Smith Horse Tests Positive For West Nile Virus, Appears To Be Isolated Incident

A horse in Smith County had to be euthanized after testing positive for West Nile Virus this week.

Staff Veterinarian Whitnie Smartt said that the disease is transmitted through mosquitoes who carry the virus.

“The main symptoms with West Nile Virus are a lot of the times, odd behavior, stumbling, incoordination,” Smartt said. “It mostly affects the nervous system so any kind of abnormal neurological behavior could be a potential sign.”

Smartt said that the state typically sees one to two cases of West Nile Virus in horses a year. She said that it happens more often in warmer weather when there is a higher presence of mosquitoes.

Smartt said that the best way to get protect your horses against the virus is to get vaccinated and to have good pest control practices.

“If someone is seeing neurological signs or abnormal signs in their horse we always recommend that they reach out to their veterinarians because there are a lot of diseases that can cause similar symptoms,” Smartt said. “And if that veterinarian is concerned for West Nile Virus or any other sort of reportable disease, they will contact our office.”