The Colorado State Veterinarian’s office has confirmed the first case of equine West Nile Virus (WNV) of 2023 in a gelding residing in Weld County. The horse presented with sudden neurological symptoms including weakness, stumbling and recumbency and was euthanized as a result of his condition. The age and vaccine status for this gelding are unknown.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) are cautioning horse owners not to feed Top of the Rockies alfalfa cubes with the date codes 111222, 111322, 111422, 111522, and 111622. Consumers who have products marked with those date codes or who are unsure of the date code should throw them away in a secure container and follow the handling and cleaning instructions below.
A horse residing in Weld County has been diagnosed with West Nile Virus (WNV), marking Colorado’s first confirmed equine WNV case in 2021. The horse, which had not been vaccinated against WNV, developed acute neurological signs on July 24, 2021 and is currently recovering.
The Colorado Departments of Agriculture and Public Health and Environment have confirmed that a mule residing in Eagle County recently tested positive for bat variant rabies. This is the first case of rabies in domestic livestock in Colorado this year and the first case of rabies in an equine in Colorado since 2013.
The spillover of bat variant rabies into domestic animals and wildlife is less common than skunk variant rabies in Colorado but is still possible.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2020
Veterinarians and Livestock Owners Contact: Colorado State Veterinarian’s Office, 303-869-9130
Media Contact: Mary Peck, 720-428-0441, mary.peck@state.co.us
Broomfield, Colo. - Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began offering the option of no-cost Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) livestock ear tags in early 2020, the state veterinarian’s office has dispensed 59,120 tags across Colorado.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2020
Veterinarians and Livestock Owners Contact: Colorado State Veterinarian’s Office, 303-869-9130
Media Contact: Mary Peck, 720-428-0441, mary.peck@state.co.us
Broomfield, Colo. - A horse residing in Jefferson County has been diagnosed with West Nile Virus (WNV), marking the first confirmed equine WNV case in 2020.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2020
Contact: Mary Peck, 720-428-0441, mary.peck@state.co.us
Broomfield, Colo. - The Colorado Department of Agriculture has confirmed that a 3-month-old ram in El Paso county with neurologic signs tested positive for rabies at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment laboratory. This is the third case of rabies in domestic livestock in Colorado in 2020; a bull in Pueblo county and a goat in Yuma county were diagnosed with rabies earlier this year.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2020
Contact: Mary Peck, 720-428-0441, mary.peck@state.co.us
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2020
Contact: Mary Peck, CDA, (303) 869-9005, mary.peck@state.co.us
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2020
Contact: Mary Peck, 720-428-0441, mary.peck@state.co.us
Broomfield, Colo. - The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) reminds veterinarians and rabbit owners that reporting suspected occurrences of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHDV2), including sudden, elevated numbers of rabbit deaths, is mandatory. Disease reports are identified by the county of occurrence only, and all other personal information is protected from open record requests.