Around 50 cases of equine rabies are confirmed in the United States every year. So even though we talk a lot about rabies prevention in dogs and cats, it’s just as crucial in our equine friends.
What makes horses so vulnerable to rabies is their curiosity combined with a rabid animal’s loss of fear of other creatures. The resulting chance interaction can be deadly.
Equine rabies is insidious, with signs ranging from lackluster performance to strange behavior. That is, rabies can look like anything — or nothing.
As with cats, dogs or people, once symptoms develop, rabies in horses is fatal. It’s also infectious through contact with any body fluids. But the good news is that rabies is preventable with a vaccine that’s reliable and safe in horses.
So don’t leave your horse at risk when a rabies vaccination could save the day.