Whoa Nellie, Illinois Race Horses Have Confirmed Cases of Herpes
I have to confess that I didn't know this is possible, but it is. There are reports that two race horses at a track in Illinois are confirmed to have herpes. I now know more than I ever wanted to know about horse diseases.
I saw this report on YouTube from Fox 2 in St. Louis saying that race horses at Fanduel Sportsbook and Horse Racing in Collinsville, Illinois have what is referred to as "equine herpes". Yes, I had to Google what that actually is.
What exactly is "equine herpes"?
The USDA says that equine herpes is a very serious condition for a horse causing "upper respiratory disease, neurological disease, abortions, and/or neonatal death". In other words, it causes all kinds of bad results for our horse friends. The other part of this that is troubling is the USDA also says it is highly contagious. No doubt that's why the Fox 2 St. Louis report says the 2 race horses confirmed to have this mean no animal can travel to or from that Collinsville, Illinois race track for 3 weeks.
From what I've learned, there was an outbreak of equine herpes about 4 years ago where 6 horses had to be put down to prevent further spreading. Truly tragic.
Let's hope these cases at the Collinsville, Illinois race track remain contained and no animals lose their life because of this.
See Inside a Hidden Cabin Near Defiance, Missouri that Has Horses
Gallery Credit: Entire cabin hosted by Evolve, Airbnb
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