiratory conditions usually have increased problems with round bales due to their higher dust content.

• Do you have a feeder to place your round bales in?
Round bales not placed in a feeder can create more waste, which means your horses may not be meeting their nutritional requirements.

• Can you secure high-quality round bales?
Not all hay is created equal. Be sure to choose high-quality hay to meet your horse's nutritional needs and minimize the risk of impaction colic, which increases with lower-quality, less digestible forage.

As always, your equine veterinarian remains your best source of information and advice—consult your horse doctor on best practices when feeding hay this fall and winter!

For more information on botulism, visit our website at: https://aaep.org/resource/botulism/

08/01/2025

01/10/2025

The Foundation for the Horse continues to reach out to veterinarians and the horse industry to help horses affected by the wildfires in Southern California. If you or someone you know needs assistance with veterinary care, shelter, transportation, feed, hay, or supplies, please contact The Foundation at [email protected]. Assistance is available to veterinarians treating horses affected by the fires and for veterinary medical supplies, treatment, euthanasia, and more.

To assist in these efforts, donations are needed and can be made directly to our Disaster Fund at https://www.foundationforthehorse.org/impact/disaster-relief/

01/10/2025

People with horses were seen being evacuated out of Altadena after the 1,000-acre Eaton Fire started burning down homes and buildings.Subscribe to FOX 11 on ...

06/26/2024

03/21/2024

In a first for us, we have taken in 10 horses this evening whose owners found themselves in the path of some of these fires and smoke. We urge everyone to take caution and watch carefully for any signs - coughing, increased breathing rates, nasal or eye discharge - that their horses are being affected by these fires. Call a veterinarian if you have questions or concerns.

09/21/2023

A very well stated explanation of a serious impending problem. Thank you and credit to Dr. Steele for stating this and allowing other practices like mine to share. Take a listen.