02/28/2026
Hess Equine experienced a tragic first this week. With a combined 50+ years of practicing equine veterinary medicine, our team saw the first (and hopefully last!) case of equine rabies.
The reality is that rabies is 100% preventable with adequate annual vaccination.
The truth is that rabies is 100% fatal once symptoms develop.
The brutality is that there is no way to test for rabies in a living animal.
Pennsylvania was one of the top six states reporting the greatest number of rabies cases in 2022. The commonwealth continues to have a very high incidence of the disease in wild and feral animals.
EVERY mammal is susceptible to the rabies virus.
Horses by their very existence are in close proximity to wild animals that may carry rabies (notably: raccoons, foxes, skunks, bats, groundhogs, etc). We generally see very few cases of equine rabies because most horse owners follow veterinary recommendations and annually vaccinate against rabies.
There are two forms of the rabies virus:
1. Furious: this is marked by significant aggression, abnormal vocalization, foaming at the mouth, fear of water (especially human cases), the classic “old yeller” version. Furious rabies accounts for about 80% of rabies cases, making it recognizable with the single most common factor among domestically affected animals being the lack of proper vaccine administration.
2. Paralytic: these animals become weaker and weaker, eventually paralysis sets in, and finally coma & death.
The incubation period from the time of exposure to the saliva of an infected animal through a break in the skin (typically a bite or scratch) is normally 2-3 months but can be as soon as one week and may take up to one year for central nervous system infection and resulting symptoms. NOTE: this is NOT like “old yeller”, this is a disease that takes time to manifest.
The bottom line in preventing the unnecessary and tragic loss of your equid to rabies is PROPERLY VACCINATING THEM EVERY YEAR UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF YOUR VETERINARIAN.
If you believe you may have been bitten by a rabid animal or come into contact with the saliva of a potentially rabid animal please seek medical attention immediately and contact your local health department.
If you would like to learn more about the rabies virus and how it affects humans worldwide please visit https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rabies.
